You're right, Ezekiel. introverts have a harder time finding the initial contacts. It can be daunting to some people! But even introverts know someone who can help them get a start.

I require my employees to make on-site visits as part of our agreement. One painfully shy employee almost quit because she just couldn't ask for fear of rejection. She said she didn't belong to any groups and didn't know anyone who was. So we brainstormed together, and come to find out her mother was an executive at HP! Sometimes we can't see solutions through our fear.

She asked her mother to set up a visit and did nothing more than post a sign-up sheet outside a conference room, massages, talk to the employees about her findings & how regular massage could help, and hand out her card. I didn't even ask her to set appointments. (I'm sure her mother did a little "word of mouth" to get the herd going). That employee was fully booked in 3 months.

And you're exactly right, it's no better or worse to spend ad money or not. It's a matter of personal preference. I got the idea that Michele doesn't want to spend a bunch of money, and neither do I! I've always lived a frugal lifestyle and find that spending a lot is rarely required to get the job done.

Ezekiel OBrien said:

Those are really great suggestions Stefanie. I have always looked at massage and advertising partially through the lens of introverts and extroverts. If you are outgoing and have pleasant personality plus engagement in lots of community activities such as church then it is probably not necessary to spend any money on massage advertising. If you are more introverted and shy about doing things such as printing up business shirts then it is probably going to take a bit of ad money to get the business going. As for returning calls promptly that is really super advice. To spend ad money or not is not better or worse both take energy and effort. Once you have the clients either by corporate or self promotion doing good work, and as you say not talking so much is the best way to assure that you have to put less personal or financial capital in to promotion over time. Looking forward to the blog.

Hello Michele, I have worked in the same chiropractor office since 93 and have built a small client base through that location. I'm also a personal trainer certified at the same time becoming a massage therapist.I do pick up clients at gyms I train at. I really try to keep myself active in letting people know who I am and what I do. I just recently stopped working at a restaurant, a business I love very much, but since my business was doing so well and the ownership of the restaurant changed I just got out. So I suggest just getting out there, meet physical therapist, go to sporting events, where clothing that says MASSAGE THERAPIST. Become a trainer, a great way to make extra money. Wishing you tons of success.

Stefanie has some great points, massage is a personable field and in my experience people don't generally respond to ads for a therapist unless you're offering a super cheap bargain and that may (or may not) bring them in. I have found also that the best form of marketing is to go around to the businessess in your area that relate to the type of work you do and introduce yourself and speak with them about how your work goes hand in hand for a referral system.

Yes, and there are so many things that don't have much to do with the actual massage itself that will retain clients. Returning calls promptly is key, I can't tell you how many therapists' who I've called to make an appointment and their message says they will get to me at their "earliest convenience". Do I wait around? No-- I'm already calling the next one on my list! After the session sit with them and ask how they feel. Pull out and open your appt. book and ask them when would they like to schedule their next appt. People like to learn things, talk about massage and how the effects are cumulative, encourage your client to talk about how they felt after their session. Ask them if they feel more relaxed, if so remind them that with regular massage the effects last longer.

Making confirmation calls is good, so many therapists complain about "enabling" their clients and feeling like they're "wiping the clients a**". But you know what, the client appreciates it, it's like an extra. Make sure your office is clean, the bathroom is clean, you don't smell like sweat/food/cigarettes, the sheets aren't stained, the room is comfortable, etc. etc. To be honest, most clients' can't tell if your a fantastic therapist or what--but they notice EVERYTHING else. I've had clients come to me and give me all kinds of reasons why they stopped seeing their previous therapist, although they said they enjoyed the work and the reasons were things that I mentioned before and also-- talking throughout the session, not listening to the client needs, showing up late, not having the room ready when the client arrived, making the client feel rushed or that they weren't special and on and on.

In the almost eleven years I've been a therapist, advertising hasn't ever really done much. Many of my clients don't even visit my website and I've gotten few from search engines. Massage is very personal and many folks won't go to a therapist unless their friend or other trusted person recommends me.Most of my business (85-90%) has been word of mouth or from events where I was doing chair massage. Surprisingly, it did take me a while to figure that out about advertising and now I don't spend any more on that. Really, it's hard work, but get out there and speak with other businesses in your community. For example, I went around to gyms and personal trainers and talked with them about how my clients can benefit their work and their clients can benefit from the type of work I do. I also walked into acupuncture clinics and spoke with the owner and introduced myself. It helps to have a little packet with you of your brochures, business cards and maybe a little gift certificate for a sampler massage.

It may seem daunting, but until you try it you'll never know. People love to talk about themselves and their business. Ha! Can't you tell from my post? If you are enthusiastic about what you do, you can draw them in. If you're shy, you might want to take a class on public speaking or related topic to help you learn to talk to people.