Page 11 - Newsletter August 2019

Cancellation Policy or No Cancellation Policy?

Massage cancellation and no-show policies are perhaps the most important part of your massage business frame-
work. Your business framework is what supports you in the process of doing business. Implementing these policies
also bring up strong emotions and challenges in doing so. Think about it. If one person a week cancels an hour ap-
pointment, and you do not implement your cancellation or no-show policy that’s potentially £2,000 - £3000+ a year
in lost revenue depending on how much you charge for your treatments.
Many of us go into this profession because we care but how many of us have said in the past, “Doing massage isn’t
about the money”, but let’s examine that philosophy. You aren’t being paid to care; you’re are being paid for your
time. Time that you must take away from your family or other things that you love to do. Being a therapist is a job
that you love but you only have so many hours in a day/week/year. You’re self-employed, you don’t get paid holi-
days, you don’t get a workplace pension; you need money to pay the bills, save for retirement, take a holiday; you de-
serve it all and that all takes money.

Late Arrival Policy

There is nothing more stressful than a late arrival. You may have factored in a little wiggle time, but you’re nice and
you don’t like to rush people off your couch at the end of the treatment. But what did you factor that wiggle time in
for? An opportunity for you to grab something to eat, and get a drink? Does it matter that you will have to skip your
break in order to change the couch and prepare for your next client? Yes, it does! Your client is paying for an appoint-
ment that starts at a specific time and ends at a specific time. If you give them more time when you don’t have time or
if you feel resentful that they are late and you think they are trying to take advantage of you, they probably are. Make
sure that you charge for the full appointment time, even if your client is late, and you finish at the appointed time.
Of course, there are occasions when you might not have someone after, and so you can give your client that extra bit
of time, and that is great but make sure that they know that on this occasion you can give them the full appointment
time, even though they were late.

No Show-Policy

The first thing is always to make sure clients know that you have a policy in place. You may have a sliding scale. You
may have a set fee. You may charge the full amount. It is your business but remember, it’s your time, your pension,
your holiday, your decision!

Making people pay for something that they did not receive can be challenging especially since they didn’t show up, so
how do you charge them? You can send them a bill or add it to their next appointment, but what if it was a first ap-
pointment? That is a tricky one and sometimes you have to let it go, but regular clients and clients who value your
time and work, will respect your policies and understand. People do forget; they may be poorly and forget to call and
when you call them to ask if everything is okay as they have missed their appointment they will usually be mortified!
They will almost always offer to pay, and your job is to say, “that will be lovely, thank you” At their rebooked appoint-
ment, they will usually come with their no-show payment in hand.

It is often a process of building up your self-confidence and getting over your fear of asking for payment. As you get
more experience you will usually find that most are willing to pay. Those who don’t want to pay, are doing you a dis-
service and may not value you or your time. This is where you need to practice self-love. You ARE valuable and de-
serve to be respected.

Cancellation Policy

As with Late Arrival and No-Show Policies, it is also important to have a Cancellation Policy in place. Be very clear in
your wording – “we have a late cancellation policy” rather than “if you cancel your appointment on the day you may
be charged” Most ask clients for 24 hours’ notice of a cancellation. You can set the cancellation fee and the time
frame.
One way to avoid late arrivals, no show’s and cancellations is to have a reminder service. Send a text reminder or an
email to your client the day before their appointment. Do not give them the option of cancelling! For example, don’t
say, “if you cannot make it…..” Do not sow the seed!

It is important to make sure all your clients know what your policies are. You can do this when your client attends for
their first appointment. Ensuring they are fully aware should be part of the consultation process. You might like to
draw up a contract outlining your policies and ask your client to sign it.

List your policies on your Consultation Form and ask your client to sign that they agree to abide by them.

When new clients call to schedule an appointment, consider taking a non-refundable deposit by credit/debit card to
secure their appointment but make sure you tell them of your policies up front. Tell them that you are reserving that
time for them and you will not take another client in that spot. Some online scheduling systems will allow you to take
credit/debit card payment to secure the appointment.

Make sure that all your advertising material, such as your business cards and treatment menu’s state your policies.
Your website and social media pages should also have your policies clearly stated.