Massage Practice Builder

Yes it is true that we are faced with a challenging economy to say the least.  Many people are losing their jobs.  As a self employed massage therapist, you are priveledged to have skill and tools that are now neeeded more than ever.  Awhile ago I watched a PBS special called ‘Stress Kills’ that talked about the research of Robert Sapolsky who studies stress in animals.

With the economy falling down around us the best thing you can do for yourself is to get regular massage to help keep you relaxed and centered in all of your actions. Reacting to such goings on won’t make anything better. Accepting what is and taking the steps you need to take can help you to stay out of the stress response and act more effectively.

I only caught the last half of the show but one of the most interesting parts is where he talks about a tribe of Baboons that he has studied for 30 years. About 20 years ago they started eating out of the garbage at a resort of some sorts and contracted tuberculosis. The interesting thing is that the Baboons who survived were the ones who were LESS AGGRESSIVE, more socially involved and who were groomed more often!

While massage isn’t grooming like the baboons engage in - getting regular massage is similar in that it is providing the soothing touch that our bodies need to let go of the stress that is internalized all day at the office or wherever you go.

Massage can be the refuge for the world for people to help them get through their many challenges.  While people may be short of funds, there are many who also value themselves enough to keep getting massage through these stressful times.  To me massage is more than just getting rid of people’s pain or injuries.  It helps people to feel themselves more fully and remain present which is the one thing that will also help people go on to find/create new jobs and get through this.

It is a time for us to all come together to start helping each other.  It is a time to start becoming creative with your massage business and finding ways to help people who are being impacted by their economic and job choices while not sacrificing your own needs.  It is hard not to listen to all the news, but I try not to listen too much so I can just stay focused on what it is that I want and what I am doing to help massage therapists and clients in dealing with the challenging economy.

A friend of mine teaches massage classes at a low cost to hispanic women so that they can bring massage to their families.  The history of massage is full of stories of how touch was used in community and in the family.  We have gotten so far away from touch at that level but maybe it’s time to get back to the tradition of using massage in family settings.  Boys were taught massage at an early age so they could massage their wives in some early cultures.  The Blind Japanese massage therapists went out into the streets calling “Anma” out and going into people’s homes to provide massage.  I have one massage therapist who wrote an article on my website about starting a church massage group.

What ideas do you have for creating community and promoting massage?  How can we use our skilled touch to bring people together?  It is almost like this troubled time is just for us to shine and share what we know and support the healing process that is only just beginning.

Finding a job in today’s economy is becoming a challenge in some areas.  Part of the problem is that so many massage therapists (and people looking for other jobs too) often think is that a job will meet their needs for security and that when they go to work for someone that they ‘deserve’ to make the highest wages.  Jobs just like money are a place where we project many of our unmet early needs which are now unconscious onto.  An employer will hire massage therapists and become the power figure telling you what to do and what not to do.  Whenever there is a power differential created there is plenty of room for projection.

Many massage therapists just blindly approach their job search without really knowing what they are doing or where they really do want to work.   I have my office in downtown Seattle and I can’t tell you the number of phone calls I have gotten through the years with just people with their voices shaking asking if I was looking for someone to hire them.  They didn’t bother to look at my website or call to ask what kind of business I was in or even if I was hiring.

If you really want to find a job in the massage profession do your research and find out what kind of job you do want and figure out ‘exactly’ where you want to work.   Instead of approaching people blindly go in and get a handful of massages.  Get to know the massage therapists there and network with them.  Find out if you like the environment, the service, the massage therapists, the rooms - everything.

Figure out what you need to make an hour and how many hours you need to work to pay your bills, take vacations, save for retirement, put the kids through school - everything.

Go into the place or places that are tops on your list and figure out how to get a job interview or find out who you need to talk to.  Instead of focusing on what you want from the job - tell them what you are going to do for them.   How will you get and retain clients which is the heart of any massage business.  Just because you are going to be an employee doesn’t mean you get out of marketing and educating clients.  A massage business will be as successful as their massage therapists are at building the business for them.

Show them what you will do for them.  How is your massage different from everyone elses?  What do you have to offer that no one else offers?
Use the Napoleon Hill of ‘Think and Grow Rich” method of getting a job-

First. Decide EXACTLY what kind of job you want. If the job doesn’t already exist, perhaps you can create it.

Second. Choose the company, or individual that you wish to work with.

Third. Study your prospective employer, as to policies, personnel, and chances of advancement.

Fourth. By analysis of yourself, your talents and capabilities, figure out WHAT YOU CAN OFFER, and plan ways and means of giving advantages, services, developments, ideas that you can successfully deliver.

Fifth. Forget about “a Job”. Forget whether or not there is an opening. Forget the usual routine of “have you got a job for me?” Concentrate on what you can give.

Sixth. Once you have your plan in mind, arrange with an experienced writer to put it on paper in neat form and in full detail.

Seventh. Present it to the proper person with the authority and he will do the rest. Every company is looking for (massage therapists) who can give something of value, whether it be ideas, services, or connections. Every company has room for the (massage therapist) who has a definite plan of action which is to the advantage of that company.

You can read more about finding a job in massage by visiting my website www.thebodyworker.com ’s Job Center and read my lastest article on my blog on “What Massage Employers Want”

One of the most challenging things for massage therapists is setting fees for massage therapy services but it is one of the most important forms of self care that is needed to avoid burnout or even business failure.  Money is such an interesting thing for many as it often equated with power and it is a place where we all project our old beliefs onto.

Massage therapists don’t want to charge for massage because it is such a nurturing, wonderful service and they think that people shouldn’t have to pay for things like that.  They set lower rates than others thinking that is what they need to do to get people in the door and keep them coming back.  They don’t have cancellation policies that support a business and often just let no shows or last minute cancellations go without paying.  Massage therapists seem to put their own needs for financial stability aside in order to get and keep a client.

The thing is that people do want to pay for your services.  When I first started out 20 years ago,  I opened my own business at a health club where the person before me was charging something like $25 an hour for a massage.  Even back then, that was a really low fee for massage.  It was a struggle raising my rates to match the going rate in the area.  An accountant friend of mine even told me not to do it because I would lose too many clients.  I did lose some but there were new ones that came after and they paid the higher rate.  Every year when I raise my rates, I usually get at least one complaint but all of the others say things like “It is about time your raised your rates”.  Actually the person who complained last year is one of my wealthiest clients.  What people can or want to pay has little to do with how much money they have or don’t have.  I also have a client who is a single mother and a day care teacher who makes it a point to always have money for her massage.  The difference is in how much they value massage.  I personally only want to be working with people who value me and my massage service.  Anything less becomes a drain on your business and your self.  That is why setting and raising your fees is one of the highest forms of self care.  I even created a new page on my website on setting your fees and it is linked from the section on Self Care.

So often I work with massage therapists and I hear things like “I can charge less because I work at home and don’t have as much overhead.  I work with mothers and they don’t have much money.”  They also say things like “I just can’t charge for massage because it is such a personal thing”.   These therapists don’t have a retirement account and are hardly getting by but they would rather ’sacrifice’ their time and take a client who pays less.  Setting introductory fees can be a way of getting people in the door or having special offers occasionally but consistently undercharging and thus underearning can hurt your massage practice (and the massage profession) more than one might think.

In some ways we are providing what people should have got for free- nurturing, relaxation techniques and support for their physical, mental, emotional processing.  How do you put a price on that?  I sometimes think we should be charging more like $500 an hour for massage sessions because of all the things that massage really can do.   I once had a client who had severe neck pain and compressed discs in his neck.  In about 6 sessions he was a different person.  He told me he had come in looking for relief from his pain and he left being a more peaceful person.  He was friendlier and easier to get along with.  How much is that worth to someone?

Why do I dread the benefits of massage?

I am sure you have a list of them on your website or on your flyers and brouchures. Here is a list on my site www.thebodyworker.com

Does anyone really know if they are true?  Have they been proven scientifically?

And better yet - Does anyone really care about them?  What does it mean to someone who is looking for massage that their circulation will be increased?

The so called benefits of massage don’t really mean much or matter for that matter.

What does matter is getting to the heart of what the real benefits of massage are and communicating that information to your potential clients.  Just put yourself in your client’s shoes.  I actually recommend that you do actually go out and try to find a massage therapist for yourself or even better for your mother.   Would you go to someone who only has the long list of the benefits of massage listed on their site or would you go to someone who really can explain what it is that they will be getting?

To get to the real benefits of massage - just start asking after each benefit -  “So What?”  and keep asking it until you cry or it doesn’t make any sense.  They you will know what you have.

 The previous poll from Massage Magazine found on the front page of massagemag.com asks:
What is your most effective marketing approach?

• • Word-of-mouth 79.2%
  • Print advertising 3.1%
  • Doing demonstrations at events 7.3%
  • Web site 9.4%
  • Offering discounts 1.0%

Word of mouth comes up first which it usually does.  I am surprised that more people don’t have effective websites.

Your website should be driving targeted clients to you every week.  It should be on the first page of Google when someone searches for ‘massage, your city’.   You can even find out how many people are searching for that to give you some ideas of how many clients you are missing out on using this free keyword search tool by Google.

Here are a few things to make your site work better for you:

• Sign up with Google Maps.  When people search for massage, your city there usually is a section at the top of the page that says “local business results for massage near whatever city’.  Click on that link and then scroll to the bottom of the page where it says “Information for Business Owners” and click on that and follow the steps and submit your site to the local business listings.
• Be sure to choose the domain name that is best for search engines.  The best name uses the most searched for keywords.  Most people search for massage therapists by putting in a combination of keywords such as ‘massage, your city’.  Use those keywords in your domain name!  Yes even if your business name is different than that.
• When you create a page on your website be sure to follow these easy formatting techniques that I have outlined on my site www.thebodyworker.com.
• Create a xml sitemap and submit it to Google and the other major search engines.  Don’t worry if you don’t know what a xml sitemap is really.  I actually don’t really understand the real details but you need to let Google (and the other major engines) know that you are out there.  Here is more on how to do it.
• Find affiliate programs like amazon.com that you can sign up to promote their products or ebooks on health or related topics and make additional money for your masage business.  You can also use Google Adsense which is a program that allows you to put Google Ads on your website.  When people click on the links you get paid. If you are adding them to your massage website you might want to wait until you are getting 100 people a day to your website and also write about 30 pages of short articles on massage and health to put the ads on.  Since not everyone finding your site will become a customer, you can still make money from the visitors.

Building Your Ideal Massage Practice starts with first creating a vision for yourself and your massage business.  Since massage is such a personal business it also helps to have your vision be compatible with your personal vision for yourself and your life.  A fun way to create and develop your vision is to create a “Mind Movie” for yourself.

Your vision will of course evolve as you do.  Start with thinking big!  What do you want for yourself from your business?   How many clients a week do you want to be seeing?  What kind of office do you want?  Do you want to share space or even rent space out to others?  Do you want to work alone or have others who can be a support network?  Do you want to be close to home or in a busy or quiet section of town?  What types of clients do you want to work with?  Start with describing the type of work - like working with pregnant women, elderly, athletes or some specific population.  If you can’t narrow it down - don’t worry.  You can develop that as you go when you start working with some so that you can learn more about what you like and don’t like.  Most importantly though your ideal massage practice will include clients who value their health and their well being and are willing to pay for services that support that personal value.  (more on this later!)

Learning everything you can about marketing and business is also necessary to build your ideal massage practice.  Most massage schools have a few hours or maybe even a weekend on this.  I usually tell people right out of high school to get a degree in business or marketing before going to massage school!   It is a constant learning process - something that you can do everyday.  There are many resources and support groups out there to help you along the way.

Another thing you can do is take the time to plan for your business and create a business plan and marketing guide.  This also includes creating a website for your massage practice.  I am sort of a website junkie as you may be able to tell.  In today’s world with all of the economic challenges having a website can help you get a regular stream of new clients.  People are looking for information online.  With a website you can give them more information than they ever dreamed of and become the expert in your area.  When people find your site by searching for “massage, your city” they start out without having to be ’sold’ on the idea of massage.  They are already looking for it - but not necessarily you!  With a website you can tell them why YOU! are what they are looking for.  There is a lot to creating a website like this but I have it all outlined on my website www.thebodyworker.com 

The process of doing all of the things and learning all of the things that you need to know to create a successful practice can be very overwhelming.  To make the journey lighter one of the best things you can do is to get support for yourself.  When you work on yourself and get the support you need to uncover your unconscious beliefs about yourself that are holding you back you increase your chances of success.  Participate in online discussion groups.   Start or join your own peer supervision group. (Peer Supervision is a fairly new concept for the massage profession but a much needed one!)

I’ll be writing more about it here.  When I started my own peer supervision group about 6 years ago, it is then when all of my websites and writings and massage practice started to really come together.

So what is your biggest challenge in creating your ideal massage practice?  Posting questions on blogs like this can also help with getting traffic to your website - not that potential clients will find you from this link - but search engines love to see links to your website.  It makes them think that you are popular so they give you better page rankings.)