Mar 07
4
Keeping your clients coming back
One of the challenges in building a massage practice depends on getting clients to rebook and appointment and become a “regular” client.
The key is educating people about what massage can do and learning to talk about it in a way that they understand. It is also making sure they understand by having them talk specifically about what it is that they think they want to get out of a massage.
I have a practice that is built mainly on repeat business – I mean for 18 years I have had a core group of clients who come every other week, once a week and even a few who come twice a week! – that’s every week for 18 years almost except for vacations etc!
The most obvious and most overlooked thing to do is ask the client if they want to schedule again for next week and then tell them what days/times you have open! So often we overlook the obvious out of our fear of rejection.
Part of this is educating the client as to the benefits of getting regular massage but the key is telling them how it can be of benefit to them personally. People probably won’t care if you tell them that massage is an accumulative process or that it will help reduce stress. You have to find something that will connect with whatever issue they are dealing with. So this means you have to ask them questions and make it all about them.
One other thing that has really worked for me is to tell them that most of your clients come once a week or once every other week and that you get a massage yourself once a week! (which if you aren’t doing this yourself, how can you expect anyone else to become a regular client of yours?). Telling them that others do this gives them the permission they need to take care of themselves.
More ideas:
- write a regular newsletter either an email newsletter or through a blog or an actual hard copy mailed to them. (you will need to collect their addresses and ask their permission and always have a way for them to opt out of the list)
- send birthday cards offers or other holiday special offers out regularly
- offer a package discount that they pay up front when they buy massages they get $5 off of each massage or whatever.
- make every massage a “wow” experience and by that I mean that they get off the table saying “what did you do to me?”. You don’t have to wow them with what you know. In fact I have had massage therapists talk to me about how the body works etc using medical terms and technical terms that I would never have understood had I not been a massage therapist. ( I go every once in awhile to a new massage therapist and don’t tell them what I do – this is actually a really great experiment and I recommend that you go through the process of finding a massage therapist and go to a strange new one so that you can get an idea of what people are going through just to find you!)
What other ideas do you have for keeping your clients coming back?
Share on Facebook
Related posts: