(I was not sure where to place this, so as I am a sitter I decided here. Please move it if not right)
How are you all doing with recommending others to either join up as sitters or pet owners?
I would love to get an extra few months added on to my membership for referrals.
I once posted on a totally different to pet sitting facebook group about THS, and someone sent me a PM asking for a referral, so that was good.
Any tips please?
Thank you.
They add up fast, we’ve currently got 48 months free. These haven’t been built up over years and years, we only started sitting in Spring 2023. I’m surprised more people don’t use their referral code.
None of our free months have come from friends nor family, 100% of them have been dog owners, all of our free months are via complete strangers while either out dog walking, or in a cafe or pub, people always chat about holidays, and we naturally say what we do, or people who have asked us to sit that aren’t with THS (yes still strangers) but we can’t because we’re fully booked.
It’s amazing how many neighbours are unaware that they could have had a discount too off our HO’s, but we’ve never passed our referral code onto to any of them, I don’t want to tread on anyones feet, so I just say to ask our HO for their referral code.
Remove the bit in your head that says you’ll get 2 months free, and replace it with the giving, helpful, kind feeling that you can help them by giving them your discount code, 25% discount to be precise, it’s huge, and it’s all about them, it’s a nice thing you are doing.
I am not pushy in sort of way, we sit as a couple, but it’s only me that mentions the discount etc, and I simply give the referral link/code etc and move the conversation on, I leave it totally up to them to action, I’m not pushy, because I don’t care whether they sign up or not… because we’ve got ours free until May 2028, so I am very relaxed about it. If they do they do, if they don’t they don’t.
It helps that we adore the life we now have, and we’ve met some amazing owners, so I think we naturally ooze our love for what we are doing, and our appreciation for those that we have sat for, that have helped our journey.
We were given a referral link when we signed up, and the only reason we hadn’t signed up a couple of weeks earlier was the price, so that was all we needed to sign up the same day. 25% off is huge!
Obviously nowadays I mention that we get two months free too, and they can do exactly the same, get two months free each time, I don’t mention that all of the time, depends on the scenario. But I didn’t use to do that, it was only when I had a whole year for free that I realised how easy it was, you only need 6 people for a free year.
We’ve been sitters for eight years and have only had one referral giving us two months. I always talk about THS when we go on vacations, etc. and have given numerous pet owners the THS business card with my referral code but haven’t had much luck with the referral program.
I think you’ve been exceptionally successful at sharing your link!! @HappyDeb 
Tips @Louise7 We’ve had 14 months free so far (mix of friends and strangers) but just today I got 3 message requests from strangers on FB asking for our link! I’d commented on an FB post in a housesitting group about our adventures in France & Spain (The OP had mentioned a specific interest there) and our adventures around the world. I said if they were interested in a referral link they could PM me -as I’ve had plenty of posts deleted by mods when I’ve tried to add our link publically! The OP liked my comment but did not ask for the link… but 3 other people saw my comment and did message me asking for it! So - potentially 6 extra months if any/all join! Earlier this year the same thing happened and 2 strangers joined with our link! Just put it out there whenever the opportunity arises! You have nothing to lose!! 
@HappyDeb No wonder you are happy 
@Lokstar You’ve done really well too
I’ve managed to get six extra months.
I recommend the site like a good un so much, but I’ve found it hard to refer people. Sometimes I find out someone I know has joined and paid full price, I always think why didn’t they ask me crazy 
I was on a Facebook group in Spain once, and said I could refer folk, and they would get 25% off. One lady laid in to me big style and accused me of working for THS and to stop touting !
Ahhh, don’t put it in that way because on most fbk groups you can’t promote anything unless you are doing it on your own page. Put it in a more relaxed, friendly and helpful way. If it’s fbk then potentially even message people directly, they may not read your message for 4 months if you aren’t friends, but that doesn’t matter. It needs to be in a non salesy way, focus on being helpful, not salesy.
HI @HappyDeb
I probably chose my words incorrectly there. When on a certain group in Spain, within the chit chat, I would mention that I could refer people for a discount 
Yes, it depends on the group, maybe they allow advertising by others, but most groups on fbk don’t, it’s in their t&c’s, they class it as self promotion and marketing, it usually says in the boxes that appear when you join a group for the first time.
I’d re-word it, I’ve never ever referred anyone, maybe that’s where you could try changing things. I don’t refer people, I don’t ask to use anyone’s personal details to send them a link, I say they can use my referral code, see how that’s worded differently, you were ‘refering people for a discount’ which involves them giving you their details, I’m not, I’m giving them the choice to look at the site by simply copy and pasting my referral code and giving it to them, it’s up to them whether they click or not, along with chit-chat obviously about the benefits and the discount. But you can’t do that easily in the normal comments/posts part of fbk, it’s easiest via direct messaging if fbk is your thing. It works, I’ve got plenty of months free that way too, but I find I get more away from fbk.
@Louise7 if you try to add your link directly on FB the moderators of that group will most likely immediately remove your post. That happened to me a few times. The mods usually send a private message saying they don’t allow referrals. Ofcourse they, quite understandably, want the referral benefits themselves! So I don’t try to do that any more
As @HappyDeb mentioned- focus on being friendly and helpful. E.g on the FB post (I mentioned in my comment above) I did not mention THS by name or the 25% discount. I just referred to the OPs particular question and wrote a little about our amazing experiences housesitting around the world. As an aside, at the end, I offered to share a referral link privately if they PM’d me. Not trying to actively sell it at all. My comment is still there on the group site. In fact this morning I received 3 more requests for the link (6 now- so far!) from this one comment! To each person I wrote a friendly personalised msg along with the link. I don’t want to come across as a sales rep for THS!!
Lets see if any of the join!
Hello everyone!
Just popping in to mention that Trusted Housesitters now have a QR code on the app for referrals, meaning if you want to refer someone that you’re seeing face to face, that you can share the QR code with them. 
Is it printable? Or just for someone to scan off your phone.
I’m having trouble finding the QR code.
@Jenny
Member services say no QR code. Only a referral link.
Thanks for the heads up @ExploreDreamDiscover - I’m going to speak to the team to clarify!
@Jenny thank you 
Hi @ExploreDreamDiscover
The QR code is only available on the App. If you go to your ‘Refer Friend’ on the App, you should see my below photos.
I have not tried it personally yet, but it would be great to get feedback from members who have.
I think QR codes can be photographed for later use, but I’m not completely sure on that?
Usually, someone scans it from their phone with their camera on so it opens up the website and will automatically apply your RAF code.
(I would imagine it works in the same way as when you go to restaurants, and scan the QR code for the menu, but with the THS one, your RAF code is there as well)
@Therese yay! I found it. Once I update my app.
Thank you
Hello all.
Sorry for not responding to anyone, I have travelled to Sydney from the UK and picked up a bug, and along with jet lag, I feel pants.
Thanks for all the replies, Louise.
