What are massage leads? When you start paying close attention to how well your marketing is doing, you may start to realize something - you don't automatically get a massage appointment from marketing. Instead you get a lead - someone who has contacted you and is interested in your services.
That makes what you do next, once they have contacted you, very important to how well your marketing works. You can have a great ad, but be poor at converting those massage leads into appointments and that ad will be very expensive. At this point you might say, “This ad is not working, I am going to stop it”. But if instead you do a better job converting those massage leads into appointments your ad can suddenly be very profitable.
So converting massage leads into appointments is a very important skill. Increasing the percentage of leads to appointments is the cheapest and easiest way to make more money with your current marketing. And in fact, converting massage leads into massage appointments is marketing also.
I can't tell you how many times I have got on the phone with a business owner (or talked to them in person) and decided I was not going to use their services because of how poor the interaction was. I figure if they are not taking care of me at this point in the relationship, it can only go downhill from there.
Remember that your clients are looking for reasons to make a decision. The first step starts with your marketing pieces that they encounter. The next step is how they judge your personality and more importantly your professionalism when they contact you (or your answering service/staff).
So how do you get good at converting massage leads into appointments? Client Problem Solving Marketing is a great model to follow at this point. Solve their problems. What are some problems people may have when they contact you? Think of all the negative things that happen to you at other businesses.
-
They can't understand what the person on the other end is saying. So talk slowly, clearly and with good volume.
-
They are not sure they have called the right place. Don't just answer hello. Answer your phone professionally like this: “This is Joan at River Touch Massage. How can I help you?” Even if you use a personal line for business do this. Your friends and family will understand.
-
They are not sure you understand their problem. This is very important. Listen carefully. Answer the actual questions they have asked.
-
They don't understand what you are talking about. Get rid of the technical jargon. Speak in terms they understand. When a client mentions they have a painful shoulder problem, instead of saying “My training in Myofascial Release will help you with this,” say “I can help relieve that pain and help you stay pain free with massage.” Keep it simple unless the client is clearly knowledgeable about the subject.
-
They are concerned you are not popular (and hence not good). Why? Because you tell them they can come whenever they want. Instead, maybe just offer them a few appointment options to start. If you don't appear to be wide open, it will comfort them because you seem to be popular. It will help support their decision.
It is important to evaluate your client interaction skills and always try to improve them, just like you do your massage skills. Have a consistent system. Write it down if you need to.
