Tesla announced a new program for its owners today. People who refer new buyers will receive $1000 for every sale of a Tesla vehicle they can initiate.
- Owners who make five referral orders will receive an invitation for them and a guest to attend the Gigafactory grand opening party.
- Those who make ten referral orders will get the right to purchase a Founder Series Model X, which is not available at any price, for the cost of a base Model X, an approximately $20,000 difference.
- The first owner in each region, North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, to make ten referral orders will get a fully loaded Model X for free.
We had a hunch Tesla was up to something when Elon Musk said he had a “secret weapon agains the car dealers”. In May we wrote:
“At this point we can only speculate about what could be Tesla’s “secret weapon”, but here’s an idea: a reward program for Model S owners who are generating leads and offering test drives. SolarCity, which could be considered Tesla’s sister company, found success with their “Solar Ambassador Program“. People can sign up to an app and submit leads to SolarCity. If a lead turns into a sale, the “solar ambassador” receives $250. Tesla could implement a similar program with their current Model S owners. Tesla is known to have a very enthusiast and knowledgeable customer base. Owners in regions where Tesla is not allowed to sell directly could offer test drives to potential customers, talk about their experience with the car and then maybe submit a lead to Tesla in a similar manner as SolarCity does with their program.”
Some more details:
Anyone who orders a new Model S before September 30 using the referral link of a current owner will get $1,000 off the purchase price. In return, the current owner will get a $1,000 discount that can be applied to a new car, service center visit or accessories.
Referral discounts are limited to ten and are awarded on a first to purchase basis. New orders must be placed prior to September 30, 2015.
This really should spur both sales and salesmanship amongst current owners. It will also spur debate on whether Tesla owners really love their cars or they just want to make a quick $1000 (both!).
Update: USE MY LINK! http://ts.la/seth8185
Full text of offer follows:
Referral Program
Anyone who orders a new Model S before October 31st using the referral link of a current owner will get $1,000 off the purchase price. In return, the current owner will get a $1,000 discount that can be applied to a new car, service center visit or accessory. Referral discounts are limited to ten and are awarded on a first to purchase basis. New orders must be placed prior to October 31, 2015.
In addition, those who make five referrals will receive an invitation for them and a guest to attend the Gigafactory grand opening party. Those who make ten referrals will get the right to purchase a fully loaded Founder Series Model X, which is not available to the public, for the price of a base-level Model X—roughly a $25,000 saving. The first person to make ten referrals will get a fully loaded Model X for free.
We know that without our customers we would not be where we are today. This is our way of thanking you for continuing to build the Tesla community.
Limits
You must be a current Tesla owner to make referrals and cannot refer yourself. Discounts will be available for you to use when your friend’s order becomes non-refundable. You can use discounts toward a service center visit for your Tesla, to buy accessories or even a new Model S. Discounts are not transferrable and cannot be used to make monthly payments, purchase pre-owned Model S, or reserve Model X.
Free Model X
The first person to refer ten friends in each sales region— North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific — will receive a free Model X. They will be invited to configure their Model X once all ten friends have taken delivery of their new Model S.
Gigafactory Grand Opening Party
The Gigafactory grand opening party will take place in Nevada at a date to be determined in April 2016. Customers who make five referrals will receive two tickets to attend the grand opening party. These customers will be responsible for the cost of their own travel, lodging, and other incidentals. Tesla will provide transport to and from Reno, Nevada for the grand opening party.
Redemption
Discounts will automatically be applied to the purchase price of any new Model S. Discounts on service and accessories will be available beginning August 15, 2015. Remaining discounts will expire on December 31, 2016.
Good Faith
We introduce programs such as these in good faith and expect the same good faith in return. Please note that we may withhold credits, discounts or other awards where we believe customers are acting in bad faith or otherwise acting contrary to the intent of this program. We cannot cover every nefarious scenario, nor will we attempt to, but we do promise to be fair and reasonable.
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I’m just a little surprised by their choice of timing… why introduce this just before Model X’s launch?
I’m also curious as to why it’s $1,000 off a new car or accessories, etc. versus a simple $1,000 check. If it costs them $2k per sale to sell a car through their stores, why not simply pay $1k directly to a current customer. It costs you half as much, you get the sale, and you have an incredibly happy and loyal customer. Can’t quite figure that one out outside of them being conservative.