4 Steps To Get A Client To Rebook Every Month

Every one of your customers has the potential to be worth thousands of dollars over the course of your business’ lifetime. This is why it’s critical to have a fool-proof action plan to manage customer retention. The best time to ask them to book another appointment is right after their current appointment.

Here are 4 steps to help ensure your clients are rebooking at least every month:

Step 1 - Educate the client
When a client has been educated on the benefits of massage, they will likely book appointments with you more often. Clients will come to you for many reasons - pain, tension, stress, mobility issues, etc. For each reason, develop a small pitch on why massage is a suitable treatment. You can also use your website and brochures in your waiting area to talk about the benefits of massage. Keep it concise, focus on the main points, and cite your sources when applicable.

Step 2 - Develop a treatment plan
Once a client understands the benefit of massage and you’ve established yourself as an expert, it’s time to put a treatment plan into place. It is important that the client knows that oftentimes one treatment will not solve their problem. Document and discuss your plan for them. If in your professional opinion, they will benefit from a weekly or monthly visit, then tell them.

Ultimately, your job is to help them reach their goals, and if it will take multiple treatments, this needs to be communicated with them. Clients will respect your professionalism, and will listen to your advice. Be sure to keep detailed notes for each treatment and track the client’s progress so you can share that with them after each session.

Step 3 - Offer treatment packages
Many people book massages for relaxation purposes. It’s important to communicate the benefits of a regular relaxation massage, but it can be a tougher sell than when a client has a specific goal like relieving back pain. This is where treatment package sales can really help.

A treatment package is simple: the client pays upfront for 5 or 10 treatments in exchange for a volume discount (often 10-25%). The advantage of a treatment package is that it’s a non-aggressive sales strategy and there is a very clear benefit for the client.

A treatment package is a win-win. The client receives a discount, and you have guaranteed future appointments. Additionally, once the client has received all of the treatments they purchased in their package, they are even more likely to purchase another package with you. This is because you’ve perfected customer service, developed a personal connection, and have hopefully helped them reach a treatment goal.

To get started, keep things simple. Come up with just one or two package deals and offer them to your clients. The more treatments in a package, the bigger the discount.

Step 4 - Ask for the rebook
Whether the client has purchased a treatment package or not, the best time to get them to schedule an appointment is after their treatment, when they are feeling fantastic. If it’s part of a treatment plan or treatment package, this should be easy.

But if they don’t fall into one of those categories, it’s still very important to ask them to rebook. Here’s a line that seems to have had some success: “How many weeks out would you like to book your next appointment?” The structure of the question sets them up to think about when they are available rather than if they want to book another appointment.

These are 4 simple steps that every massage business should have in place for ensuring clients rebook their next appointment before leaving the office. Remember, it’s often much more expensive to acquire a new customer than get an existing customer to book again. Take the time now to implement your re-booking process, make tweaks as needed, and watch your business grow!