“Book Yourself Solid: The Fastest, Easiest, and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even if You Hate Marketing and Selling” is one of the best books I have read on learning to promote yourself in the service industry. I started reading it after speaking with Woody Haiken from The Growing Practice who is a Book Yourself Solid Coach. What is amazing about this book is that just about everything he says in it can be found somewhere on this blog or on one of my websites but he has put it all together in one place!
The concept of the “Ideal Client” is one thing that he talks about. I only learned about that idea in about 2000 or so when I started in the process of supervision. One of the first things we worked on was developing a vision of my ideal client. The ideal client is one who nourishes you and that you look forward to working with. When you work on clients that are less than ideal you end up drained, tired and most likely broke! I have another post on the concept of the ideal client.
Some other of the things he talks about is how service professionals tend to think about the sales process as something that is not congruent with helping others. Many massage therapists just want to do massage and they don’t want to do all of the work to get and keep clients. They often have an idea that clients will magically appear. Promoting yourself is really just letting clients know what it is that you do so they can decide if it is something that will help them. People are looking for a solution to their problems. I first learned about that from building my website with Site Build it! When you learn to create your website and other marketing materials and learn to talk about what you do from the perspective of just wanting to educate clients and create relationships the sales process becomes less fearful!
The main thing in ‘sales’ is building trust and establishing yourself as an expert. That is the way of Site Build it! too – the system I use to create websites. It taught me about building trust with potential clients by providing information. (Who would know that a website building system would actually be my business mentor?) They teach you how to write and create a website that does that. I can’t tell you how many clients I get who read my massage clinic website and say that they can resonate with it all and that is why they are choosing me!
Michael Port’s basic process for getting yourself booked solid uses these simple steps:
Networking
Direct Outreach
Build Referrals
Website!
Speaking and demonstrating
Writing
Keep in Touch
A few other great quotes I like from the book:
The book yourself solid paradigm of sales is all about building relationships with your potential clients based on trust. It is, quite simply, about having a sincere conversation that allows you to let your potential clients know what you can do to help them.
If you don’t believe you are worth what you are charging, it is unlikely that a lot of people are going to hire you based on those fees.
Becoming comfortable with the sales process requires that you let go of your limiting beliefs you may have about being worthy of the money you are earning and requires a shift in your perspective of the sales process yourself.
The book is a great resource for massage therapists in learning to overcome the challenges of promoting themselves. When you start understanding that it is just about building relationships and trust it won’t seem like sales. When you create your vision of your ideal client and create a marketing plan that goes along with it people will value what you do. Setting boundaries around that vision is how you take the necessary actions to create what you want!
After reading an article in Massage and Bodywork called “Massage Franchises – The Impact on the Massage Profession” I at first was deeply saddened thinking that it might all be true- that the self employed massage therapist was in danger of becoming extinct! (Well that’s what the article said anyways!)
To me, being a massage therapist was about a lifestyle choice of being my own boss and not having to work for someone else right from the beginning but back in 1987 when I went to school -there were no massage jobs at all! I went with 250 hours of training right into starting and running a business. I had some experience in customer service working previously in photography but didn’t know a thing about starting a business. It was essential in the beginning to network with other massage therapists and help each other out. I learned how to bill for car accidents and workman’s comp from my friends. I learned about leases and how to negotiate them and find office space. I learned by doing mostly and by sharing with friends. There wasn’t much help in the way of massage school. They didn’t teach much at all about starting or running a business.
One of the most disturbing things mentioned in the article was the fact that Corinthian Colleges are now supporting Massage Envy Franchises and supplying them massage students! I can see it is a good business decision for both – the massage school wants to keep students coming in the door promising them jobs and ME wants more …well I was going to say ‘slaves’ but was looking for a nicer word – I guess simply employees.
Franchises can be a good way to start for some. There are many younger massage students these days coming right out of high school. The massage schools have also increased significantly in the last 10 years . (See the increasing number of massage schools through the years on my site.) That would be an interesting topic to study – why were all these schools started? Was there a need for them or was it just dollar signs in school owners eyes as they saw how much money they could make putting students through school. (Yes I know there are some who take it more seriously and are genuine about creating compassionate, successful massage therapists.)
Was there really a demand?
So now there are all these massage schools trying to stay in business with the economy crashing and people not knowing what to do with their lives – so walahhh- the low cost massage was created along with low paying massage jobs!
At first after reading this article as I said in the beginning of this post I was saddened. I actually just thought it might be time to get out of the profession seeing it come to that! Then of course some time went by and now I am more inspired and committed than ever in writing and teaching massage therapists that they can actually start and build their own business if they want and there are other choices to low paying jobs. You can use them to get you where you want to be- with your own business or you can just skip that phase and jump right in with both feet to starting your own business. In fact set up shop right next to them and put up a big sign – “I fix $59 (or whatever it is in your area) Massages!” (Ok I also hate the word “fix” because that isn’t what we do in general -but it works for marketing!)
It is that time of year to start looking at how things went for the year and start revitalizing your massage business plan for next year.
Take a look at your monthly and weekly income and look for trends – the highs and lows. I was slow in the beginning of the year and also in July. November was my busiest month yet and Dec. looks like it will surpass Nov.
Start thinking about what it is that you want. Go back and look at your mission statement. Does it need revising?
Take a look at your marketing plan. What worked and what didn’t? Start planning for next year.
I don’t do a budget but I do a spending plan. I outline all of the things I want to do- vacations, CE, new major purchases (if any) and of course regular business and personal expenses. Putting it all together will tell me what I need to make next year to make it happen. Making it happen is the other part. It can get discouraging when you are slow which makes it hard to see the big picture. The thing with this type of business is that you have to be constantly doing something to make it happen.
Here are some of the things I do regularly:
do follow up letters to doctors who have referred people to me
write a email newsletter once a month or more if needed
add articles to my website for my clinic a few times a month
constantly talk to clients about getting regular massage and how it can help them reduce their pain and increase their mental/emotional awareness.
Get regular supervision sessions myself to get the support that I need
Get regular massage (2x a month) and go the the womens Korean Spa a few times a month (or more for both of these)
Stretch a few times a day especially working on the computer
Walk regularly
I always feel excited at this time of year. A new appointment calendar with clean pages that aren’t all tattered and falling apart. A new excel spreadsheet that is a blank slate for me to plan and keep focused.
If you would like help in revitalizing your business plan and starting out the new year, I offer email consultations or skype consultations. You can find out more on my page on consultations. Be sure to email me too when you purchase just in case it gets lost in cyberland.
For more information on massage business plans see my other website www.massage-career-guides.com. You can also add your comments there about what you do to plan for the new year or anytime of year. Sharing your ideas with others is part of mentoring others and helping the profession.
Adding value to your massage business will help you be able to make more money by charging more to your clients. First you have to find out what it is that your clients or people in the area want. You can do an informal survey of your current clients to find out more.
Since most people don’t know what they want or what is even possible in the massage world your findings will probably be limited but could give you some insights into what classes to take or what services to offer.
Some of the things that you can do to increase the value of your massage are:
Take classes in things like Rolfing or Structural Integration which is usually a year or more of training or classes in orthopedic massage techniques such as those offered by Whitney Lowe of Omeri.com or any of the big names such as Eric Dalton, Denise Dieg and others. Take classes that will set you aside from everyone else in your neighborhood.
Take classes that will teach you how to work with a specific disease or condition that will make you an expert in that area. Some things to consider are fibromyalgia, cancer, pregnancy massage. Learn how to treat unusual diseases such as Chronic Pulmonary Disorders.
Specialize in Deep Tissue, Myofascial Release, cranio-sacral therapy, lymphatic massage, sports massage (specific sports!) or triggerpoint therapy. Deep tissue is advertised a lot but not many really do it. Take a few months of training. Just taking a weekend workshop is just the beginning. To be an expert really you need to take intensive training.
Target Professional Sports teams such as basketball, football and baseball. These teams will have a lot of work for you and you will need to be on call constantly. You can charge much more for that.
Start a mobile massage business going into people’s homes. You can charge more or set it up so that you don’t go into a home for less than 2 people making it more worth it for you. You have to include your travel time and set up time in the rates you set.
Target high end hotels who obviously have people who have money going there. Targeting people who have money is just as challenging as to those who don’t as some don’t want to part with their money.
Learn how to bill for motor vehicle accidents. Most states will let you do that and you can charge more too when you do that. (Take the Massage Insurance Billing Class I have on the right to find out what you can legally charge and how to get it.)
You can also make additional income from selling products through your website and in your office. You have to be careful when doing this to keep the therapeutic boundary clear. Many people will often buy anything that you sell just because it is you selling it when they become attached to you as a client. If you use certain products for pain relief those are often a good place to start instead of getting into selling stuff you don’t really use or know about.
These are just a handful of ideas to start with. You really have to work with a coach or develop your own angle that fits with who you are.
The other part of this is that just because you charge more doesn’t mean it will all work out. Your beliefs have to be in alignment with what you are charging. To figure out if they are just try this little exercise.
Write down on a piece of paper what your goal and rate are:
I charge $100 for my massage sessions.
What feelings come up for you when you say that? What thoughts do you have? Things like “Yeah Right!” I can’t charge that much. People won’t pay that. Think of all of the things that you come up with as an excuse or reason for it not working for you. Keep writing the phrase over 100 times or more. After each time write down your little thoughts that tell you it won’t or can’t happen. Keep writing until you don’t have any more resistance. It may take a month or more of doing this to overcome your resistance. You can also find out what you are comfortable with charging.
You can’t raise your rates by $30 or something too high like that either unless you really just completed an intensive program or get support for helping you to make that jump. It is often too much for your mind to handle all at once but if you stay with it and raise your rates gradually you hopefully will find yourself making that soon.
The other part of this is that you have to learn to communicate that your services are worth that. When people call and ask what do you charge – don’t ever tell them up front. Start asking about them and what their problems are that they are looking to get help with. If they are a match for what you do, you can then educate them on the condition or talk to them about what solution you provide. People won’t mind paying more when they know you can handle more than other therapists.
You won’t be able to please everyone. You will lose clients when you raise your rates. Sometimes it will tell you just how much your clients really value your work. If there are special cases of people who really can not afford you you will have to decide which way to go with these people. There will always be someone who will charge less than you do. Trying to outwit these people isn’t necessary. Just stay true to what you are doing and your values. Respecting yourself in that way may sometimes be hard especially when you need to eat and pay the bills. Find other ways to make money rather than sacrificing your values. Hire a coach or start your own peer supervision group to get the emotional support that you need in making the changes that you need in your business.
If you try to raise your rates and you lose too much business it doesn’t mean that you can’t succeed in doing that.
The book “The Answer” is a really good book for understanding how to communicate your value as a massage therapist. Here is one of my favorite quotes:
‘The difference between being committed to your success and being interested in your success. If you are interested, you will do what’s convenient. If you are committed, you will do whatever it takes.”
Many think that just by thinking positively that it will help them make money. This is just really the first step. What it really requires is changing your beliefs about money.
To Change your beliefs about money requires the understanding of how beliefs are formed, questioning your beliefs and changing your perspective through the process.
The process for me has been quite painful and I also recommend that you work with a good therapist or life coach. I have both and a supervisor and a peer group that I meet with regularly.
The thing about money is that it is just money. The problem is really that we tend to attach so man emotions to it and equate it to our own self worth. Massage therapists have a tendency to say things like “It is not about the money” or not need much in the way of money.
Steve Capalleni talks about this in his book “Making the Switch to Being Rich
“. If you haven’t heard of Steve -he is one of the prominent leaders in the spa industry and has written on spa therapies and working in spas. In his book he talks about how massage therapists become massage therapists to keep themselves in the moneyless bubble. They think that being a massage therapist is more about helping people than making money and often wonder how they can charge for something so loving and caring. We keep proving over and over again that we can’t make a lot of money and then defend the position of having no money by saying we are doing more good than anything. He says “if there is an entire group of people who are almost all inside the moneyless bubble, it’s massage therapists”
Where beliefs about money come from.
Beliefs are formed at an early age. Beliefs are really just the opinions of others that are handed down to us by our families and in school. The whole grading system and having to do good and not be wrong in school instills fear of making mistakes. The most common belief that people have about money is that money is the root of all evil. You can tell what your belief is about money when you think about people who have a lot of money. Do you feel jealous of someone driving a Mercedes or even a Bentley? Do you wonder what they had to do to get that? Do you think that they must have had to sell their soul to get it or that they are greedy or doing something like taking advantage of people to get that kind of money?
Your beliefs can be found in your feelings and reactions to the world around you. Since most of our beliefs are really unconscious because they have become so ingrained in our brains and bodies, feelings are the only way to get to them. Whenever you are feeling anything but love or joy you can know you are buying into an old belief that just isn’t true. It does sort of bend your mind to start thinking like that. It is sort of ironic that the whole field of being a massage therapist is based on feeling. You can learn whatever technique or special type of massage and the only thing the client will know is how it feels to them. The don’t care if it is myofacial release, cranio-sacral therapy or effleurage. They just know how it feels.
There are so many other beliefs attached to making money. We think money will provide us financial security. It won’t. I know people who are multi-millionaires and they can’t sleep at night because they worry they don’t have enough. We think money will bring us freedom. You can have a ton of money to do what you want when you want or you can have no money at all and be a beach bum and have all the freedom you want. The other motivation for making money is Power. You can be like Donald Trump and Mother Theresa – yes Mother Theresa was all about power. She basically ran the richest church in the world. Some people look to money to feel loved or get love. Someone who does is the massage therapist who charges less than they need to make or doesn’t charge for no-shows or last minute cancellations. Instead of setting boundaries around money, they feel that it is more important to be nice to people and let them slide and they incur the loss of income.
Beliefs about money are also seen in things like how you promote your massage business or not. People can easily blame their lack of success in getting clients on the economy being down. While yes the economy is struggling, it doesn’t mean that you have to be struggling. It is easier to blame the economy than to take responsibility and do whatever is needed to get the clients that you need. Do you have a website that is at the top of Google for your keywords -massage, your city? Do you have a network of other caregivers that refer to you? Just doing one mailing to 100 people and not getting any response does not mean anything. Do the same mailing once a week and keep changing the wording until it works and send it to targeted potential clients until it does work.
Teach classes to groups of lay people on massage – like for couples or friends or co-workers. Offer free classes at your church or other group. Go out into the community and give and you will soon find yourself on the receiving end. The struggling economy only means you have to do things differently and start finding things to do to get the clients that you need. It isn’t easy and it takes also planning financially to start a business. Do you have enough in the bank to live for a few years before you start your business?
Tools for changing your beliefs.
The biggest thing that I think helped me start changing my beliefs was learning that my feelings are really the key to figuring them out. Your feelings tell you what you are unconsciously thinking. So since you can’t really know because it is unconscious – you can start asking -”What would someone be thinking that had that in their life”. Just start guessing.
The other part of this is that while you can’t really change your feelings – you can change your thinking. Figure out what you can do to start changing the feelings. Esther Hicks has a great explanation in one of her books The Astonishing Power of Emotions: Let Your Feelings Be Your Guide She uses a great analogy of having bad feelings is pointing you upstream in a river. It is hard going and difficult to get anywhere. You can just change the feeling one little bit to turn your boat around and head downstream. You change the feeling by changing what you are thinking or saying.
Your emotions are what indicate the difference between what you desire and your belief or your expectations around whatever it is that you are struggling with. Your emotions tell you that you are moving away from your desires. Your emotions are your guidance system to understanding why you are getting the results you are getting.
It takes much more than a few blog posts to really get this. I read and studied and worked with a financial counselor to start challenging my beliefs about money and success. It is still an ongoing process and always will be. The more conscious you become about one thing it has a way of bringing up things in other areas and you can also see deeper aspects in the same area.
She uses a great analogy of having bad feelings is pointing you upstream in a river. It is hard going and difficult to get anywhere. You can just change the feeling one little bit to turn your boat around and head downstream. You change the feeling by changing what you are thinking or saying.
