Matt was behind the door when they were handing out romance. No. Scratch that. He was six blocks away, locked in a vault, thinking deep thoughts.

In an effort to avoid the debacle of last Valentine’s (a card purchased at a gas station containing a piece of paper torn from a notebook reading: “Get yourself a couple of massage sessions. You deserve it.”), Matt and I brainstormed ways that would make both of us happy.

He wants painfully clear directions with no room for error. I want him to read my mind.

This is what we came up with:

Obviously there is a lot of room to tailor it to your massage / bodywork practice’s marketing message.

The five non-scientifically chosen men who I showed this to said a) they would not be offended if they found this on their steering wheel or bathroom counter and b) they would be relieved to have clear instructions.

The idea is to mail this card to your client. Your client would then fill in the blanks and check the appropriate box as per instructions (it may be best to highlight the instructions at the bottom of the card). Then your client would place the card where it would be easily seen.

If you did something like this, consider specifying what kind of service you offer (massage, reflexology, reiki, craniosacral, etc.) as the “giftor” may not be familiar with your name.

Just for interest’s sake, here is the other layout that we played with:

Most of the women I showed this to thought it was fun. Most of the men found it unclear and a little alarming; they didn’t know who it was supposed to be from and why. Okay. That’s a lesson for me.

So those are the thoughts. You still have time to print and mail out gift certificate reminders to your clients. Whatever your message is, run it by some friends (of both genders) and make sure it’s crystal clear.

All my best,
Eileen