Let's Bring all massage practitioners up to speed for a prosperous industry

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Deborah Herriage on February 16, 2010 at 1:00pm

This is a wonderful idea. How do we help?

Permalink Reply by Las Vegas Massage In Summerlin on February 16, 2010 at 2:07pm

~

Hey Don! Thanks for your participation!

A few comments if I may...

Don: I began thinking, wouldn't that be a wonderful objective for the massage industry? So many practitioners struggle financially and many close their doors because they lack business skill and important contacts.

Kris: Agreed! Let's work up some solutions!

Don: I'm wondering if we could "garner" (what a convenient word, given Jennifer's inspiration) the elders in this industry to comprehensively move forward substantive, beneficial and, yes, lucrative practices to ensure the lion's share of practitioners live financially well.

Kris: I think you're on to something here! Yet...

Let me just be blunt. Once again, not to step on any toes here, but....

Are the 'elders in the industry' really performing much better than the rest? I haven't seen any connection between 'twenty years in the industry' and 'financial well being.' I also know just as many 'financially successful 5 year therapists' as I do 'successful 25 year therapists.' It's only when I stepped outside this community to folks like Dan Kennedy that I began seeing results. Also, how do we define a lucrative practice? What does 'live financially well' mean to you? To me? A six figure annual income? A part time practice that's paying the bills and everyone's happy? It's just very subjective.

I hear what you're saying though, and yes, I'd love it if most massage therapists annual income was over 50k, or whatever each therapists magical number is. ;)

Don: We need more than "5 ways to build your practice" and simple to-do lists...

Kris: Do we? Yes, I'll agree with you. Yet, we must start somewhere. (And I see that you plug a 'ten-week practice' below, so I'm unsure of where you are going here.)

I have a 'one year to a successful massage practice.' As well as a 26 week program and a 13 week program, and 3 ways to build your practice and 5 ways to build your practice, and the 30 FREE top ways to attract clients, etc., etc.

Yup, we need more, but, we've got to start somewhere. This is what I'm finding out. We've got to get it down to the simpliest form possible. One step at a time.

This brings another thought to mind, which may not be very pleasant to many, yet I'm going to say it anyway....

I was told by several people, several that are extremely savvy in the marketing business, in regards to my e-book and its title. "Kris, you've got to change the name. Massage Marketing Using Facebook. Make it, Attract Clients Using Social Media, or Attract Clients Using Facebook. People don't want to learn 'Marketing,' they just want to attract clients!"

I agree with that, although I still stuck with the original title. As well as, it's a damn shame folks don't want to learn marketing. How is someone going to attract clients without marketing? MT's want clients, yet don't want to LEARN how to attract them! Sorry sorry, love me love me, but it's true!

Why don't people like marketing? Fear. It's outside their realm of 'knowing.' This is one reason I've moved from big, expensive, monthly repetitive programs to the very basic to-do lists. Efficient and effective.

How?

Obtain this simple e-book, do this, attract clients, one by one.

Define your target market, create a solutions based mailer, send it out. Get one client, perform an excellent massage, get them to re-schedule, ask for testimonials, referrals, build it, one by one.

But guess what? Many times that's still not working. So, I'm creating template letters for MT's to use for their mailers. I'm not going to give them away though. No, I'm not selling them, either. I'm going to ask MT's to send me what they have created, their mailer, then, we'll work on it together. At this point I'll also provide what I have. Get some interaction and some creativeness flowing. Learning. Learn how to market, thus attract clients for themselves.

Now, perhaps I'm asking to much. Seems to be working out so far though...

Don: We need a whole cultural shift. One from "money is dirty" to "money is helpful and powerful" and "I'm not in this for the money" to "I must make a living if I'm going to provide my gift to the world."

Kris: Hmmm....sounds nice in theory, but imho, it's an imaginary solution to a non-existent issue. I see these comments a lot in regards to what you mention above, yet I'm wondering if they really exist. Have you ever really heard those lines?? Everyone that asks me for advice is looking for results. Perhaps they did want to make everyone happy and thought making money was a crime, but soon realized that an excellent technique and loving compassion wasn't paying the bills and they'd best figure out what to-do.

How many therapists do you know that come to you that are already earning six figures and are working on being more compassionate? I don't have any! (They already learned this.) I don't have them asking me how to dispense this 'dirty' money.

MT's I know want results. They are flat a** broke, with one or two clients and want more clients.

Don: Look forward to our discussion.

Kris: Right on! Let's discuss!

Don Dillon, www.MTCoach.com

p.s. Let me shamelessly plug a series we did on Massage Therapy Radio www.massagetherapyradio.com called "10 Weeks to a Better Massage Business". Enjoy

Kris: Shamelessly plug away!

Permalink Reply by lee kalpin on February 16, 2010 at 3:53pm

This is an excellent topic.
As to the "whys" - I taught Business courses to massage therapy students for many years. To be clear, these classes were not specifically focused on marketing, but were about general business practices. We did touch on marketing and I told students how and where they could access other, extended courses.
A general observation is that many people who choose massage therapy do not have a head for business/ accouting/ money management. Whatever the opposite of "geeks" might be - that's them!! Many of them have little interest and aptitude.
However, many of my mature students had been in business either as owners or managers of some type, and they really took to the business and marketing aspect.
So I believe part of it is aptitude and part of it is maturity.

At some schools there is a mindset that the graduates will work for spas or chiropractors. I think of one school in particular, where many of the science teachers were chiros. The students had a high regard for their teachers - almost a hero-worship - and thought that was the highest goal, to work for a chiro. I tried to instill in them the idea that they could be self- employed (and maybe have a chiro working for them!!!)

As for "what is successful"???
I would say being able to meet our individual goals, whatever they may be. I have been in practice for 25 years and I feel I am very successful. I have more than met my financial goals. However, I know I could make MORE money and I know how I could do it, but I have no desire to expand my practice. I have met, and am more than meeting my goals. So it is individual.
I would also say that anyone who has been in practice for many years is probably meeting their goals. I can't see anyone choosing to starve for 25 years! Surely those who are not successful in practice drop out and do something else.

Don, if you come up with a plan for how we can mentor new or struggling therapists, I will be pleased to contribute
Lee



Kris Kelley said:

~

Hey Don! Thanks for your participation!

A few comments if I may...

Don: I began thinking, wouldn't that be a wonderful objective for the massage industry? So many practitioners struggle financially and many close their doors because they lack business skill and important contacts.

Kris: Agreed! Let's work up some solutions!

Don: I'm wondering if we could "garner" (what a convenient word, given Jennifer's inspiration) the elders in this industry to comprehensively move forward substantive, beneficial and, yes, lucrative practices to ensure the lion's share of practitioners live financially well.

Kris: I think you're on to something here! Yet...

Let me just be blunt. Once again, not to step on any toes here, but....

Are the 'elders in the industry' really performing much better than the rest? I haven't seen any connection between 'twenty years in the industry' and 'financial well being.' I also know just as many 'financially successful 5 year therapists' as I do 'successful 25 year therapists.' It's only when I stepped outside this community to folks like Dan Kennedy that I began seeing results. Also, how do we define a lucrative practice? What does 'live financially well' mean to you? To me? A six figure annual income? A part time practice that's paying the bills and everyone's happy? It's just very subjective.

I hear what you're saying though, and yes, I'd love it if most massage therapists annual income was over 50k, or whatever each therapists magical number is. ;)

Don: We need more than "5 ways to build your practice" and simple to-do lists...

Kris: Do we? Yes, I'll agree with you. Yet, we must start somewhere. (And I see that you plug a 'ten-week practice' below, so I'm unsure of where you are going here.)

I have a 'one year to a successful massage practice.' As well as a 26 week program and a 13 week program, and 3 ways to build your practice and 5 ways to build your practice, and the 30 FREE top ways to attract clients, etc., etc.

Yup, we need more, but, we've got to start somewhere. This is what I'm finding out. We've got to get it down to the simpliest form possible. One step at a time.

This brings another thought to mind, which may not be very pleasant to many, yet I'm going to say it anyway....

I was told by several people, several that are extremely savvy in the marketing business, in regards to my e-book and its title. "Kris, you've got to change the name. Massage Marketing Using Facebook. Make it, Attract Clients Using Social Media, or Attract Clients Using Facebook. People don't want to learn 'Marketing,' they just want to attract clients!"

I agree with that, although I still stuck with the original title. As well as, it's a damn shame folks don't want to learn marketing. How is someone going to attract clients without marketing? MT's want clients, yet don't want to LEARN how to attract them! Sorry sorry, love me love me, but it's true!

Why don't people like marketing? Fear. It's outside their realm of 'knowing.' This is one reason I've moved from big, expensive, monthly repetitive programs to the very basic to-do lists. Efficient and effective.

How?

Obtain this simple e-book, do this, attract clients, one by one.

Define your target market, create a solutions based mailer, send it out. Get one client, perform an excellent massage, get them to re-schedule, ask for testimonials, referrals, build it, one by one.

But guess what? Many times that's still not working. So, I'm creating template letters for MT's to use for their mailers. I'm not going to give them away though. No, I'm not selling them, either. I'm going to ask MT's to send me what they have created, their mailer, then, we'll work on it together. At this point I'll also provide what I have. Get some interaction and some creativeness flowing. Learning. Learn how to market, thus attract clients for themselves.

Now, perhaps I'm asking to much. Seems to be working out so far though...

Don: We need a whole cultural shift. One from "money is dirty" to "money is helpful and powerful" and "I'm not in this for the money" to "I must make a living if I'm going to provide my gift to the world."

Kris: Hmmm....sounds nice in theory, but imho, it's an imaginary solution to a non-existent issue. I see these comments a lot in regards to what you mention above, yet I'm wondering if they really exist. Have you ever really heard those lines?? Everyone that asks me for advice is looking for results. Perhaps they did want to make everyone happy and thought making money was a crime, but soon realized that an excellent technique and loving compassion wasn't paying the bills and they'd best figure out what to-do.

How many therapists do you know that come to you that are already earning six figures and are working on being more compassionate? I don't have any! (They already learned this.) I don't have them asking me how to dispense this 'dirty' money.

MT's I know want results. They are flat a** broke, with one or two clients and want more clients.

Don: Look forward to our discussion.

Kris: Right on! Let's discuss!

Don Dillon, www.MTCoach.com

p.s. Let me shamelessly plug a series we did on Massage Therapy Radio www.massagetherapyradio.com called "10 Weeks to a Better Massage Business". Enjoy

Kris: Shamelessly plug away!

Permalink Reply by lee kalpin on February 16, 2010 at 9:48pm

By the way Don, I have an issue with the use of the term "massage INDUSTRY". I consider that we are part of a healthcare profession and would much sooner see the term MASSAGE PROFESSION used.
To me, the term "industry" gives me the image of people working on an assembly line in a factory.

Permalink Reply by Las Vegas Massage In Summerlin on February 17, 2010 at 11:04am

lee kalpin said:

To me, the term "industry" gives me the image of people working on an assembly line in a factory.

If you work for someone else, isn't this true? Perhaps a glorified compassionate assisting others assembly line, yet.....?

Permalink Reply by Las Vegas Massage In Summerlin on February 17, 2010 at 11:07am

~

I found this in my E-mail from Illuminated Mind, seemed appropriate:

Why Most People Fail to Make a Living Doing What They Love

Posted: 16 Feb 2010 07:21 AM PST

More people are waking up to the reality that they don’t follow the typical work template: college > corporate job: ladder climbing > retirement.

But waking up to the possibility isn’t enough, and unfortunately, a lot of people fail at making it happen. They know what they don’t want — a 9 to 5 soul-sucking job — but they don’t know how to escape. Some people come up with a plan, a business idea and attempt to follow an obscure path. And they often fail as well.

So why is that?

I’ve found that the answer usually has to do with one of these three things:

• Lack of value. This one comes first because if you get everything else right, but don’t absolutely nail this, nothing else really matters. It doesn’t matter if you think cocoa butter shaving cream is fan-fu*****-tastic if no one else cares. So ultimately, you have to put value above everything first and foremost. Of course, follow your heart, but make sure what’s in your heart can correlate to someone else’s wallet.
• Not wanting to run a business. A lot of people want to work for themselves, but when they find out they have to run a business, they are surprised. When you work for someone else, a lot goes on behind the scenes that you’re probably unaware: administrative, accounting, and other management work needs to be done. You can of course outsource or hire someone to do a lot of this stuff, but usually when you’re a first starting out, without a big budget, you have to handle this alone for a while.
• Not wanting to be a marketer. Many people want to make a living doing something they’re passionate about, or create an income from their art. But not a lot of people like actively selling themselves or promoting their work. A lot of people see this as sleazy, dirty, or even unethical. But in reality, products and services don’t sell themselves. It takes learning ethical marketing practices to truly be successful at making a living doing what you love. In reality, integrity-based marketing is merely the effective communication of value to the right person. When you see things from this context, it’s easier to become accustomed to marketing yourself and your business.
• 
  These are the three main pitfalls people tend to get caught up in, and cause them to never successfully make a living doing what they love.
  
  If you’ve ever tried to, or wanted to create an income doing something you’re passionate about, maybe you’ve been afraid of facing these things too. I know I was when I first started out on this path.
  
  It’s time for a new paradigm.
  
  Link to complete article: http://www.illuminatedmind.net/
  
  Kris

Permalink Reply by Don Dillon, RMT on March 3, 2010 at 6:37pm

Hello Lee, a fellow Canadian!

I use the term industry because not only practitioners are involved or affected by the health of the massage therapy profession. We have suppliers and product manufacturers, conference planners, publications, schools and professional associations, and various affiliates and interested parties...all working to ensure the health of the industry.

In your context, however, industry also applies, implicating diligent hard work. Given the mass provision of care by massage practitioners across the world, I would call that industry too!

As well, I think we're still defining oursevles as a profession, with some practitioners prefering less regulation or requirement to work in the booming spa industry, while those of us in clinical application hope for more research and evidence-based practice to open th edoor to more funding. How can a profession have such a broad definition, especially when the two main identities are often at cross-paths with each other?

I would expand on Kelly's assumption that industry or hard work is relegated to those practitioners who work for others. Every statistic I've seen on self-employed individuals - in our industry or otherwise - work very hard, long hours, many with less return than those employed. I've done both, and self-employed is industrious too!

Thanks for reading.

lee kalpin said:

By the way Don, I have an issue with the use of the term "massage INDUSTRY". I consider that we are part of a healthcare profession and would much sooner see the term MASSAGE PROFESSION used.
To me, the term "industry" gives me the image of people working on an assembly line in a factory.

Permalink Reply by Marla Barrett on March 5, 2010 at 8:14pm

I love it!!!!

Permalink Reply by Las Vegas Massage In Summerlin on March 7, 2010 at 12:00pm

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Rick wrote:

I ran into my former instructor from massage school a couple of years ago and naturally she asked what I was up to. I let her know that I had expanded from my sole practitioner practice to opening a massage center and had 8 therapists working for me. Her response " So you've turned into one of those, I had such better hopes for you." She is one of the top ten therapists from a skills, knowledge and healing perspective that I have ever known, but she struggles every day in order to keep her practice going.

Kris:

Understood...chuckles.

Perhaps the place to start is to “deprogram” some of the nonsense and misconceptions that pollute this industry. This is the crucial first step towards becoming a highly-effective, well-paid, professional massage therapist.

Kris

Permalink Reply by Ann Ross on March 11, 2010 at 10:03pm

Hey Everyone!

I love all of the feedback on this discussion. Don, thank you for bringing up this great subject!

I agree that there needs to be more focus on actual systematization to help massage therapists grow their practices.

When I graduated in 2004 and started my business, I didn't realize that building my business was going to be as hard as it was. With that said however, it was no longer hard once I took the time and spent the money to learn the fundamentals. Was it challenging? Absolutely! But once I learned how to do it, that is when I began to build the successful business I have and am so proud of today!

My school did not teach us the important things such as, correct mindset, positioning, customer service, money management, marketing etc. I felt very misled upon deciding to start my business. I had to take my own life experiences and desire to be self employed as a platform to build upon.

One of the hardest things to teach people is to shift their mindset. This is within any industry and is certainly not specific to massage therapists. I often look at the world within a certain frame...there are those that are willing to do whatever it takes to "make it happen", and there are those that will continue to make excuses as to why it "isn't happening".

If you want something bad enough, you will do the work...it's simple. I think a lot of the issues lie in massage therapists not wanting to spend the time or money to learn what it takes to be successful within this industry. The problem is that there are so many dumb commercials advertising massage therapy school as a quick, easy way to make a lot of money. That pisses me off! I wish there was some way to outlaw commercials such as those.

I believe many things need to be discussed in school, when our brains are wide open. Perhaps an extra quarter devoted to the fundamentals of owning a business. Maybe schools need to be bringing in more successful massage therapists in their community to talk about their experiences. I would like to see instructors talking about the reality of creating businesses. Maybe this would help some of the discouragement we feel when starting our businesses.

It's my passion to start by helping massage therapists to shift their mindset so that they start taking accountability for their own actions and success. We are each only responsible for ourselves and are equally capable of creating the success we each dream about.

I am thrilled to see our profession continue to be accepted within the medical community. I live and work in Seattle and have never found it difficult to be accepted by other healthcare providers in my surrounding community. I do hope that this continues to improve and grow as the years go by.

I could go on and on with this subject...one of my ultimate passions since becoming a massage therapist. Thanks again so much, everyone for this wonderful discussion.

Warm regards,
Ann Ross
www.MassageMarketingMentor.com