Protect YOUR Marketing Dollars with the Art of War.

Growing a business is hard work, but you CAN make things easier for yourself. It’s about what you know.

“If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.”

-Sun Tzu, the Art of War

Small, wisely made investments can have huge returns, but you need a battle plan, a strategy that outlines what you want and how you plan to get it.

Before you walk away from this article, let me be clear.

It doesn’t have to be complicated, it can be written on a napkin if necessary, as long as it keeps you focused on your goals.

Complicated budgets and plans are great when your going to the bank to ask for money — but unless your looking for a loan you can let go of those formalities.

YOU can decide how long or short your battle plan needs to be. Remember, this is for YOU.

Try this. Get yourself a piece of paper and write down some important questions, like this:

• What do I want?
• When would I like it?
• What am I doing to get it?
• Is what I’m doing now working for me?
• Do I want to improve upon, or stop doing any of these things?
• What else could I be doing right now to get what I want?

REMEMBER: THIS DOES NOT HAVE TO BE COMPLICATED.

Your notes could be as simple as:

What do I want?

More Clients.

When Do I want it?

This month I would like more new clients than last month.

What have I done in the past to get more clients?

Post Card Mail-Out.

How did that go?

Did not see very good results. Only 2 people responded.

Is there anything I can do to improve on that?

5% discount might have been too small. 10% would probably be better.

What else could I be doing to get what I want?

People keep hanging up on the answering machine rather than leaving a message to call back. Should add my website and the booking instructions to my message.

Congratulations. You have just taken the first step to improving your business, and saved yourself a lot of time and money on business consultants. Now all you need is a good battle cry.

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Harnessing the Internet

Massage Marketing 101 would like to invite all it’s readers to take a look at our recent feature article in Canada’s leading industry publication, Massage Therapy Canada.

The article is written by our own Jessica Foster, and covers how to enhance your practice with a professional website.

You can read the entire article here.

How to target your advertising to bring in the clients YOU want to work for

Your first step is to determine the type of clients you want to attract. Who are your current favourite clients? What do they have in common?

Take a moment to write a brief description of your ideal client. Be specific, and keep in mind any modalities you wish you could practice more often.

If you specialize in prenatal massage, your ideal client might look something like this:

“New mothers looking for relief from tension in the neck, shoulders, lower back, abdomen and thighs.”

This description offers two very important pieces of information. It identifies who the client is (an expectant mother) and what the client needs. (Relief from the tensions and stress associated with her pregnancy.)

Now that you know who you are trying to reach, and what they are looking for, the next step is to determine how best to reach them.

Why convenience is important to good customer experiences.

When setting up your waiting area, did you consider customer experience? If you have magazines, music, or comfy chairs, chances are you did.
Clients often show up early before an appointment. Giving the client a place to sit and something to read or listen to will allow them to relax and be comfortable while waiting for their appointment.

Your client’s experience with you does not begin when they enter your practice, and it does not end when they leave.

Customers understand the value of convenience. Shops with longer hours and better selection will often do more business even if their prices are higher than the competition. Customers are often busy, and are in a hurry to get the item or information they are looking for.

Have you ever had someone simply hang up when they get to your answering machine? What happens when your phone line is busy, or after hours? How many clients and appointments do you think you are losing when this occurs?

What about clients who are at work and do not have the time to make a phone call in the first place? How can they find you?

Make it easy for clients to find information about your practice. Often the perfect combo will be a yellow page ad or bolded listing with a link to your website. For much less money than you will spend on a full page ad, you can support a website with as much information as necessary to educate your clients.

Make a checklist with things your clients may wish to know about your practice, such as your hours, services, rates, and modalities. Then make a list of how many places your clients can go to get this information.

Are you listed on Google maps? Does your website appear on a search for your practice name Remember, your website will not do you any good if no one can find it. Clients are more than willing to go somewhere else if it is more convenient for them.

Most major theaters now offer the option to purchase tickets online in order to make it more convenient for people to see their favorite movies and even reserve tickets before the movie is released. People use this service because it is more convenient for them to do so.

Convenience is not intangible to the client who has something else to do. Many people simply do not have the time to call your clinic during regular business hours. If your website allows the client to book appointments online, make sure that you mention this in all your advertising materials, along with your website’s address.

Remember, you and your receptionist are only available during regular business hours. Your website is available 24/7!

Focus On Practice Management: Part Three

Calendar Conundrums

Have you ever double booked an appointment? Do you feel like your rushing from one appointment to the next? Have you ever booked an appointment at a time when you were supposed to be somewhere else?

Everyone needs a little downtime. Managing your schedule can be tricky, and leaving buffer times between irregular appointments is often difficult. To conclude our Focus on Practice Management series, here are a few things you can do to minimize your calendar conundrums.

Pinpoint the problem

Take a moment to think about what’s causing the issue. Are you giving clients the wrong appointment times? Are your own personal appointments and obligations not present in your appointment book? Are some of your appointments running longer than expected?

Once you have identified the issue, consider some possible solutions. Let’s examine some solutions to the examples we’ve listed here.

Misinformation:

Is your appointment book clear and easy to read? Make sure you writing clearly and neatly is a good step, but often the problem is that your appointment book is not very intelligent. Many people now are turning to online booking solutions.

If you already have a Massage manEdger trial account, you will have noticed that the system actually prevents you from double booking.

What you may not have noticed however, is that it also allows you to set the timing and frequency of the reminder emails sent to both yourself and the client prior to their appointments.

Take time to review your appointments periodically. Calling or emailing a client prior to their appointment to verify the appointment time will ensure the client arrives at the correct time, and reduce the number of no-shows.

Inconsistency:

If there is a chance your personal schedule will create a conflict in your regular hours, it is very important to make sure you can see where those conflicts will arise. Find a method of marking down time in your schedule for personal appointments that works for you. If you are using our trial, take the time to set aside time for holidays, personal appointments and regular breaks. Massage manEdger will prevent give you a warning if you try to book after hours, or during any time when the clinic would be closed.

Buffer Time:

Sometimes, a treatment takes longer than expected. Determine what the minimum buffer time you require between appointments should be, and stick to it. If you already have a buffer time but sometimes forget to account for it, find a way of marking this down on the side of your appointment book.

If you are using or have a trial account for Massage manEdger, then the solution will already be at your fingertips. Simply tell the system how much time you would like between appointments, and it will automatically adjust your schedule to keep your book balanced at all times.

Remember, managing your practice is hard work. If your having trouble keeping up with your business, take a moment to look at how you can simplify your schedule and make life easier for yourself and your clients.

If you missed part one of our series on Practice Management, click here to start from the beginning.

Focus on Practice Management: Part Two

Hung up on missed calls

When you are in a treatment, do you feel rushed if you hear the phone ringing? At the end of the day, do you feel the number of calls you have missed is greater than the number of messages left?

If human beings were patient, we would not have drive-thru windows. You cannot change the fact that people do not want to leave a message, but you can make your answering machine message more efficient.

If a client or potential client is calling, it’s because they are seeking information. Ask yourself what information a client or potential client might need. Generally, the majority of clients will want to know about your services, your rates, your clinic hours, and your availability.

Often the majority of your messages will be existing clients wanting to book an appointment. Your answering machine may not be able to book an appointment for you, but your answering machine message is vital.

Let’s look at what makes a good answering machine message.