3 Easy Ways To Get Repeat Business Without Spending Money

Marketing Case Study : Missed Opportunities At A New Orleans Spa

Everyday activities and things in my daily life prove to be the most interesting and where I usually get juicy case studies. Going to the spa was a really fun experience and a great time to do some espionage as well and bring back some best and not so best practices to you.

Going to the spa with my “marketing” eyes was intriguing and just a bonus since I didn’t have to pay for anything and got a great massage! It also happened to be my birthday so that was a nice treat too.

So to protect the nameless I have not and will not mention the name of the spotlight but that I went to.

So without further ado here we go.

There are several things that we often take for granted as business owners seeking a new client.

1. 1st off we always think that our next best client is around the corner.
2. We don’t stop to think and realize that perhaps we already have our best clients
3. Our best customers are usually the ones that periodically partake of our services.

So having said that were just given talk about new clients and intake and how we go about establishing poor and get repeat business from existing and new clients.

Our Spa Day

We were first ushered to the waiting area. The waiting area was very serene and peaceful.  We were also left to our own devices pretty much. There wasn’t very much talk about our experiences with spas and if we ever had any type of spa services.

This was a little disappointing since I know as a regular massage getter, it would be beneficial for the massage therapists to know as well as the spa. Let’s say instance I have a sports injury or had a really stressful job. Wouldn’t it be great if they knew this information or could get it out of me? I mean I would be a prime candidate for a regular massage weekly or at least every other week.

Get Repeat Business - Ask A Few Questions

But what they could’ve done was given us some type of intake form, talked with us or asked us questions about our history and background since they knew what services we were getting. I don’t really recall if there was an intake form but I do remember the massage therapist asked me a few questions. How much information are you able to gather about your clients and prospects?

Where Are Your Missed Opportunities In Your Marketing

So there was a missed opportunity. In the past I’ve actually had an a regular massage therapist on standby because my job was so stressful and I really wanted to make sure that my stress level didn’t get out of control. As a result I had a massage almost every other week.

Remember – the best time to find out more about your client is when you have him/her in front of you. Whether that’s virtually or physically.

So as the visit went on, what I realized was that they really weren’t prepared for us. They really didn’t know who the bride was. As I mentioned earlier, I went as part of a special bridal party excursion. And not I’m not sure they knew who actually booked our sessions. Spas are supposed to be about pampering your guests and making them feel special, aren’t they?

So because we were all treated the same there wasn’t an opportunity to actually cater to our needs. If you’ve never been to the spa, you may not know what to expect. If you been to the spa several times then you may be a prime candidate for other services and other packages that may be available for future time.

Walk In Your Client’s Shoes

Take a walk in your clients or potential clients shoes. What would they want to know about your business?The best time to tell them is before they’ve left the building – again- virtually or physically.

Just because they have identified a certain need today doesn’t it mean they may not have a different or similar need tomorrow.

In the marketing world we call this an up-sell. If the client has raised their hand with their dollars and expressed an interest in one service or product, they’ll probably be interested in a similar service or product. If not today then maybe tomorrow.

So I didn’t feel like the service was actually personalized for us. Before leaving, the only thing that we were asked is if we had a good experience. They also said goodbye to us and said they hoped we would come back. This is really a weak way to ask for repeat business.

One thing that I did ask my partner who booked the packages is if she ever got any phone calls or e-mails before or after our service visit. The answer was no unfortunately. There were no phone calls or follow-up encounters to see if we’d be interested in coming back. Not a single e-mail. Chirp…chirp…chirp.

Remember most businesses fail to get new business and repeat business because they fail to follow up and keep in touch.

Practical Ways To Keep In Touch And Get Repeat Business

1. Offer a one time discount – say of maybe 10% to 15% off our next visit. That’s an easy way to get people back in the door.
2.  Ask your clients to write a review on say their Google Places page or maybe on their Facebook page.
3. Invite clients to join a discount customer list in exchange for an e-mail address or maybe a phone number. We’ve all actually seen people pay for memberships like this–think Sam’s Club.

Now of course these 3 things would have to be set up, but once they are it’s a great way to get engagement and to get people to actually share their experience socially.

There are some restaurants, that will give you a free dessert or appetizer for your birthday in exchange for filling out a short card  that asks for your mailing address and birthday. This is a great way to collect a customer’s mailing address.

This is also something that could be used by any service business that has the potential for customers to refer their friends or even come with their friends.

So there are a lot of opportunities that were missed in this particular visit, but there’s certainly opportunities to improve by all of us just from thinking about some of the ways that we can incentivize our business with our existing customers.

Do You Know Who Your Best Customers Are

Remember, only 3 to 7% of your market is even thinking about buying at any given time. The other 93% may not be thinking about your business. They may not know about your service, or they may not be interested. This is why follow-up is so important.

Your existing customers have already proven with their dollars that they want to do business with you. Make it easy for them to continue to do business with you just by communicating the right information to them. Make them feel special. Make them feel loved. Yes I said it – make them feel loved. Make them feel like you actually thought about them.

 Get Information That’s Important To Your Clients

Knowing about their birthday or their anniversary or important dates in their life is a great place to start. And now a lot of this information is available for free. Most people list their birthdays–even if they don’t have the year that they were born – right on their Facebook page. There is no excuse not to use this information.

So give this some thought and brainstorm with your team. Opportunities are out there and they’re all around us. There’s always room to build some repeat business. Now go out there and get it.

Be Sociable, Share!

•