Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/640605
C h e c k o u t A B M P 's l a t e s t n e w s a n d b l o g p o s t s . Av a i l a b l e a t w w w. a b m p . c o m . 55 DISTINGUISH YOURSELF FROM THE FLOCK It is so gratifying to see the excitement, fulfillment, and fun a friend I've been mentoring (whom I'll call Ophelia) is having in building her success. She began her practice 18 months ago and now regularly works on 15–20 private clients a week. Partly because her clients have admonished her for not charging enough, she raised her rates in January. Shortly after she began work at an athletic club, the woman who schedules appointments asked the manager, "What's the story with Ophelia? We've been having a lot of people calling and asking when she works to schedule appointments, rather than just booking a time." Although somewhat shy and self-effacing, Ophelia does share some of her emails and comments from clients. Hardly a week goes by without a new client asking, "What do you call this work? It is totally different from most massages I've received." Although Ophelia does have an interest in deep tissue and myofascial release, in reality, she does a lot of relaxation work and isn't doing fancy sophisticated techniques. She is, however, always reading responses to her strokes by working and palpating at the same time, slowing down to pay special attention to areas that need it, and never performing rote or scripted routines. A typical comment is, "Nobody has ever had me lie on my side before; this is great! What is your schedule?" AS A PRACTICE GROWS, IT MAY BE WISE TO REALIZE WHEN YOU ARE BUSY ENOUGH AND TO SAY NO TO THE ALLURE OF EVER- MORE INCOME IF YOU BEGIN TO FEEL A SLAVE TO OUR CULTURE'S OVEREMPHASIS ON FINANCIAL SUCCESS. 2