Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/530196
visit abmp.com LS: I agree wholeheartedly. The quick reaction might be, "Wow, 42 percent of Americans aren't interested in massage." But as you illustrated, we can't worry about people who don't want to get massage. Therapists need to think about the 3 in 5 people who get a massage, have gotten a massage, or are willing to get a massage. That equates to around 147 million people. The harder part is picking those massage fans out in the crowd. KC: Right, it would be so helpful if they had "I Heart Massage" stamped on their foreheads! But that's why targeted marketing messages that educate potential clients on the benefi ts of your work are so successful at attracting the right clients to your practice. If you can let potential clients who are open to receiving massage know exactly how your work will benefi t them—success! LS: Rather than ask every person you encounter, "Do you like massage?" I think the smart step for therapists is to whittle down their audience by characteristics. In some cases, as we've discussed here previously, the logical way to do that is to identify behaviors or traits of your existing client base and focus on growing in those areas. But what's heartening to me about this data, Kristin, is the big number—147 million potential clients. KC: I'm curious about the "received a massage, but not in 2014" group. Why didn't they come back? Here's how they rated their satisfaction in different areas. What jumps out at me is that I assumed clients would not return for another session because of the quality of the hands-on work or the professionalism of the therapist, but the satisfaction numbers didn't start dropping until clients were asked about the physical benefi ts, health benefi ts, and value of their massage. It makes sense: if someone doesn't understand the value of what they just paid for, they're not going to be in a hurry to pay for it again, right? My guess is they just didn't fully realize the physical benefi ts of the work. We, as therapists, need to communicate those benefi ts more clearly and not assume clients will recognize 71% OVER A LL SATISFACTION HOW IT IS DONE 85% T H E M A S S AG E T H E R A PI S T'S P RO F E S S I O N A L AT T I T U D E 72% C O M M U N I C AT I O N W I T H T H E M A S S AG E T H E R A PI S T 74% T H E M A S S AG E T H E R A PI S T'S H A N D S - O N WO R K 74% PH Y S IC A L E N V I RO N M E N T I N W H I C H YO U G OT M A S S AG E 70% A PPO I N T M E N T O P T I O N S F O R S C H E D U L I N G A M A S S AG E 69% YO U R P E R S O N A L C O M F O R T L E V E L D U R I N G M A S S AG E WHY IT IS DONE 72% R E L A X AT I O N F ROM M A S S AG E 69% T H E P H Y S I C A L B E N E F I T S O F YO U R M A S S AG E 63% T H E H E A LT H B E N E F I T S O F YO U R M A S S AG E 62% T H E C O S T A N D VA L U E O F YO U R M A S S AG E Among those who received massage, but NOT in 2014 Satisfaction with the Benefits of Massage ( P E RC E N TAG E T H AT R AT E D 8 –10 I N S AT I S FAC T IO N ( S C A L E 0 –10 ) )