How many hours of free massage do you do per week?
Huh?
Yeah, I know, it seems like it should be zero, but if you’re using free massage (demo massage) as an advertising strategy, then that’s not the case—and I have a plan for you.
If you’re still at huh?, here’s why I recommend doing free massage: How to Sell (A Lot) of Massage with Your Hands.
My Plan for Doing Free Massage
Alright, for those of you who do free massage or are thinking about doing free massage to advertise, the answer to how many hours of free massage you should be doing a week depends on where you are with your massage practice.
In general, if you’re just starting out, you’ll be doing a lot of free massage. If you’re just tweaking your business–less.
The plan I follow is based on my experience using free massage as a strategy to build my private practice and now as a strategy to grow multiple locations. It has 3 steps.
Step #1: Give A Lot Away for Free
If you are brand spanking new to massage or your business is in desperate need of clients don’t freak out when I tell you that 4 to 5 hours a week of free massage is on the mark.
Okay, just seeing that in writing freaked me out a little, too.
But here’s the thing about free massage, I’m not talking about actual hands-on time. I define free massage as the time you’re making yourself available to provide free massage.
Say you’re doing demo massage at a health fair and you’re there for 4 hours, but your actual hands-on-clients time was only 2 hours.
So, rub time = 2 hours. Total time available to do massage = 4 hours.
That’s 4 hours of free massage in my book because 4 hours of your time was reserved for free massage.
Still a little freaked out because you think your hands will be crying?
Don’t be.
If you use massage tools, demo massages are easy. This article will help you with massage tools: The Mighty T-bar.
Step #2: Give Less Away for Free
In about two to three months you’ll get traction (more clients coming in), then you can prune free massage back to 2 to 3 hours a week.
Step #3: Give Little or Nothing Away for Free
In 6 months to year, once your business is rolling, you can back off to an hour or less a week OR you can stop doing free massage all together.
Our Phoenixville Office
Here’s how the free massage advertising strategy worked out in our Phoenixville office.
I went in heavy with demo massages for about 3 months.
First, I invited local personal trainers to come in to get a free massage.
Then I did demo massages at a personal training studio and at a chiropractor’s office on a regular basis. And I massaged runners every Saturday at a local running store.
After 3 months, as the Phoenixville client list grew, free massages slowed down naturally.
My newness was wearing out at the chiro’s office and the personal training studio. So it was time to stop at those places. (By the way, it’s been about 2 years since I did demo massages at either place and we are still getting referrals from both.)
I did keep doing free massage at group runs on Saturday at the running store for the next 6 months. That put me at 2-ish hours of free massage per week.
After a year, I dialed back the free massage for the Saturday runners to every two weeks and now it’s once a month-ish.
Why don’t I go to 0 hours of free massage?
For one, I like working the group run on Saturday. It’s a lot of fun and everybody there treats me like family.
Two, I stay connected to the running store staff and they include me in special events they have at the store.
Multiple Locations
I’ve taken this same strategy that I’ve used in Phoenixville and I’m now using it at our new office in Lansdale.
We’re still in the 4 to 5 hour phase of free massage, but should be in the 2 hour phase by the end of fall, and the 1 hour (or less) phase by the start of summer.
Using Free Massage for Advertising in a Nutshell
So for a general plan when using a free massage to build a business think:
| MONTHS | HOURS OF FREE MASSAGE PER WEEK |
| 1 – 3 | 4 |
| 3 – 6 | 2 |
| 6 – 12 | 1 |
Keep free massage as special deals you make with select people.
And don’t say a word on your website about free massages.
Here’s what I put on my websites to bring in clients: How to Build a Website Fast.
Get Massage Client Online Programs
If you’re trying to start a massage business and need help, this free course can get you to 30K: Jumpstart.
If you need to take your “okay” massage business to the next level, go here: Accelerator.
Comments on this entry are closed.
I have noticed that when we apply for a job as a massage therapist, then the employer ask for a demo massage for 60 min. Most of these demo massage are not the hiring purpose but they are looking for free massages. How do I avoid this situation. How to tell them No.
THANKS
Hi Shahnaz, that happened to me once. A long time ago I had applied for a job at a local massage place. I met with one owner. I did the interview and demo massage, and she wanted to hire me. But then the other owner called me and wanted a massage from me, too. After I talked to him I decided that he was looking for a free massage and this wasn’t the place for me.
But for the most part, I’ve found that serious massage/spa owners with a good clientele are entirely focused on figuring if you (and how you do massage) are a good fit with their clientele.
Personally, we never hire a massage therapist without having her/him do a demo massage. I need to experience what the client is going to experience–after all, our name is on the line.
That said, I don’t think a potential hiree needs to do a 60 min demo massage unless she/he is brand new to massage and may have an issue with finishing a massage on time.
So, my advice would be to go ahead and do the demo massage when you’re applying for a job, but to choose the places you’re applying to carefully. I would ask fellow MTs for work place recommendations. I’d also look for businesses that give you a positive vibe. The staff of the business reflects the management/owners. If the staff is miserable and/or unprofessional, it’s most likely the management and owners are, too.
Then if you find a place that you like you can nicely tell them about your past experiences when doing 60 minute demo massages as part of the interview process, and see if they request a shorter demo massage (like a 15 or 30 minute massage). At the very least, they will know that you are a serious applicant and that you’re not there to waste your time.
Please let me know how your job search goes!
Mark