What do you charge?

[uketnuwkiuxircems]

Thank you touchyfeely!

Incidently, the course I am considering is £300. This is for one complete weekend, two separate Saturdays and the exam date. Do you (or anyone) think this is a fair price? I don't remember what the actual qualification is at the top of my head, but I know it enables me to charge clients.

Any thoughts?

 

[sledge250672]

Hello everyone!

This is a very interesting thread for me as it pinpoints a very common misconception about customer psychology and buying behaviour. Namely, that they (we!) make purchasing decisions based solely on price.

It also highlights the most common "mistake" that therapists make in their marketing: focusing on the therapy not the pain.

If the only thing you can find to modify in your marketing, to differentiate or encourage new clients, is the price you charge, then you will more often than not be driven down to the lowest common denominator of your competition.

Your primary purpose is to educate your prospective clients about the value and benefits they will receive as a result of being treated by you. If you just talk about price, your clients will want to pay as little as possible! We all do!

For example, imagine you have been suffering from insomnia for 10 years. You have tried everything under the sun (and moon!), though nothing has helped. Now, imagine you are flicking through a magazine and you see an advert that says:

---

Do You Suffer From Insomnia?
Have you suffered for more than 5 years?

If so, I expect you're very sceptical about anyone promising to cure you. Which is why all I'll tell you is that 8 in 10 clients who come to me for treatment of insomnia experience an average increase of 4 hours sleep a night.

And I want you to experience the relief that comes with relaxed, restful sleep. The full treatment costs £250 and can be paid in installments. Please call 01234 567 890 for a free copy of "27 Things To Do To Beat Insomnia".

---

Let's say the treatment is a weekly IHM for five weeks, combined with other tips and resources you have found to be very effective in treating insomnia. You are effectively charging £50 per treatment, though your client doesn't care. They are getting their problem solved. (There are a few other clever, psychological things that the above sort of advert achieves, though that's probably too much to go into here!)

I know from experience that this approach to pricing and positioning is very (almost too!) radical for a lot of therapists! Be free to PM me or ask questions below if what I've said raises any questions, issues or concerns for you.

Peace

Pete

 

[tandg]

Hello

I am qualified in Indian Head Massage (April of this year). I charge £18 for a 40 minute treatment, then I stipulate the Consultation at the beginning is FREE and the aftercare advice is FREE...........once I have been doing it for a while maybe a year or two I will increase my prices. But what i did was this - I called a few therapists and asked them what they charged. I then worked out an average and came up with £18. Some mobiles were charging £15 - £25 and some salons were charging up to £35. You have to think about your petrol, your oils, towels, your uniform, paperwork. If you charge too little people will wonder why and if you charge too much you will lose clients to other people. Ring around a few people in your local area out of the telephone book and make enquiries. Good luck.

 

[nandita s]

Soleworks! I'm so sorry, I've only just seen your post!! I am self employed with my therapies and do my own tax returns. It is very easy to get set up provided you let the tax office know within three months of setting up so you can get registered. They send very detailed and user friendly notes on how to run your own business and because my self employment is easy and straightforward, I only need to fill in 4 pages of tax return a year (which is basically copied over from the previous year as nothing changes except income and outgoings. PM me if you need any further details.

Sorry again for the late reply.[:-]
Love