Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/918051
A B M P m e m b e r s e a r n F R E E C E a t w w w. a b m p . c o m / c e b y r e a d i n g M a s s a g e & B o d y w o r k m a g a z i n e 63 "Millennials are the first in the modern era to have higher levels of student loan debt, poverty, and unemployment, and lower levels of wealth and personal income than their two immediate predecessor generations had at the same age. Yet, they are extremely confident about their financial future. More than 8 in 10 say they currently have enough money to lead the lives they want or expect to in the future," says the Pew Research Center. 2 One might argue that it all goes back to money and debt. Maybe one reason, in addition to a desire for explored independence, that millennials are marrying later is due to a less-than-perfect economic foundation. As mentioned, more millennials are living at home due to a high demand in the housing market and an ultra-competitive job market. 3 SO, WHAT CAN YOU LEARN FROM THIS AS AN MT? Let's bring all this back to you as a massage therapist. It's important to understand that it's unwise to believe all the stereotypes of millennials, but instead to think of us as an open-minded, curious, technologically driven group. For all the generalizations my generation is graced with, I cannot deny that we are attached to phones, eager to read Yelp reviews, search for deals, and partake in self-care. It is important that you build an online presence. I scope websites before pursuing boutiques, check Yelp before getting manicures, scroll through Instagram before brunching, and I would not get a massage without checking out your website and reviews. Encourage your current customers to review your business on Yelp or Google. As a thrifty bunch, we are happy to spend money, but want to know it will be worthwhile. Incentivize prospective customers to come in with a first-time service special. Make your business fun; set up a monthly drawing and choose one client at random to receive an add- get it taken care of. These millennials," he shook his head, "they want to be compensated for everything. They want money for the hour they go and do this car thing, but that's not the way things are. Back in the day, we did things that needed to be done without complaining. You all feel like the world owes you so much." "So, you're angry that they're changing the way things have always been done? But why shouldn't they be compensated for working on their own time?" I asked. "That's just not the way things are done. You don't get rewarded for doing something routine like that," he said. After pondering that, I realized that we were both right. I understand that he believes people should keep their head down and work hard to do what's "right," while I feel like people should be paid fairly for their work. We could have stood by the airport outlets and argued all day, but neither of us would have changed our minds. How could we have changed each other's viewpoints? We grew up in different times. The conversation with Linden was interesting. HOW HAVE THINGS CHANGED? According to Pew Research, many things have changed since past generations. Millennials are getting married later, having children later, and standing on their own financial feet later than their earlier counterparts. 1 Although it may seem we spit on marriage as a whole, scoff at cooing babies, and eat jalapeño- flavored chips on our mothers' couches, one should look a little further. We are more burdened with debt than prior generations, but still optimistic. on or extra punch to their loyalty card. Touch base with us when we drift away by setting up email automation to reach out to clients who haven't booked in a while. I am one lone voice in a vast generation. To understand millennials better, just talk with some. Don't believe all the stereotypes you hear. Remember what they say, the shortest distance between two people is a story. Maybe the shortest distance between you and new millennial clients is a conversation. Notes 1. Eileen Patten and Richard Fry, Pew Research Center, "How Millennials Today Compare with their Grandparents 50 Years Ago," March 19, 2015, accessed November 2017, www.pewresearch. org/fact-tank/2015/03/19/how-millennials- compare-with-their-grandparents/#!10. 2. Bruce Drake, Pew Research Center, "6 New Findings About Millennials," March 7, 2014, accessed November 2017, www.pewresearch.org/fact- tank/2014/03/07/6-new-findings-about-millennials. 3. Richard Fry, Pew Research Center, "Millennials Still Lag in Forming their Own Households," October 18, 2013, accessed November 2017, www. pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/10/18/millennials- still-lag-in-forming-their-own-households. Tara Doyle has worked in social media and marketing for ABMP since 2015. She is a writer and can be contacted at tara@abmp.com.