Every massage therapist wants to create a successful massage business – one that has enough clients so that they can make a decent living, take vacations, save for retirement and maybe even one day retire.
So what does it take to get there? With so many books, resources, websites, business coaches and help – why do so many massage therapist still struggle to get clients and keep clients?
You may find yourself struggling and blaming it on the economy. You may find yourself struggling and may think that there is just something wrong with you that you can’t do this (critical mind). You may just be one of those who think that because massage therapy is so wonderful, people will just magically show up and get massages and that you don’t have to do anything but think about what you want (positive thinking).
Here’s the facts people:
No matter what the economy is doing in your area, your personal economy does not have to follow and in fact it can be very different. You just have to find a way to find your niche and do what you need to do to get the clients you need.
There isn’t anything wrong with you. That is just the old tape that runs in your head. Get some therapy – seriously. You can have critical thoughts and still take positive action towards your goal of having a massage business. Buying into all the change your mindset babble and only have positive thoughts path is a dead end one for sure.
Your thoughts do not attract what you are thinking…. I would have had a million winning lotto tickets by now. It is just a way to make you think less of yourself and think you need these classes/books/products to get rid of your so called ‘negative’ thinking.
What does it take?
- Commitment: Until there is commitment, there is hesitancy. When you are committed, you will do what you need to do to get the clients you need. You will set up a website or hire someone to do it for you. You will learn social media tools. You will learn how to network. You will try and keep trying until it works.
- Keep Trying: There is no one right way. Some people have success with websites, creating a referral network, Facebook ads/social media, Google ads…. Just because you try something once and fail does not mean it did not work. Learn from every step you take and make adjustments as you go. Try something.
- It isn’t magic. It is hard work. Show up every day for 8 hours a day at your office even if you don’t have clients. Stop waiting for clients to magically appear. Stop ‘thinking’ about how many clients you want and create a plan on how you are going to get them.
- Keep looking for a marketing method that works for you. I went with websites because I am an introvert, shy and don’t like talking to people in groups or otherwise. It works best for me. Here is how: Massage therapy Websites
- Use your common sense. If you want to work with the elderly, how about contacting a nursing home/assisted living and volunteer to see how they are run and see how to get connected. If you want to work with athletes, figure out how to connect with them. If you want to get referrals from doctors, figure it out. Write letters to them. Go to where doctors go – CE classes/conventions etc. What works for everyone else may not work for you. You have to figure out what works best for you, for your personality, your schedule and what you want out of your massage business. There is not any one way that is right and that is guaranteed to work. Try something.
- Get the support you need. Ask as many questions as you can in my online Facebook Group. Create your own local meetup.com group and get together with your peers for help. Start your own peer supervision group.
- Keep it moving. Keep doing something every day, every hour you can.