5 Steps to creating profitable seasonal services
Does it feel like your services have become routine and unexciting? Or do you have to explain over and over to your clients how your services can benefit them in different ways? It might be time to get a little creative with your offerings. It can seem daunting to create new services, I mean how long did it take you to come up with your core menu? But this doesn't have to be an entire shift in your focus. Seasonal services can be very simple to implement and allow you to not only create some buzz around your business, but test out new offerings in real life without much investment.
Here's 5 steps to take to create some new energy in your services.
Analyze what changes each season brings your target client.
How does this season affect your target client? Are they outside playing sports more? Are they visiting family and friends more? Is this a difficult or busy work season for them? Does the cold or heat affect them in some way? This first step is key. Your main competitive advantage as a solo practitioner is your ability to quickly shift to your client's exact needs. No big corporation can understand their target client like you can. They talk to you about their concerns, their needs, and their pain points easily and often. And you have no red-tape bureaucracy hoops to jump through to make things happen. Imagine a conversation you had with one of your favorite clients about one of their struggles. Now imagine coming to them and saying I've created an entire service around fixing this struggle, just for you!
2. What needs does this struggle bring for your target client?
If your client is more active during this time, maybe they need a specialized massage for aching muscles with CBD or an infrared blanket. Or maybe they need a facial specifically for irritation that comes from sweating. If they suffer from arthritis, how about a massage focused on heat during cold months? Does the holiday season bring with it extra stress from family? How about specialized reiki session designed to restore your mind after your family tries to break it down? Maybe special life coaching sessions dedicated to keeping your confidence up around the Thanksgiving table. Or a special webinar about what holiday foods to avoid and what to make for nutritional diets that last through the end of the year? What if this is the season work swamps them and you usually can't see them? Maybe a shortened, extremely targeted appointment to tide them over offered earlier in morning before work. You have so many possibilities of how to use your specialized talents to truly help your target client.
3. How can you meet these needs?
You may not even need to create complete new services to address these struggles. For example, maybe its just using a new clay mask for oily summer skin. Or warm towels in arnica oil for massage. Finding a good chunk of obsidian for a client to hold during reiki, or even better, a tiny chunk for each client to take home with them. Giving each client a special written mantra to silently say while their Aunt is questioning all their life choices at the dinner table. A prettily crafted flier to take with them all about the foods to eat and stay away from at Thanksgiving. This is not about a new direction for your business. This is about showing your expertise in an even deeper, targeted way.
4. Price out your service.
I advise against discounting your services. It's easy, yes, but in the long run, if you just constantly run a discount on a service each season, clients will just wait for their favorites to go on sale. Instead, create value. Real value to the client. This is not something to lose money on. Know all your costs up front. If you're using an expensive facial mask, make sure you roll that into the cost. If you're handing out printed mantras or menus, make sure you've got that in there. If you need help with pricing your services to make sure you're earning profit, sign up to get my Pricing for Profit spreadsheet here.
5. Market it.
Tell everyone how this limited time service will help their lives. Put up a sign in your room. Send it to your email list a few times. Put it on your social media once a week. Start before you even offer it. Generate a buzz. Pick your 3 favorite clients and give it to them for half off if they agree to write you an honest review about it. Then use that review on your social media, on your website, and in your emails. Remember to remind clients when you're about to end this service so they can sneak in and get it. Above all, remember to focus on what problems this new, limited time, created specially for them service will fix for them.
Most of all, enjoy this creative process! This is you breathing new, fresh life into your daily routine! Let it be something that brings you joy and your clients relief!
Much entre-wellness success to you in EVERY season!
