Not Being Completely Professional

Your massage business success is very dependent on how professional you are in every aspect of your business. Being professional has everything to do with Client Problem Solving Marketing.

Have no doubt that you are a professional. You have professional training and your massage business charges professional prices. There are natural expectations that most people will look for when they are paying $50 to $80 an hour for any service.

Being a massage therapist, you may judge other therapists as professional or not based primarily on their massage skills. You have the training and experience to make that judgment.

However, most of your potential clients, even existing ones, do not judge if you are a professional or a good therapist in the same ways that you do. They lack the experience and judgment tools that you have. Instead, they look at things they understand and can easily see to judge you; the tools they regularly use to make an opinion about any professional service business. In addition, you do not have time to prove yourself based on your personality or skills. Studies have shown that most people make decisions about a new acquaintance within the first thirty seconds to two minutes, even over the phone.

Many of the massage business success suggestions below, you will notice, are appearance based. And that makes sense. Humans use their senses to judge, and appearance provides a lot of sensory information. Appearance immediately communicates a story of who you are, and for that reason is very powerful marketing that plays a big roll in your massage business success.



What are the common attributes that most people use to judge a businessperson, that will have a big impact on your massage business success?

1. Attire: Are you dressed in clean, appropriate and attractive clothing that suggest massage business success and personal confidence? One key to doing this is imagine five years down the road and you have achieved the kind of monetary and massage business success you want. Dress now like you imagine you would then. Even if you can't write it off, buying the best clothing you can is a wise business investment.

2. Physical Posture: How do you live in your body? Do you stand upright, on both feet, and confidently address the person in front of you? Do you fidget? Do you smile? Do you hold tension in your body? Tension is perceived and causes concern. Consciously work to express body language that conveys that you are relaxed and pleasant, but very attentive to your client's needs and concerns.

3. Tone of voice: How confidently do you speak, and with what tone? A recent survey indicated that up to 37% of a first impression is based upon your tone of voice, rising to 80% on the telephone. Since your first contact with your client's is so often through the phone, your massage business success is based a lot on your tone of voice. So work on sounding pleasant, relaxed, and attentive. If you need, create scripts for how you would like to respond to different questions and practice them.

4. Office Appearance & Location: What does your office look like? Is it clean, and appropriate for the situation? Does the décor look and feel professional and appropriate for the style of service? Is your office in a professional environment? If you have a mobile business then your web site may become your office, and must tell the right story.

I mentioned above that attention to these details is good Client Problem Solving Marketing. For a client to feel comfortable and confident with you, everything about you must tell the same story. If there are any pieces that do not tell the same story (that you are a consummate professional), then your clients will develop concern, even unconsciously. Be preventative, by being professional in every way, to achieve greater massage business succuss.

Avoid these common mistakes that many massage therapists make to achieve greater massage business success:

• Not Listening Carefully: If a client asks for a specific type of work, or to have a specific body area addressed, you need to acknowledge that and do it. If you believe that they would get more relief by addressing another area that is causing the issue, then explain this very clearly and get approval.

• Talking About Your Own Problems: Even if you have become a friend with your client, always be careful that you are not talking about your problems during their treatment. It is their time. Be careful about talking about yourself very much unless asked specific questions. Keep the focus on them.

• Proper Personal Hygiene: I wish I did not even have to mention it, and yet it is something that happens all the time. Make sure that your body is clean, and odor free. Keep breath mints handy. Do not wear strong perfumes.

• Integrity: Do not degrade your own integrity by talking about other clients during a massage session, even if the clients are friends. Your client will correctly assume that you also talk about them.

• Empathy: This is similar to the problem with listening. Be present in the moment in such a way that your client can see that you really do care about their problems.

• Timeliness: Do not accept being late to your appointments. Be early. This shows respect for your client's time. Also, keep the amount of time that you give to your clients the same, neither short nor long. If you give more time than they pay for they will feel uncomfortable, or may even come to expect it. You may also disrupt their schedule if you keep them too long.

• Positive Energy: Do you convey a good feeling? Do you have positive energy? Many people make judgments based on the feeling of their experience with you.

• Take Your Client's Lead With Talking: Some clients enjoy talking through their session, and so chatting with them is supportive of their needs. However, many clients don't want to talk much at all, and you will lose them if you are a habitual chatter.

• Be There With Your Client: When you are giving your massage, give your massage with your whole self. If you find yourself thinking about a bunch of other things unrelated to the massage, come back to the moment. Clients can tell if you are not attentive to them.

• Quickly Respond: Do not leave people wondering if you are going to respond. When a client calls or e-mails you, respond quickly. Always over communicate, to make sure they are not confused about what you are doing. It is a good idea to acknowledge the receipt of e-mail, even if it does not require a response.

One final mistake to avoid for your massage business success, is to stop learning. A professional massage therapist will always seek to get better at massage. And the best way to do that is by bringing more awareness into the moment while you are giving a massage.

A hidden benefit of meeting your clients on this professional level, is that it creates a connection that your clients are comfortable with, and establishes trust. In that trust you can suggest well-being alternatives, that your clients will consider, that they would normally blow off as "flacky" massage therapist talk, from a less professional therapist. You may successfully introduce into their lives a wonderful option that is not mainstream, like a yoga class to reduce stress, or flower essences to balance an emotional issue.

Follow the links below for more massage business success mistakes to avoid.

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