Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68005
SURVIVE AND THRIVE 1. PERFECT THE FUNDAMENTALS When evaluating the health of your practice, it's important to start with the fundamentals. First, get the basics right so people feel good about purchasing your services. Don't groan that this is going to be a lot of work, because this is stuff you should be doing anyway. Talk less, listen to your clients more, handle with care, dump excuses at the door, and consider these steps. • Stay on schedule. When you give clients extra time in their session, you aren't being generous with your time. You're being generous with their time. Stay on track, and you might have another slot to fill in a day. One slot a day makes a big difference to your bottom line. Time is money. Don't waste it. • Go through your files and update your mailing list. You're going to boost your retention rate by reactivating clients you've let slip away. When clients don't come back, it's not necessarily a dire judgment of your clinical skills. They just haven't gotten around to it and a simple reminder is all they need to return. • Remind clients they are overdue for a massage. Phone calls are going to feel pushy for them and awkward for you. Depending on how long your mailing list is and how much time and money you want to spend, send them a postcard or a note. No one gets letters anymore so a personalized note from you is very effective. If you're determined to spend no money at all on this project, e-mail. (You do collect e-mails on your health history, don't you? If not, it's time to develop your mailing list further.) Without measurement, you can't demonstrate how you've helped them when they start thinking massage is a frill they should delete from their family budget. • In order to spend more time working on clients, spend more time marketing. Therapists who devote one work day a week aren't losing a day of work. They're growing their practices because they know that if it's not growing, it's dying. Here's a key roadblock to your success you're going to have to get over: even brilliant therapists need to market their skills. There are plenty of less-than-brilliant therapists who are very successful. Depending on where you feel you fall on that continuum, this is either depressing or sensational news. • When those reactivated clients start coming in, they should have an improved experience. If you've got an oil-dotted wall, it's past time to repaint. If your sheets are see-through, replace them. Clean the algae out of the aquarium. Dust and sweep and vacuum and get rid of that spot in the carpet. You need to evaluate your clients' massage experience as if you are the client. Go a step beyond your clients' expectations. • Tighten up your paperwork. Are you in a rush to just get clients on the table? Can't remember the last postural analysis or treatment plan you did? If you don't keep your files up to date, you're sending a dangerous signal. You're telling them this isn't important. Record pain, stress, and energy levels. Without measurement, you can't demonstrate how you've helped them when they start thinking massage is a frill they should delete from their family budget. • Therapists who approach client treatment with a lax approach (and I've been guilty of this, too) often think they are showing they care more. Wrong. Treatment plans show you care about their health and that we are caring and careful practitioners. Demonstrate that and they'll be back on a regular basis. • At the end of each appointment, ask when they want to schedule the next session. It is staggering how many therapists fail to ask even the keenest clients about rescheduling. The client goes home, means to make an appointment, and never gets around to it. • When you do schedule them, don't just think in terms of the next session. Lots of appointments are coming your way. For clients to get the times they want, suggest they schedule several appointments at a time. Even better, establish a regular appointment time. Now you're making progress. 40 massage & bodywork january/february 2009