Are Happy Endings 'Part of the Business'?

Did you catch this article and video of a registered massage therapist in Canada reporting a creeper client to the police last month? It's a bit discouraging. 

A West Island certified massage therapist is urging Montreal police to examine how they handle complaints of unwanted sexual behaviour after an officer seemed to try to dissuade her from filing a report and repeatedly told her to not be "emotional."

Luckily, she recorded the conversation. She said police need better training on how to deal with women who turn to them for help.

Early on in my massage career, I did have the unfortunate need to contact the police about a client. Luckily for me, they took my complaint very seriously and were nothing but completely respectful and helpful.

Claudia Cavaliere had to not only deal with the creeper client, but then also with the detachment and disregard of the police when she tried to file a complaint. Thankfully, her recording is getting some attention that will hopefully lead to some changes and/or additional training for the police officers.

Photo ID is now required at the spa where Claudia works. This with a few other tips on how to screen out creeper clients may be helpful.

Cindy Iwlew is a licensed massage therapist who has had a private practice since 1999 and cofounder of Bodywork Buddy massage software.

The Power of Attitude

I was recently reading a blog post from the Center for Barefoot Massage on 10 Ridiculously Easy Ways to be More Successful.

#6 Stood out to me. 

Attitude-is your massage client taking advantage of a sale? Don’t act resentful about it or transfer any negative feelings towards them subconsciously. Instead, be grateful that they are choosing to spend money on YOUR massage. I’ve heard of many clients having bad experiences with Groupon massages because their therapist didn’t care, didn’t keep them in the whole time, or were just not the most pleasant.

This is something I always try to be aware of in my own attitude and actions. One thing that I've gotten good at over time is to not take any feedback personally and to be open to it so that I can improve my client's experience while they're on my table. I even tell first-time clients to feel free to let me know if there is anything I can adjust to make them more comfortable (pressure, music, temperature) and I specifically say "You're not going to hurt my feelings, this session is all about you - I just want you to have the best experience". I have literally seen some clients instantly breathe a sigh of relief when they hear this.

A friend once told me that her MT talked through her whole massage. After several sessions of this - the client mentioned that maybe they could chat before the session so that she could relax more during her massage. The next session she received was rough and painful, as if the MT was purposely trying to hurt her.  

via GIPHY

Now, maybe the MT has no time to chat before or after a session and was upset at the client for suggesting that. But that doesn't really matter - the client was letting her know what her needs were, and the MT chose to let her feelings about that feedback get in the way of giving a good massage. Or maybe it wasn't a conscious decision... yikes, I'm not sure which is worse.

With a positive approach you will feel in control and confident and you will perform at your best, whereas a negative approach will damage confidence, harm performance, paralyze your mental skills and may also impact your health. - The Importance of Attitude for Business Success

Of course, we all have bad days. What are some ways that you get into your zone to be at your best for your clients? One thing that I like to do is to get to my office early before I start my work day. I diffuse some essential oils and play some fun music while I fold my linens. It helps me to get in the right mindset for my work and clearly separate my personal life and whatever may be happening in the outside world from the oasis I'm creating for my clients. I find if I'm rushing around and only at my office for a couple of minutes before my first client, I'm frazzled and have a hard time focusing the rest of the day. (I know other therapists who have no problem doing this, I'm just not one of them!) I know that for myself, this little ritual of arriving early helps to prepare my mind and my attitude for my work day.

We've probably all experienced the subtle or not-so-subtle energy of a therapist with a bad attitude. Even if the technical aspects of their massage were "good", it probably wasn't the best massage you've had. Being aware of and adjusting our own attitude is one of the simplest ways we can improve our business and offer our clients our best work.

Cindy Iwlew is a licensed massage therapist who has had a private practice since 1999 and cofounder of Bodywork Buddy massage software.

How to Instantly Add Holidays to Your Bodywork Buddy Calendar

Veteran MT Advice: The Art of Stubbornness

Recently in my massage therapy business, I had to make the very difficult decision to stop accepting new clients. This was difficult because for the last 14 years I’ve been doing everything I could to attract these new clients!

When Cindy asked me to talk about how I got to this point in my career as a business owner and MT, I had to think about what exactly I did to reach this stage in my business. At first I couldn’t think of what I did to suddenly be so booked I couldn’t fit anyone in for 4 months. Then it occurred to me... it wasn’t sudden, it was all the hard work of running a business starting to pay it’s returns.

When you go to massage school, they teach you how to be a Massage Therapist, not how to run a business. These are two separate things that need separate training. When I graduated from massage school, I decided to work for someone else because I thought it would be easier. Their business model was for me to give free chair massages until someone decided to pay for a full massage, of which I received a commission of 50%. I gave a lot of free massages and starved. I had to move back home to my parent’s house. 

This is where the big lessons began for me. I’m sure many of you have similar stories or are at the beginning of your career convinced you are about to fail. Being of the Stubborn Persuasion, I wasn’t about to let this living with my parents situation define my career. However, humility was also on my Life Lessons Syllabus, so I had to have “The Talk” with myself on how I was going to make this career work. If I wanted it to work, I had to do the work. No Excuses.

I took a part time job at a chiropractor’s office and I learned from her how she ran her business. She became a great mentor and I learned that there are lessons in mistakes; that picking up and working with what is in front of you will go a long way. I also used the security of that job to help me build my own business. I could take a few more risks, in case I did make a mistake. 

Since I had moved back to my parent’s home two states away from where I was living, to a town I didn’t grow up in, I was in desperate need of colleagues... So I went to my AMTA state chapter conferences and hands on CEU classes so that I could talk to people. I joined Live Journal groups (I’m old) and read Massage Therapy Journal and Massage Magazine (the print versions!) to give me insights into the industry. I was stubborn, but I knew that I didn’t know squat!

I was told that the first 5 years were the hardest, so I just kept reminding myself of that when it got hard, and you know what... it turned out to be true (so hang in there!). I was told that MTs careers average 3- 5 years; I made a goal to be in practice for 10. My stubbornness wouldn’t let me quit and then when it started to get a little easier I didn’t want to quit.  

I tried new things: Online scheduling in 2010 was scary for my clients. Some even asked me to go back to paper. It was months and months before the first person actually booked online without me talking them into it. It was a couple years before a new client I had never heard of scheduled. I stubbornly stuck it out because I wanted online scheduling to work. Now I don’t have to answer the phone anymore. I maybe lost a potential client who didn’t want to schedule online, but I gained ones who did. 

Some things did not work: Buy 4 get 1 Free cost me a lot of money I desperately needed. I changed my package policy to be a significantly smaller discount; I could still pay the bills, but my clients still got a deal. I was able to buy groceries AND pay rent! When clients pine for the good old discount days (aka whine) I stubbornly refuse to give in, “$5 off is more than $0 off,” I remind myself. They are welcome to pay full price. 

The take-a-way here folks is this: There are a million little lessons that you are learning everyday. The beginning of your career is hard because you are bombarded by them. Some of those lessons hurt and some are exhausting. It seems impossible because everything is new and fresh and you just want to be amazing everyday. As you make it through the days, weeks, and years those lessons will feel familiar, and doable, and sometimes even an exciting challenge. Be patient, and maybe a little bit stubborn. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Erin Howk Bennett, BCTMB
Therapeutic & Stress Reduction Massage

8 Tips for Writing Your Business Brochure

How To Create A Perfect Business Brochure?

What makes your target audience hear your message? Pay attention to the ways you represent the information. The more stylish and short it is the better.

8 Tips for Writing Your Business Brochure

Brochures remain the most cost-effective means of promotion that cultural and other types of industries have to offer. Second only to word-of-mouth. Presentation and delivering the message is critical to the success of your business brochure campaign.  The well-planned campaign works for your client growth. The important issues to pay attention to are:

•   Distribution requirements

•   Size requirements

•   Design considerations

•   Printing quality

•  Paper quality

 

1. Checklist

Before starting with brochure printing, it is essential to make a creation checklist. Every business works on thoughtful planning. It applies to printed advertising campaign. A brochure is a short informational document, which delivers the message as well as information. It can be a booklet, flyer, folder, card, leaflet, pamphlet, or handout. You can do it yourself or hire a distribution company. But don’t rely on strangers in designing your message and main information. Create a checklist of all the critical issues, which must be included in your document and think about a design before contacting a designer.

2. Distributors

Before hiring a brochure creator company, you may want to find out which specific size, quantity and warehouse requirements they need and can offer. Knowing this information and fees will give you a great starting step in the development of your overall budget.

Tip:

If your brochure company doesn’t have time limits, consider offering a larger quantity of printing than your initial needs. Many distributing companies offer reasonable discounts for large quantity of a product.

3. Design considerations

Today the world of business advertising ideas is boundless. The bravest or even crazy ideas are very welcomed. There are several steps you’ll want to consider being organized during the process. It will help you communicate your ideas effectively and help your designer develop a realistic quote in a deadline. Once you’ve established what your design requires, you can then start printing.

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4. Brochure size

Most brochure design companies in the US typically require a vertical layout. It should be folded into a four inch by nine-inch finish size. International distributors offer more variable size. It is crucial to consider the size before printing.

Tip:

In case you decide to collaborate with multiple companies, consider choosing the size, which will fit the displays of each company.

5. Brochure type

There are a few types used in marketing. They are Rack Cards, Multi-Folds, and Custom Features. Your next consideration is the brochure type you want to make. Standard options include one color or four colors Rack Cards. Multicolor folded cards have the same options. The number of cards you choose will affect printing and design costs. Custom features will make the product stand out. For example, a die-cut is a type where the portion of a paper is cut away. It adds a unique marketing angle to your promotion campaign.

Tip:

All options can vary drastically in expense. It is always better to discuss the options with a designer and a printer to know the value in advance.

6. Paper quality

The paper quality is a not obvious sign that speaks more than words. Weights will affect how your brochure displays in a rack. If the paper is too thin, it's not common to droop forward in a display rack limiting its visibility. For rack cards, it is better using a 10-point card stock. For folded options, it is recommended no less than an 80-pound coated stock.

Tip:

It is necessary to discuss in advance with your printer an option of a vertical grain paper. Make sure that your design is durable.

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7. Sales message

Besides technical features, there must be a strong headline, which delivers the message. Writing such a heading only seems to be simple. International Association of Professional Brochure Distributors research shows that a sales message appearing at the top 2 or 3 inches of an informational card’s front panel attracts more visitors.

Tip:

Repeat your headline and message at the top 2 or 3 inches of the back panel. It will assure you that the audience will never miss the initial message.

8. The content

It is another essential issue in the text. A must is a telephone number, hours of operation, website address, and a simple map with directions. It will assist your target audience in locating your establishment. The text should be understandable and attractively positioned within the inside panels and upper 3 to 4 inches of the front and back panels. Don’t include long texts as stories, general information, descriptions and other. Make the main message noticeable to highlight it. Clients barely prefer reading.

Tip:

A call to action, for example, special promotion or discount coupon is helpful in tracking a customer base.

About the Author

Melissa Cartew is a blogger and freelance writer at https://eduzaurus.com. She specializes in marketing and other types of promotion. Melissa has a Master’s degree in Economics and currently is working on her dissertation. The advice she gives to the small businesses and corporations are helpful for any situation.

 

Let’s Talk about Packages!

So 2018 is coming up and your business goal is to get your current clients to return. One of the common practices for solo massage therapist is to sell packages. This is absolutely a great way to get your clients to return… but it is also a great way to lose a lot of money, cause a bookkeeping nightmare, or make yourself feel burned out on giving out ‘free - but not free’ services. 

The down side of packages for the solo MT is the bookkeeping part of the situation. You are paid a lump sum at the beginning, and then people use the sessions over time. Sounds awesome to get a $500 payment all at once… until it’s a year later and your seeing that client with no income for that session. However, there are ways to make it work!

A couple years ago I changed my package policies to make it work for me AND my clients. These new policies, along with a few simple changes made it so last June I was scheduled out 4 months and was not able to accept new clients.   

Before I tell you what I did, I understand that these may or may not work for everyone. One thing that I’ve learned in running a business for 14 years is that even though GURUs have 365 ways for you to make money… if it doesn’t fit your personality, you won’t do it or be successful at doing it. Pick one or two of these tips and see how they work for you!

Here is what I did:

1. Raised my prices - What? What does that have to do with packages? The golden rule for price setting is to figure out your bare minimum you need per session to cover rent and other overhead costs and then add a bit more to give you a cushion. Well, if your base price is set at that minimum, then your packages are going to slowly eat away at your profits. Set your package per session price to be that minimum and your regular session price higher. You’re always covered this way and your clients have more incentive for purchasing packages.
   
   
2. STOPPED giving FREE massages - The package concept is that you pre-pay for a certain amount of sessions at a discounted rate. Some where, somehow, someone said that it had to be Buy 4, Get 1 Free. WRONG. I convinced myself that it was only 20% off each session. But really I was giving away HUNDREDS of dollars of services each year! I gave away enough massages that I could have bought a new Hot Towel Cabi, or taken a day off when I was feeling sick. Instead, I reduced the cost by an amount that still meant it was only a small amount off each massage AND it still met my base price requirements. My current packages are $30 off a package of 6. $5 off is still more than $0 off.
   
   
3. I made limited availability packages - I knew that my standard package of 6 massages was sometimes out of my clients price range, so at different holiday times of the year, or anytime i felt like it, I would sell a package of 3 for only 2-4 weeks. These packages gave more of my clients opportunity to try regularly scheduled massages. I also sell a yearly package ONLY in December and January. This helps with bookkeeping, and also exclusivity.
   
   
4. I allow sharing - I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of husband and wife clients. I absolutely let them share a package. I do have rules. They have to tell me when they buy the package who is sharing it, or if they are giving a session to a friend/child, they have to tell me exactly who is using it before they come in. I’ve sold more packages to people who think they are going to share it, and then use them all themselves!
   
   
5. I developed a tracking system - I’ve had a package tracking system since before I had online scheduling, so I have my old school paper tracking method. But Bodywork Buddy has a system built in! This is great for keep track of how many are left in a package. I learned early on, that it’s up to you (NOT THE CLIENT) to keep track of this stuff!
   
   
6. BONUS - Keep a separate account To be honest, this next one I’m not so great at. I did set up a separate account for gift certificates and packages to withdraw from as the sessions are used. Most of the time I’m pretty good at using it correctly, but then things like estimated tax payments and sales tax comes due. This is definitely something that is on my goal list, but I wanted to included it because it is something that would help that feeling of giving a “free - but not really free” service go away!

This is what worked for me, and I hope that it will help you plan for your business next year. Remember, think about what your money needs to do for you in the short AND long term. Calculate the cost of your discounts to put it perspective, and then adjust as necessary. You can give your clients a gift of a discount, without hurting your practice! Happy New Year! 

Erin Howk Bennett, BCTMB

Are You a Victim of Your Own Email Practices?

You may be hurting your email marketing and not even realizing it. Email marketing services such as Mailchimp and Constant Contact rate and measure your email list by how many opens, unsubscribes, and spam reports you get. Anti-spam laws require that you have the ability to unsubscribe from your emails, and also that people on your list have opted in or asked to receive your emails.

If you're not doing those 2 things, you're actually not in compliance with the law. For an industry that seems so concerned about HIPAA laws (when in most cases MT's are not even considered a covered entity for that law, but that's a whole 'nother post...) it's kind of ironic that massage therapists don't seem to worry at all if they're complying with email laws.

Many massage therapists are unknowingly hurting the health of their email marketing list by doing this 1 thing:

Adding every contact from their address book to receive their marketing emails.

I know this is happening, because I receive several emails a week from therapists I've never met.

For lists I've never opted in for.

Often times from therapists who live states away from me.

I'm in their email contacts because they've used Bodywork Buddy in the past or currently, and they've just added all of their contacts to their email marketing list. Now, while I don't necessarily mind getting these emails, because I like to see how therapists are marketing themselves .... some other people are probably not going to be so understanding.

So first of all, why would you want to market yourself to someone who doesn't even live in your state? That person is likely never going to use your services.

Maybe you're thinking: What's the harm? It's easier to just import every contact than to build a list with an opt-in or to sort out who in your contacts are actual clients.

But if people aren't opening your emails, or are unsubscribing, or worse: reporting your emails as spam - it is going to hurt your email deliverability overall. Meaning that it could ultimately negatively affect the likelihood of your legitimate clients receiving your emails.

So - if you're wanting to have awesome email marketing that results in clients scheduling appointments - clean up your list to include only people who have opted in to hear from you. Do yourself a favor and:

• Add an email opt-in to your website. 

• Add an opt-in to your health history/intake form. 

• Ask them at their appointments to opt-in. 

Anything!

Just don't randomly add every person you've ever emailed to your list to do a blanket email for your services.

Just.
Don't.


If you read my posts, you know that I don't blog just to rant about things. I'm writing about this because I want you to be successful! <3 Ok and maybe to rant a little bit...

Cindy Iwlew is a licensed massage therapist who has had a private practice since 1999 and cofounder of Bodywork Buddy massage software.