Massage & Bodywork

November/December 2011

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ten for today BY REBECCA JONES STAY IN TOUCH WITH CLIENTS Growing a business requires more than just bringing in new clients—it also requires keeping the old ones. Business experts say a sure way to lose clients is to fail to communicate often enough with them. The old adage is true: out of sight, out of mind. Fortunately, today's technology provides lots of avenues for efficient, effective communication with clients. Here are some ideas for keeping those connections open and turning one- time clients into steady customers. 1. SEND A REGULAR NEWSLETTER You can always create your own newsletter, but if graphic design and writing aren't your strong suits, Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals (ABMP) can help its members with this task—for free. "The Client Newsletter Generator is one of the coolest benefits we offer," says Jenny Good, ABMP's director of member development. Members are able to select a predesigned newsletter template, pick and choose from a wealth of bodywork-related articles, and give the newsletter an individualized name, as well as customize it with contact information, hours of operation, etc. There's also an option to include your own content in the newsletter if you like, but you don't have to write any of the articles yourself unless you want to. "You pick the articles you think are the most appropriate for your clients," Good says. "You can do it all, start to finish, in five minutes." 82 massage & bodywork november/december 2011 The finished product is a four- page newsletter, which can either be printed and mailed to clients, or attached to an email as a PDF. 2. EDUCATE YOUR CLIENTS WITH BODY SENSE Educating your clients about the benefits of frequent massage, or how touch therapy can be part of an overall wellness program, is another way to keep the lines of communication open. Body Sense magazine, a professionally- written, quarterly, digital publication geared to health-conscious consumers, does just that. It's designed to educate consumers on the lasting benefits of massage and bodywork and living a healthy lifestyle. You can email this quarterly magazine to all your clients, along with a note from you thanking them for their business. You can offer to discuss with them in person any questions they have about anything they read in the magazine. You may also easily load the current edition of Body Sense directly onto your own website. Find it at www.abmp.com/bodysense/. 3. EMAIL REMINDERS AND THANK-YOU NOTES A forgotten appointment costs you money. Given people's hectic lives, most clients appreciate a reminder a day or so in advance, just to help keep them on track. One easy way to make this happen is to use appointment-scheduling software, like Full Slate (www. fullslate.com). Clients who come to your website can book appointments online, and when they do, their

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