what do you think of this package idea?

[Dunyah]

hey there. a little background on me:

i read this forum alot but haven't had alot to talk about till now. I am 23 weeks pregnant and still working at a spa 12 hours a week. I make 50% commission which is great but i'm never full. often i only work 6-7 hours a week.
so far this is working out cuz i have a 2 year old at home and like to spend time with her. but i don't love it there, and as an independant contractor i receive no maternity leave. Hence, I will have to quit when I can't work anymore.

I took the Kate Jordan Pregnancy massage course and loved it. I haven't had a lot of oppurtunities to practice but I feel I will be good at it. I just found a pregnancy trainer/gym in my area and offered to give massages to her clients. I will bring my table and body cushions there and use her space. she does not even want a cut! she is very pro-massage and already urges her clients to get a prenatal massage every few weeks!

I would like to print out some materials including a price list to keep at her place. I don't want to have to change the pricing too much b/c i find it confusing and i think the clients do too.

what do you all think of this?
1 hour prenatal massage $70
package of 3 $195 (save $15)
package of 6 $380 (save $40)

I don't want ppl. to prepay b/c i myself wouldnt want to and b/c since i'm pregnant I wouldn't want to be holding onto their money if i had to suddenly stop working. I was thinking I would charge $70 the first 2 sessions and give the savings of $15 or $40 (depending on which package they choose) at the final massage. this way they are not prepaying, but i am not losing $$ if someone "promises" to come back but never does.

I live in the miami area if it makes a diff. do these prices sound fair? the spa i work at now charges $95 for prenatal for 50 minutes and their theapists, except me, aren't even certified in prenatal


thank you all so much for your comments and suggestions.

best to all of you,
Chani

 

[freeekle]

something else you could do is offer them their 3rd, 4th, or 5th massage at $___ off. instead of it being confusing where you have package pricing but they aren't prepaying for it you could just offer your massages at $70 for 60 minutes and every 5th massage is 1/2 off or whatever number massage you choose for the discount.

 

[DelightfulDevilishDreams]

That's great you can get referrals from the pregnancy fitness insructor. It means you're in an area where there is a demand for pregnancy services

Since you're just starting out, you're obviously not going to be working an some point in the relatively near future for a while once you have your baby, and it's very hard to predict how soon you'll be ready to go back to work, why not just forget any package or discount plan for now? Once you get back into it, after you've had your own baby, think about how you would do it then. I find I get a lot of people wanting a massage once they go on maternity leave, so close to due date, packages would not interest them for a start.

I'm probably biased since I don't do packages, I can't be bothered keeping track of what's been used/what hasn't been used, can't even be bothered putting the responsibility on them with some coffee type card, they don't present the card that visit it doesn't count.

What I do do for pregnant clients, after I've been seeing them for a while, is I tell them they get a free massage after they've had the baby, in their home or the hospital. That way, I get to see the baby and they usually need a massage by that seforum.xxxe. (I'll just take the body cushion into the hospital and use it on the hospital bed, no way am I lugging a massage table down hospital corridors)
Often people looking for pregnancy massage don't normally have massages, getting them to have a post-natal one can make them realise they don't have to be pregnant to have a massage.

Also once they are up to 36 weeks, I will ring their cell phone 30min-1hr before their appointment - not as a reminder, but as a check they aren't having the baby. Many hesitate making a booking around their due date because they might have to remember to cancel. If I say I will check beforehand, and cancelling at the last minute is not a problem when they are about to have a baby, they usually do make a booking.

 

[Only the beginning]

someone here offers maintenence plans (might be one ofthe cyber-twins, masthera or maestra)... she gives a discount for rebooking the next week's appt when they pay at the current one. i'll go look for the thread.

edit: here is one that has links to others.
http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4233

this may work better for you and the clients- because you're not holding money from a package. it's more flexible when the baby is close to arriving.

i think it's great you love this work.

 

[DueNov17th2009]

thanks for all the ideas guys. i'm leaning towards not putting any package pricing on the materials i print up. It seems very limiting if I end up changing my mind or stop working.

i've been trying on my few clients at home giving a discount if they book another massage within 2 or 4 weeks of the first.
perhaps i'll go that route at this place too.

do you all think that $70 is a good price? i don't want to price myself out of work, but i am 6 months pregnant and will have to bring table, cushions, sheets, lotion, music, and forms. it is 15-30 minutedrive away depending on traffic.

i'm thinking mabey i'll just be firm on the price for now and see how things work out over the next few months. If i build up a clientele, and i'm going in more than once every so often I could mabey just leave my stuff there and charge a little less.

i'm really excited and nervous and this board is like the only place i know to use as a sounding board. any replys are again much appreciated.

Chani

 

[Guitar Guy]

Yes, I am the one who does the Maintenance plans and they have worked out great for me! They receive a discount for staying on a set schedule. The discount depends on the clients frequency.

I charge $75 for an hour of prenatal so I think your charge of $70 is just fine. Depending on your area, you might be able to go higher then offer the MP plans or something else if you want.
So nice you got a great connection for prenatal referrals. I plan on working with my OB office a bit more once I go back to work after my baby is born.

Congrats on the pregnancy. You are not too far behind me - 31 weeks.