Attending a massage conference (or other type of educational conference) is a big commitment of time, energy and money and yet it can be extremely rewarding. голова болит секс
Massage conferences can be a fantastic place to get fresh ideas for your massage business, meet therapists from other areas, and get renewed and re-energized.
Here are some things that you can do before, during and after a conference to maximize your investment and make sure you get the most out of it.
Before the Conference: голова болит секс
1. Make a list of the things you want to accomplish in the next year. For example, you could decide to increase your massage income by 25% by getting and keeping more clients. Then go through the list of available workshops, with your specific goals for the upcoming year in mind, and choose the ones that best fit your needs.
2. Create a list of questions or specific things you want to learn from each speaker.
3. Find a buddy to attend the conference with. In addition to keeping you accountable (more on that later), they may also help you save on travel costs.
4. Decide ahead of time what your budget will be so you can take advantage of the vendors’ conference specials without breaking the bank.
5. Make sure you have a good supply of business cards that clearly state the type of massage you do and your target market if you have one.
Next post I’ll give you some ideas on things to do at the conference.
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Why should they choose you?
So you know who the ideal clients are for your sports massage practice, and the specific problems they would pay to have solved. But why should they choose you?
If you have done a good job of answering the previous two questions (see past two posts), you are already well on your way, because:
- By focusing on a clearly defined segment of the sports massage market you will be setting yourself up as an expert in that area.
- By addressing a prospective client’s biggest challenges, it shows that you really understand them. Then, naturally, they will want to know if you have a solution that works.
In your marketing materials you can also increase the chance that they will choose you by telling them:
- How you would address their problems.
- The experience you have working with other athletes in that market.
- Specific results some of your clients have achieved.
- The kind of clients you’ve been able to help who have similar problems.
- Any rewards or recognition you’ve received.
- How your services will affect the quality of their sport and their life.
By mastering these things you will be well on your way to creating success in the exciting field of sports massage.
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What do they want and will pay for?
What specifically are your ideal sports massage clients looking for? What problems do they have that you could help them with?
Let’s delve a little deeper here. Let’s say you work with runners who want the competitive edge. It may be true, but not too exciting to put on a business card or brochure.
But what if you overheard one of your clients say to another, “I’m so tired of always coming in second… I’d so love to cross the finish line first for once.”
Now, do you think that is something that they want and will pay for? Absolutely! So try to get past the obvious clichés and get inside the head of your ideal prospective massage clients. Find out what they really want.
And if you don’t know, do some research and ask them. Then use this in all your promotional materials to attract more perfect clients.
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Once upon a time focusing your practice on sports massage was sufficient to make you stand out. However that is no longer true, unless you are the only sports therapist in your town or city.
So in this, and in upcoming posts, I’ll be sharing with you three things you need to know to be successful in this growing field.
1. Who do you work with?
You might think this is a bit obvious. But saying that your target market is athletes is not specific enough to help you attract an abundance of your ideal clients.
You need to delve a little deeper and ask yourself what type of sports massage practice you would like to build, and who would be the most rewarding athletes for you to work with.
For example, is there a specific sport that you feel connected to? Are you a runner, a skier, a golfer? Do you love dance or practice yoga? Have you always been fascinated by sculling or rock climbing?
Or have you considered working with a specific segment of the population? As the baby boomers age there’s a growing demand for therapists who really understand the unique challenges that “mature” athletes face. Perhaps your passion is working with athletes with disabilities, or weekend warriors, or with elite athletes?
Is there a particular injury that you have expertise in working with? Maybe you really like working with athletes who have knee injuries, or carpal tunnel, or back problems.
Of course, if you have a big enough population to draw from, you could narrow your market even further, for example, swimmers with shoulder issues, or skiers with ankle injuries.
And don’t worry about getting stuck in a narrowly defined field. When I lived in Kona, Hawaii I focused my practice on working with triathletes training for the Ironman. When the word got out about my massage successes, I began getting calls from NFL football players who were coming to Hawaii in their off season to recover from injuries. So don’t worry about getting bored!
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So, would you like to get more massage clients by creating exciting partnerships with other professionals and businesses in your community?
There are endless possibilities for great partnerships. However it’s a lot easier to pick those key referral partners when you’re crystal clear about who your target market is, and how you serve that market in a unique way.
Your ideal partner will have the same target market as you, but offer different but complimentary services or products to your own.
However, if you haven’t defined your niche yet, don’t let that stop you. My first alliance was with a chiropractor when I was straight out of massage school. It worked because he liked my work, he knew I had great training, our services were complimentary, and he was the kind of guy that when he suggested something, his patients really listened.
In exchange for use of a treatment room in his clinic and as many referrals as I could handle, I worked for him a few hours a week, massaging patients prior to adjustments. In addition to having a thriving practice in no time at all, he became my mentor, and I learned a lot from him about how to run a successful business.
So don’t let lack of experience stop you. But do approach the potential partners in your community in a professional manner. I will be writing more about how to do that in upcoming posts, so do pop back!
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I recently wrote about the advantages of creating relationships with key referral partners to build your massage business.
But why would a potential partner want to send you referrals in the first place? What’s in it for them?
The obvious answer is that you could refer your clients back to them. But what if you currently don’t have a large client base or are just getting started in your business?
Well, there are many other benefits that you could offer your potential partner. Here are just some of them:
- They are seen as holistic for referring to massage.
- It helps them build good rapport with their clients.
- You can offer them and their staff (or family) massage.
- You can make their work easier (in the case of, for example, a chiropractor or dentist).
If you have thought of others, hit the “comments” link below and please let us know.
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I’ve recently had a number of therapists contact me who are concerned about the effect our challenging economic situation may have on their massage business.
I believe, more than ever before, in order to have or maintain a successful business you will need to have a clearly defined specialty and learn how to really differentiate yourself from other massage therapists.
If you feel that you need help with this you might want to consider my upcoming program, 9 Weeks to More Massage Clients
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In this program you will learn how to promote yourself and your massage services in a way that feels authentic and natural for you, without feeling like you are “selling”?
And best of all, you can take part right from the comfort of your home or office!
You can find out more at www.moremassageclients.com
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The final essential quality to look for in an ideal referral partner for your massage business is…
P stands for Promoting. In other words, they are currently engaged in promotional activities in their own business. This lets you know they are looking to grow their business and makes it easier to create win-win-win relationships.
So now you have the 4 key qualities to look for when choosing referral partners. To recap, they are:
P = Purposeful
E = Enthusiastic
R = Respectful
P = Promoting
PERP!
And remember, the more the potential referral partner knows you, trusts you and believes in you, the better. It may take some time, but you can literally fill your practice with one great alliance.
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A couple of additional qualities to look for in an ideal referral partner for your massage business are:
E stands for Enthusiastic. They are enthusiastic about massage, about your services as well as for the partnership.
R stands for Respectful. There has to be mutual respect. They have to have respect both for you as a professional as well as for the massage profession as a whole.
One more essential quality to come…
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So, how do you go about finding great referral partners? Good question. Let’s start by looking at the essential qualities to look for in the ideal referral partner. Here is an easy way to remember. They must be PERP!
The P stands for Purposeful. They must have services (or products) that are purposeful for your target market. There has to be a connection with the people in the community that you are drawn to serve.
In other words, they have the same target market as you, but offer services that are different but complimentary to your own.
For example, if your target market is pregnant women, referral partners could be maternity clothing store owners, midwives, Lamaze instructors, obgyn doctors, pre-natal exercise instructors, and any professional or business that serves pregnant women.
Next I will share with you the other essential qualities to look for in an ideal referral partner for your massage business. Till then…
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