Incentives for repeat clients

[tnalliah@rogers.com]

What incentives do you use, if any, to attract repeat clients? I offer a buy 4 get 1 free.

Very interested to hear what others are doing.

 

[shottayout]

I offer a referal program. They can take my business cards and write their name on the back. If they bring in a new client with their name on the business card I will give the new client 5 dollars of the massage and the old client 5 dollars of their next massage. That way it will hopefully attract repeat clients and new clients. I just started business though, and haven't had any clients do this yet.

 

[unboundedjoy]

I like both of those ideas!! I was thinking when I start my own practice, I might do a book 5 get one free for repeat clients and for new ones, 10 dollars off their first massage. What is the potential risk with this? Is there any?

 

[nickie]

I used to offer discounts for weekly visits, or a discount if they rebooked b4 they left from their visit. I dont do either of these anymore, because as Suze Orman said...Im not putting myself on "sale" anymore. Granted, offering discounts is a great way to get people in, and some will be repeat clients. I not only raised my rates recently, but told my clients that I would no longer be offering the discounts.

 

[Stuart]

The only thing I offer is a referral bonus for the person doing the referring, I don't offer any discounts on sessions, not even "packages".

I've never known a doctor, dentist, PT, chiro, osteo, etc to offer discounts for regular visits, not sure why massage should be different. I have known beauty therapists that offer package deals. I'd rather be in the healthcare professional category in clients' minds than the pampering category.

 

[NoBodyyy]

I do an "after 5, the 6th one is 50% off" but stipulate that the offer expires one year after their first visit, so if I only see someone once or twice a year, they won't get that special.

I used to do a free hour after the 6th massage but found that I was shortchanging myself sometimes, (especially when I would have 5 freebies in a week!) but I haven't gotten any complaints about the half off massages.

 

[Anita L]

There was a thread not too long ago that I can't seem to find now that talked about a discount for regular, as in weekly, clients. There was a link to an MT's website that explained the pricing. I like that idea better than buy so many get one free, although I haven't implemented it. (Yet.) I'm thinking about doing something like, $10 off for a return visit that is within a week, or maybe 10 days. That way, there's no question about someone *meaning* to come in regularly but then has to cancel, and since it's sequentially a short distance, there's not, "let's look through your charts and see what session number this is, did this count?, how do we count the expiration of offer?"

 

[Mr Warrior]

deleted

 

[darknowhere00]

I do not offer incintives to regular clients. But, I do provide two $10 Off gift certificates to each new client to hand out to friends or family.

 

[ebrliekich]

I do not offer incintives to regular clients. But, I do provide two $10 Off gift certificates to each new client to hand out to friends or family.

Pueppi, I like that idea, but don't those new clients just want to use them themselves? What is their incentive to want to hand those gift certificates out?

 

[M N]

Even the ABMP recommends discounting frequent clients. Page 3 of the April/May 2007 Different Strokes.

 

[Starjumper the R&S Cow]

We offer a 10% discount to anyone pre-paying for 4 or more sessions. Most of our regulars take advaneforum.xxxe of this since they know they're going to be coming in anyway.

We also send out a Thank You card after 12 visits which is good for one free massage. People just lvoe getting those in the mail.

Angie

 

[Skittles]

I like both of those ideas!! I was thinking when I start my own practice, I might do a book 5 get one free for repeat clients and for new ones, 10 dollars off their first massage. What is the potential risk with this? Is there any?

I use to offer discounts for the first visit. I found the only thing it was effective for was getting people who wanted a discount then would move on to the next therapist for the next discount. :?

What I found that worked the best was making the first visit more expensive say by 20%. Then if they come weekly, or bi-weekly offer them a 'discount' I prefer to call it an incentive.

My own incentive program is 20% if they come twice a month. If they come only once in a month, then the next visit the next month is the non-incentivized price.

Makes my job easier working on the same people regularly and motivates the client.

Win win for everyone. I just feel so strongly that offering a discount for first time clients only attracts clients who only want a discount, not necessarily regular clients.

Jason

 

[soaps]

For the first 5 years of my practice, I offered a reward for my regular clients: after 10 appointments, I gave them the 11th massage free. (Similar to what Angie mentioned.) This was an ongoing incentive, so weekly clients ended up getting 5 free massages per year, while monthly clients got 1 free massage per year. It was more of a "thank you" than an incentive. I think people become regular clients because they like your work and value massage, rather than for discounts or freebie programs. Angie hinted at this too when she said her regular clients take advaneforum.xxxe of her pre-pay discount because they "know they're going to be coming in anyway." The discount isn't what's getting them to come in regularly.

After 5 years, I dropped my free massage program, because I found I resented giving away free massages every week when I had a waiting list of new clients who wanted to get on my schedule (and pay me for my time). You see, that's what you need to think about. How many free massages will you be giving away once your schedule's full of regular clients?

Here's an example. Let's say your schedule's full at 20 massages per week. They're all regular clients, meaning they're all eligible for your incentive. Taking away 2 weeks vacation, you give 1000 massages per year. Let's say you then offer an incentive program of buy 4 get 1 free. You will be giving away 200 massages per year. Does this sound reasonable to you?

We can also do the math for those of you that offer discounts to your regular clients. Again, lets say your schedule's full at 20 clients per week and you're giving 1000 massages per year. Your regular rate is $60/hour, but you give your regular clients a 20% discount ($48/hour). If you gave 1000 massages per year at full price, you'd earn $60,000. However, if your schedule's full of regular clients who therefore receive a discount, you'll earn $12,000 less per year. Is that reasonable to you?

Here's another spin on it, if you charged full-price for your massages, you could do just 16 massages per week and make the same amount of money you would, if you gave 20 massages at 20% discount. (This is also true for the buy 4 get 1 free programs, since they work out to a 20% discount overall.)

My recommendation is to be cautious with discounts. I think 20% is way too high. 10% is more reasonable, but even that you may want to discontinue once your schedule's full.

Lastly, it's my opinion that discounts don't bring in regular clients. Rather, regular clients simply benefit from your discount programs. I think the real influence on getting regular clients is to be very good at what you do, and to ask all of your clients if they want to reschedule. If they reschedule all the time, give them a regular time slot. Soon, all you slots will be full.

 

[My 3 Boys]

Here's another spin on it, if you charged full-price for your massages, you could do just 16 massages per week and make the same amount of money you would, if you gave 20 massages at 20% discount. (This is also true for the buy 4 get 1 free programs, since they work out to a 20% discount overall.)

Nice to see the math for that Bliss.

I'm decidedly anti-discount. My time is my time. I went along with a package request once and have never done it since.

It's interesting to me that we as a profession seem to be continuously striving to gain more respect and appreciation for being an integral part of someone's health care. I personally find that discounts really work against this. Of all the health care practitioners that I frequent - acupuncturist, chiropractor, massage therapist, psychotherapist (lord I sound high maintenance !), let alone doctor, dentist, hair stylist, etc. NO ONE offers me a discount or a referral incentive.

And I talk these people up all the time. Because they're good. I don't need an incentive to spread the word. When you eat at a good restaurant or see a good movie are you less inclined to tell someone about it because you don't get a referral incentive?

If I really want to thank someone I prefer to do an old-fashioned written thank you note. Other ideas that I'd consider would be small gifts - bath salts, candles, $5 Starbucks gift card, etc.

I personally think it devalues our service (and ME) when it's constantly being discounted. I want clients that rebook because they know it's good for them, not because I have to bribe them with a discount. I think we need to value our service enough to charge full price. Stop apologizing for what you charge by discounting!

I wonder if sometimes even we forget that we aren't just a "luxury".

Now, if someone has financial hardship and wonders if I'd be willing to do sliding-scale I am always willing to work with that. My acupuncturist says she offers this to people if they need to maintain a frequent appointment schedule that's a financial stretch for them. She asks them what would be doable for them and it's always more than what she would have requested which I find interesting.

Lisa

 

[Summers J]

All of you have good points as to why not offer discounts ect for regular clients. I'm totally with you on not offering free massages, somehow energetically it just doesn't feel right.

I guess as far as offering say a 20% discount for repeat clients whether it bee weekly or bi weekly I have found it to be a powerful incentive to keep my clients regular :

That being said if your practice is regular enough without incentives why offer them at all. Unfortunately my practice is not, so therefor then incentives.

Partly why I offer incentives is because I require a lot of my clients, no fluff and buff here. If you come regularly your going to get in touch with yourself whether you want to or not. A lot of people cant handle 'real' bodywork so they leave. And its not because my pressure is too hard, its because they can't handle who they are.

Jason

 

[Pat M]

Even the ABMP recommends discounting frequent clients. Page 3 of the April/May 2007 Different Strokes.

I read that too. I'm not a discount gal (thank you Bliss for articulating exactly why). And I think the ABMP take on it is different than the situation for the individual practitioner. ABMP's survey is focusing at least partly on how many people overall everywhere in the US have ever gotten a massage; then also on how many of those people are repeaters. When they talked about what got people in for a massage in the first place, there was high response regarding gift certificates and discounts. I'll have to look at the article again, but I don't think they sussed out what kept people coming back.

If "Massage Therapy" were one giant company, like Coca-Cola, then I think it would be totally appropriate to focus, as the ABMP survey partly does, on selling our product to the largest total number of people and using discounts or whatever other strategy it took, to get the millions of previously-unmassaged customers in the door. But when you break it down to the individual practitioner or small day spa, that strategy is too much of a load on smaller sets of shoulders. Image of the profession aside, economies of scale are going to be a lot more difficult to apply to small businesses.

To answer the original question -- my biggest "incentive" to my regular clients is that I always let them know when I am about to take continuing education, and how my CE will specifically benefit their individual case. Then after I complete it, I make sure to incorporate any new techniques right away into their sessions when appropriate, and tell them I am doing so. I also do a lot of outside reading and some cross-profession discussion of conditions to get advice and up-to-date-info, and tell clients I have done so (with reports of my findings and any appropriate advice within my scope of practice). You can't believe how people appreciate this. It really makes them feel like I care about them individually (which I do!), and they feel like I am going to bat for them outside of just the treatment session. They talk this up to potential clients -- it's a real selling point, apparently, and it just developed organically from my curious nature and enjoyment of study. (I think that is key -- it's really part of who I am. That whole "being yourself" advice works sometimes...)

Materially, I do sometimes gives little presents when my schedule looks a little bare a couple months out. In my newsletter, or in a postcard mailing focusing on something else, I will sometimes mention "Appointment times for the season are going fast. Book your May and June appointments by April 1, to secure your favorite regular slot. Plus, I'll give you a present at your next session!" A local coffee card, a small microwavable rice pack (we make our own), a little pot of creme I've repackaged in small amounts -- not really a selling point, but who doesn't like a little present once in a while? Plus it's fun, reminds people to book, and keeps me from worrying about a blank schedule.

 

[webjunkiee]

Partly why I offer incentives is because I require a lot of my clients, no fluff and buff here. If you come regularly your going to get in touch with yourself whether you want to or not. A lot of people cant handle 'real' bodywork so they leave. And its not because my pressure is too hard, its because they can't handle who they are.

Jason

Wow. Just wow. There are a LOT of things I want to say in response to this, but I don't know where to begin.

:shock:

 

[Lizzy]

Partly why I offer incentives is because I require a lot of my clients, no fluff and buff here. If you come regularly your going to get in touch with yourself whether you want to or not. A lot of people cant handle 'real' bodywork so they leave. And its not because my pressure is too hard, its because they can't handle who they are.
Jason

Jason, I'm curious - how do you define "real" bodywork? Is there any room for meeting a person where they are or do you really see it as your job to force somebody to do something they may not be ready for? It sounds a bit harsh to me, although I may be misunderstanding.

Lisa

 

[Obama Exsisto Iuguolo]

I guess as far as offering say a 20% discount for repeat clients whether it bee weekly or bi weekly I have found it to be a powerful incentive to keep my clients regular

Jason, I think you're in a unique situation, because you mentioned before that you only offer long massage sessions. (90 minutes to 2 hours.) For that reason, your price for massage is going to be higher and therefore beyond some people's budget. I can see why a 20% discount would make a difference to your clients. You've obviously decided that you prefer longer sessions, even if you're not compensated as much monetarily for that time.

As for the ending statement of your last post, about clients being able to "handle" real bodywork, I agree with Breathe & Lisa that you may need to explain that statement. Right now, it comes across as arrogance/ignorance, especially since you have very limited professional experience. (When you first joined the board 5 months ago, you stated that you were still in massage school. Even if you've graduated since then, that's less that one year "in the field.")