Anybody done a rub club or massage memberships?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Julie Onofrio on June 11, 2010 at 2:33pm

So the chiro added more massage therapists and offered this riduculously low rate to the same clients you are marketing too?

I only heard of rub clubs last month. I thought they sounded worse than ME. I would leave the office frankly. He doesn't respect you and is all about money - not that there is anything wrong with money but sheesh!

On the other hand I would just keep charging your regular rates and start promoting yourself aggressively. You can do a lot of things. A good website is crucial as is being on Facebook. Set yourself apart from the low cost massage. Show your expertise!

Julie
www.massagepracticebuilder.com

Permalink Reply by Molly Dose on June 11, 2010 at 3:53pm

The chiropractor that I work with is NOT hiring other therapists or using this marketing idea. It was simply an idea passed on from another chiro.

I am the only therapist at this office. We were discussing whether we thought this would work for our office and my practice.

I hope that helps clarify this issue.

Permalink Reply by Choice Kinchen on June 11, 2010 at 4:25pm

I agree with Julie....stay away from this type of ME membership nonsense. And don't ever ever call them "rub clubs." Hopefully you are so far away from what that type of description implies.

Permalink Reply by Shawn Christie-Dunlap on June 11, 2010 at 7:20pm

Hi Molly

I personally have been offering a Massage Club ever since I opened my own practice three and half years ago. The way my massage club works is the first massage is full price : 1 hour $55.00 and 1/2 hour $35.00: All I require is the client to come in once a month and thats it they save $10 or $5 and I get a body. If the client cannot continue for whatever reason...lets say circumstance change like bills, job or life is just busy the client can drop from the massage club but when the client wishes to return they pay full price the next visit and then once again gets back on the massage club list. Its simple ...the client saves money instantly and i get a body...win win situation. Its my niche and it works well for me. If you have any questions please feel free to ask..I would be glad to help. Shawn.

Permalink Reply by Las Vegas Massage In Summerlin on June 14, 2010 at 9:51am

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Whoa....

"Worse than ME."

"ME nonsense."

Julie/Choice, would you care to explain these comments?

Molly, personally, I've found 'memberships' to be extremely successful. I have clients pay for an entire year in advance (over four thousand dollar a pop) to lock-in and have first priority in scheduling their massage sessions.

It's all in how you do it though....Gee, I guess my 'ME membership nonsense' was a failure back in March when I had four clients schedule a year in advance and in two weeks deposited checks totaling roughly $17,000.00. What a failure 'memberships' are. Not to mention how it assisted me in knowing my schedule months in advance, etc., etc. (Chuckles.)

People love to be a part of an exclusive group or membership.

Price discounting is another issue.

Why is ME the 'bad guy' here?? Sorry fellow massage therapists, but EVERY MT I KNOW, when it comes to running a special or marketing their business, discounts their prices. It's the FIRST thing almost every massage therapist (and just about everyone else) does.

Wrong, wrong and wrong.

Here's the question: Do you need to discount your prices or not? What's your current situation? Are you willing to do the work and MANAGE your business and grow your clients into paying top dollar? This is the key. We have to manage our business. Keep track of who is paying what, then, graduate them to higher paying massage sessions. It's all in HOW we do it. If we do it right, clients will gladly hand us their money and view us as the professionals we are.

Can discounting your rates work? Sure. If it's the only thing you know how to do, do it, but educate yourself so it's not your only plan. Ensure you collect client personal information to contact them in the future though, then, scale them up.

I prefer to load my marketing information with specific benefits of massage to my target markets, but that's just me.

Am I affiliated with ME? No. Do I know much about the organization? No.

What I do know is this: In monthly surveys, as I drive my butt around town scouting out Spas and anyone offering massage, (and I'm in Las Vegas where there's a ton of massage opportunities,) ME stands out the most. Why? A knowledgable staff that knows how to market their business, hold an intelligent conversation in regards to massage, provides free information targeted to specific benefits of massage, offers gift cards and gratuity envelops for clients, etc., etc.

"But Kris, what about the poor massage therapists who work for ME that make twenty bucks a massage?" Well, what about them? Everyone I've met seems pleased as punch. Do we know their individual situations??

Get me out of here before I say something I shouldn't.....

Kris

Permalink Reply by Molly Dose on June 14, 2010 at 5:41pm

Kris,

Thanks for your words of wisdom and experience. It is much appreciated. I also know therapists that are happy working at Massage Envy.

I just used the phrase "rub club" to say membership as quickly as possible. no, i'm not an unprofessional rubber.

thanks again for all the comments!

Permalink Reply by Kimberly Rogers on June 15, 2010 at 4:46pm

Hi. Thanks for posts on offering memberships. I have been thinking about offering memberships for the past couple of months. However, I have not met anyone other than a franchise owner. Looking at your price sheet, Molly, if your regular fee for a 30 minute MT is $45, I wouldn't drop it lower than $30. You still have bills to pay. Shawn's idea seems like it would be the easiest to implement. First MT full price, then a $5 or $10 discount when booking the next within a month. Massage Envy has you pay a monthly rate: $39.95 (45-50 min. massage), then the client gets a "free" (45-50 min.) massage and every massage they book after during that month is $39.95. It is still a discount...just marketed differently. And then there's the paperwork to keep up with...

Permalink Reply by Michele Ellis on June 20, 2010 at 12:32pm

I have been thinking about having a kind of "Yearly Membership". It's nice to see that some people having a "membership" to be successful. I accually got the idea from the tanning salon I'm in. It just fits with the environment. I heard Massage Envy has these memberships but trying to compete with that doesn't seem to be a very good idea to me.

Here is my thought on how I would price it. I would like to know what someone with more experience with this thinks. I was thinking of adding what getting 1 massage a month would cost and taking 25% off of that. That would mean that the client would get 3 massages free. I would have a discounted price if they wanted to buy more massages for the "package". If they pay for the year and I get 3 massages free, I feel that it was worth my time. It is money gone but I made more than I lost is how I feel. I also thought of having one with 6 massages.

Permalink Reply by Las Vegas Massage In Summerlin on June 20, 2010 at 1:38pm

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Hi Michele!

Here are my thoughts, once again. Let me preface my comments with, "This is what has worked for me."

I notice at times, with myself and others, we make sweeping statements, and we just shouldn't do that ;) So, this is what's worked for me and others I know.

You comment: "I heard Massage Envy has these memberships but trying to compete with that doesn't seem to be a very good idea to me."

Again, it depends on how you do it. Have you visited a ME (Massage Envy) location and spoke with them? I've found that they have some great idea's, yet, I can still improve on them! Get the scoop on what they're doing, get their contract, look at how you can create something similiar with even more benefits, then promote your strenghs towards their weaknesses.

Here are a couple ideas: Don't make people sign for an entire year. (This makes people feel at ease, just ensure you deliver so they don't cancel.) Do you offer a 60 minute massage? Put that against the usual 50 minute massage. Find other benefits that You offer as opposed to ME.

As an outcall therapist, I have a list named, "The Dirty Dozen." In this are 12 huge benefits that clients receive from me over having to visit a Spa (or whatever.) Works like a charm! Even you (or anyone else reading this) can find a ton of benefits of yours in comparison to your competitors, even if you work in a Spa or someone else. It just takes a bit of time and work. Find out what the competition is doing, then raise your own bar on benefits! (Do you notice how I've yet to say, "Lower your prices?")

As to your second paragraph, I have a tough time commenting on it due to the fact that I don't know your current demographics, how many clients you are looking to attract, what your rates are, etc., etc. But, here's an idea: Try it! Whatever you want to do, just do it! One tip though: Don't get tooooo generous. If your plan doesn't work that well, figure out why, and if you need to offer more, then you can do it. It's always easier to do this than to give away everything, have tons of clients yet make no money, then, have to raise your rates or cut perks. People hate that, get ticked off, you'll lose all your new clients and their referrals, and, worse of all, you may get a bad reputation ;) (Once again, it's all in how you do it. I'm all for raising rates ;))

One thing I noticed as well when writing this: There are several forms of 'memberships.' I have monthly memberships and huge savings memberships on an annual basis. The key (to my memberships) is that the more clients pay up front and the longer the term, the more 'savings' they receive. Folks paying $65 per month won't receive nearly as much of a cost savings as clients who pay for an entire year up front.

I know I'm on a rant, but here's the biggest most important point I can make:

It's what you are doing and how you are doing it that counts!

What do you mean by this, Kris?

Here's how I see it...

I've learned to look at the bigger picture more than short term gains. I have a plan in place, a process, not just a proccedure. For me, the actual massage session is just 10%, just the proceedure. It's also a small amount of money.

What am I really looking for? Information!

90% of the money made is on the back end. Re-bookings, referrals, etc., etc.

To begin with, your client in-take form. Ensure you obtain clients mailing address, e-mail and phone number. You MUST be able to contact them again. Also, we need to have a process in place to obtain referrals. (That's another entire post and I'll leave it alone for now.)

Can you see where I'm going with this? The more information we collect, the further we can market to these folks. So, what does this mean?

I'm not nearly as concerned with what price I charge for a first time client, or running 'low priced specials' to attract new clients. Obviously I'm not going crazy giving away massages, but even so, the same rule applies. I'm ensuring I get their contact information, get referrals to increase their lifetime value as a client. I'm all about building professional relationships with clients, not having tons of new 'one time' clients.

If someone is doing free 5 min or 15 min chair massages at some location, what are we really looking to do? Collect information! Prior to any massage, ensure we have contact information! This leads us into the larger picture of getting the client scheduled again, referrals, etc., etc.

Do I give away massage sessions? Sure, on a weekly basis!

What, Kris? But you just said above......!

Here's the deal: I have several clients who receive massage, free, on a weekly basis. Why? First, they are long term clients who have been with me for years. Second, they have referred me so many of their friends, family, associates that they've earned it. Their lifetime value as a client is huge! If one clients provides me with several referrals every week or every month, they are getting free massages.

How does that sound? Answer any of your questions?

Hopefully I did!

Kris

Permalink Reply by Michele Ellis on June 21, 2010 at 10:20am

That's great information Kris.

I'm only calling it a "Yearly Membership" because I would be offering 12 massages, one for each month. And they expire by the end of the year. If they want to buy more, they can. They can use all 12 in one month if they want to. Why wouldn't you have someone sign on for the year? Could you explain more on that?

I wasn't really saying we shouldn't "borrow" ideas from ME. They have some good ideas to use. I guess what I mean is trying to beat their prices or something like that. I'm sure it still doesn't make sense. I'm having a hard time explaining it on here. Makes sense in my head though. ;)

Permalink Reply by wendy on January 25, 2012 at 11:03am

I have also been thinking on selling memberships for my business with extra benefits for members but I am having a hard time putting it together mainly cause I have several massages going from low to high price and I can't make a deal for every single massage cause client like to mix massages. I like the idea though cause it's stress-free for both performer and client.