Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/530196
best practices BUSINESS SIDE The Client Speaks What ABMP's National Consumer Survey on Massage Therapy Means to You By Les Sweeney, BCTMB, and Kristin Coverly, LMT Les Sweeney: Well, Kristin, we have the results from our latest survey of US massage consumers—Harstad Strategic Research's 2015 National Survey of Adults on Massage Therapy. Kristin Coverly: I always look forward to these survey results, which probably makes me a geek, but I think we get a lot of really useful information about client behavior from them. So, let's embrace our inner geeks! Les, what information stands out to you from this survey? LS: Survey says! Sorry, I always loved Family Feud. My ninth-grade math teacher was on it once. He didn't do very well. USE AND OPENNESS TO MASSAGE THERAPY LS: Kristin, one of the fundamental pieces of the survey is what I call the "head count": who got massage last year, who didn't, and then how nonusers feel about massage. The usage rate stayed pretty consistent with prior years—15 percent of American adults received a massage in 2014, which is the same as two years ago. There's a bit of a different cut at the usage question, however. When you look at the whole universe of respondents, here's what we got (see the graphic at left). What jumps out at you, Kristin? KC: Well, I think it would be really easy for therapists to be distracted and disappointed by that orange pie piece telling us that 42 percent of the people surveyed are not open to receiving massage. We could get caught up in thinking we need to spend our time and energy converting every single one of them to massage lovers. But I think it's smarter to focus on the 58 percent who have had massage or are open to receiving massage—58 percent of the population leaves us a lot of potential clients to work with. Let's spend our time and energy getting those people in our practice on a regular basis. 42% 42% 42% 15% 15% 15% 21% 21% 21% 22% 22% 22% Summary of 2014 Massage Use and Openness to Massage Therapy Not open, or just somewhat open, to massage Had massage in past, not 2014 Had massage in 2014 Very or fairly open to massage 26 m a s s a g e & b o d y w o r k j u l y / a u g u s t 2 0 1 5