How to Get Repeatable Income in Any Business (Beyond Continuity)

Based on Episode 181 of the Magnetic Marketing Podcast featuring Bill Glazer

J. Abraham once said there are three ways to grow your business:

1. Increase the number of customers
2. Increase the average transaction size
3. Increase the frequency of purchase

This article is about number three—and it goes far beyond the typical "just create a subscription" advice.

Bill Glazer, longtime business partner of Dan Kennedy at Glazer Kennedy Insider's Circle, breaks down how to add repeatable income to virtually any business—from the obvious to the truly unusual.

The Purpose of a Sale Is to Get a Customer

Here's a mindset shift most business owners miss:

"Most people think the purpose of a customer is to get a sale. At Glazer Kennedy, we think the purpose of a sale is to get a customer."

Once you get the customer, you want to automatically plug them in so you don't have to go back and make the sale again and again and again.

Glazer shares a story: he met with a client four years ago and gave him one idea to add repeatable revenue. In the first year alone, that single idea put $1.4 million more into the client's bank account.

The Advantages of Repeatable Revenue

Before diving into the case studies, here's why this matters:

Reduces selling activities. Sell once, get paid repeatedly. No need to re-convince them every month.

Reduces advertising spend. Once they're plugged in, you don't need to keep spending to acquire them again.

Increases customer loyalty. Staying connected keeps them loyal. Loyal customers refer more.

Increases customer value. Multiply that monthly or yearly charge across years—the lifetime value explodes.

Benefits the customer. Think about your electric bill, internet, or cable. You're glad you don't have to re-subscribe every month. Continuity is a service.

Increases business value. When you exit your business, repeatable revenue is a massive asset. A buyer sees 1,000 people paying $200/year automatically—that's real equity.

The Obvious Examples

These are the businesses everyone thinks of when they hear "continuity":

• Book of the Month Club
• Columbia Records CD of the Month
• Coffee subscriptions (Gevalia, etc.)
• Wine and cigar clubs
• Milk delivery
• Prepaid legal
• Insurance
• Health clubs
• Internet providers
• Information marketing businesses
• Membership sites

Case Study: Reed's Dairy

Alan Reed, a Glazer Kennedy Diamond member, still delivers milk to people's homes. He signs up customers to a standard weekly order, runs their credit card after each delivery, and upsells ice cream and other products via email and direct mail.

The average customer stays 5.3 years.

Think about that. When you buy milk at a convenience store, do you go to the same store for 5.3 years? Reed has an iron cage around his customers.

The Not-So-Obvious Examples

This is where it gets interesting.

Tanning Salons: Sun Your Buns

Grant Miller runs a tanning salon with multiple continuity levels ranging from $5/month to $25/month. Higher levels get more perks—free lotions, upgrades, discounts.

But here's the genius part: Grant won a special award for getting paid to deliver nothing.

When customers want to cancel, he offers them a $4.95/month "freeze" membership. They pay $4.95 to keep their account on hold—and he delivers absolutely nothing.

800 people × $4.95 = recurring revenue for zero work.

Proactive Skin Care

Proactive uses every media channel imaginable—infomercials, mall kiosks, airport kiosks, websites, home shopping, magazines, radio.

Their model: the initial order is 30-90 days supply. If you don't want continuity, you pay a higher price. So they incentivize you into the recurring model.

After you order, they tell you they'll keep sending product until you say stop. For someone with acne, that's a benefit—they don't want to run out.

This is a $2 billion business.

Website Hosting: CJ Bronstrom

CJ creates websites and hosts them. He pointed out to Glazer that hosting creates a "pain of disconnect"—if clients leave, they lose their website.

He also sets them up with his own shopping cart, tying them in further.

36 clients generating $1,941/month in recurring revenue. Almost as good as Grant Miller—except CJ actually has to maintain servers.

Done-For-You Services: Royalty Rewards

Royalty Rewards is a done-for-you loyalty program for retail, restaurants, chiropractic, and auto repair businesses.

Nearly 1,000 merchants enrolled. Over 1 million users carrying Royalty Rewards cards.

The merchant only has to do one thing: sign up the customer. After that, Royalty Rewards handles postcards, newsletters, websites, surveys, emails, birthday mailings, and social media.

Average merchant pays $500/month. That's half a million dollars monthly in recurring revenue.

The lesson: Make it as easy as possible for people. One thing. That's it.

The Unusual Examples

This is where Glazer says: "If these guys can do it, you can do it too."

Pizza: Diana's Gourmet Pizza

Diana runs a pizza restaurant with a rewards program. Customers pay monthly and receive pizza certificates mailed to them—whether they use them or not.

• Silver: $30/month → $30 in pizza certificates + free lunch
• Gold: $50/month → $50 in certificates + 2 free lunches
• Platinum: $100/month → $100 in certificates + 4 free lunches + yearly bonuses

Some members are also secret shoppers who fill out surveys for extra certificates.

The result? When you're sitting at home deciding where to order pizza, you're not thinking about Domino's. You're thinking: "I have Diana's certificates I need to use."

Iron cage around the customer.

Men's Wear: Gage Menswear (Bill Glazer's Store)

Glazer's biggest regret: he didn't figure this out earlier.

In his last seven months in business, he enrolled 637 people into his Insiders Club at $247/year (individual) or $297/year (family).

People were paying him money for the right to buy men's wear.

Benefits included: special member pricing, free delivery, home/office shopping, members-only website, personal fashion concierge, free alterations, members-only events, listing in member directory (huge for business owners), discounts at other local businesses, and a monthly newsletter.

The results:

• Members returned 2.5x as often as non-members
• Members spent 3.9x as much as non-members

The secret sauce was the newsletter—it featured a member of the month, reminded them of benefits, showed new arrivals, and included a monthly special offer.

Auto Repair: Brookgate Tire VIP Club

Danny Cricks charges $25 (silver), $50 (gold), or $100 (platinum) monthly. Members receive service gift certificates worth more than they paid, plus bonus certificates for staying 12 months.

When Danny told his peers about it, they thought he was crazy. That's how you know you're onto something big.

Within 30 days of rollout, he had $3,100 coming in monthly—whether he changed a tire or not.

Customers actually thanked him for helping them budget car maintenance costs. And when VIP members came in, there was zero price resistance for additional work.

Barber Shop: Kennedy's All-American Barber Club

Kennedy's (a franchise Dan Kennedy consults for) has four membership levels from $40 to $129/month.

The $129 "Life Membership" includes:

• Unlimited haircuts
• Unlimited children's haircuts
• Unlimited razor shaves
• Priority reservations
• Private humidor-style locker with nameplate
• 8x10 photo on the Wall of Fame
• Birthday present
• Nationwide usage at all locations
• Shoe shine during service
• Complimentary beverage
• Kennedy Lifestyle magazine

On average, members visit twice a month. At $129/month, that's a barbershop generating serious recurring revenue.

Glazer jokes: "I believe I could get 100% conversion on membership sales if I just had the straight razor at their neck."

Motorcycle Shop: Chicago Cycle

This one blew Glazer away. It's a three-year plan for $1,899.

Members get:

• 3 years winter storage
• 3 years priority maintenance
• 3 years extended warranty
• Priority service with 48-hour turnaround
• Free towing within 20 miles
• Transferable to second owner
• 10% off parts and accessories
• Yearly pickup party (where they upsell)

112 people joined in 2009. That's over $200,000 in upfront recurring revenue—and those customers are locked in for three years.

When they buy their next bike, where do you think they're going?

Funeral Parlor: Mueller Memorial

Yes, a funeral parlor.

Glazer challenged the audience to brainstorm how to put a funeral home into repeatable income. Ideas included:

• Automatic memorial flowers on an annual basis
• Yearly gifts to the deceased's favorite charity with announcements to family
• Annual mass or remembrance service
• Prepaid funeral plans ($10/month until you pass)
• Mini museum with videos and photos of the deceased
• Anniversary gatherings hosted by the memorial company

If you can put a funeral parlor into repeatable income, you can do it in any business.

The Bottom Line

Glazer closes with the advantages one more time:

1. Reduces selling activity
2. Reduces advertising spend
3. Increases customer loyalty
4. Increases customer value
5. Increases referrals
6. Benefits the customer
7. Increases business value
8. You make big money

The question isn't whether your business can have repeatable revenue. The question is: what form will it take?

This article is based on Episode 181 of the Magnetic Marketing Podcast, "How To Get Repeatable Income in Any Business (Beyond Continuity)," featuring Bill Glazer. All ideas, frameworks, and case studies are credited to Bill Glazer, Dan Kennedy, and the Magnetic Marketing brand.