With gift certificates sales at their peak this month, you should see some new clients coming in the next year. You should also see some previous clients coming in, happy with their awesome gift of another massage from you.
As clients show up, be ready to encourage them to rebook. It’s well-known that attracting new clients costs more in time and money than encouraging clients that already appreciate you to come back. A full schedule of established clients is always your best source of regular income. Here’s seven ways to make it happen.
1. Encourage clients to book ahead.
The best time to reschedule clients is just after their massage with you. That’s when they are most aware of the wonderful benefits of your services. Have your schedule book out and open at that time.
2. Educate clients about cumulative benefits.
Explain the benefits of cumulative sessions to every client, unless they are already true believers. If they ask, tell them the average frequency of sessions, or describe the range of scheduling frequency that meets a range of incomes.
3. Make it easy for clients.
Once a client has seen you a few times, offer a standing appointment at their favorite time.
4. Offer clients packages.
Many practitioners offer a discount for buying a certain amount of sessions in advance.
5. Be available for clients.
If you can, especially in the first years of your practice, make yourself available when your clients can most conveniently come in. This will probably mean offering evening and weekend appointments.
6. Send clients reminders.
For people you see infrequently, email them or send them a postcard occasionally to check in with them. Seeing your phone number on the card or email may be the only nudge they need to remember book an appointment.
7. Offer to contact clients who can’t book ahead.
Offer to call or email people after several weeks or a month.
* Ask them, “Would you like me to give you a call in two (or three) weeks to make an appointment?” If they decline, don’t worry about it.
* If they like the idea, be sure you follow through. Add it to your official “to-do” list on your calendar or computer.
Now, pretty please, let’s hear from you. What do you do to encourage clients to come back?
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2 users commented in " 7 Ways You Can Make Rebooking Easy "
I usually don’t have to remind them to rebook post-session. Initially most people ask “How often should I do this?” and I’m VERY happy when they ask this–not because it’s an income-earning opportunity for me but because it’s an opportunity to educate & challenge them about LISTENING to their body and taking care of themselves. Just that, I tell them to pay attention to how they feel in the next few days, see what changes & how, if they notice anything that comes back, and how. But my key point that I tell them is to “Not put it off. The longer you wait when something bothers you, the harder it is and longer it takes to undo it. It’s more time-efficient and cost-effective to stay on top of any pain, tension, discomfort than letting it debilitate you and letting it ruin your regular/busy schedule/routine.” I do offer a $5 discount if they book in advance, and they can change their appointment if something comes up (but if they cancel altogether without rescheduling, or no-show, the $5 doesn’t carry over). In case that commitment is too intimidating, I remind them that my appointment book is in pencil, not ink, because changes occur. Also indicating that, because they can change their appointment without penalty (that they aren’t married to a time and day and session duration), I further invite them to listen to their body and “If you feel like you’re doing okay and want to push the appointment out a little further, just give me a call and we’ll set something up for a later time instead.” It IS important that they listen to their body. It helps them to realize that they are ultimately responsible to take care of the themselves, and to treat health care professionals as the educated assistant who can make/take appropriate suggestions/precautions for their wellness maintenance, where they make the ultimate decision of what happens to them.
I also offer a 10-appointment punch card (one side for my initials/signature and date of their attended appointment, the other side with multiple future-appointment reminders, they can keep it all in one place), where after any 10 appointments (any time duration and any type whether massage, Reflexology, etc.) they can earn their 11th appointment free up to a 1-hour massage. Because I don’t have an electronic record of appointments (I had a computer crash on me and lost all my data, I didn’t have it backed up at the time. I don’t rely heavily on electronics for this reason.) it states on the card that they must present the card at their 11th appointment in order to receive credit for it (filled-out/initialed, of course).
Dena Louise,
I love your emphasis on educating clients to listen to their bodies. So often we want our doctors/therapists/mechanics to tell us what to do, instead of acting on what our own minds and hearts tell us. I assume your clients respond readily to this approach and that business is good, yes?
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