The Massage Marketing Connection

Many LMT’s spend the majority of their time, energy and marketing generating new clients. They advertise market, sell, network….whatever it takes to bring new clients in the door.

Let me ask you a question though. How much time and energy do you put into keeping the clients you’ve got? It’s called client retention. Did you know that you spend eight times as much to gain a new client as it does to keep your existing clients/patients? In today’s economy you it’s imperative you at a minimum maintain your market share and not lose it. It’s worth your time and energy to keep the clients you’ve worked so hard to earn.

Here are a few customer retention basics:

• Provide excellent customer service. Notice I didn’t say ok customer service. Or be nice when you’re in a good mood customer service. To keep clients from leaving you, be excellent.

• Acknowledge clients and let them know you appreciate them. Little things like remembering their birthday or anniversary go a long way when it comes to relationship building.

• Smile, be happy. Make sure you’re office is a pleasant place to be. Whether you communicate with clients via email or over the phone you also need to provide a positive experience. Be pleasant to be around – and ensure your staff or assistants are pleasant too.

• Use client’s names often when talking to them. It personalizes the conversation and lets them know you recognize them as a person and not simply your next client.

• Educate and inform your clients all the time about how you are helping them.

• Always be looking for new ways to help your client. This can provide new avenues for your business to grow and allow you to help others in a bigger way at the same time.

Investing your efforts into client retention can really pay off. If you are attracting ideal clients who happily refer you to other ideal clients you need to consistently ask them how else you can help them. In what other ways can you serve them.

Keep in mind that most people don’t tell you they are leaving. They leave quietly. Keep your eyes open, listen, and pay attention to the small things in your business. It all makes a difference.

To your success!

Kelly Robbins

Kelly@AMarketingConnection.com

About the author

Author of Healthcare Copywriting Secrets Revealed and The Practice Evolution Success Kit, Kelly Robbins is a healthcare copywriter and marketing coach/consultant. She also publishes The Healthcare Marketing Connection, a free e-zine on healthcare marketing tips. Contact Kelly to receive her free report, 5 Critical Mistakes Healthcare Marketers Make that Lose Sales and Plummet Profits at www.AMarketingConnection.com or 303-460-0285.

Thrive in 2009! Learn What You can do Right Now to Ensure Next Year is Profitable – I’ll Show you How on This Free Call!

Register now and you’ll receive a complementary copy of a 2009 marketing planning guide with the call!

You’ve probably been hearing from everyone now that it’s the end of the year, “now is the time to plan for 2009?. And it is. However, with the economy where it is today (panic mode for many) you can’t do the same things you’ve done in the past and remain profitable. We’re in a different place and we need to take different actions.

The key to thriving in 2009 is being strategic in the planning and the actions we take NOW. It’s important we slow down, take a breath and rationally make smart business decisions rather than jump on the next thing that sounds like a winner and lose our shirts.

Understand there are two things you can’t let happen because everyone around you is in a panic:
1.     You can’t keep doing the status quo and get different results.
2.     You can’t disappear from your target market’s radar because you cut back on marketing.

It’s important to understand that marketing that works in a prosperous or expanding economy is not the same marketing that works in a recessionary or contracting economy. People’s mindset changes and the factors that weigh decisions change. Especially for businesses that are considered “non-essentials”, which massage therapy often falls into.

Just because your current marketing isn’t working as well as it used to doesn’t mean you should stop marketing completely, it simply means you need to make some adjustments to what you have been doing to meet the current needs of your market.

We are going to discuss those adjustments on our free call Tuesday, December 16, at 1PM Eastern/10AM Pacific.
•         What does it mean to “become invisible” in a nonessential marketing when people aren’t spending money? How can you avoid becoming invisible?
•         Is it wise for businesses to change their marketing strategies right now or should they stay the course and wait out the storm?
•         What are best marketing practices for businesses in these tough economic times?
•         What is the number one mistake entrepreneurs make when they need to tighten their belt?
•         How can you take what marketing and advertising you already have and make it work better rather than reinvent the wheel?

Register now at: http://www.amarketingconnection.com/thrivein2009
 
We are going to talk about marketing plans. Not the two month, 35 page marketing plans fortune 500 companies put together. We’re going to teach you how to do an effective marketing plan in one day. If you do what I teach you correctly, this one thing will make thousands of dollars of difference in your bottom line and increase sales.

In a free call on Tuesday, December 16, at 1PM Eastern/10AM Pacific, marketer and copywriter Kelly Robbins will be interviewed by Michelle Salater, expert online copywriter and marketer, and talk about your marketing plans for 2009 and share some best practices. You’ll also receive a complementary 2009 marketing planning guide with your registration.

Frankly, this call with us could be the kick in the pants your business has been needing. If you’ve ever attended one of Kelly’s free calls you know you’ll leave info-rich AND excited to rock the world! I hope you can make it

Register now at:  http://www.amarketingconnection.com/thrivein2009

Register now and you’ll receive a complementary copy of a 2009 marketing planning guide with the call! And yes, the call is being recorded, so if you can’t make it you can still listen later.
Learn how to make 2009 your best year ever on this one free call. We will be recording the call, so even if you can’t make it be sure to register!

To your success!
 
A Marketing Connection, Inc.
Helping you connect with your customers
www.AMarketingConnection.com

There’s nothing worst than someone not showing up for their massage therapy appointment. Not only are you losing money by not treating that patient, but you have a gaping, unexpected hole in your schedule that’s impossible to re-book at the last minute. You’re left with a block of wasted and unprofitable time, leaving you with just enough time to return a phone call or two.

Is it possible to proactively reduce no shows and ultimately increase the profitability of your practice? Of course. You can start by examining why no-shows occur.

Why do no-shows occur in massage therapy?

You’ll learn a lot about your practice by doing this exercise. Begin by looking at the charts of the people that don’t show up, and see if you can uncover any trends. Look for commonalities such as they were scheduled several weeks or months ahead of time or it’s the same people repeatedly. If they were scheduled far ahead of time, perhaps they found someone that could treat them sooner. Have someone in your office call and ask. If this is the problem you should consider how easy it is to access you. You may discover you need to leave time open in your schedule for new patients.

Another thing to look at is consistency in no-shows. Are the same people repeatedly not showing up? For these folks consider keeping open one particular time of the day, such as right before lunch and the last appointment in the afternoon. This way if they don’t show up, they are not disrupting your schedule as much.

Studies show that self-paid care sees more no-shows than those whose treatment is covered by insurance. If you are in an industry that traditionally doesn’t accept insurance, like massage therapy, you may see higher percentages of patients not showing up than in other industries.

Some practices charge for no-shows. If you do that you can be sure the patients won’t be back! You may consider sending a note to their PCP (if you are in communications with them) so they understand what is going on and why treatment has been discontinued. You don’t want the patient bad-mouthing you to your referral source.

How can you proactively prevent no-shows?

The most common technique is to have someone in your office place reminder phone calls and/or emails a day or two before the scheduled appointment. There are also several vendors that provide automated systems that call patients in the evenings when they are most likely home. The service is fairly inexpensive and easy to implement. If you have practice management software check with your provide to ensure the automated phone system integrates with your program.

Also, include in your initial paperwork how important it is for patients to cancel appointments if they can’t make it and request a 24 hour cancellation notice.

Proactively reducing no-shows starts with you evaluating your processes. How you handle emergency treatments and new patients can be two immediate ways you can make a difference to your bottom line.

About the author

Author of Healthcare Copywriting Secrets Revealed and The Practice Evolution Success Kit, Kelly Robbins is a healthcare copywriter and marketing coach/consultant. She also publishes The Healthcare Marketing Connection, a free e-zine on healthcare marketing tips. Contact Kelly to receive her free report, 5 Critical Mistakes Healthcare Marketers Make that Lose Sales and Plummet Profits at www.AMarketingConnection.com or 303-460-0285.