Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/149404
If you want to dramatically increase your gift certificate sales and overall revenue, read this article. I first realized the power of gift certificates thanks to a call I got from the city of Toronto. City Hall managers wanted to give a year-end bonus to the staff. They needed to spend the rest of their budget, so they asked me how much it would cost to buy 300 gift certificates. This was a big deal for me. It would have been an $18,000 sale, assuming each certificate was $60—the price of my one-hour massages. I wasn't working at capacity at that time; I had approximately 300 active client files, so getting 300 new clients would have doubled my business. Needless to say, this sale would have been a major coup. The managers wanted a good deal, but I didn't really feel I could afford to discount. After some internal debate, I did provide a discount, but it was a relatively minor one. I submitted my offer, and over the next few days, I sat by the phone waiting for good news. Unfortunately, I didn't get the sale, but the experience woke me up and got me thinking about using gift certificates as a way to build my practice. Until then, my gift certificates were probably where your gift certificates are—in some office drawer. I would sell the odd one, usually when somebody requested it specifically. But from that moment on, I really started promoting gift certificates and analyzing my gift certificate sales. What I discovered was nothing less than astounding. If I had discounted sharply to close the deal with City Hall, I would have brought in dozens of clients who might have bought over and over again, which could have resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in sales over time. I could have even included an offer to upgrade, which would have increased my initial sale value. How? Let me explain. The Holy Grail of Marketing Gift certificates are one of the most powerful referral-generating tools you can possibly use in your practice. For me, it's been the number two method of getting new clients into my clinics, behind referrals. When someone buys a massage gift certificate for a friend, colleague, or family member, she is referring someone to you and endorsing you specifically. And she's also paying for that person to come in. This eliminates price as an objection for the prospective client, making it really easy to take action and try your services. There are not a lot of businesses where existing customers pay to send you new customers. Imagine a friend saying this to you: "Susie, you just have to go see my mechanic. I love this guy. He's amazing. He's so great that I got you this gift certificate for a tune-up and tire rotation." That just doesn't happen. In this respect, massage is in a league of its own. It's also likely that this new client is going to have the same traits or characteristics as your existing client, simply because people hang out with others who share the same interests, the same values, and the same income bracket. These new clients may be like clones of your existing clients, and therefore be predisposed to use your services regularly. If that's not reason enough to dust off your gift certificates, consider this: getting a new client through a gift certificate really costs nothing beyond the cost of the certificate itself. I think a lot of massage professionals or bodyworkers believe you can get new customers for free. You can't! There's always some acquisition cost; it's unavoidable. Let's say you run an ad and it costs you $600, and let's assume you see 10 new clients from that promotion. You essentially bought 10 new clients at $60 each. That's your client-acquisition cost. With gift certificates, there's really no acquisition cost beyond the cost of the gift certificate itself, and gift certificates are relatively inexpensive. ABMP members can find gift certificates online by visiting the Members section at www.abmp. com, and can also add gift certificate functionality to a website at www. thegiftcardcafe.com. Some other gift certificate resources include Bodyworkbiz.com, CellCharge.com Full Slate, LocalGiftCards.com, MindBodyOnline.com, and Natural Touch Marketing. Some states have laws that prevent you from keeping funds from unredeemed gift certificates. Check the laws in your state. www.abmp.com. See what benefits await you. 93