Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/87297
BUSINESS SIDE Check how many CE hours you need by visiting the Members section of www.abmp.com. Log in and click on "State Regulations" under State Legislative Information. Twitter, for getting out the word about your new offerings. Be sure to post the news on all your social networking sites, and send your local media outlets a short blurb about what you've learned. Nita Johnson has just returned from Hawaii, where she studied lomilomi with Gloria Coppola. Lomilomi is a type of massage grounded in ancient tradition and is known as "the sacred dance around the table." Johnson is now offering lomilomi sessions at Mountain Bodyworks in Grove City. We must remember that the average member of the public, other than the already-savvy massage consumer, doesn't know the difference between lomilomi, neuromuscular therapy, and Swedish massage. Client education is key to the successful marketing of new techniques. Including good descriptions in your brochures and on your website and having an explanation ready for clients who call with questions are crucial keys to selling your new services. If you've been thinking about learning a new modality, you may want to gauge the competition in your area to see what's already being offered and what seems to be lacking. For example, if you live in a small town and there are already six practitioners offering lymphatic drainage, you might want to go in a different direction for your CE. If you plan to specialize in a certain modality, look around first and see what isn't available. There was a demand for lymphatic drainage in my clinic and no one was trained in it, so I contracted with a therapist who lives almost two hours away to travel here once a week to provide it. When she became so saturated that people had to wait weeks for an appointment, I persuaded one of my staff members to take a class. It's been a good return on investment. THE BOTTOM LINE How will you know you're recouping the money you spend for CE? Track the return on your investment. Currently, the four courses required to become certified in the Vodder Techniques of Manual Lymph Drainage and Combined Decongestive Therapy, for example, total approximately $4,000. If we add on another $2,000 for travel to the course site, lodging, and meals, that's $6,000. At my facility, a lymph drainage session is $90, meaning it takes 67 sessions to recoup that cost. With an average of three sessions a day, five days a week, that money can be earned back in slightly more than a month. As mentioned earlier, money may not be the only return on your investment, although it's certainly a good one. Learning to do your own taxes, creating your own graphic designs, or building your own website can save you hundreds of dollars in professional fees. Time is something most people wish they had more of, so learning how to save time by streamlining office duties is a great thing—and time, ultimately, is money. Laura Allen is the author of A Massage Therapist's Guide to Business (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2011), Plain & Simple Guide to Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork Examinations (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2009), and One Year to a Successful Massage Therapy Practice (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2008). Allen is the owner of THERA-SSAGE, a continuing education facility and alternative wellness clinic with more than a dozen practitioners. Contact her at therassage@bellsouth.net. www.abmp.com. See what benefits await you. 31