Elliemare said:
I do need to find that job.
Its discouraging since it seems that my 12 years experience hasn't gotten me ahead at all in the job market. Sure, I get job offers, but they're no better than the offers I got when I was fresh out of school...
I just have to keep trying, stay optimistic and hope a good, honest employer comes along that I can form a good partnership with.
I have found that
most of the time when you decide to be "employed" in the massage field, that really is the case. Rarely do we get to have our cake and eat it too.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you want to be an employee (
and don't want to, or have the time to put the many years it takes to build a private practice), you will probably have to take a job you don't love, at a place that may not appreciate you - until something better comes along. But, it's not like a good majority of us haven't had to do that in the past. I know I have. Such is life. :undecided:
It sounds like you want things to be easier than they are going to be.
Don't we all ?!?!?!?!?
A take-off from something I wote in a
recent post: If you
have to work and pay the bills, you may not have the luxury of finding a good & honest employer. You may just have to make the most of what is being offered in your "saturated" community.
I know you've been in practice long enough to know this, so I am mainly writing it for the new therapists in our field who may be reading this today.
Wow! It looks like I've gotten us entirely off track. My apologies!
/may the Groupon talks to continue...[/quote]
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Topic review - Groupon for a home based business?
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Tristin1985
Post subject:
Re: Groupon for a home based business?
I did a Groupon back in June and have since compiled some pros and cons. First off, a little back story. When I left my previous position of course not all my clients left with me, I was struggling to get by and really needed more clients but with how expensive advertising is I couldn't see putting forth the money, or even coming up with it, to do serious advertising with no guarantee of a return. I encountered Groupon. Here's how it worked for me:Mine sold for $30, and I sold 687, it was capped at 700 but some credit cards did not go through, in all I made a little under $10,000 in three days. Not too shabby for little ol' me. I got $14 and some change per massage. Yes, that does suck but I look at it as advertising cost and the best advertising I've found is to actually get my hands on someone and then give them cards and my referral program info (I have a postcard with all my program details and three business card coupons for $5 off for friends or family). I have already had several rebooks, both done the day of and later on through my online booking with genbook. I highly recommend using online booking if you do one of these, it has saved my life! Although, there's one of the downsides I discovered, which this could happen without online booking as well. I became so busy with new grouponers that I had a hard time getting in my regulars and even rebooking grouponers for full paying services! I had to start blocking off sections of my schedule and doing booking through email and in person. Minor, inconvenience once I got a handle on it. I have already gained a good amount of regulars from it.You get three installments, one after 5 days, and the others over the next two months. This gave me steady pay for three months, which was very helpful.I have had no issues with "creepy" people. I can see how have them come to your home would be very off putting more so than to an office. I do have mace handy, however, just in case. I agree that most of those people don't look to groupon. If you want to build your business and build it fast, you simply are not going to be able to screen each and every person and with the nearly 200 grouponers I've had come in, I've yet to have a problem. I am usually completely alone here as well.There are days where I'm happy I did a groupon and others I want to rip my hair out. Especially when they don't tip. Usually the tipping thing doesn't phase me much but when they have received such a discount I don't think tossing me a $10 is so outrageous. Thankfully, those have been few and far between. Most have been gracious and I usually get at least a $10 tip and quite a few $20's.There are a lot of bargain hunters but plenty of those who are looking for a good therapist. $65 for an hour can be a lot of money for someone to put down especially these days and have no guarantee that they'll like the service. Being a new business and not having anyone know where or who I was the exposure was great and once they come in I build up my email list like crazy. If you do, do a Groupon some things to keep in mind:Prepare to be bombarded. You will receive an insurmountable amount of phone calls and emails, and in my case, texts.Make sure you leave room for your regulars and to be able to rebook grouponers as well as take a break.Look at it as paying for advertising. This way you don't have to pay anything up front, you actually get paid, and you have a return on your investment. Get emails. This is how they found you and probably how they like to do things. I do all online marketing and it has done wonders! This works great with birthday emails, I've done 3 birthday emails since I started groupon and I get at least one return grouponer each time. Yes, maybe they're just coming in again for another 10% off but maybe that will turn into regular work or they might know someone who wants regular work.Do not treat them any different then your regulars. Yes, most of them you will never see again but quite a few of them will surprise you. One day I was feeling very discouraged, hadn't planned well and wound up with 5 grouponers. I was on my last one and didn't even try for the rebook. I still gave her my all during the session but after I was fried. She initiated the rebook and has become a regular client. You just never know.There will be days you hate and despise Groupon, but I don't regret doing it. It gave me the exposure I needed and gave me steady income to help build my business. You just need to plan for it and work it.
I did a Groupon back in June and have since compiled some pros and cons. First off, a little back story. When I left my previous position of course not all my clients left with me, I was struggling to get by and really needed more clients but with how expensive advertising is I couldn't see putting forth the money, or even coming up with it, to do serious advertising with no guarantee of a return. I encountered Groupon. Here's how it worked for me:Mine sold for $30, and I sold 687, it was capped at 700 but some credit cards did not go through, in all I made a little under $10,000 in three days. Not too shabby for little ol' me. I got $14 and some change per massage. Yes, that does suck but I look at it as advertising cost and the best advertising I've found is to actually get my hands on someone and then give them cards and my referral program info (I have a postcard with all my program details and three business card coupons for $5 off for friends or family). I have already had several rebooks, both done the day of and later on through my online booking with genbook. I highly recommend using online booking if you do one of these, it has saved my life! Although, there's one of the downsides I discovered, which this could happen without online booking as well. I became so busy with new grouponers that I had a hard time getting in my regulars and even rebooking grouponers for full paying services! I had to start blocking off sections of my schedule and doing booking through email and in person. Minor, inconvenience once I got a handle on it. I have already gained a good amount of regulars from it.You get three installments, one after 5 days, and the others over the next two months. This gave me steady pay for three months, which was very helpful.I have had no issues with "creepy" people. I can see how have them come to your home would be very off putting more so than to an office. I do have mace handy, however, just in case. I agree that most of those people don't look to groupon. If you want to build your business and build it fast, you simply are not going to be able to screen each and every person and with the nearly 200 grouponers I've had come in, I've yet to have a problem. I am usually completely alone here as well.There are days where I'm happy I did a groupon and others I want to rip my hair out. Especially when they don't tip. Usually the tipping thing doesn't phase me much but when they have received such a discount I don't think tossing me a $10 is so outrageous. Thankfully, those have been few and far between. Most have been gracious and I usually get at least a $10 tip and quite a few $20's.There are a lot of bargain hunters but plenty of those who are looking for a good therapist. $65 for an hour can be a lot of money for someone to put down especially these days and have no guarantee that they'll like the service. Being a new business and not having anyone know where or who I was the exposure was great and once they come in I build up my email list like crazy. If you do, do a Groupon some things to keep in mind:Prepare to be bombarded. You will receive an insurmountable amount of phone calls and emails, and in my case, texts.Make sure you leave room for your regulars and to be able to rebook grouponers as well as take a break.Look at it as paying for advertising. This way you don't have to pay anything up front, you actually get paid, and you have a return on your investment. Get emails. This is how they found you and probably how they like to do things. I do all online marketing and it has done wonders! This works great with birthday emails, I've done 3 birthday emails since I started groupon and I get at least one return grouponer each time. Yes, maybe they're just coming in again for another 10% off but maybe that will turn into regular work or they might know someone who wants regular work.Do not treat them any different then your regulars. Yes, most of them you will never see again but quite a few of them will surprise you. One day I was feeling very discouraged, hadn't planned well and wound up with 5 grouponers. I was on my last one and didn't even try for the rebook. I still gave her my all during the session but after I was fried. She initiated the rebook and has become a regular client. You just never know.There will be days you hate and despise Groupon, but I don't regret doing it. It gave me the exposure I needed and gave me steady income to help build my business. You just need to plan for it and work it.
Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 12:22 pm
Elliemare
Post subject:
Re: Groupon for a home based business?
I've decided to submit resumes and seek a position within another facility while working on slowly building my equine massage practice at home.I want to be able to compartmentalize things: People at one location, horses another. I'm hoping to find an employer/employee situation where I'll be on a payroll and I won't have to worry about the administrative side of the business, just show up for work and take care of the clients. That way, I can focus on building my equine massage practice in my own time.I think I found a good opportunity already too! Its a spa only 7 miles from my house and they're willing to give me my dream schedule and I'd be an employee too making 50%! I do have another interview tomorrow, and I'm planning to go, because I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket.It will be a relief to get a job and not worry about marketing myself, its just stressful to me. I got an email from Groupon finally and as I suspected, I'm too small potatoes for them anyway, they're not interested in working with me, so I guess that takes care of that!
I've decided to submit resumes and seek a position within another facility while working on slowly building my equine massage practice at home.I want to be able to compartmentalize things: People at one location, horses another. I'm hoping to find an employer/employee situation where I'll be on a payroll and I won't have to worry about the administrative side of the business, just show up for work and take care of the clients. That way, I can focus on building my equine massage practice in my own time.I think I found a good opportunity already too! Its a spa only 7 miles from my house and they're willing to give me my dream schedule and I'd be an employee too making 50%! I do have another interview tomorrow, and I'm planning to go, because I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket.It will be a relief to get a job and not worry about marketing myself, its just stressful to me. I got an email from Groupon finally and as I suspected, I'm too small potatoes for them anyway, they're not interested in working with me, so I guess that takes care of that!
Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 9:44 am
AngelaJudy
Post subject:
Re: Groupon for a home based business?
Hey hun, I don't know about Groupon, but I know livingsocial won't talke you on as a client if you are only a one person practice. They won't believe you can handle the number of clients you bring them. You totally can, just not in the first 3 months after your special runs. It was crazy for me. I wore myself out the first month and then had to hire 4 more people to cover them, who all but one left because those were the only appointments they were getting. (that one that stuck it out is now getting plenty of regular clients.) I almost lost some of my regulars because I had my schedule filled with livingsocial clients and couldn't fit them in so then I began limiting the number of livingsocial appts I booked per week. It has really waned down now. I only get about one or two a week, but I have a feeling they will come pouring in the last few months before their voucher expire. I have only had about 10 people out of the 170 that have so far rebooked at full price and most of those ended up cancelling the day before. I have 3 or 4 that have become regulars. It can be somewhat of a headache. Most people are looking for a cheap deal and you'll probably never see them again. On the plus side, it does give you a nice sum of $$$ that you can use to run a big advertising campaign or stock supplies. I did it right when I first started my business, so it was great for starting up. I used the money for supplies and now my business has definitely picked up. I really don't want to do it again, but I would consider it for advertising funding, so much easier than taking out a loan. Like I said, there is the possibility that they may not even accept you because you are a one woman operation, and they may also not accept you because you are home-based. But if they do, I would make a point to have them mention it in your deal.
Hey hun, I don't know about Groupon, but I know livingsocial won't talke you on as a client if you are only a one person practice. They won't believe you can handle the number of clients you bring them. You totally can, just not in the first 3 months after your special runs. It was crazy for me. I wore myself out the first month and then had to hire 4 more people to cover them, who all but one left because those were the only appointments they were getting. (that one that stuck it out is now getting plenty of regular clients.) I almost lost some of my regulars because I had my schedule filled with livingsocial clients and couldn't fit them in so then I began limiting the number of livingsocial appts I booked per week. It has really waned down now. I only get about one or two a week, but I have a feeling they will come pouring in the last few months before their voucher expire. I have only had about 10 people out of the 170 that have so far rebooked at full price and most of those ended up cancelling the day before. I have 3 or 4 that have become regulars. It can be somewhat of a headache. Most people are looking for a cheap deal and you'll probably never see them again. On the plus side, it does give you a nice sum of $$$ that you can use to run a big advertising campaign or stock supplies. I did it right when I first started my business, so it was great for starting up. I used the money for supplies and now my business has definitely picked up. I really don't want to do it again, but I would consider it for advertising funding, so much easier than taking out a loan. Like I said, there is the possibility that they may not even accept you because you are a one woman operation, and they may also not accept you because you are home-based. But if they do, I would make a point to have them mention it in your deal.
Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 5:55 am
jyoti
Post subject:
Re: Groupon for a home based business?
Hi Ellie,I'm personally philosophically against Groupon and similar services, because it teaches people to devalue your services. I also find that it brings out the worst in people (i.e. people trying to take too much advaneforum.xxxe, trying to find loopholes and technicalities, etc).That being said, everything I've read about Groupon (usually on business-oriented blogs) says that Groupon is better suited for situations in which services are provided in a *group* setting of some kind. This is because if one person can provide a service to multiple people at once, one more customer isn't going to impact that service much. The example I've seen used is a dance or yoga class - the instructor is teaching the class anyway, whether to 1 person or 20. If you've got, say, 10 people paying full price, the addition of 3 people with a Groupon isn't going to cause much headache. Massage therapy, OTOH, is provided on a one-client-to-one-provider basis, so if you get overrun with Groupons for a week straight, it WILL impact you.Elliemare wrote:I've had next to no luck with recent attempts at marketing. My practice has dwindled to next to nothing. Circumstances have changed at home and I MUST work now and bring in more income. I'm also back to submitting resumes once again, and seeking employment while I'm kicking around my options... AGAIN. I've even submitted some resumes not in the massage field, but its been 12 years since I've worked in an administrative job. I'm getting desperate and frustrated.I'm not sure if this has already been mentioned or not (too little sleep LOL) but I think a Groupon campaign may end up being a poor band-aid on a much bigger issue, eluded to in what you said above. You mentioned that your practice has dwindled, and I think a more important step to take is to attempt to get at the root of that problem and try as best you can to figure out why. If it has dwindled, that implies that you had more success at some point before this, and I think it might be good to do a little soul-searching and see if you can identify anything that may have contributed to the decline. Some factors may be beyond your control and have nothing to do with you personally, such as living in a small town with a major factory that shuts down, laying off lots of workers and causing an economic meltdown in your area, causing people to have to tighten their budgets and schedule fewer appointments with you. Other factors may have more to do with the practitioner; I've seen some become complacent and get stuck in routines or they become lax in maintaining professional boundaries. Maybe they get subconsciously burned out or bored and their clients pick up on that. Lots of possibilities. If you find that underneath, you really ARE getting burned out, it might be time to consider another line of work before the stress takes its toll on your health (speaking from lots of experience here), if you can. If you're not tired, bored, or burned out, keep plugging along. In that case, an ideal situation might be to submit resumes for a part-time massage therapy position so that you can also maintain your more-profitable home-based private practice, at least part-time until things pick up again.Marketing efforts - these are hit-and-miss, a needle in a haystack type of situation. What works for one person may not work in another. What works in one community may flop in another. What seems like a gold mine one year (remember the Yellow Pages??) becomes a dud as technology changes. The medium you use to get the word out will depend on your community culture (I live in a city that is very different culturally from practically any other in the country, so I've had to make adjustments in how I acquire clientele; for example, surprisingly, people still read the newspaper in my city, so newspaper ads can be fairly successful). It will also depend on the demographic you're seeking. The field of massage therapy particularly attracts a younger-to-middle-age clientele, usually female, with a fair amount of disposable income, a priority on their health, and an openness toward natural healing.With that info, there are some low-to-NO-cost things you can do to position yourself well...Women pay attention to their bodies. They like to research. They'll often look up their symptoms on Google. What this means to you: add lots of detailed but concise info to your web site, with pages about certain conditions you can help with. Make sure to list the condition and its symptoms. This way, when the Google search their symptom or condition, they stumble across your site, with valuable information and a workable solution! Use words like "pain management", "pain relief", etc.While working with the elderly can be rewarding, the younger and middle-age generations (Boomers on down) tend to be less preoccupied with a "fixed income" or Medicare coverage. This means you may want to focus on advertising/marketing avenues that the Boomers-and-younger bracket favors. This is another reason you want to make sure your website is optimized, with proper headings, keywords, etc. This doesn't cost anything but time, if you do it yourself. If not, maybe you can barter for this service.If you do decide to advertise in print, choose carefully, because the expenses can add up fast. I'd skip the printed phone books and directories - they're overpriced and no one looks at them. Instead, focus on niche natural healthcare magazines/newsletters that target an upper-crust socioeconomic group, because those are the people who can afford your services and on a regular basis. We advertise in a single magazine such as this, and it brings us over half our clientele. Some of the magazine owners/editors/etc may be willing to barter some of the monthly price down as well (that's our arrangement with ours - we provide some services and receive half-off).And last but not least, depending on your community, get out INTO the community. Meetup groups, business networking groups, etc, are all a great way to show people you're out there. Wordpress blogs are free to start and they're already optimized well; publish an informational article on massage therapy and boom--it's indexed and Google-favored the same day. Make sure the Wordpress blog you start has consistent links back to your practice's main website. Introduce yourself to other practitioners in the area, make friends with doctors (any type - MD, DC, DO, etc). Their referrals can be an extremely powerful and lucrative source of *compliant* clients (people usually do what their doctor tells them to). Offer to be a guest speaker/lecturer at a monthly support group for a certain condition, such as cancer or fibromyalgia or whatnot.Then, once you begin to re-acquire a client base, encourage *regularity*. It costs a lot less in terms of financial investment, time, and effort to acquire one client who comes in once a week than it does to have to acquire 4 clients every month who just come in one time (known as the one-hit-wonder). You may want to structure various programs or packages around regularity, offering incentives for those who come in more frequently or those who follow your recommended plan.It's also important to make sure that you offer something people can't get anywhere else. This protects you from becoming a commodity in which people begin to shop based on price (people can get a loaf of bread anywhere, so many opt for Walmart; however, others will pay premium price for the bread with the flax seed and 14 grains because they can't get it anywhere else for a lower price and they find the quality superior). So, explain (preferably on the website, and then follow through during the sessions) why and how you're unique and superior--if they can't get your same service anywhere else, you've locked out any competition and now you can set your own price. It's very liberating in many ways Well, I apologize for the book. Insomnia strikes again (at least it's been a while). Hopefully it helps anyway Hugs & good luck,~Jyoti
Hi Ellie,I'm personally philosophically against Groupon and similar services, because it teaches people to devalue your services. I also find that it brings out the worst in people (i.e. people trying to take too much advaneforum.xxxe, trying to find loopholes and technicalities, etc).That being said, everything I've read about Groupon (usually on business-oriented blogs) says that Groupon is better suited for situations in which services are provided in a *group* setting of some kind. This is because if one person can provide a service to multiple people at once, one more customer isn't going to impact that service much. The example I've seen used is a dance or yoga class - the instructor is teaching the class anyway, whether to 1 person or 20. If you've got, say, 10 people paying full price, the addition of 3 people with a Groupon isn't going to cause much headache. Massage therapy, OTOH, is provided on a one-client-to-one-provider basis, so if you get overrun with Groupons for a week straight, it WILL impact you.[quote="Elliemare"]I've had next to no luck with recent attempts at marketing. My practice has dwindled to next to nothing. Circumstances have changed at home and I MUST work now and bring in more income. I'm also back to submitting resumes once again, and seeking employment while I'm kicking around my options... AGAIN. I've even submitted some resumes [i]not [/i]in the massage field, but its been 12 years since I've worked in an administrative job. I'm getting desperate and frustrated.[/quote]I'm not sure if this has already been mentioned or not (too little sleep LOL) but I think a Groupon campaign may end up being a poor band-aid on a much bigger issue, eluded to in what you said above. You mentioned that your practice has dwindled, and I think a more important step to take is to attempt to get at the root of that problem and try as best you can to figure out why. If it has dwindled, that implies that you had more success at some point before this, and I think it might be good to do a little soul-searching and see if you can identify anything that may have contributed to the decline. Some factors may be beyond your control and have nothing to do with you personally, such as living in a small town with a major factory that shuts down, laying off lots of workers and causing an economic meltdown in your area, causing people to have to tighten their budgets and schedule fewer appointments with you. Other factors may have more to do with the practitioner; I've seen some become complacent and get stuck in routines or they become lax in maintaining professional boundaries. Maybe they get subconsciously burned out or bored and their clients pick up on that. Lots of possibilities. :)If you find that underneath, you really ARE getting burned out, it might be time to consider another line of work before the stress takes its toll on your health (speaking from lots of experience here), if you can. If you're not tired, bored, or burned out, keep plugging along. In that case, an ideal situation might be to submit resumes for a part-time massage therapy position so that you can also maintain your more-profitable home-based private practice, at least part-time until things pick up again.Marketing efforts - these are hit-and-miss, a needle in a haystack type of situation. What works for one person may not work in another. What works in one community may flop in another. What seems like a gold mine one year (remember the Yellow Pages??) becomes a dud as technology changes. The medium you use to get the word out will depend on your community culture (I live in a city that is very different culturally from practically any other in the country, so I've had to make adjustments in how I acquire clientele; for example, surprisingly, people still read the newspaper in my city, so newspaper ads can be fairly successful). It will also depend on the demographic you're seeking. The field of massage therapy particularly attracts a younger-to-middle-age clientele, usually female, with a fair amount of disposable income, a priority on their health, and an openness toward natural healing.With that info, there are some low-to-NO-cost things you can do to position yourself well...Women pay attention to their bodies. They like to research. They'll often look up their symptoms on Google. What this means to you: add lots of detailed but concise info to your web site, with pages about certain conditions you can help with. Make sure to list the condition and its symptoms. This way, when the Google search their symptom or condition, they stumble across your site, with valuable information and a workable solution! Use words like "pain management", "pain relief", etc.While working with the elderly can be rewarding, the younger and middle-age generations (Boomers on down) tend to be less preoccupied with a "fixed income" or Medicare coverage. This means you may want to focus on advertising/marketing avenues that the Boomers-and-younger bracket favors. This is another reason you want to make sure your website is optimized, with proper headings, keywords, etc. This doesn't cost anything but time, if you do it yourself. If not, maybe you can barter for this service.If you do decide to advertise in print, choose carefully, because the expenses can add up fast. I'd skip the printed phone books and directories - they're overpriced and no one looks at them. Instead, focus on niche natural healthcare magazines/newsletters that target an upper-crust socioeconomic group, because those are the people who can afford your services and on a regular basis. We advertise in a single magazine such as this, and it brings us over half our clientele. Some of the magazine owners/editors/etc may be willing to barter some of the monthly price down as well (that's our arrangement with ours - we provide some services and receive half-off).And last but not least, depending on your community, get out INTO the community. Meetup groups, business networking groups, etc, are all a great way to show people you're out there. Wordpress blogs are free to start and they're already optimized well; publish an informational article on massage therapy and boom--it's indexed and Google-favored the same day. Make sure the Wordpress blog you start has consistent links back to your practice's main website. Introduce yourself to other practitioners in the area, make friends with doctors (any type - MD, DC, DO, etc). Their referrals can be an extremely powerful and lucrative source of *compliant* clients (people usually do what their doctor tells them to). Offer to be a guest speaker/lecturer at a monthly support group for a certain condition, such as cancer or fibromyalgia or whatnot.Then, once you begin to re-acquire a client base, encourage *regularity*. It costs a lot less in terms of financial investment, time, and effort to acquire one client who comes in once a week than it does to have to acquire 4 clients every month who just come in one time (known as the one-hit-wonder). You may want to structure various programs or packages around regularity, offering incentives for those who come in more frequently or those who follow your recommended plan.It's also important to make sure that you offer something people can't get anywhere else. This protects you from becoming a commodity in which people begin to shop based on price (people can get a loaf of bread anywhere, so many opt for Walmart; however, others will pay premium price for the bread with the flax seed and 14 grains because they can't get it anywhere else for a lower price and they find the quality superior). So, explain (preferably on the website, and then follow through during the sessions) why and how you're unique and superior--if they can't get your same service anywhere else, you've locked out any competition and now you can set your own price. It's very liberating in many ways :)Well, I apologize for the book. Insomnia strikes again (at least it's been a while). Hopefully it helps anyway :)Hugs & good luck,~Jyoti
Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 3:30 am
pueppi
Post subject:
Re: Groupon for a home based business?
Elliemare wrote:I do need to find that job. Its discouraging since it seems that my 12 years experience hasn't gotten me ahead at all in the job market. Sure, I get job offers, but they're no better than the offers I got when I was fresh out of school... I just have to keep trying, stay optimistic and hope a good, honest employer comes along that I can form a good partnership with.I have found that most of the time when you decide to be "employed" in the massage field, that really is the case. Rarely do we get to have our cake and eat it too. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you want to be an employee (and don't want to, or have the time to put the many years it takes to build a private practice), you will probably have to take a job you don't love, at a place that may not appreciate you - until something better comes along. But, it's not like a good majority of us haven't had to do that in the past. I know I have. Such is life. It sounds like you want things to be easier than they are going to be. Don't we all ?!?!?!?!?A take-off from something I wote in a recent post: If you have to work and pay the bills, you may not have the luxury of finding a good & honest employer. You may just have to make the most of what is being offered in your "saturated" community.I know you've been in practice long enough to know this, so I am mainly writing it for the new therapists in our field who may be reading this today. Wow! It looks like I've gotten us entirely off track. My apologies!/may the Groupon talks to continue...
[quote="Elliemare"]I do need to find that job. Its discouraging since it seems that my 12 years experience hasn't gotten me ahead at all in the job market. Sure, I get job offers, but they're no better than the offers I got when I was fresh out of school... I just have to keep trying, stay optimistic and hope a good, honest employer comes along that I can form a good partnership with.[/quote]I have found that [i]most[/i] of the time when you decide to be "employed" in the massage field, that really is the case. Rarely do we get to have our cake and eat it too. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you want to be an employee ([i]and don't want to, or have the time to put the many years it takes to build a private practice[/i]), you will probably have to take a job you don't love, at a place that may not appreciate you - until something better comes along. But, it's not like a good majority of us haven't had to do that in the past. I know I have. Such is life. :undecided: It sounds like you want things to be easier than they are going to be. [i]Don't we all[/i] ?!?!?!?!?A take-off from something I wote in a [url=http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=30460&p=181781#p180913]recent post[/url]: If you [i][b]have[/b][/i] to work and pay the bills, you may not have the luxury of finding a good & honest employer. You may just have to make the most of what is being offered in your "saturated" community.I know you've been in practice long enough to know this, so I am mainly writing it for the new therapists in our field who may be reading this today. Wow! It looks like I've gotten us entirely off track. My apologies![i]/may the Groupon talks to continue...[/i]
Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 5:54 am
Elliemare
Post subject:
Re: Groupon for a home based business?
I do need to find that job. I guess that's why I've always kept my feelers out for potential opportunities... I've always known that I want to be an employee. Finding real employment will be easier said than done though.We're saturated with MT's around here, we have eight massage schools in a small, not so densely populated area. It seems as if most "job" situations aren't even legal (according to the IRS guidelines) or employers want to work their therapists like dogs for very little pay.Its discouraging since it seems that my 12 years experience hasn't gotten me ahead at all in the job market. Sure, I get job offers, but they're no better than the offers I got when I was fresh out of school... actually most are even worse! It seems like employers have realized that MT's are a dime a dozen, just use em' up and toss em' aside, another one will come along.I just have to keep trying, stay optimistic and hope a good, honest employer comes along that I can form a good partnership with.
I do need to find that job. I guess that's why I've always kept my feelers out for potential opportunities... I've always known that I want to be an employee. Finding [i]real [/i]employment will be easier said than done though.We're saturated with MT's around here, we have eight massage schools in a small, not so densely populated area. It seems as if most "job" situations aren't even legal (according to the IRS guidelines) or employers want to work their therapists like dogs for very little pay.Its discouraging since it seems that my 12 years experience hasn't gotten me ahead at all in the job market. Sure, I get job offers, but they're no better than the offers I got when I was fresh out of school... actually most are even worse! It seems like employers have realized that MT's are a dime a dozen, just use em' up and toss em' aside, another one will come along.I just have to keep trying, stay optimistic and hope a good, honest employer comes along that I can form a good partnership with.
Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 4:03 am
pueppi
Post subject:
Re: Groupon for a home based business?
Elliemare wrote:1. I really am not all that comfortable with strangers coming to my home, neither is my husband. I don't think I'll ever get over that unless I build an addition on to my house with a private entrance and bathroom. I'm okay working on people I know, or have met before, but to give a total stranger my address and access to my living space is just unnerving to me.I have to admit that I was happiest as an employee several years ago in another city. I told the owner at my interview that I "don't want to be in business for myself, I want to do the work. I want someone to run the business, supply me with the clients and I'll hook em' and keep em' comin' back!"So, you've solved your delimma. No matter what you are offered or come across, you should not get on board with any Groupons or other coupon deals (unless you & your husband change your opinons on letting strangers into your home). The next time you see one or think it may make your business grow, you have to let it pass on by and not give it another thought. If anyone contacts you about coupons/groupons and the like, tell them "no thank-you" in no uncertain terms. There is no need to even begin to have a discussion with them.It sounds to me like you should be putting all of your energy in locating a place to work as an employee. It's time to remove yourself from your fledgling home-based practice. Just because some of us prefer working for ourselves, doesn't mean you have to. Now you need to give yourself permission to be that employee.
[quote="Elliemare"]1. I really am not all that comfortable with strangers coming to my home, neither is my husband. I don't think I'll ever get over that unless I build an addition on to my house with a private entrance and bathroom. I'm okay working on people I know, or have met before, but to give a total stranger my address and access to my living space is just unnerving to me.I have to admit that I was happiest as an employee several years ago in another city. I told the owner at my interview that I "don't want to be in business for myself, I want to do the work. I want someone to run the business, supply me with the clients and I'll hook em' and keep em' comin' back!"[/quote]So, you've solved your delimma. No matter what you are offered or come across, [u][b]you should not get on board with any Groupons or other coupon deals[/b][/u] ([i]unless you & your husband change your opinons on letting strangers into your home[/i]). The next time you see one or think it may make your business grow, you have to [b][u]let it pass on by and not give it another thought[/u][/b]. If anyone contacts you about coupons/groupons and the like, tell them "no thank-you" in no uncertain terms. There is no need to even begin to have a discussion with them.It sounds to me like you should be putting all of your energy in locating a place to work as an employee. It's time to remove yourself from your fledgling home-based practice. Just because some of us prefer working for ourselves, doesn't mean you have to. Now you need to give yourself permission to be that employee. :)
Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 6:52 pm
Elliemare
Post subject:
Re: Groupon for a home based business?
You bet I'm flip-flopping (sometimes I think its hormonal, or the phases of the moon... or both! Some days I can't think straight at all.)Thanks for helping put things in perspective for me. I'll address each issue:1. I really am not all that comfortable with strangers coming to my home, neither is my husband. I don't think I'll ever get over that unless I build an addition on to my house with a private entrance and bathroom. I'm okay working on people I know, or have met before, but to give a total stranger my address and access to my living space is just unnerving to me.**New Info: Just got a call from the coupon clipper lady with some updated information. They are not offering their "groupon" type of deal in my area, they only offer it in the bigger cities. Basically I'm too small potatoes and so is the town I live in! She pretty much blew me off.2. I have not had much luck offering deep discounts in the past. I don't usually retain too many clients who redeem deep discounts. They are usually just here for a cheap massage and move on to the next discount of the week. Also, I wouldn't do a deep discount and take a part-time job, it would be an either/or situation and I'm trying to weigh the pros and cons of both.3. I did drop my daytime rates for a while and only charged a sur-charge for after hours appointments. It really made no impact at all. I thought it might help retain some of the deep discount clients to offer a lower rate to them after their first (cheap) visit... it didn't work. My regular clients didn't seem to care either.I did do some further research on good therapists in my area, and I'm on target with my pricing, sometimes even less. Its just that there are so many day spas doing these half price "groupons" these days, I get several a week in my in-box, not to mention the craigslist therapists who advertise $30 and $40 an hour (if they are even legit).I have to admit that I was happiest as an employee several years ago in another city. I told the owner at my interview that I "don't want to be in business for myself, I want to do the work. I want someone to run the business, supply me with the clients and I'll hook em' and keep em' comin' back!" And I did. The owner ran things behind the scenes and I did massage... and a lot of it! No administrative tasks to deal with just client care, and that is what I liked, but those opportunities are so rare. I've been searching for a situation like that, but haven't come across one yet.
You bet I'm flip-flopping (sometimes I think its hormonal, or the phases of the moon... or both! Some days I can't think straight at all.)Thanks for helping put things in perspective for me. I'll address each issue:1. I really am not all that comfortable with strangers coming to my home, neither is my husband. I don't think I'll ever get over that unless I build an addition on to my house with a private entrance and bathroom. I'm okay working on people I know, or have met before, but to give a total stranger my address and access to my living space is just unnerving to me.**New Info: Just got a call from the coupon clipper lady with some updated information. They are not offering their "groupon" type of deal in my area, they only offer it in the bigger cities. Basically I'm too small potatoes and so is the town I live in! She pretty much blew me off.2. I have not had much luck offering deep discounts in the past. I don't usually retain too many clients who redeem deep discounts. They are usually just here for a cheap massage and move on to the next discount of the week. Also, I wouldn't do a deep discount and take a part-time job, it would be an either/or situation and I'm trying to weigh the pros and cons of both.3. I did drop my daytime rates for a while and only charged a sur-charge for after hours appointments. It really made no impact at all. I thought it might help retain some of the deep discount clients to offer a lower rate to them after their first (cheap) visit... it didn't work. My regular clients didn't seem to care either.I did do some further research on good therapists in my area, and I'm on target with my pricing, sometimes even less. Its just that there are so many day spas doing these half price "groupons" these days, I get several a week in my in-box, not to mention the craigslist therapists who advertise $30 and $40 an hour (if they are even legit).I have to admit that I was happiest as an employee several years ago in another city. I told the owner at my interview that I "don't want to be in business for myself, I want to do the work. I want someone to run the business, supply me with the clients and I'll hook em' and keep em' comin' back!" And I did. The owner ran things behind the scenes and I did massage... and a lot of it! No administrative tasks to deal with just client care, and that is what I liked, but those opportunities are so rare. I've been searching for a situation like that, but haven't come across one yet.
Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 11:42 am
pueppi
Post subject:
Re: Groupon for a home based business?
Elliemare wrote:Hmmmm.... I just got a call from a local coupon magazine distributor with a "groupon" type of deal.I don't know what to think? It would be a lot of exposure for me in a short amount of time, and a lot of potential clients.I'm just not sure what to thinK? Plus, I just got a call for a job interview at a wellness center across the street from my husband's workplace.Elliemare,I know this is all really difficult for you... but you are flip-flopping. I hear that you want to massage. And, I know you are currently in a position where beggars can't necessarily be choosers. So, in weighing your options, you really have to firm up what you are willing to do. It doesn't sound like you have any solid or strong parameters at this point. You really do have to shore them up. I know it can be difficult, so, let's start with these:1. Are you, (or are you not) o.k. with people coming into your home and being potential risky clients? Will you be able to effectively remove a potential client from your home without it stressing you out? My perception from your past threads is that you have (let's-call-it) anxiety surrounding this possibility, which is paralyzing your practice. See related response. I expect that your personal work around this issue has changed. But from many of your prior posts, this seems to be your most important factor you need to get clear before you can even think about offering any coupon discounts.2. Next, ask yourself if you want exposure to clients asking for a deep discount? Can you make it work for you? Do you have the actual time and energy to expend into this effort? And, how will you handle said coupons, if you take a part-time or full-time job outside of you home based practice?Again, these questions require personal reflection and very firm answers. 3. Last, have you considered just dropping your rates to reflect the majority of therapists in your area? (This thread insinuated that you may be higher than others in your area.) Perhaps just dropping your rates would bring in more clients than you have and still give you the ability to screen. It may even be better than using a coupon at all. Is it possible that your market just can't bear your current rates? I think we're all definitely here to help, but it's pretty difficult if you haven't personally fleshed out these kinds of questions and created a firm stance on them. Right now you seem pretty wishy-washy. And, if we aren't privvy to any changes you have made regarding these, we're mainly just working on your prior post patterns.
[quote="Elliemare"]Hmmmm.... I just got a call from a local coupon magazine distributor with a "groupon" type of deal.I don't know what to think? It would be a lot of exposure for me in a short amount of time, and a lot of potential clients.I'm just not sure what to thinK? Plus, I just got a call for a job interview at a wellness center across the street from my husband's workplace.[/quote]Elliemare,I know this is all really difficult for you... but you are flip-flopping. I hear that you want to massage. And, I know you are currently in a position where beggars can't necessarily be choosers. So, in weighing your options, you really have to firm up what you are willing to do. It doesn't sound like you have any solid or strong parameters at this point. You really do have to shore them up. I know it can be difficult, so, let's start with these:[list]1. Are you, ([b]or are you not[/b]) o.k. with people coming into your home and being potential risky clients? Will you be able to effectively remove a potential client from your home without it stressing you out? My perception from your past threads is that you have (let's-call-it) anxiety surrounding this possibility, which is paralyzing your practice. [i]See [url=http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=30692#p181915]related response[/url].[/i] I expect that your personal work around this issue has changed. But from many of your prior posts, [b]this seems to be your most important factor you need to get clear before you can even think about offering[/b] [u][i][b]any[/b][/i][/u] coupon discounts.2. Next, ask yourself if you want exposure to clients asking for a deep discount? Can you make it work for you? Do you have the actual time and energy to expend into this effort? And, how will you handle said coupons, if you take a part-time or full-time job outside of you home based practice?Again, these questions require personal reflection and very firm answers. 3. Last, have you considered just dropping your rates to reflect the majority of therapists in your area? ([i]This [url=http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=30163&p=179164&hilit=discount%2A#p179250]thread[/url] insinuated that you may be higher than others in your area.[/i]) Perhaps just dropping your rates would bring in more clients than you have and still give you the ability to screen. It may even be better than using a coupon at all. Is it possible that your market just can't bear your current rates? [/list]I think we're all definitely here to help, but it's pretty difficult if you haven't personally fleshed out these kinds of questions and created a firm stance on them. Right now you seem pretty wishy-washy. And, if we aren't privvy to any changes you have made regarding these, we're mainly just working on your prior post patterns.
Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 8:50 am
Elliemare
Post subject:
Re: Groupon for a home based business?
Hmmmm.... I just got a call from a local coupon magazine distributor with a "groupon" type of deal.She said that I get a full page ad in their magazine (which runs 6 weeks between issues) and a coupon deal online that sends out email blasts daily for as long as it takes to sell as many coupons as I want. They take $900 off the top of my earnings to cover the cost of the full-page ad (that would be thirty- $30 massage coupons) and after that the split is 80% for me and 20% for them.If I don't sell enough to cover the cost of my print ad, it doesn't cost me a penny, I will never really owe anything out of pocket. I don't know what to think? The more I'd sell the more money I'd make, but then I'd have a bunch of coupons to honor over the next few months time. It would be a lot of exposure for me in a short amount of time, and a lot of potential clients.I really have no major overhead costs since I work from home but it sure would cost me a lot of time and effort to honor all of those coupons! I'm just not sure what to thinK? Plus, I just got a call for a job interview at a wellness center across the street from my husband's workplace.
Hmmmm.... I just got a call from a local coupon magazine distributor with a "groupon" type of deal.She said that I get a full page ad in their magazine (which runs 6 weeks between issues) and a coupon deal online that sends out email blasts daily for as long as it takes to sell as many coupons as I want. They take $900 off the top of my earnings to cover the cost of the full-page ad (that would be thirty- $30 massage coupons) and after that the split is 80% for me and 20% for them.If I don't sell enough to cover the cost of my print ad, it doesn't cost me a penny, I will never really owe anything out of pocket. I don't know what to think? The more I'd sell the more money I'd make, but then I'd have a bunch of coupons to honor over the next few months time. It would be a lot of exposure for me in a short amount of time, and a lot of potential clients.I really have no major overhead costs since I work from home but it sure would cost me a lot of time and effort to honor all of those coupons! I'm just not sure what to thinK? Plus, I just got a call for a job interview at a wellness center across the street from my husband's workplace.
Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 7:27 am
Timedess
Post subject:
Re: Groupon for a home based business?
I understand about not being able to screen new clients w/ online booking. One option might be to create a "members only" section to your web site, and you can give membership information to your current/regular clients for their use. Another option would be to make sure that clients know that booking an appointment online is not "secure" until you touch base with them and confirm the booking. You could set your system to not accept bookings less than 24 or even 48 hours in advance, and require them to give a valid telephone number so you could call them and talk with them about their needs and expectations and essentially "screen" them prior to confirming the appointment. No conversation = no appointment.
I understand about not being able to screen new clients w/ online booking. One option might be to create a "members only" section to your web site, and you can give membership information to your current/regular clients for their use. Another option would be to make sure that clients know that booking an appointment online is not "secure" until you touch base with them and confirm the booking. You could set your system to not accept bookings less than 24 or even 48 hours in advance, and require them to give a valid telephone number so you could call them and talk with them about their needs and expectations and essentially "screen" them prior to confirming the appointment. No conversation = no appointment.
Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2011 10:28 am
Elliemare
Post subject:
Re: Groupon for a home based business?
I'm still playing with the online booking for now, I decided not to officially launch it yet until I'm sure I understand how to work it. Plus, I'm just nervous about strangers booking their own appointments with me in my home.I'm hoping to meet with an administrater from a local massage school next week about her clinic. She has a space available for pracitioners to rent at just $15 per hour. Plus, I'd just like to meet with another MT and see what her feelings are about the biz these days and in this community.
I'm still playing with the online booking for now, I decided not to officially launch it yet until I'm sure I understand how to work it. Plus, I'm just nervous about strangers booking their own appointments with me in my home.I'm hoping to meet with an administrater from a local massage school next week about her clinic. She has a space available for pracitioners to rent at just $15 per hour. Plus, I'd just like to meet with another MT and see what her feelings are about the biz these days and in this community.
Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2011 10:22 am
Timedess
Post subject:
Re: Groupon for a home based business?
For many reasons, most already listed, we don't think that Groupon or such deals would be a good fit for our business, either. I wouldn't encourage it for you. I just checked out your web site-- very nice. I loved the last photo in your little photo gallery-- of the horse saying "thank you". We see that all the time too, and it is *always* rewarding. I noticed that you said you've gotten set up with online booking, but I didn't see it. Maybe you don't have it set up yet. I've noticed that our clients don't seem to utilize the online booking option as often as I'd thought (I guess they prefer to talk to a real person Most just re-book at each appointment, though.). But having that calender has been a Godsend to me, personally-- I can keep everything straight, all in one place! I think you'll find you like it, once you get all the kinks worked out.
For many reasons, most already listed, we don't think that Groupon or such deals would be a good fit for our business, either. I wouldn't encourage it for you. I just checked out your web site-- very nice. I loved the last photo in your little photo gallery-- of the horse saying "thank you". We see that all the time too, and it is *always* rewarding. :) I noticed that you said you've gotten set up with online booking, but I didn't see it. Maybe you don't have it set up yet. I've noticed that our clients don't seem to utilize the online booking option as often as I'd thought (I guess they prefer to talk to a real person :) Most just re-book at each appointment, though.). But having that calender has been a Godsend to me, personally-- I can keep everything straight, all in one place! I think you'll find you like it, once you get all the kinks worked out. :)
Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2011 9:10 am
Elliemare
Post subject:
Re: Groupon for a home based business?
JLWmassage wrote:Also Groupon takes 1.75% for a credit card processes fee on top of the 50%This is sounding less and less like a good idea.
[quote="JLWmassage"]Also Groupon takes 1.75% for a credit card processes fee on top of the 50%[/quote]This is sounding less and less like a good idea.
Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2011 7:22 am
JLWmassage
Post subject:
Re: Groupon for a home based business?
Also Groupon takes 1.75% for a credit card processes fee on top of the 50%
Also Groupon takes 1.75% for a credit card processes fee on top of the 50%
Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2011 4:54 am
Elliemare
Post subject:
Re: Groupon for a home based business?
I think I may be too far out in the country for groupon or living social. I am concerned about the clientele they may attract.I know of a local print advertiser that also offers some online options, but I think that requires $$ up front from me, but I'm not sure??I did just set up an online booking system and I'm hoping that helps in itself. I think I am going to like it.
I think I may be too far out in the country for groupon or living social. I am concerned about the clientele they may attract.I know of a local print advertiser that also offers some online options, but I think that requires $$ up front from me, but I'm not sure??I did just set up an online booking system and I'm hoping that helps in itself. I think I am going to like it.
Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 3:16 pm
JLWmassage
Post subject:
Re: Groupon for a home based business?
Here are a few other ideas.Yelp has their own deals now. And you can pick your deal and you get a bigger cut.There are also apps for facebook fan pages for daily deals
Here are a few other ideas.Yelp has their own deals now. And you can pick your deal and you get a bigger cut.There are also apps for facebook fan pages for daily deals
Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 9:25 am
squash_blsm
Post subject:
Re: Groupon for a home based business?
JLWmassage wrote:I also think all should be aware that Groupon doesn't do buisness with just anyone. Groupon does have a standard for business they feature. And the Groupon staff does do their homework on you and your business. So here are a few things that Groupon looks for in business.1- website2- online reviews. Groupon seems to really like http://www.Yelp.comreviews3 - are you doing social media - facebook, twitter4 - location, location, location. Groupon does map out your location and Groupon does like businesses near major rt. and highwaysYes - I agree. I don't think that a home-based business would meet their requirements.Personally I would not do a Groupon...I'm not a real big fan of the clientele that the specials seem to attract (I have experienced Groupon and Living Social through two places of employment...hated everybit of them).I love on-line booking systems!I'm really liking Facebook pages too.
[quote="JLWmassage"]I also think all should be aware that Groupon doesn't do buisness with just anyone. Groupon does have a standard for business they feature. And the Groupon staff does do their homework on you and your business. So here are a few things that Groupon looks for in business.1- website2- online reviews. Groupon seems to really like [url]http://www.Yelp.com[/url]reviews3 - are you doing social media - facebook, twitter4 - location, location, location. Groupon does map out your location and Groupon does like businesses near major rt. and highways[/quote]Yes - I agree. I don't think that a home-based business would meet their requirements.Personally I would not do a Groupon...I'm not a real big fan of the clientele that the specials seem to attract (I have experienced Groupon and Living Social through two places of employment...hated everybit of them).I love on-line booking systems!I'm really liking Facebook pages too.
Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 8:48 am
shivashiva
Post subject:
Re: Groupon for a home based business?
Elliemare wrote: He's about an hour away from me, sold a $30 massage on groupon and he's sold over 200 of them in the past 48 hours! It is encouraging to say the least.I'm failing to see how this is a good thing. Who would want to sell one massage for $30, much less 200?!?If you do a google for "groupon scam" you'll read quite a few articles detailing why and how groupon is devastating to small businesses, also analyzing their TOS. Which even if you decide to go with groupon would be good to read. I don't have any direct experience with them so you can take what I say with a grain of salt. But I'm not seeing any positives. So you get a few new customers in the door. We all know that giving deep discounts does not bring in paying customers, in general. It brings in people searching for more deep discounts and unwilling to pay full price.
[quote="Elliemare"] He's about an hour away from me, sold a $30 massage on groupon and he's sold over 200 of them in the past 48 hours! It is encouraging to say the least.[/quote]I'm failing to see how this is a good thing. Who would want to sell one massage for $30, much less 200?!?If you do a google for "groupon scam" you'll read quite a few articles detailing why and how groupon is devastating to small businesses, also analyzing their TOS. Which even if you decide to go with groupon would be good to read. I don't have any direct experience with them so you can take what I say with a grain of salt. But I'm not seeing any positives. So you get a few new customers in the door. We all know that giving deep discounts does not bring in paying customers, in general. It brings in people searching for more deep discounts and unwilling to pay full price.
Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 5:54 am
JLWmassage
Post subject:
Re: Groupon for a home based business?
I also think all should be aware that Groupon doesn't do buisness with just anyone. Groupon does have a standard for business they feature. And the Groupon staff does do their homework on you and your business. So here are a few things that Groupon looks for in business.1- website2- online reviews. Groupon seems to really like http://www.Yelp.comreviews3 - are you doing social media - facebook, twitter4 - location, location, location. Groupon does map out your location and Groupon does like businesses near major rt. and highways
I also think all should be aware that Groupon doesn't do buisness with just anyone. Groupon does have a standard for business they feature. And the Groupon staff does do their homework on you and your business. So here are a few things that Groupon looks for in business.1- website2- online reviews. Groupon seems to really like [url]http://www.Yelp.com[/url]reviews3 - are you doing social media - facebook, twitter4 - location, location, location. Groupon does map out your location and Groupon does like businesses near major rt. and highways
Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 4:02 am
Elliemare
Post subject:
Re: Groupon for a home based business?
I am considering trying the online booking too. I've heard from other therapists that the online booking alone has brought them lots of new clients. I could also take advanced payments and credit card which could increase business. I might try that first before trying the groupon thing and I may not have to cut my prices so severe at all!I've got to say that groupon is working for another local therapist. He's about an hour away from me, sold a $30 massage on groupon and he's sold over 200 of them in the past 48 hours! It is encouraging to say the least.
I am considering trying the online booking too. I've heard from other therapists that the online booking alone has brought them lots of new clients. I could also take advanced payments and credit card which could increase business. I might try that first before trying the groupon thing and I may not have to cut my prices so severe at all!I've got to say that groupon is working for another local therapist. He's about an hour away from me, sold a $30 massage on groupon and he's sold over 200 of them in the past 48 hours! It is encouraging to say the least.
Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 2:06 pm
pueppi
Post subject:
Re: Groupon for a home based business?
Elliemare wrote:Quote:Since you've had the prior issues with strangers coming into your home and getting you off kilter and stressed, I am not sure that you would want to open you home to people you can't screen and choose if you will work on them or not (ie: people who may be similar to the men you've had problems with in the past). I know that's what has me concerned and it was also the first thing out of my husband's mouth too, "but you can't screen clients"... I was hoping that maybe groupon or something similar would attract a better type of clientele, not clients looking for "extras" (as JLW mentioned). I've had next to no luck with recent attempts at marketing. My practice has dwindled to next to nothing. Circumstances have changed at home and I MUST work now and bring in more income. I'm also back to submitting resumes once again, and seeking employment while I'm kicking around my options... AGAIN. I've even submitted some resumes not in the massage field, but its been 12 years since I've worked in an administrative job. I'm getting desperate and frustrated.Got it.I think you might want to just re-visit how you think of potential weirdo-s, in that case. Make a solid stance in your personal affect. Don't let them upset you... and be prepared to kick them out of your practice at the first sign of a problem. I mean, just really be meat-and-potatoes about the whole thing.Let's say a client comes in, 15 mins. into massage he starts scooching. You state... "if you continue with the scooching I'll have to discontinue the massage"... client stops for a min. then continues with his scooching or whatever it is he's doing and so you stop the massage. Plain and simple. I think, if you can do that without it being an issue for you, you can do a groupon. It is a proposition of sorts from the client that you just don't accept.Your personality in the past has leaned toward your becoming stressed about something like this. No more time for stressing... now, you've changed to simple action. "I'm sorry but we don't do that here, and as you were informed during the intake, I am discontinuing the massage. Your clothes are ."Another thought would be to start taking payment prior to the clients massage (then you don't have to worry about collecting a payment if this occurs). We've had some people who do that here at MassagePlanetL, and it works quite well for their practices. The discussion being something along the lines of "In our office, I take the payment prior to the massage so that you can enjoy your massage to it's fullest extent, instead of breaking it up with paying as you leave."You have to steel yourself that you may have a few people who don't look at professional massage like you do at first. If you just pull the weeds as they show up for about three years, and you'll have built a nice little practice after a while. It takes time. You can do it. 08/20/11: typos corrected
[quote="Elliemare"][quote]Since you've had the prior issues with strangers coming into your home and getting you off kilter and stressed, I am not sure that you would want to open you home to people you can't screen and choose if you will work on them or not (ie: people who may be similar to the men you've had problems with in the past). [/quote]I know that's what has me concerned and it was also the first thing out of my husband's mouth too, "but you can't screen clients"... I was hoping that maybe groupon or something similar would attract a better type of clientele, not clients looking for "extras" (as JLW mentioned). I've had next to no luck with recent attempts at marketing. My practice has dwindled to next to nothing. Circumstances have changed at home and I MUST work now and bring in more income. I'm also back to submitting resumes once again, and seeking employment while I'm kicking around my options... AGAIN. I've even submitted some resumes [i]not [/i]in the massage field, but its been 12 years since I've worked in an administrative job. I'm getting desperate and frustrated.[/quote]Got it.I think you might want to just re-visit how you think of potential weirdo-s, in that case. Make a solid stance in your personal affect. Don't let them upset you... and be prepared to kick them out of your practice at the first sign of a problem. I mean, just really be meat-and-potatoes about the whole thing.Let's say a client comes in, 15 mins. into massage he starts scooching. You state... "[i]if you continue with the scooching I'll have to discontinue the massage[/i]"... client stops for a min. then continues with his scooching or whatever it is he's doing and so you stop the massage. Plain and simple. [b]I think, if you can do that without it being an issue for you, you can do a groupon[/b]. It is a proposition of sorts from the client that you just don't accept.Your personality in the past has leaned toward your becoming stressed about something like this. No more time for stressing... now, you've changed to simple action. "I'm sorry but we don't do that here, and as you were informed during the intake, I am discontinuing the massage. Your clothes are ."Another thought would be to start taking [url=http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1126&p=8672]payment prior to the clients massage[/url] ([i]then you don't have to worry about collecting a payment if this occurs[/i]). We've had some people who do that here at MassagePlanetL, and it works quite well for their practices. The discussion being something along the lines of "[i]In our office, I take the payment prior to the massage so that you can enjoy your massage to it's fullest extent, instead of breaking it up with paying as you leave.[/i]"You have to steel yourself that you may have a few people who don't look at professional massage like you do at first. If you just pull the weeds as they show up for about three years, and you'll have built a nice little practice after a while. It takes time. You can do it. :)08/20/11: typos corrected
Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 11:12 am
Elliemare
Post subject:
Re: Groupon for a home based business?
Quote:Since you've had the prior issues with strangers coming into your home and getting you off kilter and stressed, I am not sure that you would want to open you home to people you can't screen and choose if you will work on them or not (ie: people who may be similar to the men you've had problems with in the past). I know that's what has me concerned and it was also the first thing out of my husband's mouth too, "but you can't screen clients"... I was hoping that maybe groupon or something similar would attract a better type of clientele, not clients looking for "extras" (as JLW mentioned). I've had next to no luck with recent attempts at marketing. My practice has dwindled to next to nothing. Circumstances have changed at home and I MUST work now and bring in more income. I'm also back to submitting resumes once again, and seeking employment while I'm kicking around my options... AGAIN. I've even submitted some resumes not in the massage field, but its been 12 years since I've worked in an administrative job. I'm getting desperate and frustrated.
[quote]Since you've had the prior issues with strangers coming into your home and getting you off kilter and stressed, I am not sure that you would want to open you home to people you can't screen and choose if you will work on them or not (ie: people who may be similar to the men you've had problems with in the past). [/quote]I know that's what has me concerned and it was also the first thing out of my husband's mouth too, "but you can't screen clients"... I was hoping that maybe groupon or something similar would attract a better type of clientele, not clients looking for "extras" (as JLW mentioned). I've had next to no luck with recent attempts at marketing. My practice has dwindled to next to nothing. Circumstances have changed at home and I MUST work now and bring in more income. I'm also back to submitting resumes once again, and seeking employment while I'm kicking around my options... AGAIN. I've even submitted some resumes [i]not [/i]in the massage field, but its been 12 years since I've worked in an administrative job. I'm getting desperate and frustrated.
Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 8:24 am
pueppi
Post subject:
Re: Groupon for a home based business?
Elliemare wrote:So you think it would be okay to try this type of promo in a home office?I have looked into the online booking and it scares me a bit. I don't like feeling like I'm not in control of my scheduling, although I don't like answering phones either, so it could work for me! Can people book same day appointments online? I wouldn't want anyone booking last-minute and me not knowing it is all.Ellie, I am just throwing this out there FWIW. Since you've had the prior issues with strangers coming into your home and getting you off kilter and stressed, I am not sure that you would want to open you home to people you can't screen and choose if you will work on them or not (ie: people who may be similar to the men you've had problems with in the past). I just don't think you can tell someone who purchased a "Groupon" that you aren't comfortable working on them, once they call to make the appointment and you start screen them. I don't know what the rules are on that sort of thing. You may want to think about what you would do if put in that sort of situation. Or, contact Groupon regarding any stipulations that may not have been discussed in this thread.
[quote="Elliemare"]So you think it would be okay to try this type of promo in a home office?I have looked into the online booking and it scares me a bit. I don't like feeling like I'm not in control of my scheduling, although I don't like answering phones either, so it could work for me! Can people book same day appointments online? I wouldn't want anyone booking last-minute and me not knowing it is all.Ellie, I am just throwing this out there FWIW. Since you've had the prior issues with strangers coming into your home and getting you off kilter and stressed, I am not sure that you would want to open you home to people you can't screen and choose if you will work on them or not ([i]ie: people who may be similar to the men you've had problems with in the past[/i]). I just don't think you can tell someone who purchased a "Groupon" that you aren't comfortable working on them, once they call to make the appointment and you start screen them. I don't know what the rules are on that sort of thing. You may want to think about what you would do if put in that sort of situation. Or, contact Groupon regarding any stipulations that may not have been discussed in this thread.
Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 7:22 am
JLWmassage
Post subject:
Re: Groupon for a home based business?
I don't see why a home based office would be a problem, but that is for Groupon to decied. And with online booking you can pick how far out you need to book. I have mine set for 8 hours and I get a text message and email when I client books
I don't see why a home based office would be a problem, but that is for Groupon to decied. And with online booking you can pick how far out you need to book. I have mine set for 8 hours and I get a text message and email when I client books
Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 6:52 am
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