How Groupon Can Build (Or Destroy) Your Massage Business (Part 2)

If you haven’t read Part 1, do that here.

This article assumes that you’ve already run a Groupon offer for your massage business.

Here’s what you do with your new clients once you’ve gotten them to take advantage of your offer on Groupon.

  1. Make it easy for them to schedule an appointment with you. Give them options to schedule their appointment. Give them a way to schedule online (Google calendar is great for this), schedule via email, schedule via phone, or even schedule a massage appointment via fax. If you set up the online calendar option and let people schedule their own appointments, they are more likely to keep them. Make sure that as part of the scheduling process, they have to submit their email address and phone number.
  2. Call them, and email them, right away, to confirm their massage appointment. Start building rapport and being as friendly as possible over the phone. Remember, this is their first experience with you, but you are wanting to be their lifelong caregiver – LIFE long. The only reason you’ve offered this discount on Groupon is to have a life long customer. So make sure that the first impression you give them is really good. Ask a few questions and listen a lot. This may take 10-15 minutes. Start each conversation by saying, “I’m in-between appointments, but I am calling to thank-you for scheduling your appointment with us/me at (DATE) and (TIME).“ This gets the most crucial information (their massage appointment) in the forefront of their mind, and also gives you an easy out if you feel like the conversation is going on too long. If you start the conversation right, you can always end it quickly with the sentence, “Oh, my next appointment is coming up, so I have to let you go, but I’m looking forward to seeing you for your appointment at (TIME) on (DATE).”
  3. The day before the appointment, call the new client and email them. Repetition builds reception. Your new client will be more likely to show up for their appointment, and will already feel like they have started building a relationship with you, if you have called them and contacted them multiple times before the appointment.
  4. Give an extra something. Do something that no other massage therapist does. This can be something simple, like giving them a sample pack of a cream or lotion, or offering them a cup of hot or iced tea (depending on the weather) before AND after their appointment.
  5. Play relaxing music. Always play relaxing music during the massage. It takes a client from the fight/flight state into an alternative state of mind, where they are more open to the suggestion of a future massage, because they are hearing (and feeling) how beneficial it is for their health.
  6. During the massage – find the reasons that they will need to schedule another appointment with you. Cover these reasons about 20-30 minutes into the massage, when they are really starting to get relaxed. You should have learned this in massage school, but the first 5-10 minutes of a massage, a client is pretty much in fight or flight mode as they are still getting used to the idea of being in a new place, perhaps with some or all of their clothes off, and with nothing but a sheet separating them from someone they have never met and aren’t yet sure about.
  7. After the massage, give them something additional again. A cup of chai tea is always a great option for helping people feel really relaxed and at home (cinnamon and cloves remind people of the holidays), or a sample of some massage cream or lotion (that has your logo and phone number printed on it) that they can take with them.
  8. Before they go, make sure you do everything you can to get them to schedule, and get it on your calendar and theirs. One way to do this is to have them take out a planner or their iPhone (or whatever they use to schedule their time). Make sure to let them see you putting their name on your schedule.
  9. Alternatively, if you are having trouble getting them to schedule another appointment, make sure to let them know about any specials you may have. Do you have a buy 3, get one free program for new clients? (If not, maybe you should start one for your Groupon business.) Do you have a gift card program in house where people can buy 10 massages for the price of 8 or buy 5 massages and get a 20% discount on each (that you’re running for a limited time only)? Think of programs you can have that will encourage your first-time Groupon business to schedule a lot more massage appointments with you.
  10. Encourage referrals. If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it 100 times. Your massage business will be built on referrals. So work hard to convert your Groupon clients into evangelists for your business. Treat them well, and they will refer their friends. Treat their friends well, and you begin a snowball process that will allow you to raise your rates, build a really successful business, and in the long run, work fewer hours for more money.

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