Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68185
HOW TO MAINTAIN AN ENERGIZED PRACTICE CONNECT WITH COLLEAGUES Building a massage therapy practice, and developing and retaining loyal clients takes time and tremendous effort. While massage therapy is a rewarding profession, you may face the challenge of creating a steady cash fl ow, especially if you are self- employed or do not have an ongoing, guaranteed source of income. Many massage therapists, myself included, have experienced the anxiety of lulls in our practices and it is not uncommon to be loath to admit that frustration to others, especially colleagues. It's easy to view such an admission as a lack of business acumen and/or poor effectiveness as a therapist—a false scenario in most cases. I fi nally decided to share these feelings with another therapist and discovered that she was also experiencing a lull in clientele and was also concerned about her effectiveness as a practitioner. We then freed ourselves of this stress and proceeded to brainstorm techniques to boost our respective businesses. The thought that my colleague would steal my ideas never crossed my mind and vice versa. We were thrilled to have found a new support system and sounding board. We decided to meet regularly to discuss methods of promoting our practices and we always left feeling energized as a result of our conversations. When you avoid viewing your colleagues just as competition, countless ideas can fl ourish. Practice-Building Strategies • Establish a referral program. Give discount coupons to clients and ask them to pass CREATE YOUR NICHE Some massage therapists may also be prone to bouts of excessive worry during slow times and may feel that other therapists are taking more than their fair share of potential clients, resulting in bitter feelings. In the business world, there will always be competition, especially if you live in an area that is oversaturated with massage therapists. One therapist who lives in such a • The post-holiday season can be a slow time, so send out a mailing of discount coupons to remind clients to maintain or resume their massage schedule. them along to their family and friends. Then, if the family member or friend makes an appointment, he or she will receive a discount. Also, the person who referred the new client receives a discount. This is a good way to encourage clients to talk to others about the benefi ts of massage therapy and to recommend you. • Send out a simple quarterly newsletter to clients. Design it to refl ect the season and include articles of interest and descriptions of any continuing education classes you have attended. market told me that her way of standing out among numerous other massage professionals was to create a niche for herself. She chose a particular modality she's really drawn to—craniosacral therapy. She took extensive courses on the topic, became certifi ed, and developed her practice vertically. Feeling confi dent with the depth of her skill set, she sought other health professionals she could network with and educate about the modality. She experienced a gradual increase in clientele and is now known in her area as a specialist in her chosen fi eld. Remember that as a result of your massage therapy education and continuing studies, you have a unique perspective and talents that can be used to individualize your healing practice. • Maintain a client email list and use it to build your social networking strategy. During slow times, send out a last-minute appointment discount off er by email, Twitter, or a Facebook post. List specifi c times that week when these last-minute appointment deals are valid. • Generate new ways to build and maintain strong relationships with clients. This includes getting to know their likes and dislikes—what type of music they prefer, which essential oil scents they like or dislike, and whose feet are always cold so you know to have a pair of warm socks for them. Little details can matter a lot to people and that, in turn, creates a sense of client loyalty. • Create fl yers to announce the specifi c techniques you have to off er clients. For example, you might design a temporomandibular joint (TMJ) relief fl yer to distribute at local dental offi ces. Be sure to word the fl yers professionally, but in language that consumers will understand. • Create gift certifi cate promotions to correlate to the current season. Use a relevant holiday as the cornerstone of the advertisement. • volunteer at community events during particularly slow times. This not only provides you with an outlet for your work and helps people, but also allows you to advertise your practice for free. OVERCOME EXPECTATIONS Massage therapists may feel frustrated during lulls in business as a result of the high expectations they have upon graduating from massage school. Some schools do provide their students with a realistic glimpse of what the time and energy it takes to build a practice. Others, unfortunately, do not. And most of us have seen and heard the commercials on television and radio from massage schools that promise their prospective students a path to make quick money, be their own bosses, and set their own hours with no concrete mention of how this will happen. If students are attracted to promises like these and then realize that their appointment books are not connect with your colleagues on massageprofessionals.com 59