What’s the easiest way to gain new clients? Make sure your gift certificates get redeemed! I know you’re spending time and money promoting your gift certificate sales at the moment—for good reason. The majority of wellness practitioners rely on holiday certificate sales to replenish their coffers this time of the year. And there’s no doubt that it’s a wonderful thing to make a chunk of change each time you sell one. But remember—you’ll reap a lot more from ongoing appointments with a newly converted client than from one gift certificate sale.
So, you want to get them redeemed.
Sometimes people are reluctant to come in for their first appointment if they don’t know you or your work. This is where brochures come in—your own or a topic-specific brochure with your name on it.
TRY THIS:
- Politely but directly ask the buyer to tell you a little about the receiver.
- Include with the gift certificate, a brochure that describes your practice or speaks to the concerns or situation of the receiver.
WHY A BROCHURE HELPS:
When some people receive a gift certificate for massage (for example), they leap for joy and call the next day to schedule. But there are a lot of people who still haven’t had a massage, are too busy, want to hoard it for something special, or are a little shy… or have any other number of reasons not to call. But let’s say you enclose a brochure on massage for women with a woman’s gift certificate. And she reads that massage can help reduce PMS and headaches. For a woman who experiences those things, this can be an Ah-Ha moment. And when THAT happens, you’re liable to get a booking.
If you would like more on keeping the new clients you got from gift certificate sales, read this article. And may your sales be over the top this year!
Anyone have additional tips for getting those gift certificates redeemed? Please add them in the comments section below:
Excellent topic. I certainly agree with everything. I once had a person pull out a tattered Gift Certificate she had been carrying for TWO years waiting for the need to arise! That’s when I began using an Expiration Date of say, 1-2 months, Nipped that in the bud! A strategy that worked for me was to give 1-3 Gift Certificates to a few of my loyal clients and ask them to send in someone they feel I could help. From near the beginning in 1978, mine has been a clinical practice specializing in treatment of athletic and overuse injuries. Those Gift Certificates brought in new clients who had never seen or considered seeing a Massage Therapist for Golf or Tennis Elbow and the host of athletic injuries. The more I gave the more my appointment book filled up with the clients I wanted. Thanks Cherie & the Gang for all you do to lead LMT’s in the direction of sound business practices. Keep up the Great Work!!
Thanks for your feedback, David. We certainly do get back what we put out, don’t we? You keep up the great work too!