Creating Loyalty: Adding Value to a Client’s Experience

Let’s face it; you’d have to have your head in the sand not to recognize that people are more selective these days about how they spend their hard-earned money. In today’s market, even healthcare practitioners must compete for their client’s attention and loyalty. With just a little effort and forethought, you can stand out in the crowd.

A keynote speaker at a spa convention I attended many years ago said something that has always stuck in my mind. He said, “Give your clients a WOW! experience; not just the service they paid for and expect.”

There are lots of ways to deliver a WOW! experience. The ideas that I’ve used over the years seem to fall into two basic categories:

Show Appreciation

Here are some simple ways:

• As she leaves, hand a client a gift certificate that she can use as she wishes, either for herself or for someone special in her life. (Most people will give it away, allowing you the opportunity to turn someone new onto the benefits of reflexology.)
• Work your way down your client list and write one thank you note weekly. Do this the old-fashioned way; hand-write on an attractive card and let the postal system deliver. Remember to be specific as to why you feel blessed that this person is in your life.
• Mail gift certificates to your clients (current and lapsed) the month before their birthdays. Invite them to redeem anytime during their birthday month. Make sure to state how much you appreciate them and their business.
• When your client goes to pay you for the day’s session, tell them excitedly that they are your 100^th appointment (pick a number) of the year/month/week, and that they get that session for FREE! This is the ultimate WOW! experience. Believe me, that client will tell all her friends about you.
• Offer to host a 2-hour private class (at no cost) for your client and her friends on foot or hand care – in the comfort of her home. Teach them how to use the basic thumb-walking technique of reflexology on themselves.
• Create a goodie bag of Epsom salts blended with a high quality essential oil and carrier, body scrubber of some sort and a small pretty bottle or jar of the lubricant you use during your sessions – give them away randomly as gifts. Don’t just wait until the end-of-year holidays. Do it “just because”. The surprise element and thoughtfulness far outweigh the small cost of these items.
• Mail your client an article on something you know interests them. It could be the latest information on a health issue they’re dealing with or some other unrelated subject.

Add-Ons

Before beginning the session, surprise your client. Verbally state how much you appreciate his or her loyalty and as a way to express your gratitude you would like to add something extra special to that day’s session. Here are some examples:

• Wrap your client’s hands in warm, soothing paraffin before a hand reflexology session, or while receiving foot reflexology. No charge.
•  If you don’t already do this as standard procedure, begin your foot reflexology session with a soothing soak of Epsom salts and pure essential oils. Use a scrubbie glove to exfoliate. Water not only cleanses; it hydrates and offers a comforting segue from the outer world to the inner.
•  Place well-wrapped heat packs on your client’s abdomen during your reflexology session. A warm pack on the tummy is divine.
•  Create a custom-blended lubricant specific to your client’s health needs. Clients really appreciate this and often want to purchase extra to take home with them. Essential oils are absorbed through the feet, delivering the health benefits of the essential oils to the entire body. To learn how to incorporate oils into your foot and hand sessions, the therapeutic properties of essential oils, routes of application, proper dilution and safety guidelines, please join me for a fun and informative one-day hands-on journey into the realm of pure essential oils.
• Weave stone therapy into your foot or hand reflexology sessions. Adding stones to a reflexology session invites the recipient into such a deep experience of themselves it almost defies definition. A real WOW! experience. In the Reflexology Rocks! class, attendees learn how to safely use hot and cold stones (basalt, marble and soapstone), utilize Himalayan salt crystals to reduce the effects of harmful electro-magnetic frequencies and are introduced to the benefit and placement of quartz crystal stones to balance the seven primary chakras.

Although my clients have been thrilled over the year with their WOW! experiences, I have to admit that I actually feel like I get the bigger WOW! My heart just swells when offering these simple gifts. Try it for yourself.

Reflexology and Essential Oils: The Perfect Marriage: Web listing.  Facebook Events listing.

Reflexology Rocks!: Web listing. Facebook Events listing.