July 26th, 2007 Julie Onofrio
The thing to keep in mind when talking about what you do with people is that people want to know ‘what is in it for them’ - why would they need your services or want to get a massage.
If people start hearing a sales pitch they get resistant and pull away. You have to work harder to connect with them again and prove yourself.
When people are looking for a massage therapist - they aren’t really looking for you. They are looking for someone who can help them solve a problem they have with something - an injury, pain, stress.
I hear so many massage therapists talk about massage from their own viewpoint and not be able to connect with the potential client because they don’t know how to put themselves in the clients shoes.
Like last week I was calling around looking for a new massage therapist for myself. I talked to one person who asked me why I wanted a massage and then proceeded to tell me all about how busy they are and how good they were - they made it all about them - not me the prospective client.
What do you have of value that your potential client needs and how do you communicate it is one of the things that Site Build It! really helps you get a handle on.
In their free Ebook Make Your Content Pre- sell it talks about how to connect with clients in to build trust through a website. Even if you aren’t going to make a website - it is a good read to help you get a perspective on your ideal client. When you know who your ideal client is then you can market to them and tell them what you do that can help them.
SBI’s other free Ebook - The Service sellers Masters course talks about this too.
and the net-writing masters course.
The key is understanding your client and their needs. When you do that you can talk to them about what their needs are and tell them how valuable you are in filling that need.
How can you add more value to this persons life?
Posted in Building Your Practice, Websites for Massage therapists | No Comments »
July 25th, 2007 Julie Onofrio
I get email from people that keep me wondering what massage schools are teaching people or what kind of people are going to massage school.
The latest a plea for a job that was nothing more than this…
“help
I need a job.
massage tech. moving tawards licence looking for employer in Delaware. please contact me if you have anything availible for pt hours. ”
I also get random calls at the office - people leaving a message with a shaky voice asking if I am hiring. I don’t work in a place that hires anyone. I don’t hire anyone.
If you need a job this is not the way to find one. Just sending random emails to people on the other side of the continent and who do not even hire massage therapists is not going to get you anywhere. Making random calls asking for jobs when you don’t even know if people have jobs leaves me thinking that you are not really serious about finding a job.
If you really want a job in massage therapy start with doing informational interviews or asking around to find places that are hiring. Go into places and get a massage and see if you would really want to work there.
To find a job start researching companies that you might want to work for. What kind of company do you want to work for? What kind of atmosphere do you want to work in and what kinds of clients do you want to see? What places in your neighborhood are highly reputable businesses? What companies value massage therapists and pay them what they are worth? Who do you want to work for?
Often just starting out it is difficult to really know some of these things so it will mean trying a few places so that you can figure out just what you want. You can find more information in the job center at www.thebodyworker.com
Create a website for yourself that you can use as a resume. Write a resume. Write a cover letter that is customized for each potential employer. Tell them why you want to work for them and what you will do for them. Even if you are just starting out in your first job, you are already a valuable asset. Be eager to learn, willing to work all hours, be available, be friendly, learn to draw clients out so you can provide them with what they need.
Doing your research and finding out where you want to work allows you to choose who you want to work for.
Posted in Massage Therapy Jobs | No Comments »
July 22nd, 2007 Julie Onofrio
- Return all phone calls within an hour or two at the most. People will be easily impressed. Allow time every few hours to do so.
- Ask each client when they leave “Do you want to reschedule for next week? I have openings xxxxxx.” You would be surprised how many massage therapists overlook this.
- Get a massage yourself every week and pay for it (ok trade is ok but beware of trading as it has it’s downfalls). If you are expecting clients to come to you each week and pay and you won’t do it yourself why would someone want to come regularly to do. I also have learned the most from getting regular massages - more than most workshops and trainings. I learn more about how to talk to clients and get a better perspective of what they might feel when I do different things or not do some things.
- Carry business cards with you at all times
- Teach couples massage classes or set up massage exchange systems in your church or community
- Keep your advice to yourself and take your own advice
- Be on time for all of your appointments. It really shows that you respect the client and yourself
- Start and finish your appointments on time ( see above).
Posted in Building Your Practice, Massage Marketing, Starting Your Practice | 1 Comment »
July 21st, 2007 Julie Onofrio
After a very interesting discussion on tipping on my Yahoo Group for www.massagepracticebuilder.com I have gathered some of the information to share it here on the blog.
Is it appropriate to tip a massage therapist?
Is it appropriate for a massage therapist to encourage tipping?
Is it appropriate for massage therapists to accept tips? Should you even mention tipping on your website, policies or anywhere in your office? What is the best way to do so if you choose to do this?
Massage Therapists for the most part are licensed health care professionals. We can work in hospitals, clinics and treat injuries in some states. We start our own business and charge what we need to make. Some states still do not recognize that we are health care professionals. There also is considerable question as to whether or not we should be categorized as health care professionals as that encourages more licensing and legislation - more rules and regulations. Massage therapists also work in spas and salons and places like Massage Envy that do not pay the massage therapist a decent wage. They are sometimes only paid when they have a client and paid minimum wage just waiting around for a client.
From a contributor:
The origin of tipping is attributed to sixteenth century England where
containers with the inscription “To Insure Promptitude” were placed in
coffee houses and pubs. Tipping has become a phenomenon that is purely
voluntary and often associated with service that will be received in
the future, empathy for the worker, and compliance with social norms.
According to a research paper co-authored by William J. Boyes,
economics professor at the W. P. Carey School of Business, the number
one reason for tipping is to ensure good service in the future.
Subsequent reasons were, “to be fair to servers”, “to not be
embarrassed” and “because everyone tips”. Leonard Green, an authority
on tipping says that many tips are given as a representation of
judgment as to what constitutes a fair or equitable wage, and part of
what constitutes a fair wage is independent of the amount of the
charge, reflecting compensation for simply being there when necessary.
So with that being said, is it any reason why we don’t tip our
medical providers? We expect good service from them because 1. Their
educated to the degree that they are expected to provide a near
perfect service 2. They are well compensated for their service and 3.
And it is not a social norm to tip your doctor.
Tips in the food service business reflects the low pay of waitresses and waiters and influences the service they provide. They work to get their tips. They have to be nice and do whatever the customer wants to get a good tip. If they don’t - well there goes their income.
Is tipping a reflection of our beliefs about money? Do we charge less than we need to make to try to get clients in the door and then hope for a tip? Do you feel resentful being paid less or not getting tips?
Some spa and salon owners that include tips in the so called ’salary’ may be doing so to avoid paying you more. They may not really understand the value of the massage therapist in building their business. A well paid massage therapist will get more clients in the door than an underpaid one.
What does it mean when you work at one of those spas and the client doesn’t tip? Does it mean you didn’t give a good massage? Does it mean the client couldn’t afford it? ( Who really can’t afford an extra $5-10 really?)
I stopped worrying about tips when I started charging more for my services. I also think that tipping has a way of putting the receiver into the category of waitress/waiter, spas and people who cut hair/nails which is more of a pampering service. These people are usually underpaid for what they do. They need the tips usually to survive and especially waitresses who work their tail off to ‘please’ people sitting at their table so they can get a big tip.
Massage done in the health professional category should be charging an appropriate fee and and making enough money that they wouldn’t ‘need’ tips to survive. Would you work less harder if you thought you weren’t getting a tip? Would you work harder if you knew you were getting a tip?
Does the concept of tipping lead to more sexual advances when people think that if they give a good tip they will get a happy ending?
What is an appropriate way to convey your policy on tipping? Here are some good examples from the discussion:
“Are tips required?” and then answer
with: “No. Although greatly appreciated, tips are not
required.”
‘Clinical clients may not
tip, wellness clients may tip is so inclined, Thank you.’
“Gratuities graciously accepted”
So again there really isn’t any right or wrong about accepting or not accepting tips. It depends on your situation, where you work, how much you charge, how you view yourself - as a health care provider or a service provider and your beliefs about money.
Posted in Changing Your Beliefs, Money issues, Starting Your Practice, The Wealthy Massage Therapist | No Comments »
July 20th, 2007 Julie Onofrio
A recent movement that opposes state massage licensing is finally here. Brandon Raynor , a Naturopath and massage school owner from Austraila is here on a nationwide tour to show his opposition for massage licensing. Why is someone from Australia opposing licensing?
I think the main reason is that he has created a massage school empire and has a few schools in the US in unlicensed states.
I think what he is doing is great but it is very interesting that it takes someone from another country half way around the world to do this for us.
Here is an article from Salem OR newspaper and his blog - The Freedom Ride which does need some serious help and promoting which I have offered to help with if he can provide more information.
What he is opposing (which I do agree with) is that :
From the news article:
“We want the laws to be less restrictive so that they allow practitioners of other forms of massage therapy to practice according to the traditions and standards of their particular form of massage therapy. Right now, the current state of affairs standardizes all massage training into one particular philosophical and cultural approach that many massage practitioners find to be unfair.”
One example he cites is Thai massage. “Thai massage, as taught at the Wat Po temple in Bangkok, where Thai massage has its origins, is taught in the traditional Thai manner focusing on learning the Sen or energy lines and also on practical application, rather than on Western anatomy.”
He says people can practice this technique effectively after only 10 days of instruction.
“Raynor massage, which I teach, can also be learned effectively in 5 or 10 days and in many people’s experience around the world is a far more effective form of therapy than many conventional forms of massage therapy.”"
From his blog:
“Change the massage laws to ones that don’t discriminate against Thai, Shiatsu, Raynor and other forms of massage therapy and massage therapy training methods.”
Posted in Licensing and Legislation | 3 Comments »
