How To Get Your Client Numbers Back Up After Or During A Holiday Season

Welcome to 2006! What a great year its turning out to be already. Can you beleive its here already? :)

I felt it important to talk about this topic of client numbers disappearing over Christmas and New Year and how to get them back again.

First I want to tell you a little story. The message of this is very important so please enjoy absorbing this information. When you enjoy it you learn more.

Over the holiday season my husband and I headed for the beach. (It’s summer where I am right now.) We went to a popular beach town on the coast that has a lot of clientel during this season. Now it’s very interesting to watch how those businesses in the town handle the influx of city folk seeking R&R.

We walked from the hotel to the town main street. (Actually we didn’t ‘walk’ as such it was more like a ‘mosey.’) We happened to come across a store that sold wine, wine racks, wine glasses, cheese and cracker boards etc. Now you may think what this has got to do with a massage business….everything…..just wait, you’ll know soon…

As we walked into the wine store I wondered how they did, business-wise, during this season. You see in the summer, a beach town usually makes a killing on surf boards, wet suits, bathing gear, hats, towelling etc. But these guys were really busy, and I wondered how they managed to attract so many customers. They were totally unrelated to anything ‘beachy.’

I knew they would be doing something extra special. Then I saw it.

As you walked in, the shop was beautifully laid out. There was every single bottle of wine imaginable. Wine that was not cheap, it was all good quality. And, everything that you could imagine that went with wine was neatly perched on a shelf next to the wine. But it wasn’t that. It was something else….

We were promptly greeted by a lovely woman, with a lovely smile, warm energy and professional manner.

“Hello,” she said softly and in a way that was so calm it was almost angelic. “Welcome to our store. Would you like a free cappuccino or chococino to take with you as you look around the store?”

Being a coffee lover (which is smart on their part for reasons which I will explain in a moment) I said “well thank you so much, that would be great.” She turned to my husband and said. “Sir, what would you like? I’m happy to make anything.” “A chococino would be nice thank you,” he replied, surprised that they were giving away hot drinks for free.

We felt like we got something special, that we wanted to give back. We wanted to give back, so we bought a bottle of “Cloudy Bay” white wine.

Okay, now let’s stop the story here.

Can you see what the lady was doing? I want you to really think. Don’t just skim this article; I want you to learn from it, because what she was doing was brilliant.

She knew that people from the city come to the town- hence the store specifically on wine. Locals were not big wine drinkers, but people from the city on holidays were. Already she was catering for her target markets wishes. She also knew that people who come into the store and buy things are people who like special city- lifestyle perks. And a cappuccino (from where I come from) is one of them.

You see she knew that people coming to her didn’t just want a bottle of wine; they were coming to purchase a “lifestyle beverage.” It’s so clever! That’s why she didn’t just offer us “coffee” or “Hot chocolate”. By giving the drinks a “lifestyle” name, was fitting in with her target markets physcology.

Now I’m not into wine, but my lovely husband is. People like my husband, who drink wine, also drink other “lifestyle” beverages. She knew that and fully marketed her business that way. You see my good Therapist, if you want more clients you have to get into your potential clients heads and minds and give them what they want, in the way they want it. This is the most important thing I can give you right now.

If you want to build your practice back up after a dismally quiet month or two, then you must apply the same principles this lovely lady did too. You can create a special offer to get them to come to you, market your massage business to areas where they are more likely to visit so you capture their attention and then go from there.

And it’s not JUST your marketing that gets clients, (well that’s a pretty major part, but it’s not the only thing) it’s your intention that gets them. As the lady offered us drinks for free she was confident, relaxed, calm and professional. She also knew everything about wine. She did not offer us a 10% discount of wine just to get our business, she in fact had pretty expensive bottles in their. But because the store had the best products, with the best service, and something for free, we happily bought two bottles of good wine, feeling like we got a bargain. And the store was busy.

You have to be the same. You must never discount just to get business. It’s a desperate act and people who want regular massage don’t want desperate practioners to serve them, they want confident, relaxed, professional, knowledgeable people to help them.

Write a list of all the places and people you get clients from. Now contact those people and places and offer something to create some new business for yourself. Do it in a way that was exactly like the wine lady; calm, relaxed, confident, quality and knowledgeable. To get started think about that your clients want. Do they wasn’t a 10% discount, or do they want relief from shoulder pain? If they wanted relief from shoulder pain, then perhaps you can offer a special shoulder and neck massage exclusively for the month of January/February only. It’s worth a try and a good start.

Just remember that you must give your clients what they want in the way they want it. You must always think about what they are looking for in order for your marketing to work.

Best wishes,

Amy Roberts

www.massagetherapymarketingsuccess.com

Photo courtesy of www.refreshmassagetherapy.com