When starting any type of a business the biggest challenge is acquiring clientele. Once you have learned the specific skills that are unique to a line of work, honed those skills and readied yourself for marketability, the next step is to find your client base. To paraphrase the famous line from the movie Jerry Maguire,
"Show Me The Clients!"
In my 27-plus years as a massage therapist I have witnessed many therapists with great hands, and a promising potential in this field. Yet they were unable to create success because they could not create a client base. Being a technically excellent massage therapist will not ensure your success if no one knows how great you are.
Whether you're just starting out, or trying to expand your existing practice, being involved in good works in your community has several benefits. First, it raises your visibility, and it does so while associating you with something your community values and holds in esteem. Plus, that selfless act of giving to another, caring for someone or something enough to physically be there for them, enhances your sense of belonging.
You can run a business on a win-win approach. For example, as part of our Seated Massage Comprehensive Certification we created a program called Unity in the Community. This is our public service/good works training. The Unity in the Community program provides massage therapists with suitable circumstances to accomplish three important goals: provide people with their first professional massage; educate them about the benefits of massage therapy; and connect themselves and their profession to something the community values.
Unity in the Community has a simple proposition: We want to help those in need whenever we can by providing seated massage services for populations who can benefit by the service. Some examples are shelters for abused individuals, retirement homes and emergency medical support services in times of disasters and emergencies. We also help individuals or specific programs by doing massage to raise funds that go directly to the specified cause. When properly orchestrated, these opportunities present benefits for the recipient of the funds, for the massage therapists and for our profession.
Professionalism
When you are in the public it is important to take extra steps to demonstrate professionalism. For example, dress appropriately, be presentable, be friendly, be a good listener, and work at the appropriate level.
Wear Appropriate Attire. If you spend your days in a treatment room with clients, it's easy to fall into habits that would be ill-advised to present in public, such as working without shoes. This behavior might be permissible in some office settings, but it is not professional in a public setting. In general, it's better to be overdressed than underdressed. If you go into a presentation wearing a shirt and tie and everyone is wearing T-shirts and polo shirts, you can remove the tie. If you go to do massage in a professional office you should wear a shirt that has a collar. Obviously you would not wear a shirt and tie to do massage, but image is important.
Our profession has suffered from a poor image in the past. Consider the following story: One of my students was flying through a major city airport, and observed the person at the Seated Massage concession standing around smoking a cigarette, eating potato chips, wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with,
"I got my crabs in Maryland!" Each item cited above is a matter of personal choice, but does it present the image you want people to have of a massage therapist?
Be Presentable. Keep your work area orderly and presentable. It is a good idea to have a sign-up table and put all of the travel bags, coats, miscellaneous personal items, and your supplies under the table. Massage chairs are peculiar-looking devices. People are naturally curious about their design and function. After you have set up and have your work area arranged and neat, put one of your fellow therapists into the chair and do some work on them. People will stop to watch you.
Be Friendly. Ask the onlookers questions such as,
"Have you ever been on one of these?" The answer is usually no.
Your reply is, "This is a specially designed piece of equipment that allows me to get into the chronically tight areas of your neck and back." More questions follow. You will say,
"We are working today with the [fill in the blank charity here], the massage is free and if you would like to make a donation to their [insert the charity's special project here], you may do so afterward."
What we have learned in this donation scenario is that people are much more generous after your magic fingers do their work. After you have helped a person out of the massage chair you can say,
"If you would like to make a donation you can do so with the woman in the
[charity's name] T-shirt at the sign-up table." It is best to make that statement as casual as possible. You do not want people to feel pressured
no pun intended. (Part of the skills that a massage therapist develops over the years is how to ask good questions.)
Be a Good Listener. Sometimes in our exuberance to tell our story we talk over someone trying to tell us something that is important to him/her. If you observe people in conversations you will see this happening all the time. If you do it say,
"Oh, I am sorry I interrupted you, what was that you were saying?" It shows consideration and demonstrates that you care. When you are sending out messages your reception of information becomes less accurate
in other words when you are talking it is hard to hear the important details a client (or friend, or family member) is trying to relate to you. Pick up some information on active listening; it's an invaluable tool. Look people in the eye when they are talking as it is a sign you are paying attention and that you care. People will notice and it will make a difference in your effectiveness as a communicator.
Work at the Appropriate Level. Many people receive their first massage at these types of events. A significant aspect of this is interaction is that you become part of these people's personal histories. Whenever they think about massage, get a massage, talk to anybody about massage, or encourage someone to try it for the first time, you will be part of that experience. This certainly comes with a ration of responsibility. First, do not try to totally eliminate people's pain in the first visit. I know that we only do this out of caring, but remember, it has taken a lifetime to get to this point. During the first treatment, be gentle, be caring, and help them feel as much as their system will permit. I look at those first-time clients like an onion. I try to peel off, release, and remove as many layers of tension as they can comfortably give up. I want them to feel better after the session, to understand the process of massage therapy, and I want them to feel inspired to access this service again.
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