It seems that for nearly every issue, there are two sides of the coin. When it comes to working as a professional massage therapist or bodyworker, there are many ways in which being the local expert in a much-needed niche can serve to bring in a steady stream of clients and boost your bottom line.
The other side of this particular coin is that having a few diverse choices on your practice menu, rather than one specific modality, can help you bring in more clients as well, as you may be pulling from different segments of the population.
Let’s start with the first scenario, and imagine that you are looking to become the trusted expert in a chosen niche within your community. For example, if there are a few passionate bicyclists in your area and you are already seeing a large number of them in your practice, then you might consider becoming the go-to practitioner for this local bicycling community.
If this is the case, then you could look into continuing education classes that are geared toward addressing the issues of people who ride bikes on a regular basis. There may even be a continuing education class available on the specific topic of massage therapy or bodywork for bicyclists.
Even if there is not a continuing education available on this exact topic, you should be able to find continuing education classes that focus on the common injuries or issues among bicycle riders. By taking these continuing education courses, you can begin to dig into your niche and advance to the status of expert in your local area.
The other side of this coin is the massage therapist or bodyworker who may feel the need to diversify his or her practice menu by enrolling in continuing education classes to learn a whole new modality or technique. This need may be driven by a number of reasons, including a bit of boredom with one’s current practice menu and a desire to draw different types of clients to the business.
In this situation, you might already have an idea about a new modality you would like to learn, one that you have been intrigued by and curious about for a while. Perhaps you experienced this modality for yourself on a recent vacation, or maybe you have been seeing quite a few clients who you think could benefit from a certain type of technique you do not yet possess.
For example, if some of your regular clients have been complaining about headaches and neck pain, you might feel compelled to take a continuing education class on techniques to ease headaches and neck pain. As another example, if you feel drawn toward a more exotic modality, such as shiatsu or Thai yoga massage, then a continuing education class is the perfect place to explore the new modality and see if it might be a fit for you and your practice.
In the end, by taking the right kinds of continuing education classes, you can choose to advance or diversify your skill set, and improve your overall practice.