Add value to your practice

         Almost every day I find in my email  inbox an offer from Living Social, Trubates, or Groupon pitching 50 percent off of massage.   Due to the discount stampede, now more then ever it is important to have a unique value proposition encapsulated in a tagline which accurately describes your services and distinguishes you from the hoard of massage therapists falling over each other to discount. What you are able to offer a client is best said in a short, succinct, intriguing and digestible tagline. 

         My tagline is, "Bringing a nurturing touch back to therapeutic massage."  I have stuck doggedly to this for several years (unwavering persistence eventually pays).   My experience in massage school during the late 90's helped forge my tagline.   The school I attended is an excellent and highly technical 1,000 hour program.  During my year of study I learned much about therapeutic deep tissue massage.  My body experienced the technical massage style as helpful yet a bit assaultive.  After graduation I gravitated towards the Esalen Institute in an effort to temper my massage offering.  Esalen teaches a flowing, lighter and deeply connected style of massage based on the rhythm of the ocean.  The marriage of both modalities means my present style vacillates somewhere between a technical massage and dreamy trance-inducing flowing bodywork.  My clients are deeply loyal and receive great benefit.  As a result I have a full, spiritually, and financially rewarding practice.  My tagline, which directs clients to my table, works well enough and that is what matters.

      However, my massage is not for everyone.  In fact, it is probably too alternative and hippyish for eighty-five percent of prospective Bay Area clients. When you clearly state what is unique about your massage you will inevitably lose many prospective clients.  That is OK, because you are hopefully attracting clients with whom you would like to work with for the long term.  You are not for everyone, and everyone is not for you.  I have always counseled striving massage therapists that if they can attain 30 regulars they can achieve any reasonable financial goal.  If you are not yet where you want to be, do you have a tagline?  Does it communicate clearly what your massage is about?  If not, then this is a good place to begin to improve the quantity and quality of your practice.  As always, I am open to give or receive feedback. ezekielmuir@mac.com

Turn up the heat.

Yesterday afternoon during my 5 pm massage a heavy fog flowed into Albany from the Golden Gate. To keep my 1920’s writer studio office warm I had my Vornado cranked up to 80 and my EarthliteSamadhi heat pad set to 108.   While temperatures outside plummeted, my client remained blissfully unaware of the temperature dip and at the end of the massage he snoozed contently for 5 minutes.   A warm room is essential to a pleasant massage experience.  A client’s body and awareness should not have to expel energy to simply stay at homeostasis.  Coldness will affect the quality of deep relaxation. Sounds simple, right?  Not really.  In 7 years of massaging in the pleasantly cool San Francisco bay area I cannot count how many times I have heard clients comments like, “Oh, finally a warm office,” or, “It is so nice and warm here.”  While I am devoted to cooperating with other massage therapists, I am also in the business of picking off your clients as I heartily hope you are mine.  Let us raise standards through friendly competition.  However, clients traumatized by under heated treatment rooms make for far too easy cherry picking.   I understand the logistics that make it difficult to heat: All of the offices in San Francisco's drafty Victorians and mid three figure electricity bills.  But, if you want to run a successful massage business complete with repeat clients, heating and investing in electricity is essential.  Take care of the basics, of which warmth is one, and you will find your way to profitability.

Client wise

During a recent very deep tissue massage, I complimented a client on the quality  of her full breath.    She responded in a very matter of fact manner, "I have a lot of stuff stuck in my muscles, so of course I breathe deeply."   One of my favorite benefits that comes with being a massage therapist is the wisdom which clients impart for free during and after their session.   I loved her words, and they got me thinking of a couple of my all-time favorites.
 About 7 years ago I was spending a lot of time at Harbin Hot Springs.   Even though it was not the most directed period of my life, I am always the businessman, so I crafted a marketing strategy to create more massage clients up in Sonoma County.    One of the clients whom I ended up connecting with happened to live in older moldering mobile home that was not what I considered conducive to relaxing massage.   During Northern California's wet winters mobile homes have difficulty not becoming one with the earth.  As a result,  the atmosphere for the massage was challenging at best.    In addition  to the difficult atmosphere, the client was an indoor smoker and the house was cluttered and moldy.    During my first massage, I  marshaled my energy to block out the difficult workspace and do a passable session.  A few weeks later I was called back for a second.   I probably should have rescheduled the second massage because I remember at the time I was going through some relationship issues and was exhausted. However, true to the form of the time, I steam rolled ahead and booked the session.   Annoyed by my surroundings and tired, I admit that I phoned in the massage.   Towards the end of the session I thought that the client was in a trance but much to my surprise he opened his eyes looked directly at me, and said cheerfully,  "Don't worry the massage is almost over."   As spooky as the experience was, after that I never assumed that a client is not sophisticated enough to read my energy or state of mind.
On a more positive note, a client whom I have had almost every Saturday morning for the past five years recently floored me with a simple reflection.   As a client he is without a doubt one of my biggest fans, after every massage  he gives a few words of  ebullient feedback and the spectrum ranges from "I feel better" to "fantastic" or "magical."   Even with the sterling feedback, the reality remains that I've done over 200 massages with him so not every one is going to be the greatest.    On a recent early fall Saturday, it was warm enough to do the massage outside on his expansive cement deck. An unusually comforting wind for the Bay Area heated the air,  the leaf blowers from down in the valley were silent, and the only sounds were quietly chirping birds that drank from the modernistic bird bath.    In my massage practice, I call this an assist from nature.  Assists from nature are one of the reasons that the massages are so damn good at Esalen.    In addition to an assist I was well rested, had done a lot of yoga the day before and was ready to give a great massage.   During the massage everything flowed, and at the end he gave me some superlatives that I had not yet heard and then followed up his praise with,  "But it is impossible to chase massage experiences they just are." Bingo.
As massage therapists many of us turn to Scripture, Zen, Yoga, OSHO, Ekhart Tolle, etc.  to get guidance for our life and our lifework.    All of these are excellent sources for learning.   However, in my experience, some of the most precious lessons I've learned about life and massage have been from simple and profound client comments.  What are some of your favorite teachable moments or comments?

The first thousand. . .

I recently posted the last of my flyers from a box of 1,000.  As mentioned earlier in my blog, www.sfmassagecoach.com, I am a huge fan of having flyers as a component of any massage marketing campaign.  The flyers, with four pull-tabs each, went up on signposts around Lake Merritt, in every Starbucks in the East Bay, at Berkeley and Oakland Whole Foods, and just about everywhere else that I frequent.

So now I would like to report on the success of the campaign.  First, the cost: I paid about $160 for the box of 1000 fliers I went through ten rolls of double-sided Scotch mounting tape bought for $100 at Home Depot; and a nominal cost of gas and driving, as I truly just take the fliers along for the ride. The only other cost was time, which as a massage therapist who works an average of three hands-on hours a day, I have a lot of.

The benefit is a bit harder to quantify. I have had clients who call and say I saw you everywhere and decided to choose you.  “Everywhere” means a combination of the internet, newspaper ads, plus flyers.  Advertising psychology has proven that somebody does not even have to directly look at an ad to have it influence the buying decision.  In my opinion flyers reign supreme for this kind of affordable blanket coverage.  Directly from the box of 1,000, I had sixone-time clients, one client who came two sessions, and one client who booked 12 massages before moving to another city.  That rounds out to about $2000 of massage and a lot of name recognition for a cost of $300.  Not bad for just posting flyers as I ran other errands,

Stand-alone flyer campaigns have a much lower client retention rate than other methods I cheerlead such as having a yelp.com strategy. I attribute the lower repeat rate to a lower socioeconomic status among flyer clients.  Many of the clients from this campaign were enthusiastic about the massage but a couple rebooked and then cancelled citing budget concerns.  In fact, I have even gotten flyer clients who do not have internet access.

It is also important to note that I have had a full massage practice for years.  The average time a new client has to wait for an appointment is 3 to 4 days.   So, for me, my flyer campaigns serve to shore up and maintain an already full practice.  Due to unavailability, I was not able to accommodate all people who called for a session via flyers.  I strongly believe that flyers are appropriate both for seasoned massage therapists as well as newbies.  If interested check out earlier articles on my blog for tips on design and deployment of flyers.

Clean sheets? Get a second opinion.

Due to life changes, I recently found myself in a Laundromat doing a load of massage sheets.  While washing and drying, I got in a delightful and lengthy conversation with the proprietor.  Our discussion eventually wended its way to stories of massage therapists who have washed their sheets at his Laundromat.  He claimed to know who the massage therapists are by the smell of their sheets.  One of the stories he told me was of a massage therapist who complained to him that his sheets started to combust in one of the dryers.   Spontaneous combustion of massage sheets in dryers is due to rancid oil.  The therapist requested a refund for his damaged sheets.   Of course, the Laundromat owner had little sympathy to the sloppy massage therapist who almost burned down his business.  After the massage therapist’s query and admission, the owner kindly asked him to find another Laundromat in which to wash his sheets. The story reminds me of a simple but often overlooked business tip that I remind message therapists of:  Know what condition your sheets are in and get a second opinion. 
           A second opinion is key as it is impossible for you to know how your sheets smell.  You may have covered this in massage school anatomy and physiology, but just in case you skipped it or forgot, your olfactory nerve down-regulates scents in proportion to exposure.  If you are a successful massage therapist, then you are hopefully spending hours a day in the company of your sheets and in the process becoming desensitized to their smell.  So please have a non-massage therapist friend give you an unbiased and unadjusted second scent opinion.
     Just like you don’t really know how your house smells, it is equally hard to know just how your sheets smell.   But, if you detect a whiff of rancid oil, you can be certain that a client is going to smell it as well, only much more pungently. Massage is and should be treated as a luxury item.  “Old sheets” do not spell luxury in any language. 
By keeping your sheets new and thoroughly washed, you express to your clients that you do care about their comfort and experience, and you offer the best service possible.   Plus, you just might help save your local Laundromat.

Gifts

              When I open up my mailbox and find a Happy Birthday card from my dentist, I do not get goose bumps. However, I do believe that my dentist is barking up the right tree when it comes to gestures of client appreciation as an effective marketing tool. If my dentist showed a touch of sincerity, humanity and thoughtfulness in his marketing, as opposed to data mining my birth date from my intake form, I would be more inclined to schedule an extra tooth cleaning appointment.
                If you have been a massage therapist for a while you probably have a handful of long-term clients whom you know a lot about. To be successful in the massage business it is imperative to take notes on who your clients are.  Sure, this information will help you provide an effective session but also, on occasion, will provide you with the ability to make truly heartfelt gestures. A thoughtful gesture can make the difference between a regular and a lifetime client. I would like to share a couple of client gift stories I believe have made just that difference in my practice.
      A weekly client whom I have worked with for five years recently wished to purchase his husband a year's worth of massages as a Christmas gift. I have cultivated a relaxed relationship with both of these clients because that is who I am.  Due to the relaxed nature in which we do business it would have been entirely passable to just do a year’s worth of massages with no gift certificate, or to print the gift certificate off on my computer. Most likely, that is what he expected, as I believe I am one of the least formal people they know. However, the gift giver is an accomplished designer with a full time employment and, as a side, his own lines of products.  He certainly makes more in a year then I will in my career as a massage therapist.  So giving an outright gift would be a challenge. Besides, I don’t really have “taste.” However, I thought it would be nice to order a hand calligraphy card with a birthday message. I do not keep calligraphers in my resource bin so I turned to Yelp and found the highly rated calligrapher Barbara Callow of San Francisco.  I phoned her with the project idea and for around 200 dollars, she designed two gift certificates both of which looked fabulous. After our weekly massage, I gave the client both certificates to choose one to put under the tree. Knowing that I watch my money, he said, “I like this one, I will give the other one next year.”
      Another gift that is nice and productive to give is a gesture which supports an effort that your client is making.  A gift like this says, “Hey, I am paying attention to your life, and honor your journey too.” For six years I have worked with a client who lives in the city. Part of his life  are his annual participation in the AIDS Lifecycle.  This 7-day,  600mile ride through California is an important fundraising, community building and awareness-raising event around HIV research. This last year, during a pre-massage interview, we were discussing the grueling training and the effect that it has on his middle-aged body . After hearing him talk about the ride for years, this year, It occurred to me that it would be a nice gesture to sponsor his ride. As a client he has invested thousands of dollars in my bodywork so, to me, my donation is an economically trifling gesture. Before I packed my table up to go I asked for his sponsorship information. When I got home I made a $50 dollar donation online in his name. Before the next month’s massage he told me how much he appreciated the donation and that many people say that they are going to donate but do not actually follow through.
      My business is built on a foundation of long-term repeat clients.  Long-term clients provide me stability, insulate me from turbulent economic times, and show me the satisfying results of my work. I love my long-term clients. Over time, I have developed close relationships with many of my clients and part of the glue that keeps them scheduling are my thoughtful gestures. One of the most rewarding gestures I can think of is a well-timed and thoughtful gift.

Your website, your words.

When asked, most massage therapists say they offer a unique bodywork style informed by their experience and education.  Ironically,  often the same massage therapists who offer wonderful one-of-a-kind massages are content to cut and paste descriptive content to fill out their websites.  In effect, they are letting others words describe their unique massage.  Don’t be that therapist, creating unique content in the services section of your website will attract more and filtered clients.

A short look around the web at massage therapist’s websites will uncover many examples of lifted definitions.

“Swedish Massage is a very relaxing and therapeutic style of bodywork. It combines oils or lotion with an array of strokes such as rolling, kneading, and percussion to help the body improve its circulation. The benefits of this type of bodywork are wide-ranging and include relief from aches and pains, decreased stress levels in the body, enhanced mental clarity, improved appearance, and greater flexibility.”

While this is not a bad definition of Swedish massage, when used on a private practice website it comes off as a canned description.  When I put this definition of Swedish massage in the Google machine it produced 3,810 entries.  That means thousands of massage therapists across America are using the exact same definition to describe their own unique offering. For therapists who wish to sculpt and build the practice of their dreams, parroted definitions are tantamount to wasted space and a missed opportunity.  You have only one website for your massage practice.  That is your one shot to describe to a potential client what makes you different.

Here is an example of a personalized description I love, from Beth Baron CMT, out of Berkeley, California uniquely describing how she envisions myofascial release at work:

“Myofascial Release stretches and unwinds restrictions in the web of connective tissue that contains your muscles and forms your ligaments and tendons. It feels like stretching taffy or allowing tangled rubber bands to unwind. This work can relieve discomfort so long-standing you have forgotten what it is like to be comfortable.”

With words like “taffy” and “rubber bands,” you get a sense that Beth is playfully creative in her work, has thought about what fascial work means, and likely is a damn good therapist.  I believe potential clients are much more interested in what you think of a modality as opposed to being provided with its strict or reproduced definition.

Massage therapists copy content simply because it is difficult for them to put their work into words.  Thankfully, there are thousands of well-written massage websites out there from which to draw inspiration.  If you live in a University town it should be easy to find a writer to help you look over your copy and make suggestions.  Craigslist is also available as a resource to find writing help under the ‘gigs’ section.  Try any and all of these suggestions before you go the copy cut-and-paste route. A website is a major investment and marketing tool and you should take the time and care to use your own words.

  By putting your own spin on a modality and foregoing the textbook definition you are not depriving clients of knowledge. Thanks to increasing professionalism in massage and educational efforts, today’s clients are savvy and educated about what real massage is.  By the time they make their way to your website, most potential clients have a pretty good idea what a particular modality is or is not.  Nothing is written in stone.  If you have a blog site or an ability to easily edit your website, try different words and thoughts.  You will be amazed to see the results of how word choice affects the type and quantity of clients who call. 

So if you offer a modality, take the time and care to describe to a prospective client what it means to you and how you believe it will benefit them.  A prospect reading your writing is also looking for clues to of how your touch will be.  A little time, thought and creative writing will pay off immensely.