Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68012
ten for today BY REBECCA JONES RESPONSIBLE RETAILING 1. Massage therapists looking to increase their earnings have three options: either charge more, bring in more clients and give more massages, or keep the same number of clients, but offer them additional services or products. In the spirit of "working smarter, not harder," many therapists are finding the latter option the more attractive. One good way to open that door is to introduce a retail element to your massage practice. Clients who have just enjoyed a massage—including aromatherapy, lush robes or towels, oils or lotions, relaxing music, supportive pillows— may be primed and ready to buy some of these same products. The massage therapist who is also business savvy will have a nice selection of goods. "Some statistics show that up to 25 percent of a massage therapist's revenue can come from sale of products," says Mike McGillicuddy, director of the Central Florida School of Massage Therapy in Winter Park, Florida. "I wouldn't guarantee you could make that much, but anyone who's not selling good products is missing a huge opportunity." If you're ready to take the leap and begin selling for the first time, or simply want to expand the existing retail portion of your practice, following are 10 things to consider. CHOOSE ONLY PRODUCTS YOU USE AND TRUST "You need to do some thorough product research and talk to others you trust before you offer them for resale," says Lynda Solien-Wolfe, a licensed massage therapist in Merritt Island, Florida, and president of Solwolfe Resources Group. She works as a consultant to massage therapists and other healthcare professionals to help them grow their businesses, and she's dedicated to the topic of selling good products to clients. Solien-Wolfe promotes the BUS approach to retailing: B = Believe in the products you sell. U = Use the products you sell S = Sample the products you sell. THE PRODUCTS YOU SELL "Say a client is experiencing leg soreness," Solien-Wolfe says. "I may know of a particular product that may help. I can make recommendations. That's where the consultation part of massage therapy comes in. If you're a consultant, you need to know what you're recommending." 2. BE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT Massage therapists should not only educate themselves about the appropriate uses and contraindications for products they use and sell, they should attempt to educate clients as well. "Therapists may be using an oil or a cream they were taught to use in school, but they miss out on the possibility of giving their clients something that will continue helping them after the massage treatment has ended," McGillicuddy says. "If you can offer them relief in between treatments, that's to the client's advantage. I think it shows the skill of the therapist not just to rely on massage techniques learned in school." Indeed, chances are greatest that a product will be used properly if the massage therapist who recommends it can explain to clients exactly how to apply it, Solien-Wolfe says. 3. SELL EXCLUSIVE PRODUCTS "Don't compete with Walmart," Solien-Wolfe warns. There's no point in selling products clients can obtain elsewhere for less. Rather, provide your clients the ease and convenience of obtaining products directly from you that they would have difficulty locating on their own. The exception: products that clients might want to use immediately. "We'll keep Epsom salts on hand to sell because after a massage, someone may want to immediately go home and take a bath and won't want to stop by the drug store on the way home," Solien-Wolfe says. 92 massage & bodywork march/april 2009