Holiday Income? UH… YES, PLEASE!

It is difficult for me to imagine a time these days when anyone would turn down making additional income. During a time when many Americans are making a list and checking it twice, most of us are plotting presents for friends, colleagues, family and friends for gift giving season which is literally just around the corner.

How can you increase your income during this season without selling yourself short? How can you realize your highest earning potential, while still finding time to be merry with friends and family? Can it be done without giving up nights and weekends? YES, it can! In this blog, I am going to give you a few hints as to how to be cure you are gaining as much revenue as possible from other, main-stream- retailers marketing. They have planted the seeds in the minds of the nation; let’s learn how we can harvest the crops.

You cannot turn on the TV without Holiday specials from every corner of retail being blasted on your flat screen. Additionally, banners and pop ups are busily sharing with you news of Door-Busters and Holiday sprints to save money on gifts. How can you use this marketing to your own advantage? Well, it isn’t as hard as you may think! Retailers already have the population in a lather preparing for gift giving season. They start this just after Halloween now, and it is constant until January! If consumers are being plied with this message in every commercial, every store window, every social media banner, every radio ad, and every print publication, then this message is pretty well conveyed. Take your marketing dollars and instead of stressing them out, let your marketing be the answer to holiday stress.

1) Consider Gift Certificates this year! This is money now for work later. Additionally, this is a wonderful opportunity to incentivise your current clients to give the gift of massage! No one, ( and I mean NO-ONE) likes long lines, shopping at 6 am for a deal, spending hard earned on items the recipient may or may not like, crowded lot parking, and buyer’s remorse from buying out of desperation when you cannot find the perfect gift.…If we were to poll, I am confident that the majority of respondents would opt for simpler shopping, less crowds, and items that truly fit the user without worry of incorrect sizes, or taste.

This is where the Gift Certificate comes in. Not only is it an incredibly thoughtful gift, but it is absolutely an endorsement of your skills from your existing client base, provided to those they feel closest to! In the history of marketing, no better accolade can be bestowed upon a business than to be referred to a friend, family member of colleague. Nothing says, “YOU’VE GOTTA TRY THIS, IT’S AMAZING!” like a gift certificate.

Someone thought enough of your skills to not only recommend, but SUPPLY another person with the means to experience your treatment with no strings attached! This is a tremendous vote of confidence in your abilities, and very likely the most compelling bit of marketing out there about your business.

Put these on display in your work space, and also suggest them to clients both in person and on the phone. If you have a client list, < and really, why wouldn’t you? > it makes sense to call and touch base during the Holidays. This will provide you opportunity to do two important things:

a) Provide personalized contact with your clients and remind them you are available for them. Check in and wish them well, and let them know you are looking forward to their next visit.

b) You can also inform them you are selling gift certificates providing the gift of Relaxation and Pain Management, and would like to know if they had anyone on their list they would like to provide this gift. As an added value, offer to mail the certificate with a personalized note in the words of the client along with a holiday card. This is the ULTIMATE time saver for the client, and will allow you to continue to build your prospect lists!

2) Offer up-sell opportunities to your clients during this time of year to provide convenience for your client, as well as additional income for you. This can come in a number of ways; you can offer gift items such as candles, bath salts, scrubs, essential oils, analgesics and more. These, when placed in a well lit, easy to peruse display can provide added income for potentially everyone who visits you this season. Creating pre-made gift baskets with these items in it can be a life saver for a client who has a gift to buy, but has no idea what the recipient needs. EVERYONE needs to unwind! Create gifts and baskets that convey that message.

3) Offer some seasonal treatments your clients may be interested in. Perhaps a peppermint foot scrub at the end of a treatment, or perhaps you can offer a Hot Chocolate Sugar Scrub Exfoliation for the Holidays, Mother’s Day, Valentines, or any other Holiday where women are involved. < women adore chocolate> Be sure your male clientele know you offer these seasonal treatments, because it will make buying a gift certificate even more attractive when they can give the gift of a “Chocolate Indulgence Exfoliation and Massage”. Here I used chocolate as the hook, but be creative! Find and create your own protocols and name them something catchy or interesting. Share this in person, on the phone, and in social media outlets. Put signage in you location announcing these seasonal treatments , a description of the services and their pricing. This is a silent salesman for you, and takes the pressure off of you to offer it to clients. You can simply say,” We are running some interesting Seasonal Treatments this time of year, please feel free to ask about any of them if you would like to try one today. These are also available for Gift Certificates as well.” The client will read, and will ask you questions if they have them or have interest.

Since main-stream-retail has already set the stage for Holiday gift giving, you can certainly pick up the ball and be a hero to those clients in the gift giving frame of mind. Provide them some no stress solutions in a safe and trusted environment, celebrating and sharing the gift they give themselves, and can now share with others; The gift of Wellness!
Happy Holidays!View more of Angie Patrick’s articles at Massage Today.