Getting Clients to Try New Services

Gael Wood is a friend and colleague and wanted space for a guest post. Working in the mainstream of the massage industry she touches on some of the issues I see with Thai massage and getting clients to try a new service. She recommends what I usually recommend. The slow incremental take over. 🙂

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Enjoy her post:

We’ve all been there, we take a CEU class, learn some great new techniques, that we know will help our clients, and we don’t end up using them as much as we would like.

Why is this? I think it’s because we just don’t know how to seamlessly incorporate new techniques into our massage and we worry about our clients’ expectations. We know most people get a little concerned about change and our clients like what we do already, it’s hard to rock that boat!

Try some of the following ideas to work your new skills into your massages:

1. Keep practicing at home and reviewing your class resources. This will increase your confidence level and your skills.
2. Challenge yourself to use 1-3 new techniques every massage for a month. Before you know it, you won’t even have to think about it.
3. Watch your wording, it’s all in how you say it! Asking a client to book a full Thai massage is asking them to take a risk with their money on something they may have never even heard of. Instead ask if they would like to try some new “stretching techniques” and explain the benefits. For example: “Susan, I would love to incorporate some of the stretching that I learned recently, I think it will help your neck and tight shoulders, does that sound ok?” After the session, you can explain that you have a new service with even more of that good stuff!
4. Offer a free upgrade, like 15 minutes of Thai stretching with every hour booked for a few weeks.
5. Create a new service and a great special. For example, Thai Herbal Fusion, you could incorporate Thai techniques, massage, and some herbal healing balms.
6. Do a giveaway for a full session of your new service, and everyone who enters but doesn’t win gets a 25% off coupon to try your new service. I wouldn’t announce the coupon, just send it out after the giveaway is over. And, as a bonus you can grow your Facebook page and mailing list.

A big part of your job as a therapist is to make recommendations to clients, whether it’s how often to come back in or which services will give them the most benefit, you are the expert. Proceed with confidence and grow your business!