Taking walk in clients

[VICKI C]

How much success do you think can be had by a sign that says, "Walk in sessions available NOW!"

I just purchased a banner for my flexible sidewalk sign and the new banner says just that. The banner easily fits over the sidewalk sign and clips on with large binder clips. When someone is available for walk ins, the sign will go up.

I was sick last week and this week is full, so I won't be able to test the sign out this week and my employee won't want to sit around here if she doesn't have a firm appointment.

Does anyone use a sign to attract walk in clients? I get a lot of cars driving by and some foot traffic. Can it be worth while for someone to sit around waiting for walk ins?

 

[bryanhughjr]

Taking walk in clients

I think it would depend on where you live. If you lived in a bigger city and your business was on a main street... possibly. For myself, I would say, No.

I worked at 2 hair salons my first 6-7 years as a massage therapist. And in my area, for the most part there were few walk-ins... and what there was, was always in the summer. The businesses were located on side streets and one way ones at that... so that probably impacted how much foot traffic actually went by those locations.

Is your business located in a busy area of town? How much foot traffic goes by your business on the average day? Have you sat out front and counted? And even then your walk-in business may be very seasonal as well. (Depends on your location!) Are you counting drive-bys as walk-ins too? I mean are we just counting any appointment that has not been pre-scheduled?

Where I work now, as an employee at a day spa, I am not required to sit around and wait for "walk-ins." However, if someone does walk-in, I have to be available to be there and ready to start the massage within an agreed upon amount of time. I guess I'd call it more of a "short notice appointment" than an actual "walk-in." In my present location, on cold and rainy/snowy days we sometimes will get more "drive-bys/walk-ins" but if the weather is nice people usually don't want to waste their time here getting a massage when they could be out seeing people and doing things.
t102

YMMV

 

[spartanburgreat]

Taking walk in clients

maestra brings up some good questions.

For us, we will TAKE walk-in appointments, IF someone is available (we're shorter on "available therapists" these days b/c I'm so fatigued all the time now). Typically, these end up being for chair massages, which naturally don't take as much time to either set up or do.

We do not have a specific "walk-in appointments available NOW" sign, because... well, we never thought of it, for one thing, and because we'd forget to put it out at the appropriate times and take it in at the appropriate times, most likely. We do have on our business cards that we do accept walk-in appointments (subject to therapist availability, of course).

There's a hair salon with four hairdressers on the other side of the Curves in our building, and they have sent us a number of walk-in clients. I think it's really cool- they're over there to get their hair done, stat talking about the aches and pains of everyday life, and since all of the hairdressers have already been to see us, it's a shoo-in to send them on over for a 10 or 20 minute chair session.

 

[~ Jenni ~]

Taking walk in clients

The sign is easy to take in and put back out. I am thinking it would take a while to work. People would have to get accustomed to seeing the sign.

I think it might be even more beneficial to my not so regular clients who either walk by or drive by my office. If they see the sign and they are in needed of a session, they will be more likely to stop rather than some random stranger. It might take some coaching on my part. "Hey, I have this walk in sign. If you drive by pay attention when you drive by. If it is up, come on in right away and get a massage."

I could also do something with my website.

 

[sallytibstasp]

Taking walk in clients

Personally, I don't think such a sign would be worth it *for our business*.

I can see it being good for someone who does have, perhaps, several therapists working, who are often "not busy". For a solo/really small practice like us, not so much.

 

[ladycoltsfan]

Taking walk in clients

I don't take walk-ins... but I think your sign idea may be good if you like that sort of thing.

As a rule, it gets me "off-whack" mentally to stop what I am doing and take on a walk-in. I work in a much more fluid style and with a lot less stress when I have my day planned out. But, that is just me.

If someone calls and I have time to fit them in, I will do so, but generally I prefer at least a days notice when possible.

 

[zerojohnnyx]

Taking walk in clients

Can it be worth while for someone to sit around waiting for walk ins?

I think it depends on what type of setting you have. If you work by yourself you probably would work by appointment only. We have a small spa and the girls in the shop know that just because the day starts off with maybe 2 massages doesn't mean their day won't wound up full. So, if they want to work....they need to be there because you never no what the day will bring.

The sign certainly can't hurt things. So why not? I don't think "walk-ins" means some one is actually going to walk-in your place. We get more phone calls asking if we take walk ins. People are wondering if they have to have an appointment to come in.

We always tell them we take walk-ins if we have a therapist avalable.