Is this a familiar story? Let’s say you have a new client schedule an appointment with you. They arrive for their appointment, and you feel that the massage treatment went well. As the client is exiting and paying for the session you ask if they would like to reschedule. They reply, “Not at the moment; I need to look at my schedule—I’ll call you.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 20% of small businesses survive beyond their first year, 50% beyond their fifth year and only a third are still active at the 10-year mark. How does this happen—and how do you avoid this in your own business pursuits?
A recent nationwide poll showed 71% of adults oppose animal testing, and in another poll respondents said that they would stop purchasing their favorite skincare and makeup products if they involved any form of animal testing. These viewpoints emphasize the importance of turning your massage practice into a cruelty-free space.
Massage marketing can sometimes be maddening in its lack of diversity; you’ve undoubtedly seen marketing materials using stock images of young, beautiful, thin white women with serene smiles, often with a flower blossom tucked behind an ear, enjoying their massage.
When a massage client hands someone else your business card along with a wonderful recommendation, that is the perfect referral. The possibility that this potential client will call you is huge.
Whether it’s expressly for learning a new technique or fulfilling requirements for licensing renewal, continuing education (CE) is an important part of the professional massage therapist’s world. Today, it’s likely that a good portion of that CE takes place online, which is very different from the traditional, in-person seminar.
You have the right to create a practice and workplace filled with only clients who bring you joy, satisfaction, and a feeling of being valuable. These also happen to be the types of clients who will rave about you to all of their friends and family. You simply need to set strong boundaries and be willing to enforce them.
I often hear people say, “I’ve tried everything to get more clients, and nothing works!” In reality, you have tried everything you have been exposed to once or twice—and when that didn’t yield immediate results, you went on to the next vague marketing strategy, hoping that would be the golden ticket to your success.
You can expand your reach, increase your direct income and earn passive income by working virtually with the global digital community—a community that is here to stay. All you need is a computer or a smart phone, your knowledge, some set up and planning, and you will be ready to begin offering online sessions.
Massage therapist Kimberly Pucka enjoyed taking in-person continuing education (CE) two to three times annually throughout her 28-year career. Then came COVID-19 and the attendant shut-down of almost everything in early 2020.