Encouraging existing clients to rebook is the easiest and most effective way to increase your bookings.
Your clients get the treatments they need to get the results they want (more energy, better skin, feeling less stressed and anxious etc).
You get to work with people you enjoy, and who value you and what you do.
And you get a steady and growing income much more quickly than you would if you were depending on constantly attracting new clients.
All good, yes?
In this blog post you'll learn 3 easy and effective ways to increase your rebookings.
An easy five minute conversation turned into several regular appointments a month
The number one way to encourage clients to rebook is the most obvious. And also, for lots of therapists, the most daunting, but it doesn't need to be.
Tell them when they should rebook and suggest that they book there and then. If the idea of that makes you feel faint, let me explain how easy and non pushy it is.
I had a client who worked all day at a desk and, like lots of desk workers, she had pretty bad tension in her neck, shoulders and upper back. On her first visit, I managed to ease a lot of the tension, and she felt a lot better even before she got off the massage table.
At the end of the treatment, I told her the whole area was a lot looser, and she fully agreed. I also explained that she would ideally need to have a couple of treatments within the next few weeks as otherwise she'd be right back to square one. I suggested a treatment a week for the next three or four weeks, we could see how she got on, and when her back was in good shape, she should come for maintenance treatments every six weeks or so.
I also suggested (without cringing!) that she book there, and then. I said "Would you like to book your next treatment now? If you're like me, you might intend to, life gets busy, and suddenly you realise it's been 2 months and your back is sore and tight. And you can always rearrange if you need to"
She was delighted with that, and said she really appreciated being told exactly what she needed to do. She became a regular client, her back stayed in great shape, she had a lot more energy, and she was a lot less stressed than she had been. Because of this, she referred lots of her friends to me. So one easy conversation turned into quite a few regular clients.
Of course, not every client would want to book there and then, but there was never any embarrassment for either of us when they said they needed to check work hours, babysitters, even money, and get back to me.
Most of my clients tell me how much they appreciate clear advice about how often they should come and why.
A newsletter that takes 10 to 15 minutes and always gets immediate bookings
Whenever I send a newsletter I always get some bookings. Sometimes lots, sometimes just a few but always some. And the best part is it takes just 10 to 15 minutes a week. If you don't have a newsletter yet, it's totally worth the time to set it up. Mailchimp and Mailerlite are free options.
Start by asking your clients if they'd like to get your newsletters with tips (e.g. to help reduce stress, care for their skin etc) and subscriber only offers. It's a good idea to have this question on your consultation form. This means you don't annoy your clients by sending unasked for newsletters, and you're covered for GDPR. If you're confused about GDPR and how it affects how holistic therapists can contact their clients, have a look at my blog about understanding GDPR.
What to send? Wellness tips, client success stories, information about what your therapies help with, behind the scenes etc. Plus offers and clear information about how to book by phone, email, and online.
Offers do not need to mean cheaper treatments. If fact, I think this is a bad idea. A special treatment might be a unique combination of your therapies with a limited number available. Maybe a Top to Toe treatment including a head, neck and shoulder massage and a reflexology treatment with essential oils. Or a standard treatment with a mini add-on such as 10 minutes of Reiki, a mini facial or body brushing. Try mixing and matching your therapies to create some special treatments.
Set up an exciting reward scheme
When clients come to you regularly and/or refer their friends, it's really nice to make them feel special. I really don't suggest free treatments, because generally anything free is not respected. I've known clients who show up on time for all their paid treatments, only to be late or forget their free ones!
Add on treatments are great. Extra time, a free mini facial, a sugar foot scrub, etc with their next treatment are lovely options that cost you little or nothing in terms of time or money.
And, big plus, you're not out of pocket giving free treatments while you pay for your rent, products, laundry etc.
Sharing your reward scheme
No point in having an exciting reward scheme unless you let lots of people know about it. Here's a couple of ideas to spread the work that won't take you long.
- Give your clients loyalty cards, you can get them on Vistaprint, and I'm sure there are lots of other places too.
- Put up a poster on your therapy room door and/or the reception.
- Send newsletters to your clients letting them know about your reward scheme.
- Go live or put up posts on your favourite social media platforms.
What's next?
I hope you found that super helpful and that you get lots more re bookings using these tips. But there's a lot more where that came from!
Lots of bite sized classes there to help you fill your appointment book, increase your rebookings, raise your rates and lots more.
- My full 7-step strategy to increase your re bookings to make your life a whole lot easier, get great results for your clients and start building a steady and growing income,
- Bite sized tutorials to set up a newsletter, so you can increase your bookings from new and existing clients,
- My top 3 ways to attract new clients, 2 of them practically on autopilot,
- A 25 minute a week social media posting plan that gets you bookings not just likes,
- What to actually send in your newsletters, so you don't get brain freeze (and waste time!) when you sit down to write one,
- Video tutorials of 5 easy (but great!) add on treatments that cost you very little in terms of time and money, but which help to increase your bookings and make it easy to raise your rates,
- How to sell more vouchers all year round to increase your income and build your client base,
- Practical ways to create extra income streams for extra security, versatility and fun!
- There's a private Facebook group, where you can ask all the questions you need to,
- It's just €27 a month to join, and you can leave whenever you like, there's NO time commitment.
WHY LEARN FROM ME?
Hi!
I'm Jenny
I've been a holistic therapist and tutor since 1997, I've worked from home, from lots of different centres and colleges, and I've been employed and self-employed.
I ran my own successful holistic therapy centre and college, called Essentials in the lovely village of Malahide, only closing it because there were more students asking for online than in for person training.
But filling my appointment book and earning a decent living from my therapies was quite a struggle at first. I made tons of mistakes and wasted lots of time and money.
But I found ways to build my business, ways that didn't take hours every
week, and that cost very little money. I taught these to my students and I got such a buzz seeing them become successful and happy in their own holistic businesses.
I love sharing practical business and marketing tips in my blog, on social media and in my membership, so that other holistic therapists can build profitable and deeply satisfying without the stress and frustration I went through.
