Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/434495
best practices Who Are You Today? 10 Different Roles for One Successful You! By Les Sweeney, BCTMB, and Kristin Coverly, LMT BUSINESS SIDE Ever feel like your practice requires you to be a different person from day to day? Great—that means you're doing it right! Les and Kristin discuss the diverse roles therapists need to step into on any given day to achieve the ultimate role of business owner. Have you mastered all 10? 1. PUBLIC SPEAKER LES SWEENEY: One of my favorite Jerry Seinfeld jokes (it's nearly impossible to choose among the hundreds of great "Seinfeldisms") is when he talks about the fear of public speaking. He says, "Number one fear is public speaking; number two is death. That means at a funeral most people would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy!" Do you feel that way? All this gets back to your confidence. Remind yourself you are a professional who can be proud of who you are and what you do. And you are selling something (massage, health, feeling good) that people want! Don't get too technical—focus on them. If you do that when you speak, you'll be surprised how comfortable you'll feel. If you feel comfortable, you'll be more likely to seek out opportunities to speak. And public speaking doesn't necessarily mean giving a formal speech—it can be emceeing the local 5k or an event at your kid's school. Let that personality out! That's what people are hiring when they book a massage—YOU! 2. JUGGLER KRISTIN COVERLY: We all feel like we're a star performer in our own little Cirque du Soleil show—juggling what feels like a million responsibilities and roles each and every day. And often that's before we add our practice into the equation! Let's face it: there are a lot of plusses to having your own practice, but it also comes with a lot of ongoing responsibilities. Having a plan in place helps diminish that panicky feeling you get when you feel like you're about to drop one or more of the balls you have in the air. Set aside time every week to manage and market your practice, and schedule that time on your calendar just like you would schedule a client appointment. Knowing you have dedicated time to sit and focus on your business tasks helps ease the stressful feeling of juggling your long to-do list.