I have to agree with Sean on this one. As i have tried this strategy, only to find even some of those gift certificates for free massages to never be redeemed.
You are a professional,and deserve to be paid for your work. No one would dare ask for a free haircut at a salon/barbershop they never had tried. Nor would one ever ask for a complimentary meal at a restaurant they have never ate at.
That being said, why do we massage therapists think this will work?
I did this before twice, two free chair massage events, do you know how many appointments i got out of it? 2, for a big discount..both of which never called after getting their first massage, and one actually wanted to have a free massage, and a free one for her two roommates, in exchange for me getting dinner. No thanks, but my hard work is worth more than dinner. I am learning the hard lesson of boundaries, i suggest you do too if you are not to be taken advantage of.
Apr 06, 2010 Rating
Ideal Client by: John
I am totally agree with your point that ideal client is he who pay for your work.
Jerry,
I like that you are thinking far ahead as to a marketing strategy as to how you will find your clients. A marketing plan is essential to make it in this field for sure.
However, as I have written in the past, I now have mixed feelings about offering free massage work as a way to attract new clients. I know, it is a very tempting route to go when starting out in the massage profession, especially when your wallet is already empty after paying for school.
Free massages, though, often attract cheap people. I would first start off defining your ideal client. One attribute of my own ideal client is someone who wants to pay me for my work. A true bonafide prospective consumer of massage will have only little interest in getting massage work for free.
Just like a long time consumer of fine wines, a massage consumer will realize quality bodywork costs real $$$$. Free massage work may send the wrong messege about your own bodywork skills in the consumer's mind: "His massage work must suck so bad that no one would rightfully pay good hard cash for it, so he has to give it away".
Still, I understand marketing gimmicks work. As such I much suggest an alternative: Offering a coupon for a certain dollar figure off your regular price for first time clients. Or a similar coupon offering "Buy a half hour massage & get upgraded to a full hour session"--Notice this last phrase avoids the word "free", and instead, uses the word "upgraded"--That matters to people who do not see themselves as "cheap".
