No Clients...And It's SERIOUSLY Discouraging

[ape]

While in school everyone was eager to receive massages from me. Now, roughly a year removed, I cannot get a client for the life of me except my fiance. I post flyers everyone, pass out business cards, do demos...and I get nothing. I've never had a complaint about a massage being painful (thank goodness) and everyone is quite appreciative; but the economy can't seriously eliminate all potential clients from the face of the earth, can it?!?!

I understand that changes in the job market and elsewhere mean changes in one's life--so I've been paying great attention to this and have adjusted my prices--but I'm drowning. I love massage therapy, but if I don't have clients, I'll not only lose my touch but my excitement.

Any ideas? It's the holidays for crying out loud...no one'll even buy a gift certificate for a loved one! ARGH.

~ACharlton

 

[Ivon]

You need a quick source of traffic looking for gifts...

Acharlton, Here's what I would do...

Hit The Mall

Have you inquired about the cost of a booth at the mall?
Nothing fancy, folding table you borrow from someone covered with a
clean white cloth.

And of course bring your massage chair.

If you offer to do free chair massages you MIGHT be able to get the cost waived.

A few evenings of this with a partner to push gift certificates (doesn't hurt if one of you is "cute" - sorry - it's the truth) could get you some quick sales.

If you can find a place that will let you do it for FREE, I'd recommend spending some money at Kinkos (or some place similar) and printing a large poster to display.

The poster or banner (or maybe two large posters) should depict a Warm, Relaxing, Showering of Benefits, Peace, Tranquility (This is what husband think their wives want for Christmas)

Here's a couple possiblitiies on the images:
(Keep them NON-CLINICAL and I'd stay away from any that depict partial nudity of any kind.

Images with candles are good, husbands associate candles with wives during the holdiays

http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/health_and_beauty/beauty_concepts/beauty/1840519_spa_stones.php?id=1840519


http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/who/facial_expressions/pleasure/2353591_massage_pleasure_2.php?id=2353591


http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/who/facial_expressions/enjoyment/1604904_dayspa_massage.php?id=1604904


You should be able to buy and print these out then glue them to foamboard you get at the hobby shop for about $60.00

I would add a slogan to the images "Give the Gift of STRESS RELIEF" or something similar. I'd be happy to do this for you in Photoshop if you PM me.

This could really work for you.

 

[KBT]

I tend to agree with Pete. Free massage doesnt always get a client to turn into paying clients.

Figure out who what your target market is and go get them. This is a very important marketing strategy that should not be forgotten. I would rather give free massage to my target market than just go to a mall and give a free massage to whoever.

Please let us know what type of environment you are working in.

 

[Armund Steele]

I've never believed in the free massage thing either, particularly the trying to fill the empty massage chair plea to give you a free massage - they know someone in the chair is part of the show, but even the show factor is gone these days as massage chairs have become so common - 10 years ago people would stop and look at them, not anymore....

Anyway, in a post from 6 months ago the OP said location was "Palmer Woods/University of Detroit-Mercy McNichols Campus" and a few days ago "michigan". If it is still in the middle of a lot of academics, it could be a cultural thing (I've not found academics to be a big massage market).

 

[caspar]

Melb wrote: Anyway, in a post from 6 months ago the OP said location was "Palmer Woods/University of Detroit-Mercy McNichols Campus" and a few days ago "michigan". If it is still in the middle of a lot of academics, it could be a cultural thing (I've not found academics to be a big massage market).

I've gotta disagree here. I live in a university town, and many of my clients are academics. They love massage and really value it as part of their healthcare. When I was building my practice I was hired by the University's Health Promotions Department to provide chair massage once/week for faculty & staff. My chair massage schedule was always booked solid with a waiting list. Although the Health Promotions dept. organized the schedule, the faculty/staff each paid for their own chair massage. Many of them eventually transitioned to my office for longer appointments (table massages.)

So, Acharleton, I recommend you contact your University & find out if they have a department that promotes health & wellness for their faculty & staff. (It will usually be the department in charge of the on-campus counseling center &/or fitness center). Try & set up a chair massage venue with them (where you are paid for your time; do NOT give it away for free.) This is a win-win arrangement. It's great public relations for the Health Promotions dept. (the faculty/staff will be very grateful to them for making massage available on-campus). It's great business for you. (You make money for your chair massage time, while also promoting your office business).

 

[Diddy]

ok. Don't panic, and please DON"T give it away for free. Whens the last time your dentist worked on you for free? Can you get your car fixed for free? How about a free plumber or a free roofer? You paid lots of blood sweat and tears (money too) to get where you are. Don't under value yourself. You get my point.
Some ideas:
visit the local elementry school and see if the teachers would like you to come in once at week at lunch time.
contact a mommy and me group. Maybe they would like to have you come to play group.
look up events on the internet and start contacting people in charge to see if you can set up at a 5k.
Those are just a few ideas. You can always donate a small perceneforum.xxxe if you work a fund raiser at a school or something and it is something you want to support. But those are my kinda groups. I agree you need to focus on what you are into and the groups of people you know. What do you do for fun? What sorts of things would you like to learn more about? Narrow it down for you because otherwise its overwelming to start.
Good luck and i am sure you will get lots of encourgment here.

 

[ellie k]

Yeah, we've seen this guy's "work for free for a couple months and then your business will be full" stuff around before . . . his website is mostly about that, and his Holistic Local and other directory entries too. Not sure what the agenda is, basically focusing on our industry and giving weird advice! Also in my experience malls charge gigantic amounts for space . . . but I have no advice myself either until we have some idea of where you might like to focus your energies and the kind of location you are in.

Also I find that GC sales pick up as we get VERY close to Xmas. I don't sell many before the middle of Dec usually.

 

[Occulty!]

Just wanted to point out that Tim's Holistic Junction listing is not the same as Holistic Local, http://www.holisticlocal.com/, which is a decent up and coming listing site for lots of different "green" businesses.

Other than that, I x2 all the people that said giving it away is not an effective way to market massage. High effort, low return. And setting up a booth in a mall is not very effective either, (plus expensive,) because people don't like to stand out in that environment, by having a massage... AND women tend to "dress up" at the mall, (some anyways, I do : ) and I don't want to mess up my makeup. LOL!

SeattleSunshine had some GREAT suggestions, things I've used. And I wholeheartedly recommend figuring out your "target market," which is NOT everybody. Target your efforts, you will do better than trying to be all things to all potential massage recipients.

And GET A GOOD WEBSITE! Make sure people can find you. More and more people find services online, make sure you are there.

 

[Dendra L]

well, i know the area that acharlton is in and my advice is to commute to a surrounding community. i think i've actually said this before. this is really not a good area to be building a massage business (totally my opinion here). there are communites as little as 15 minutes away that are building wonderful practices.

if you decide to do the mall thing, DON'T DO free chair massage. charge for it. you can actually get a space for a pretty small amount of $ during the holiday season. i looked into getting space at westland mall 2 years ago and i think it was something like $20 a day. if you're not familiar with westland mall, it's a VERY busy mall this time of year.

the university of detroit - mcnichols campus is not a typical "university town". i think it is a cultural think as to why business is not good in this area.

one special you could run is for teachers. they go on break soon and have lots of them do not go out of town but they do want to feel like they've relaxed while they had the time off. deliver these flyers to area schools - elementary, middle schools & high schools.

 

[Hana Sakura]

I'm going with the crowd here - DON'T DO FREE MASSAGES! You provide a valuable, skilled service. None of your clients would go to their jobs if they weren't getting a paycheck, so why should you?

Also, free and cheap massages will most likely get you a)people looking for a free massage who won't return if they have to (gasp!) pay for it, and b)cheap massages will get you more of the same. How many people will return when you increase the cost 50%?

As for the mall, I inquired about an 8x10 "space" near the food court to do chair massages and the rent was $1500 for most months, and $2000 for December. Whew! The mall in your area might not be so greedy, or maybe you could split rent with other practitioners and rotate schedules - after all, could you do massages from open to close 7 days a week?

While my business isn't exactly booming, I feel newspaper coverage helped. I spent a few months trying to market myself as a home-based business. All I could hear was crickets. I then joined a salon with some good foot traffic, and gained a few regular clients from the sign posted outside. I average about 8 massages per week. This past week we had 2 of the local "free" papers do business opening write ups on the salon (they did this for free), and the main newspaper did an extensive business spotlight in the business section (also free). All I did was call the papers and said "hey, we're a new business. Could you do a write up on us?" They said sure, and came out to take pictures and interview us. I'm sure your papers have similar set ups. I've booked 4 new clients this week since the articles came out, , and the phone has been ringing with inquiries about services and gift certificates. I'm not getting so many calls that I'm having to turn business away, but it definitely generated some interest. So now I'm a believer in newspaper advertising. The freebies were definitely a much needed boost, but I will be paying for some small ads monthly from now on. It helps to be in a place with good foot traffic, too. Maybe you could go to a place with alot of foot traffic (coffee shops, bookstores) and strike up a deal with them.

Also, I went to a few office buildings one day (offices with lawyers, realtors, dentists, transportation, etc) and passed out fliers to anybody who would let me in their door. It was a long day, but I found 2 clients who became weekly regulars. That made the effort worth it to me, and I will target some other buildings after the new year.

Oddly enough, I had passed out fliers numerous times to a large subdivision near my office. Never got a response. After the free paper article, I've had at least 5 phone calls from people in that neighborhood wanting to buy gift certificates.

So, in closing, try to get the papers to write piece on you. If you have more than one paper, call them all at the same time and try to get the articles done close together, so readers see you a few times in different places over the course of a week or so. It is free, and it might give you the boost you need.

Just hang in there. There have been some very good ideas on the marketing forum. Keep the faith.

 

[Tasha]

Responses

First off, THANK YOU for all your comments/suggestions.

Okay...

Yes, I'm still in Michigan, and still in the Palmer Woods/UofD-Mercy area. I do not have a chair (can't afford one just yet unfortunately) but an Oakworks table. She's affectionately called Big Burtha. I believe it is an economical issue at this time--I find that many potential clients appreciate the idea of massage and know quite a bit about its benefits, but don't believe it's an expsense needed. Michigan's sufferring. It's hard enough to find a quality job.

Gift certificates might pick up as I've been spreading the word; and I didn't consider free massages because "anyone" can do them free. There's a level of professionalism I desire to withold and quality comes with a fee, even nominal ones. I provide out call and massage at my previous instructor's facility in Southfield, MI. I have no problem going out of my 'home base' to provide therapeutic touch--I've gone to Ohio to do so.

Sincerely, I believe my greatest downfall to be NOT having a massage chair. My family isn't interested in helping me purchase one because they're a little disappointed I'm not a full-time therapist (after they gave so much money for me to study it) and want my work to pay for it. That's understandable, and I do know this is logical, but I won't get to that level if I can't get clients. I did $1 per minute chair massage in Taylor, MI with a friend's chair and did rather well.

Any dependable, affordable chairs out there?!?

~ACharlton

 

[gamblingsucks]

I don't know if they're still available, but two massage chairs are listed in the For Sale section of this forum:

Oakworks Portal Pro Massage Chair ($250)
http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7701

Dolphin II Massage Chair ($300 or best offer)
http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7746

Here are some that are for sale on eBay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Portable-Massage-Chair-Aluminum-Black-Face-Covers-NR_W0QQitemZ250057236312QQihZ015QQcategoryZ36448QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/Massage-Chair-Portable-NEW-w-Carry-Bag-Bolster-cst_W0QQitemZ130053508516QQihZ003QQcategoryZ36448QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/MASSAGE-CHAIR-PORTABLE-NEW-w-CARRY-BAG-MassageOil-cbf_W0QQitemZ130053806306QQihZ003QQcategoryZ36448QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[usman]

ACharlton, I got my massage chair here: http://www.bestmassagetable.com/1new/content_products/12chairs.php

I have been using it for three years and it is a great chair! It sets up like the Golden Ratio chair one of my instructors had, is sturdy, nicely adjustable - several ways to adjust it to fit many people, and done quickly nad easily - and has the most wonderful wheeled case I've ever seen on a chair!

Another option is renting a chair by the day when you need it. One of our TA's at school said he rented a chair from the school for $10/day when he got a chair gig. That would be a great way to get started, if you are close enough to a school for that to be practical.

 

[Kernow Lady]

Thanxs!

Everyone's help is very motivating. Thanxs a bunch!

Rose of Sharon, that website gave me hope! I was considering Ebay, but I think a chair from bestmassagetable.com will do me just fine...and fast. On an even better note, a dear friend referred me to a gentleman in the works of opening a salon that offers massage therapy; and after some discussion, I might be one of his three MT employees.

KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED FOR ME! : It will help tremendously with paying for school and apartment rent. *Winks*

 

[chicamalika]

I understand. Income helps greatly when it comes to rent and bills around here!!!! Good luck!

 

[brutusmom]

How is it going?

Hi there,
I know this is an old thread. I was wondering how you are doing now, after almost an year of facing all those problems?

Wishing you the best.
Deepa

 

[Bo P]

I wanted to say a few words about renting space at the mall, as some have suggested.

I'm currently in the process of doing this. I say, "In the process of" because it's definitely QUITE a process.

First, you'll need insurance. You'll need the mall named as an additional insured. You'll probably need to agree to at least a 3-month short term lease.

In FL, where I practice, ANY place you perform massage (except the clients home, office, or at a sporting event, convention, trade show, or other one-off kind of deal) is an ESTABLISHMENT. That means it has to meet certain requirements (privacy structuring around massage area, proximity to a restroom, waste disposal access, etc.), must be inspected, and must be licensed. Here in FL, that's $305.

You're also gonna need to comply with the mall's structural requirements. My walls can't be over 7 feet tall. If I use an area rug, it has to have a lining around it to prevent tripping. They won't want, as someone else said, a ratty table and a chair.

My rent for a 10X10 space will be $1,000 per month, but it's not prime location--no matter, we'll still get plenty of passers-by.

I can't speak for licensing requirements in other states, but the insurance and structural issues may quite likely exist where you are, since our mall is owned by Simon Group, who owns something like half the damn malls in our country.

I'm not saying that this is a bad idea (after all, I'm still doing it), but you need to do your research. My start-up cost will hover somewhere around $3,000--not bad for your average initial business expense, but it's like I always tell people--if you're flat broke, even the blue plate special's too much.

 

[tmpafford]

Just wanted to suggest starting your own business networking group. I now belong to 3 of them and they are essential to marketing a sole propreitorship. I am starting a womens netoworking group that starts today. We are meeting bi-monthly at a local restaraunt. I have at least 10 women planning on being there for the first meeting. My income rose 50% this year because of networking. It works!