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STUMPED!

Ok so I want to put into my practice, the thoughtfulness of a personalized, handwritten Thank You note to my first time clients and as much as I have the 'gift of gab', I am suddenly TOTALLY at a loss as to what I should write!!

I know I want to first congratulate them on taking the steps in a healthier lifestyle, I also want thank them for trusting in my services and trusting me in helping with their health, but how do I convey this without sounding cheesy or like a commercial? I can't seem to find the words to express my feelings toward them.

If someone has a sort of 'template' and can start me out with a few sentences, I surely would appreciate it!

Thanks!

Laurie

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Karla Linden on June 3, 2010 at 8:25pm

Hi Laurie -

I do something very simple - on the day of the first appointment (no later than the day after!) I send a nice massage-related card.

I simply write: Dear ____: It was so nice to meet you and work with you today. Welcome to my practice. Sincerely, Karla Linden, LMT, NMT, 505-340-9454

I use a card sending service called www.SendOutCards.com - and I input their info, including birth date, so they are certain to get a birthday card as well.

Permalink Reply by Eric Brown on June 3, 2010 at 8:31pm

That's an awesome idea and one that I suggest to therapists all the time. Just keep it simple and heartfelt.

"Good for you for taking care of yourself. I'm looking forward to your next visit. Take care, Laurie"

I think it's more the act of taking the time to send something rather than the words themselves that really stands out in peoples' minds. And the fact that it is hand written rather than an email is especially powerful.

Permalink Reply by Las Vegas Massage In Summerlin on June 3, 2010 at 9:00pm

~

Hey Laurie!

I have a pretty cool letter I use if you're interested.

Send me an e-mail and I'll e-mail it to you. I'd copy it to you here, but it loses its impact without the color and fonts.

Kris
kris.kelley@yahoo.com

P.S. - I put together new client kits as well. Have you done this?

Permalink Reply by Julie Onofrio on June 4, 2010 at 12:26am

One thing you can do is also talk about anything you talked about in their session like where they had tightness or what you did and what you felt like the results were. Give any recommendations for follow up and how often you recommend getting a massage and why you feel that way. Talk about how you think massage can help them and whatever situation they have going on and what you have seen in others with of course not giving names.

Share with them what you do and what you think massage does. Let them know of all your services.

Just some ideas to start. Would be curious to see your end product. It is a good idea!

Julie
www.massagepracticebuilder.com

Permalink Reply by Laurie Weber on June 4, 2010 at 7:08am

Thanks so much guys..You all have wonderful ideas that I was able to take to heart. Kris, I'll shoot you an email when I get a chance...I would like to hear more about your 'new client kits'. Eric, you are right...it's probably not so much the words but the fact that I took the time to write a handwritten note. Julie, that was an excellent idea to pinpoint the areas that I worked with, in this case, the client has fibromyalgia. Here is what I came up with:
Dear_______,
Congratulations for taking the first step to ensuring a healthier lifestyle that a massage can give. The decision to choose someone you can trust and who has only your best interests at heart should never be taken lightly. I want to personally thank you _________, for entrusting me in your care. Your health is important to me and I am so honored that you have asked me to be a part of it!
I hope you enjoyed your session with me and will want to continue with me on a regular basis. By doing so, your acute stages can become less frequent, symptoms may be lessened, you will have less tension and stress and a greater overall sense of well being.
Thanks again, _________, for allowing me to work with you and if you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact me anytime.
Love,
Laurie
330 990-6838
Innerchildbeaming@hotmail.com

By the way, I forgot to mention she is my VERY FIRST CLIENT!!! I'm so excited (but so nervous!!!)! Finally a breakthrough that I needed and hopefully she will refer me to her friends and family.
Thanks so much guys for all your help!

Permalink Reply by Ann Ross on June 4, 2010 at 11:43am

YAY, Laurie! You're first client...this is so exciting. One other thing that I do when I send out my thank you cards is to include a few coupons ($10 discount) to hand out to their friends & family. You can simply explain your referral program and how it benefits her by handing out the coupons i.e. $10 off for each referral/every 3rd referral free massage. Rewarding people for referring is a key component to building a successful business. If you do it right and consistently it will be the biggest business building factor in your business.

I'm really proud of your efforts, Laurie. Keep it up!

~Ann

Permalink Reply by Diana Moore on June 4, 2010 at 12:04pm

Hi Laurie,

Here's a link to a recent Marketing Matters blog, where Eileen Ryan shares an awesome thank-you note sample for MTs. Hope it helps!

http://www.naturaltouchmarketing.com/blog/marketing-matters/2010/03...

Permalink Reply by David Beard on June 4, 2010 at 1:34pm

may I see your thank you letter and what do you put in a client kit? Im new at all of this.

my email is : bearhands_bodywork@yahoo.com

Thank You,
David Beard

Kris Kelley said:

~

Hey Laurie!

I have a pretty cool letter I use if you're interested.

Send me an e-mail and I'll e-mail it to you. I'd copy it to you here, but it loses its impact without the color and fonts.

Kris
kris.kelley@yahoo.com

P.S. - I put together new client kits as well. Have you done this?

Permalink Reply by Laurie Weber on June 4, 2010 at 8:44pm

Thanks Ann for the advice,....although I do have a referral program that I talked about, I didn't think to put the coupons for her to hand out but is a great idea!...I'll have to do that next time.

Ann Ross said:

YAY, Laurie! You're first client...this is so exciting. One other thing that I do when I send out my thank you cards is to include a few coupons ($10 discount) to hand out to their friends & family. You can simply explain your referral program and how it benefits her by handing out the coupons i.e. $10 off for each referral/every 3rd referral free massage. Rewarding people for referring is a key component to building a successful business. If you do it right and consistently it will be the biggest business building factor in your business.

I'm really proud of your efforts, Laurie. Keep it up!

~Ann

Permalink Reply by Laurie Weber on June 4, 2010 at 8:45pm

Thanks Diana, I'll be sure to check it out.

Diana Moore said:

Hi Laurie,

Here's a link to a recent Marketing Matters blog, where Eileen Ryan shares an awesome thank-you note sample for MTs. Hope it helps!

http://www.naturaltouchmarketing.com/blog/marketing-matters/2010/03...

Permalink Reply by Exie Buehler on June 7, 2010 at 5:59pm

Hi Laurie,
I am so happy to know that I am not the only person who values the power of a handwritten note. I've been writing thank you cards to my clients after their first visit ever since I began my business. I do attempt to personalize each note, but basically I thank them for giving me the privilege of sharing massage therapy with them. Then I express my hope that they have continued to enjoy the benefits of their session. I conclude by letting them know they can contact me with any questions or concerns they have about their session and then remind them of their next appointment (if they rebooked before leaving my office) or I remind them that they can contact me to reschedule or go to my online booking site.

That's it. Pretty simple, but very powerful. I even recently had a client tell me that she posted the card on her refrigerator so everyone who comes over can read it!

Permalink Reply by Laurie Weber on June 8, 2010 at 5:21am

Your right Exie, I want to keep it plain and simple. I try to simply thank them and bring it to their attention how well they feel afterwards but still trying to avoid pestering them for another session. I think that by doing so it might just turn them off...Just merely thanking them and making them feel special is enough to bring them back again.

Exie Buehler said:

Hi Laurie,
I am so happy to know that I am not the only person who values the power of a handwritten note. I've been writing thank you cards to my clients after their first visit ever since I began my business. I do attempt to personalize each note, but basically I thank them for giving me the privilege of sharing massage therapy with them. Then I express my hope that they have continued to enjoy the benefits of their session. I conclude by letting them know they can contact me with any questions or concerns they have about their session and then remind them of their next appointment (if they rebooked before leaving my office) or I remind them that they can contact me to reschedule or go to my online booking site.

That's it. Pretty simple, but very powerful. I even recently had a client tell me that she posted the card on her refrigerator so everyone who comes over can read it!