How to Run a Successful Deal Campaign: Part One

By Hillary Arrieta LMT

Crowd deals like Groupon seem to be a great way to introduce your massage to a whole bunch of new, prospective clients, but are you prepared? This blog will explore the positive aspects of running a deal and also the pitfalls.

Read on to find out if group deals are for you.

To Groupon, or not to Groupon…

Here’s the deal, if you are not on board with deeply discounting your services, possibly running in to some unpleasant clients, or working your tail off for very little money in the short term, daily deals are not for you.

The main idea behind running a deal is to retain the clients that come in with vouchers.

It’s a marathon, not a race.

What you make money wise from doing the initial deal is not the focus of a successful campaign. The real focus is retention.

You can't retain clients if you have a bad attitude. You must offer the BEST you have in order to keep the clientele, so giving a bad service because you're in a mood about "working for free" won't make this deal a success. Don't even go there because it will do more harm than good to your practice.

Clients can pick up on this very easily and your ratings online will reflect this.

So why SHOULD you do deals? 

I can’t tell you why you should but personally, I chose to run a few deals to start up my private practice because of a few reasons:

1. I had no clients (zero) and needed to build up my clientele FAST.

2. I had no advertising budget. I needed something that would get me a bunch of clients as quickly as possible and I only had to pay for results.

3. I needed to stay busy. Taking the leap into self employment was scary for me and I knew that if I sat around, I would run out and get another job, which would take me away from focusing on my practice.

If you’re like me, running a deal might make sense. The best thing that I can suggest is to look in to all your options and assess your unique goals and needs as a business owner.

Something else to consider:

Did you know that there are several deal platforms out there?

Research and see what options you have in your city. I was lucky to find a smaller, higher end deal site that was perfect for my private practice. I really enjoyed working on their more exclusive clientele.

Search for local sites like amazon local or guilt city (my favorite). Avoid sites that highlight the “savings”. I typically steer clear of sites with “deal” or “save” in the name.

Don’ts:

Do NOT get into a long term deal contract where they can run your deal over and over. Scarcity is the key.

Do NOT run massage packages as deals.

Do NOT run offers for services that use expensive product.

Do NOT give up control or be bullied by overbearing salespeople.

Do NOT run a deal without a plan of action.

Do NOT run a deal if you are not ready to WORK IT.

Do’s:

Do work with a company that will give you control over your deal.

Do only run your deal ONCE. Consider using another company if you decide that you want to run another deal.

Do work with a company that will negotiate terms with you.

Do read your contract!

Do create unique services that would appeal to higher end clients.

Do make a detailed plan for retention and prepare for your deal BEFORE running one.

Hopefully I’ve helped you decide if group deals are a good fit for your practice. Part two will help you develop your plan of action to run a successful deal.

Questions:

Do you run deals?

What has been your personal experience?

Hi! I’m Hillary Arrieta and I help people improve their lives by offering holistic solutions to eliminate stress. I own The Heeling Hut in Plano, TX. and specialize in unique and effective massage and meditation techniques such as Barefoot Bar Therapy and iRest® Yoga Nidra.