Despite our diversity, human beings need community. We all need to feel loved, to connect with others, and to be touched in a respectful and caring way. This makes life worth living. Yet according to public opinion pioneer, George Gallup, Americans are among the loneliest people in the world. As massage practitioners, we can change this!
Especially during these challenging times, people need help coping with the stresses of life that tend to isolate us. As agents of change this is our time to shine as the caring professionals that we are. It’s time to step up as leaders in our community. Who else has the ability to directly impact stress and suffering the way that we do?
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This is the third and final installment of the article, How to Market Your Massage Business as a Green Company By Lori Hill
5. Practice What You Preach and Boast Whenever You Can
To avoid being accused of “green washing”, your actions need to match your mission. Don’t engage in wasteful practices that will make others question your sincerity.
On the other hand, if your business cards and company stationery are printed on recycled paper with soy based ink, be sure to indicate this on those documents. Not only will this raise awareness about what your company believes in, but it may also inspire others to go green the next time they have a print job.
6. Educate Your Fellow Professionals and Other Local Business Owners
Volunteer to speak to fellow professionals and local business owners about how you have gone green in your business. This will help educate your colleagues and associates and give you more credibility and visibility as an expert in this area.
7. Give Back to Mother Earth
Donate 1% of Your Sales to 1% for the Planet – www.onepercentfortheplanet.org This is an alliance of 1,079 companies worldwide that donate 1% of their sales to a network of 1,717 environmental organizations worldwide.
Become an Activist/Volunteer in the Community
March to the White House or your state capitol, attend environmental rallies, clean up a stream, plant trees or send letters to your legislators and then write about it in your blog and e-Zine. This will raise awareness about an issue you care about and let your clients know that you are sincere about your mission to be green.
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Here is the second part of the article by my friend Lori Hill (www.lorihillevents.com). Enjoy!
How to Market Your Massage Business as a Green Company Part 2
2. List Your Green Initiatives on Your Web Site
Outline your green office procedures as well as other green practices you engage in during the course of business. A potential client may pick you over the competition because you share their values.
3. Announce Your Green Initiatives and Services in Your e-Zine or Blog
Let your clients know that you have gone green and how you’ve gone green. It may increase their loyalty to you and give them a reason to spread the word that you are a sustainable massage business. You may also inspire them to act on green initiatives they hadn’t thought of.
4. Say It In Your Tag Line
Incorporate your sustainability beliefs into your tag line. For example, BP uses Beyond Petroleum. Incorporate this into your logo, business cards, invoices and the greeting in your voice mail. This will let your clients and potential clients know that you are serious about sustainability.
Be sure to check back for the third and final part of this article.
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My friend Lori Hill (www.lorihillevents.com) speaks frequently about greening your business operations and personal life. She recently wrote this article on how to market your massage business as a green company. I thought you’d enjoy it.
How to Market Your Massage Business as a Green Company By Lori Hill
Research is showing that more and more savvy consumers want to do business with green companies. This is especially true for massage clients and prospective clients who are naturally already inclined towards healthy living.
So, if you have a green business, or plan to go green, below are tips for marketing your business as an organization that practices and believes in sustainability.
1. Join Green Business Organizations
There are many green business organizations that you can join that can not only help you learn to be more sustainable in your business practices, but also assist you in marketing your business as a green entity. If you become a member of any green business organization, be sure to list this on your web site.
Green America’s Green Business Network – www.greenamericatoday.org
This provides the networks, resources, and technical assistance needed for socially and environmentally responsible businesses to emerge and thrive in communities across the United States. All members must complete an extensive application process. Once approved, you must pay an annual fee to maintain your membership.
Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) – www.livingeconomies.org
BALLE has a network of chapters all across the United States and Canada. Many have special programs as well as monthly meetings with speakers. There are individual and business memberships available.
More to come in Part 2
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Another secret is that the massage therapists who are currently thriving understand the law of reciprocity and exchange. Simply put, when you do something good for someone, they naturally want to do something good for you.
In fact, the Law of Psychological Reciprocity states that when we give, not only do we get back, but the return is exponentially greater than our initial investment.
So what if, instead of dwelling on scarcity, we got out into our communities to see what we could do for others. Remember, business building and relationship building are one and the same.
Your business success depends not only on enough people liking you and your services so that they return over and over again, but also on them telling other people how much they like you over and over again, too.
As massage practitioners we tend to have an altruistic streak in us to begin with, but what if we were a little more strategic about our giving? In other words, what individuals or organizations in your neighborhood could help you if you did something nice for them?
For example, I once volunteered to help build a house (think Habitat for Humanity) with a bunch of other well-meaning folks, most of whom were not used to physical work. When the word got out that I was a massage therapist, guess who they came to when their muscles were aching? I also got TONS of referrals. Folks like to help those who help others.
And it doesn’t necessarily mean giving away massage. Think of the other resources you have that may be valuable to someone else. You might have a connection, or information that could really benefit another professional. It could be as simple as sending an article to someone, or letting them know of a book you read that would interest them.
So these are some things that you can do to build your business in a down economy. And the best part is…they cost nothing!
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So what can you do to maintain a positive attitude, even though (and in fact, in spite of the fact that) you are also feeling the effects of a down economy?
First and foremost it’s more important now than ever before to take care of yourself. Make sure you are getting enough sleep, exercise, healthy food, regular massage, and whatever else you need to stay on top of your game. It’s hard to stay optimistic when you feel tired and run-down.
Also be aware of getting into patterns of negative self talk, and see if you can turn it around. We are often our own greatest saboteurs.
Posted in Getting Massage Clients, Self Care, Success Mindset | 2 Comments
Many massage practitioners are concerned about their client base dwindling as a result of the current economic situation. Are you one of them?
Other therapists are as busy, or busier, than they’ve ever been. And it’s not that they are necessarily better therapists. But they have learned a secret or two that I’d like to share with you today.
It all begins with attitude. As the saying goes, “Whether you think you can build and maintain a thriving business in the current economy or whether you think you can’t – you are right!”
The renowned psychologist Martin Seligman, Ph.D discovered that agents at a major life insurance company who expected a positive outcome outsold agents who had a negative perspective by a whopping 37%. And even agents who failed the industry entrance exam but were optimistic about selling insurance policies outsold the average agent by 10-15%!
What can we learn from this? What I’ve found is that the massage therapists that are client magnets aren’t spending a lot of time worrying about the economy. In fact, they understand that their services are needed now more than ever before.
Instead of agreeing with their clients about how bad things are, they have an infectious sense of optimism – a deep well that their clients can drink from so that they leave refreshed and ready to face the world anew.
And right now people find that very attractive.
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If you decide to attend a massage conference, doing the following will make the experience of attending worth your while.
After the Conference:
1. It’s always ideal if you can plan a day off after the conference to “decompress”, but at the very least do schedule some time for yourself as soon as possible after you get home.
2. Review your notes, and choose 12 things you learned that you want to implement in the next 12 months.
3. Prioritize them in order of importance.
4. Get together with your conference buddy and tell them what you are committing to and how you are going to accomplish that. Their job is to help you be accountable (and you do the same for them).
5. Schedule the time you will need in your planner to accomplish your goals. For example, if you are going to master a new technique you learned, when are you going to practice it and with whom? If you are going to implement a new marketing strategy, when are you going to take the necessary action steps?
6. And don’t forget to follow up with all of the folks whose business cards you collected. A nice way is a simple postcard saying how much you enjoyed meeting them.
If you follow these simple suggestions before, during and after a conference, you will maximize your investment, and take your business to the next level, in addition to having a great time!
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