Free Massage Friday's

[Marcus]

Has anyone ever offered a free massage day for new clients? My thoughts are to offer it one day per month, say the 2nd Friday, new clients only for a half hour that can be upgraded, and I would limit it to the first four people only.

Question about the upgrade. Should the extra time be charged at the regular rate or for the difference between the free half hour and what they want? Example, if a half hour is $40 and an hour is $60, would I charge $40 for the upgraded hour or just $20?

 

[zuperpower66]

That's interesting. What I've thought about are in-office group massage introductions.

A smaller fee per person, since it's split among a group, and folks get a chance to ask all their questions, receive some chair massage, etc.

Just so people can have a gentle, low cost introduction to me and my work without me having to just give it away.

 

[chris j]

There is a very interesting maxim in marketing with regards to giving things away for "Free." For years there have been those that swear giving a little something for free brought in business, there has even been some who say move the free line even further to include more free stuff.

Some business' can actually benefit from this practice but usually they are already BIG companies. They use the 2 for 1 sale or give away some little item hoping to up sale the customer. Then there is the free item for more leads.

The problem with these principles being used with Massage Therapy is that Licensed Therapeutic Massage is already fighting an up hill battle to get away from the notion it's a "treat" instead of a "treatment." Most men still associate Massage Therapy to "massage parlor" Most women look at it as a method to pamper themselves.

A growing number of educated folks are finally learning that massage is an intricate routine to maintain overall health and to bring it down to free ...could diminish the way people look at it. Instead of FREE offer some added "bonus" to their first visit.

Would a Doctor or Dentist ( new in town) offer a free first time check up ? No, but they often offer some free something or another with that first visit.

I'll end with the fact that most research indicates FREE will attract those people that ONLY want free stuff, and when it runs out they move on.

Michael

 

[Pompal 09.]

I do free 10-minute demonstrations when things are slow. (These are fully clothed, on the table or the mat. I don't like chairs.) I work in a busy acupuncture clinic, so I put up a sign in the front office and whoever happens come in that day can get free ten minute session. I've tried doing it on a regular schedule (like every Friday) but since most of the acupuncture patients are coming in on a regular weekly schedule, it would be the same people every week.

Very few people book sessions after a demo, but it puts me in their mind if they are ever looking for an MT. I'll do get referrals from people I gave free treatment to even if they've never booked. And I will always give one free ten minute treatment to anyone who is in a position to give good referrals (like a local naturopath or hairdresser) if they express any interest. My "quality of touch" is my strong point, so if I can just get my hands on a person, they'll usually give a very enthusiastic referral. I'll also give a free ten minute treatment to hesitant folks whose friend/spouse/etc is a client of mine and is trying to persuade them to book a session. That has been very successful in getting clients who come in a few times a year, but no regulars from that.

I don't see the point in giving away more than a ten minute treatment, and it is one per customer. Ten minutes is more than enough time for them to decide whether or not they like it.

Free samples are useful for products and services the customer is reluctant to take a gamble on. The target for free massage samples is people who are curious about your style of treatment, but afraid they won't like it or that it won't be worth the money. It is great if you do an obscure modality or are adding an unusual new service to your offerings.

I think "free with the purchase of X", can work provided X has a good client base. I wouldn't count on it persuading people to buy X because they are so interested in getting Y for free. However, people who are already paying for X are more likely to also pay for Y next time (if they like it) than people who hadn't previously expressed any interest in X or Y.

Offering a sample of an unusual service is also good because it makes it sound less like you are desperate for business. You can approach it with the attitude of, "Oh! You've never tried [Modality Y]? You should try it! Everyone should experience [Modality Y] at least once! Here, let me give you a little demonstration." Confident cheerful enthusiasm, not a sales pitch.

That is the angle I take. It works well for me because I offer a lot of strange adjunct therapies that people are often very curious about but unwilling to make a gamble on something they might not like. I'll even demo on someone else (like the receptionist) while they watch if it is one of the "You want to do *what* to me?" treatments like cupping or salt-moxa in the navel.

-- Joshua

 

[Paige(Tokio Hotel <3)]

No, I don't do free work, unless I'm donating to a close-to-my-heart cause. Or my immediate family, in which case they are also close to my heart. I offer some new client deals, defintely offer my regulars discounts, I have offered half off on hour massages, but only on Tuesdays which are my REALLY SLOW day. It brought in some people, only one became a regular. People just don't want to pay for what they've previously gotten for free.

ETA - Joshua, your receptionist sounds like a good sport!

 

[ninety9point8]

We offer a 20 min introductory chair massage for new patients at the Chiro clinic I work at. 80% of the time I am able to upgrade the patient to a 30 min table massage or longer. We reduce the upgraded massage by $20.00 if the patient chooses to upgrade. I have cultivated many regular table clients by doing this so it works for me. The 20 min massage is a gift by the owner of the clinic to the patient and I receive my regular pay rate.

I have also developed a program to encourage regular massage clients. If a client sets up a schedule for regular massages (i.e. 2nd Tuesday of each month at 3:00pm) and keep that schedule for 6 months, the 6th month is free. This helps in keeping a routine schedule for myself and my clients begin a habit that is good for them. I enjoy rewarding them for that kind of behavior.

I agree with what has been said above and believe we should support the fact that massage is a treatment and should not be undervalued or given away. A hard lesson for me was to realize that clients will only value the massage I give them as much as I value it. IMO discounting massages to attract new clients will only attract clients looking for a discount and not bring in the clients that appreciate massage for what it is. The 20 min free chair massage I mentioned is not intended to bring someone through the door. They are already there, it is more of a thank you for becoming a patient. The regular massage program I developed is designed for those who are already my clients to encourage regular visits.

Peace and Light

 

[Vince]

I had written this on another thread, regarding our offering of free work - it's not covering your exact question, but I think it speaks volumes:

I hate to be negative about this, but I too have found very minimal good results with free services being offered.

We offered free massage... as in come to the office and recieve an hour free on the table... to the area firefighters (one specific station is very close) -- we gave them a sign in sheet for their use at work, from the hours of 11-8, we just kept that particular day completely open for them to just come in (the sign in sheet was so they would know which firefighter would be coming... we didn't care, just as long as one at a time came). We offered this for two months (Mondays - our off day) and sat in the office for two months doing nothing but paperwork and answering the phones. Not a single one came in.

Very disappointing as we were offering it as a "thank you for serving our city" and nothing more.

I think people see free and don't believe it.

 

[carmenlafond]

Well, I am going to try it out on a temporary basis.

I made a coupon book and will be mailing it out to my clients. I am offering a free half hour on the first friday of the month. I will not put it on my website. I will only offer it for clients to refer their friends in. The offer is subject to any changes, so I can stop it if I want, shorten the time down to 10 or 15 minutes, or make any other changes to the offer.

I am also limiting it to about 4 per friday I offer it. Time will tell.

 

[Tuddy]

You may have a good handle on the issue with your plan. Good luck and keep us posted. Thanks

 

[Omer]

When I was in massage school I gave out probably 100 free massages at the chiropractic office I work for. 2 years later, same chiro office, I have a ton of clients, and not one of them is a person I gave a free massage to.