Golden Rules for Getting Your Clients to Come Back for More

It’s a bit of a no-brainer really – we want people to come back for another treatment. Without repeat business our therapy room or mobile service is going to dwindle and eventually disappear. The next logical assumption would be to ensure that the therapies we are offering are always our very best; that our skills are polished, we’re reliable, personable and professional. Yet giving a good service to your clients may not be all it takes to get them calling again. There are various factors involved, some of which may be personal to our clients and nothing at all to do with the massage therapist or their services. There isn’t much point in dwelling on what may or may not be the problem – if people aren’t calling in with repeat bookings, then you are going to have to go the extra mile to entice them.

There are more factors than those I’ve mentioned above. The problem for some therapists can be that they are kind, caring people with fantastic interpersonal skills, but what they can offer in warmth, personality and customer service they might lack in business savvy. Of course, if you lack business savvy it’s hard to determine just how much you are lacking and where you’re holding yourself back. It’s a tricky one. We massage therapists know that the difficult part is getting customers through the door in the first place. Enticing them to make that first appointment can be difficult when they don’t know you and nobody has passed your details on. With massage treatments generally being considered a luxury, people view it as a mini-investment - a bit of a gamble - and it’s understandable; we are all familiar with that feeling of disappointment when we realise the much-needed treatment we’ve looked forward to all week is not going to cut the mustard… and we’re still going to have to pay for it!

Simple can equal successful

The golden rules for getting your customers to rebook are relatively simple, but often overlooked because we’re wrapped up in doing a good job in other ways. While are busying ourselves with the obvious, or by making polite conversation, we can easily forget to talk to them about the finer details. For example, we may be used to our treatment room and feel that everything is as it should be, but it might not be the case for our new client. It pays to remember the smaller details that create the kind of ambience that allows the customer to fully relax. The customer may not feel comfortable asking you to turn the temperature down a little if it’s their first treatment with you. Maybe the face cradle could do with an adjustment, or the oil a little more heating. Showing that you’re given real consideration to the client’s comfort is a sure fire way to gain their trust and confidence in you as a therapist. The smaller details accumulate, so the more of them you pay attention to, the more likely you are to overshadow your competitor and make your way onto the favourites list.

Another very simple thing that we may not be so consistent with is to ask them to come back. Not in so many words of course; we need to be a little more diplomatic than that so as not to put them on the spot. They will cancel later if they feel pressured, so better to encourage them to come back in with some kind of incentive than to come across as pushy or desperate for the business. An incentive can be something as simple as a percentage off their next booking, a ‘buy one get one half price’ offer – anything that is an obvious deal. The second time is key - if you can get them in the for that second treatment, the chances are you’ll get them in a third, fourth and hopefully many to come after that. If you don’t strike while the iron is hot, the passing of time could fog the memory of the even the most blissful of massages, so ultimately it’s down to you to grab the bull gently by the horns! People will expect this to a certain extent, so as long as you’re respectful in your approach, there is no need to be concerned with causing offence. If you don’t manage to reel them back in there and then, it doesn’t hurt to send a follow up email reiterating your offer, highlighting a link to your social media to keep them engaging with you outside of the treatment room.

We would be happy to hear your nuggets of wisdom and tips and tricks for keeping your clients satisfied. Do you find it easy to get repeat business, and if so what do you attribute your successes to?