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December 29, 2008

Valuable Customers

Repeat customers are the bread and butter of our practice. Not only do they present an opportunity to get to know someone quite well and accomplish a deeper level of therapeutic care, they can be a significant source of income for your bottom line.

The old saying goes that 20% of your clients make up 80% of your practice. So, how do we get these repeat clients? Where do they come from? How do they find out about us? Mostly it's through word of mouth. And that's where the idea of the most valuable customer becomes less clear cut.

Interestingly, I had a population of customers that I could count on one hand that would come to see me about once or twice a year. However, they would buy gift certificates for family, friends, coworkers and future in-laws. And it was many of these referrals who became regular clients. So like the old Breck commercial in the 1970s, "they told two friends and they told two friends and so on and so on and so on."

Taking this organic nature of practice building into account, it is easy to see that these seminal clients would also be considered valuable customers. This also points up the importance of good customer service, consistent treatment of all clients (besides it being an ethical issue), and engendering trust in people surrounding a very personal service.

So consider analyzing your practice and follow the meandering pathways of associations between your clients. You may be surprised to realize who your most valuable clients turn out to be. Remember to thank them or reward them to encourage them to keep recommending people to you.

tags: massage massagetherapy wellness massage therapy bodywork health

Posted by linda at December 29, 2008 8:48 AM