Get your Butt to the Office!

[Allan W]

I have a former set of associates who believed that if they didn't have appointments they didn't need to be in the office. i remember being baffled by this mentality at the time...much as I'm sure they were by my insisting on sticking around. Well, today I feel more than fulfilled as i had 7 walkins AND an 11 person group book out of nowhere in under 2 hours. Yes, it can suck sitting around and hoping, but persistence pays off. I'm tired.

 

[That DK]

Get your Butt to the Office!

I have a former set of associates who believed that if they didn't have appointments they didn't need to be in the office. i remember being baffled by this mentality at the time...much as I'm sure they were by my insisting on sticking around. Well, today I feel more than fulfilled as i had 7 walkins AND an 11 person group book out of nowhere in under 2 hours. Yes, it can suck sitting around and hoping, but persistence pays off. I'm tired.

Great post! You can't build your business if you aren't ready to take on work when it comes.

 

[zanevorhis]

Get your Butt to the Office!

I don't hang around my office when I don't have a client, but I am always on call !!!! And I live across the street from my office office, and if I can take a same day appt. I will.

I know a lot of MT's that need to get over how a same day appt. messes up with their energy for the day

 

[Killer]

Get your Butt to the Office!

I think it has to do with age, the mindset of "I'm not sitting around for nothing". When I worked at the Salon, I built because I was available and willing to go door to door making that fact known as well. The young girls coming out of school refused to work on Saturdays and would often leave by 11:00 if they hadn't had a walk-in. I can't count how many walk-ins they missed by not being available, but no matter how encouraging I was to help them build, even designing and ordering their business cards for them, I learned that if they weren't 'ready' to market themselves, I couldn't help them. It's the same with my son. He can't stand sitting here so he opts to help his brother doing construction work. That's good and is bringing him money while he waits to build, but until my clients see that he is here and available, they aren't going to be referring him heavily. He is building slowly by taking my overflow and from spa parties and a doctor in town sends all his referrals to him which is great. But, I think part of his reluctance in getting out there and marketing stems from a lack of confidence and worrying about someone saying, "No, I don't want your card". I was the same at his age, so I do understand, but his not being here available to go to work at a moment's notice even if those moments are few and far between right now... is hindering him.

And congrats on your successful day!

 

[Cage]

Get your Butt to the Office!

I don't hang around my office when I don't have a client, but I am always on call !!!! And I live across the street from my office office, and if I can take a same day appt. I will.

I know a lot of MT's that need to get over how a same day appt. messes up with their energy for the day

I work at a day spa and pretty much live "on call." I live only a few blocks away so it doesn't take long to get there when I get the call to come in. We have a predetermined amount of time the owners give us to get there once we get "the call." (Less than an hour.)

It isn't usually a problem... though it can be an issue for me when you go in to do one appointment on short notice like that... and they end up booking you for the rest of the day after you are already there and in service. So you think you are in for one... and now you have 3 or 4. And they have allowed no time to leave to get lunch, so I try to stash a couple granola bars in the purse for this reason... one of those "in case of emergency, break glass" sort of things. :



I

 

[rentjunkie]

Get your Butt to the Office!

I don't understand the mind set of not being available just because no one booked in advance. From what I've seen, most people get into this line of work to help people. People don't always know they are going to hurt on X day at Y time, kwim? And for those that get into it for the profits promised by the for profit schools, money doesn't materialize if you're not there when opportunity knocks, no matter how awesome your skills might be.

Of course I say this as someone who is doing chair massage exclusively right now and would just about die for the chance to work in a studio and be available when life brings clients her way. So I may be off base for the profession at large.

 

[Monk]

Get your Butt to the Office!

I'm pretty much at the shop 40 hours a week, give or take a few. When I left last night, I had one eyebrow wax today. Before she came in, a several-times-a-year client happened to walk in, delighted to find me with a half hour available. When I got done the wax, I'd had a facial booked right after. When I got done that one, another regular had called for an hour massage and when I got done with *that* one, I had another facial booked! What looked like a looong, slow day at 10 am turned out to be nonstop.

I will say though, that there are days when I duck out for a couple of hours, maybe because it has been a slow morning, when I need to do stuff. Sometimes that 'stuff' is simply marketing myself. And one of the reasons I love being an IC is the ability to do that occasionally. Plus, if someone does call for an immediate appointment or walks in, it gives the two new girls a chance to get someone on their table. I'm all for helping out the others, including handing off a new client if I just want to get out a little earlier than usual. The flexibility is a great bonus. But I still tend to want to be there more often than not.

 

[stars.stripes.soccer.]

Get your Butt to the Office!

That is definitely the way to handle it. The walk in potental varies from location to location...and can certainly be enhanced...but not planning for it is a terrible idea. I'm always glad to hear someone spent 8 hours without an appointment...while it sucks for that day, those hours put in serious dividends!

 

[rapid]

Get your Butt to the Office!

I don't understand the mind set of not being available just because no one booked in advance.

I think this also shows a lack of understanding of the basics of the business. Most spas -- as opposed to individual practices or medical based services -- have a significant walk-in or short-notice clientele.

The hotel in-room business is the definition of this, with hotel spas not far behind. Even our location in our hometown can do 20 - 25% walk-ins or "pop on overs" (it is not more than 10 to 15 minutes to the spa from most client's homes, vs. 30+ for most of our staff)

 

[Pompal 09.]

Get your Butt to the Office!

Who has time to sit around? I schedule myself pretty full, so I rarely have a "tomorrow" let alone a "today" that's not already scheduled—if not with clients, then other things. So same-day appointments rarely work for me. It becomes one more matter of client education. It is fun when it works out, though... every once in a while a new client contacts me on a day that has a lot of green time.

Of course this would be a different matter with a storefront.

 

[alizemuffin]

Get your Butt to the Office!

True! Outcall is a different beast. but we're a boutique massage center, which DOES get walk in. Sadly, so often I see places that would if only they were there.

 

[Stacey M]

Get your Butt to the Office!

What to do??
I have to wonder though, how long would any of you continue to show up, day after day, hour after hour, and only see a decline?
I'm feeling.. well...at the loss for the last month....
A bit of backstory - I've been at this salon/spa since Nov. 1. There was no massage clientele to speak of (but 3 years of records in the MT room), and because I'm not one to sit around twiddling... I started sending out postcards with 20% off to those old clients.
Then I started a salon/spa newsletter.(cross-promo svc etc.).. and posted on Facebook for the biz. Now I even keep up the email database for the place.
All while setting my chair at the front of the house. some days I get a massage of two. some days they look at me like a stalker when I try to hand them my biz card.
The biz owner tried groupon and "circle of service" discount booklets to get new clients too.
I've survived on discounted massages for months now, and I've cherished having every experience as a newish MT.
But folks, the air is gone from my balloon.

I've had 3 walk-ins in 7 mos. This week I've had no clients on my books until 1 on Sat.
I'm not griping here, (at least I hope I don't sound like it) I want to know from the more experienced. Is this just my perception and I need to keep finding other ways at the same place???

I saw "That's the Rub's" Advert on Craigslist a week or so ago.... Should I go work for him? (and NO I'm not joking) (and no, I haven't even sent my resume yet)

 

[LarryBoy]

Get your Butt to the Office!

It's sounds like you are doing the right things, but it sounds like you are in a horrible location, get out soon! we are booked up at least a week in advance for most appointments after 3pm till 8pm and usually for two to three weeks for 5 to 8pm.

We have between 35 and 55 new pt's each month in our 3 rm clinic with only 2 rms going most times.
I would say we normally get at least 2 to 3 hrs of calls for walk in/same day.

 

[queen bee]

Get your Butt to the Office!

What to do??
I have to wonder though, how long would any of you continue to show up, day after day, hour after hour, and only see a decline?
I'm feeling.. well...at the loss for the last month....
A bit of backstory - I've been at this salon/spa since Nov. 1. There was no massage clientele to speak of (but 3 years of records in the MT room), and because I'm not one to sit around twiddling... I started sending out postcards with 20% off to those old clients.
Then I started a salon/spa newsletter.(cross-promo svc etc.).. and posted on Facebook for the biz. Now I even keep up the email database for the place.
All while setting my chair at the front of the house. some days I get a massage of two. some days they look at me like a stalker when I try to hand them my biz card.
The biz owner tried groupon and "circle of service" discount booklets to get new clients too.
I've survived on discounted massages for months now, and I've cherished having every experience as a newish MT.
But folks, the air is gone from my balloon.

I've had 3 walk-ins in 7 mos. This week I've had no clients on my books until 1 on Sat.
I'm not griping here, (at least I hope I don't sound like it) I want to know from the more experienced. Is this just my perception and I need to keep finding other ways at the same place???

I saw "That's the Rub's" Advert on Craigslist a week or so ago.... Should I go work for him? (and NO I'm not joking) (and no, I haven't even sent my resume yet)

If I were you, I'd be rushing to polish my resume and apply to work for him. His business is growing and he knows the therapist's side of things. Those are two strong positives! At least go check out the business so you know what you're up against.