Series: How to Set Your Massage Referral Program on Fire / Part 7

Following up last week's tip of marketing creatively is how to make it easy for clients to refer people to you.

Referral Fire Starter Tip #7: Make It Easy for Referrers

You can have the best referral program with fantastic rewards, but if it’s difficult for clients to use or understand, they won’t use it. Everyone is overwhelmed enough as it is; the last thing they want to do is to have to wade through piles of information or red tape just to send a client or two your way. Here are some tips for keeping your program simple and user-friendly:

1. Keep the rewards simple. Don’t get too complicated with different levels of rewards or different rewards for different people. Keeping it simple and streamlined will make it easy for your clients to understand, and easy for you to implement.
2. Don’t give too many choices. More choice is not always a good thing. In fact, surveys show that when people are given more choice, it actually increases their confusion and reduces their satisfaction with their final selection. If you must give choices for redeeming referral rewards, keep it simple. Ask them to choose between two types of the same thing ($20 off a future service or a free upgraded service, for example.)
3. Confirm when you receive a referral. Let your client know when you receive a referral from them. A quick email reply, “Thank you for trusting us!” is perfect. You can also make a note in the computer if you have a customer management system so the next time you talk to that client you can let them know you appreciate the referral.
4. Reward promptly. The only thing worse than never receiving the reward you were promised is having to wait months for the reward you were promised. Reward your clients promptly when they’ve earned something from your referral program. Positive reinforcement will increase the likelihood of a repeat performance.

What ways have you made it easy for clients to refer their friends to you?

Series wrap up:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

                                                                 easy/hard photo: freedigitalphotos.net

Cleaning Your Hot Stones

Do you offer hot stone massage?

A blog post a while back from Massage Table Outlet about the most likely places for germs to lurk got me thinking about the importance of keeping massage stones clean and sanitary.  (I was also horrified at the lemon wedges!!)  A quick look on YouTube resulted in tons of great videos on the topic.

Here's a short video with some suggestions.
What have you found to be the best way to clean your stones?

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

Decompressing at the End of the Day

Earthlite shared a great post last month about Winding Down.  It's so important (in any profession, really), but with the high rate of burnout in the massage field, I think it's especially important to make sure that we are really taking this time for ourselves at the end of our day.

So I thought I'd add a few things to Earthlite's great suggestions:

• Soak in a hot tub.  (I'm a big fan of this in the winter time here in Michigan.  Bonus?  You can totally count this as "outdoor time" which can be hard to come by in any other form on those blustery days!)
• Get some exercise.
  While it doesn't seem like winding down... walking the dog (Iggy's favorite), taking a leisurely bike ride, or really pounding out the pavement with a run can do wonders for the soul.
• Yoga or Tai Chi.
  I suppose this could fall under "exercise", but it's a different kind of connection with your own body.  And what better way to really disconnect from your clients and reconnect with yourself at the end of the day?
• Play in the dirt.
  Ground yourself with some garden therapy.
• Play with your kids, pets, etc.  (It's so easy to forget how to play as adults!)

I know a therapist who worked in Hawaii and swore by the recharging powers of swimming in the ocean after a long day of doing massage in a dark room.  This would certainly be my choice if I had it available!
What are your favorite ways to wind down at the end of a long massage day?

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

                                                                     Photo: freedigitalphotos.net

Series: How to Set Your Massage Referral Program on Fire / Part 6

Last week's tip in this 10 part series was to gather client testimonials.  Did you get any client testimonials last week?

Referral Fire Starter Tip #6: Market Your Program Creatively

Once you’ve got the outline for a strong referral program in place, you need to start talking it up. If no one knows about it, no one is going to get excited about it. Here are some creative ways to promote your referral program:

1. Create a section of your website. Even though you are a brick-and-mortar business, websites are great places to send people for more information. Have a section of your website that you can direct clients to, and list all the referral details. Make sure there’s a form right there that they can use to refer friends and family.
   
   
2. Use the back of your business card. The back of your business card is prime real estate. Instead of letting it go to waste, use it to advertise your referral program. You could give details or just include a link to your referral program.
3. Create “refer-a-friend” cards. In addition to handing out business cards, give your clients refer-a-friend cards. They could say, “Someone really likes you, and thinks you’d like us! Use this card for 20% off your next purchase.” Then have a space for the referring party to include their name so they receive credit for the referral.
4. Use compelling language. Many cash-based businesses (real estate agents, mortgage brokers, etc.) will include, “I PAY FOR REFERRALS” on their marketing literature. If you don’t want to be that blunt, you could write something like, “Did you enjoy today’s service? Tell a friend and be rewarded. Check out our referral program at www.YOURSITEHERE.com.”
5. Create a direct mail piece just for referrals. Particularly if you are revamping or launching your referral program, you may want to think about creating a direct mail postcard specifically to promote the program to your existing clients. Highlight how easy it is to participate and the benefit to them – and their friends – if they participate.
6. Mention the referral program in person. When your clients are scheduling their next massage, remember to mention the program and ask for referrals.
7. Add it on all marketing materials. This mention can be as simple as a line that says, “Find out how you can earn free massage! Go to www.YOURSITEHERE.com.”
8. Create schwag. Inexpensive giveaways like pens, mousepads, and notepads are great places to mention your referral program’s URL. These items stay in front of them, and will keep your program top-of-mind. One note: Don’t give away junk! “Inexpensive” does not mean cheap. You’re better off investing a few more dollars in a giveaway people are going to want to use, then handing out junk that ends up in the trash.

Check out the creative ways Nevada School of Massage Therapy/Las Vegas Campus promotes their referral program.  Randi Sepulveda is the artist that draws these awesome gems!

What creative ways have you marketed your referral program?  What worked well, what didn't?

Series wrap up:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

                                                                                 creative photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

4 Ways to Keep Control of Your Website

There's a few important things you need to do when you are creating a website for your massage business.  

Here's some great tips from a freelance web designer.  I've personally seen the "website hostage" situation many times...
Make sure this doesn't happen to you!

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years, and has been an associate instructor for Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy since 2007.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

Online Business: 4 Ways to Keep Control of Your Website

By Nicolette Tallmadge



I get an email from a prospective client as least every month where something went wrong with a past designer and client ended up losing control of their website. Either designer locks the client out from the website, or they threaten to erase the entire website, or they actually follow through and delete the website.
How could something like this happen? Most web designers are trustworthy and ethical, but there are some bad ones out there. If you have someone that's helping you to design or maintain your website, you have to be careful not to give them absolute control over your web presence. Here are some tips on how to keep control of your website:
1. Always purchase your own domain names- Never, ever allow anyone except yourself to purchase the domain name(s) for your website. Some designers will offer to buy the domain for you as a "convenience". Don't let them! It's a simple matter for them to name themselves as the owner of the domain name which will make it impossible for you to do anything with it without going through your designer. That means that if you get into a dispute, then the designer can keep your domain name or refuse to allow you to transfer it over to another web host. You web designer can easily hold your entire website "hostage" this way.
Buying a domain name is not difficult. You can get one in five minutes as long as you have a credit card and can click on some buttons Don't delegate something this important to someone else.
2. Keep track of all your important account information- In most cases, your web designer will need to have access to your web hosting account information that you might need to allow them access to do their jobs. Just like your domain name account, you need to be the primary contact for all of your online accounts. That means if anything goes wrong, the first person these companies will contact will be you...not your designer.
You also need to keep track of passwords, usernames, account numbers and you need to log on to these accounts on a regular basis to make sure that you still have access to them. This will keep your web designer from locking you out of your important accounts in the case of a dispute.
3. Always keep a copy of your website in your possession- Even if you've hired a professional to maintain your website for you, you should always have an up-to-date copy of your website in a place were you can grab it in an emergency like your computer hard drive, a CD, or a thumb drive. This is a good idea in general, but it's also a good way to keep an unscrupulous web designer from blackmailing you by threatening to shut down your website.
Also, if your website also uses a database of any kind...say you're running a Wordpress blog, make sure that you also have recent backups of those as well...especially if these databases contains customer or financial information of any kind.
Ask your hosting tech support to show you how to backup your website and/or databases you might be running on your website and start downloading weekly backups.
4. Don't allow your lack of knowledge get in the way- As a rule, I never register domain names or open hosting accounts for my clients, even if they ask me to. Some of the less technically savvy ones try to get me to do stuff like this for them because they don't want to have to deal with the "technical stuff". But I always warn them that their lack of technical knowledge is the thing that makes them vulnerable to getting ripped-off by someone less than honest.
The bottom line is that if you're going to have a website, there's going to be a certain amount of "technical stuff" that you're going to have to deal with. It comes with the territory. The more knowledgeable you are, the less likely you're going to be taken by an unscrupulous web designer. Every small business owner who owns a website should know how to buy their own domain names, open up a web hosting account, open up accounts at YouTube, Facebook, etc, and how to make regular backups of their website. If you know how to do these things...you won't find yourself in the position of the poor souls I talked to every month.

Need more information on websites, web design, and how to avoid the pitfalls in building and managing your own website? Download a FREE report, "10 Website Mistakes to Avoid" to learn what you need to know to build and run a successful website. Visit Nikolena Designs to get more information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nicolette_Tallmadge


http://EzineArticles.com/?Online-Business:-4-Ways-to-Keep-Control-of-Your-Website&id=5199205


Photo: freedigitalphotos.net

Selling With Heart

This post a while back from Living Earth Crafts of Taking the 'Sales' out of Retail was a great reminder for me.  As a massage therapist, I got in to this line of work to help people, and in general I am turned off from "selling" and I don't think of myself as a salesperson. 

This line in particular struck me as crucial: try making it less about sales and more about the client’s health.

The fact is, clients see us as experts and are looking to us for help.  If we keep this in mind, selling actually transforms to simply helping our clients (which is what we're trying to do in the first place, right?).



Here's a few tips to help:

• Be passionate about what you're selling.
  Only carry products you truly believe in.  Have your heart in it.
• Be knowledgeable about the product.
• Show your client how this product can help them.
• Be honest.

Here's a few products that I have available for purchase for my clients because I believe in them:

• Mother Earth Pillows
  Seriously. I just love these. And so do my clients.
• Sombra Cool Therapy
  I actually had a sample jar from a convention that I started using in sessions, and clients loved it so much they asked me where they could buy it.  So that was just a natural progression to having it available for them!
• CranioCradle
  For clients who I think could benefit from this - I send it home with them to try and tell them they can pay for it at their next session or bring it back if they didn't like it.  No one has ever brought it back.
• Theracane
  These are great to have handy at the studio for myself, too!

*BTW, I'm not an affiliate for any of the above companies.   I will not benefit at all if you purchase from them, I'm simply sharing because they are products I carry in my massage studio and feel good about selling them!

What products do you love and have available for your clients to purchase?

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

                                                           shopping cart photo: freedigitalphotos.net

Series: How To Set Your Massage Referral Program On Fire / Part 5

Last week's tip to set your referral program on fire was to give great service.  That brings us to #5 in this 10 part series.

Referral Fire Starter Tip #5: Gather Client Testimonials
One of the most powerful tools you can have at your disposal when working to gather referrals is client testimonials.  Last week I wrote about easy ways to get testimonials from clients, but this post is more about why you should be using testimonials.  Testimonials from satisfied clients work in a few different ways to strengthen your referral program:

1. They make the existing client more committed to you. If their name and/or face has appeared on your website, in a direct mailing piece, or in a newsletter, they are going to be much more invested in your success. They’ll want you to succeed and be willing to help make sure that happens by referring friends, family members, and acquaintances to you.
2. They hold more weight with referrals. When a potential client sees a whole page full of quotes and testimonials from existing clients, it further cements the idea that you’re someone they want to do business with.
3. They help with “cold” leads, too. The next best thing to a direct referral is a “cold” lead who sees page after page of satisfied, smiling clients. Why do you think so many plastic surgeons and weight-loss experts use before-and-after photos? THEY WORK!

Gathering client testimonials can be a little bit daunting, unless you know exactly what you’re looking for, and in what format. Here are some tips:

• For websites, video testimonials are great, but not necessary. A text quote is fine, and as many people are hesitant about appearing on-camera, they’re often much easier to get from your clients.
• If you use online scheduling, many of these services include collecting reviews or testimonials from your clients.  It doesn't get any simpler than this!
• If you don't use online scheduling, make it easy for clients to give you a testimonial by having a questionnaire for them to fill out. The better sense they have of what you need, the better they’ll deliver.  Create a simple questionnaire with questions like: "how do you feel when you need a massage?"; "how do you feel after a massage?"; "what do you like most about Cindy's massages?"; "would you refer a friend to Cindy? Why or why not?".  Remove the questions, string the answers together in to a paragraph - and there you have a testimonial.
• Make it a habit to ask for testimonials. Once someone refers a few client your way, follow up. Say, “You seem to really like our services – and we love you! Would you be willing to record (or write) a short testimonial we can use in our marketing materials?”
• Edit judiciously. Some people will go on and on. It’s great that they’re so excited, but the reader or viewer just wants the main points. Cut where necessary.
• Reward them for helping you out. If you’re using their image and/or words to get more business, they should be rewarded for doing so. But don’t make it a straight, “Give me a testimonial and I’ll give you a free treatment;” that could be seen as bribery. Instead, send them a small thank-you well after the fact, or put them in a drawing to win a larger item.

Testimonials are a great addition to any marketing program, and will make your current referral program even stronger.

Exercise for this week: gather at least 2 testimonials from clients!

Series wrap up:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

Client Acquisition [Infographic]

As a follow-up to this recent business tip article on massagemag.com, here's a nice little infographic to illustrate just why an existing client is easier to reactivate than acquiring a new client.

According to this, it's 6 to 7 times more costly to acquire a new client than to retain an existing one!

What do you think?  How much focus do you put on retaining clients versus gaining new clients?

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

Using Cold Stones In Your Massages

Do you use cold or cool stones in your massages?  Not quite sure what to do with cool stones?  Here's a cool video (pun intended!) with some ideas:

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

Series: How To Set Your Massage Referral Program On Fire / Part 4

In last Monday's post, we discussed tip #3 of rewarding the referrer.  So moving right along in our series...

Referral Fire Starter Tip #4: Give Great Service

It almost goes without saying – but I’m going to say it anyway. The number-one way to ensure quality referrals is to give great service in the first place. The happier your clients are, the more likely they’ll be to refer their friends and colleagues in your direction. Here are some past posts for some ideas on making sure your current clients are as pleased as possible:

• 10 simple ways to wow your clients.
• Powerful ways to show appreciation to your clients.
• Set yourself apart from the competition.
• 7 habits of highly successful massage therapists.

When you implement these ideas, you’ll see your client satisfaction and natural referrals increase. And when you combine great customer service with some of the other tips in this series, you’ll really experience the snowball effect that will lead only one place – to more clients and more money. 

1. Provide an easy way for clients to schedule an appointment with you. Whether it’s a phone number or an email address, have your contact information and make it easy to find on your website. You DO have a website, right?  Offering online scheduling is an awesome convenience to your clients that will help set you apart and stand out in their minds.
2. Set expectations. If you’re a solo therapist and only check email between 9-10 AM, you need to let your clients know that you won’t be on call 24/7. Likewise, if you only answer your phone at certain times, letting clients know beforehand will head off any concerns about non-responsiveness. You can post your “office hours” on your website, or create an outgoing message or autoresponder that lets people know when to expect a response from you (a word of warning: In today’s “microwave” world, anything more than 24 hours is considered long).
3. Underpromise and overdeliver.  Underpromising and overdelivering is a quick path to clients’ hearts.  
4. Take the extra step. Do whatever it takes to make the client happy – then go one more step.  Provide exemplary service and find ways to thrill your clients. They’ll pay back your efforts in loyalty – and referrals!

What ways do you provide great service to your clients?

Series wrap up:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

                                                                                            freedigitalphotos.net

How Effective Are Groupon Promotions? [Infographic]

The great Groupon debate continues!  I've seen many threads on Facebook discussing the pros & cons of daily deals for massage businesses.
Here's a cool infographic on some of the facts of Groupon:






Have you ran a Groupon?  What was your experience with it?  Would you recommend it to other MT's?

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

Easy Ways To Get Client Testimonials

Have you been wanting to get testimonials from your clients,
but aren't sure how to go about doing it?
Here's some simple ideas on how to make it happen:

•Abundant testimonials are actually everywhere. You might not need to actually ask for testimonials. If you listen, you will find out that great testimonials are part of everyday conversations with your clients. Did Joan just mention that she's never felt better after her massage?  Did Robert email you to thank you for the relief he's gotten from low back pain from your massages?  If it sounds and looks good, then you can probably use it. Be sure to get permission from the person. I've actually seen my name and words on a company's Facebook page that they never asked my permission to use.  Not. Cool.
• Change the wording. "Testimonial" can be intimidating. Your client might think they need to write a flowery, long-winded account of your services.  Honesty is all that's needed.  Words like review, feedback, comments, etc all take the pressure off.

• Make it easy for them.  Have a feedback form or guestbook on your website.  Leave a feedback journal in your massage room.  I've even seen a massage room that had a beautiful glass vase full of notes left by clients.  That way, people can leave you comments when they're still drunk from their massage.  *Tip: put a few notes in there to start, so no clients feels like they're the first to leave a comment.
*Shameless plug: Bodywork Buddy just added a feature that automatically emails your clients and asks them to leave a review after their massage.  You then have the option to publish it to your online scheduler.  It doesn't get any easier than this, seriously.



• Give a prompt. Clients sometimes struggle with where to start. It's better to ask questions like "how do you feel after your massage?" and "what do you like best about our services?".




Do you already have a system in place for collecting client testimonials?  What works well for you?  Do you use those testimonials on your website and other marketing?  (Because you should!)

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

                                                                             photo: freedigitalphotos.net

Series: How To Set Your Massage Referral Program On Fire / Part 3

Last week, I covered tip #2 of setting up a successful process to set your referral program on fire.  Now that you've got a process implemented, (you do have a process implemented, right?) let's move on to #3 in the series.

Referral Fire Starter Tip #3: Reward the Referrer

Many people will come up with a name or two if you ask them for friends or acquaintances who might be interested in your services. But promise them a reward of some sort, and they’ll suddenly think of long-lost aunts and former roommates who are in the market for someone just like you.

Before you sign away your hard-won profits, though, read these five tips for creating a great referral rewards program:

1. Reward based on QUALIFIED referrals. What’s worse than having no referrals at all? Having a notebook full of unqualified leads.  One mistake I had made when I first started my referral program: I didn't put any stipulations on gift cards.  (The thought hadn't even crossed my mind). That is, until I had a client buy several gift cards for friends, and then expect a free massage for referring those people.  (Before the referrals even came in to redeem their gift cards.)  While you may be thinking, "hey! you still got paid for those gift cards, so what's the harm?".  Well, the whole point of my referral program was to get new clients.  (As we all know, not all gift cards get redeemed!).  So while I may have made a quick buck selling those gift cards, that situation didn't accomplish my goal and therefore didn't warrant rewarding the client.
   
   
2. Reward related items. Offering a free oil change for anyone who sends five new clients to your massage therapy business? Umm, no.  (This one is probably a no-brainer.)  Make the reward fit your business model for continuity and branding; it’s just one more way to make your image stronger.
   
   
3. Reward quickly. Waiting a few months or even weeks can delay the action-reward cycle. When people are rewarded quickly, they are more likely to repeat the behavior so they can get rewarded again.
   
   
4. Reward intermittently, too. While it’s important to have a set reward schedule (for instance, $20 credit for each new client who schedules a session with you), it can be powerful to send “surprise” rewards as well. Once a quarter or so, send a thank-you email, coupon, or small gift as an additional thanks. These small surprises solidify your program in your clients’ minds.
   
   
5. Reward the referred party as well as the referrer. While it’s great to reward the client who refers new people to you, it’s equally important to reward the new client. Regulars will be much more likely to tell their friends about you if there’s something in it for the referral as well. You can offer $10 off for the new client as well as for the referrer. Then it’s a win-win-win for you, your current and your future clients. 

Do you already reward your clients for referrals?  What reward has worked well for your business?

Don't forget to check in next Monday for tip #4.

In case you missed the first 2 posts in this series:
How to set your referral program on fire / Part 1
How to set your referral program on fire / Part 2

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

                                                                       Incentive photo:   freedigitalphotos.net