Massage Practice Success : Listen, Connect & Be Yourself

When was the last time you heard a massage therapist complain that he or she can’t get enough business? I hear it a lot, yet there are many things a therapist can do to build massage practice clientele.

Some say getting new clients is the most difficult part of running a business, but I would say getting a new customer to become a regular one is more difficult. Many therapists run specials and discounts, and that helps get people through the door initially – but the hard part is convincing a first-time client to become a regular client.

Attracting Clients

Running specials with Groupon or advertising discounts for first-time massage clients is an excellent way to have people try your services, but you have to realise some of them are only ever going to be looking for a discount so don’t get discouraged if they don’t come back.

What you don’t want to do is be seen to be desperate and discount your services too much. Some people live by the motto “You get what you pay for” so some potential clients might think that a low price is going to equal a low quality treatment. But at the same time, don’t set your fees too high because then they’ll expect you to be a miracle worker! (OK sometimes you are but you can’t guarantee it).

Listen

A popular real estate saying is “Location, Location, Location.” With massage it should be “Listen, Listen, Listen.”

You have to ask yourself on a regular basis, “How well do I listen to my clients’ needs and wants?” Listening skills are what some massage therapists’ lack. If a client tells you what they want you to focus on, do you forget and get so swept up in your routine that you can’t break out of it?

You might be great at treating a particular kind of injury, but everyone is different—and you must adjust your techniques to your clients’ needs, rather than adjusting your clients to your techniques.

Some clients have great stories to tell, if you take the time to listen. They’re relaxed and face down so not reacting to any judgement that may be seen on your face. And some people are just lonely, and having that chance to talk and be listened to, may be just as therapeutic for them as any work you are doing on their body.

There is another reason you should develop your listening skills: The more information you get from the client in the beginning, the less work you have to do.

It’s a good idea to repeat the questions clients ask you. Help them understand that you care and want to meet their needs. Here’s a scenario: The client tells you, “I have a sharp pain in my right shoulder when I move it.” Then you can respond with the same statement and try to get more information: “So, you have sharp pain in your right shoulder. What movements or activities make it worse and are there certain positions or movements that reduce the pain?”

You can also ask if they’ve had treatment for the shoulder before, and if they had relief from that massage. If so, what did the therapist do to make it better? That is an important question to ask, because you don’t need to reinvent the wheel; you just want to see what worked and didn’t work in the past. So by taking the time to listen you’ve actually saved yourself time and given your client a better experience.

Connect

Over time, you will tend to notice most of your regular clients have a similar personality to yours, and you connect with them on other levels beyond the client/therapist relationship.

Most massage therapists don’t have a huge amount of time between appointments, but it is critical to ask questions before, during, and after a client’s first massage with you. You’re probably thinking right now that you don’t have time to delve into every client’s medical history before you start a massage. But, think of yourself as a detective. A detective wouldn’t just ask a couple of questions in an investigation and then expect to solve the crime.

One of the last things a massage client wants is to feel rushed. They’ve paid for your time with hard-earned money, so don’t make them feel as though they are being pushed out the door when their 60mins is up. It’s impossible to form a connection when you are making someone feel unwanted.

Be Yourself

Now that you’ve given clients the greatest massage you possibly could, what’s next?

Be your authentic self, play to your strengths, be aware of your weaknesses. How you approach re-bookings will depend on these things.

Many great massage therapists are not great business people (and vice versa!), however by being yourself and honing your client care by listening and connecting, clients will respond in kind. When you love what you do, you don’t even have to try and sell your services, because your words and actions speak for themselves.

If you don’t have the confidence to ask outright if they’d like to schedule another appointment, there are other ways to go about it.

You can be more subtle and ask for feedback on the treatment they’ve just received so you can tweak their treatment for next time and suggest a timeframe for that.

Or if you prefer a more passive way of reminding them to book another appointment try asking “Is there anything you would like different with your next massage by me?”.

The next time you find yourself lamenting the lack of bookings in your diary, remember to listen, connect and be yourself. It may take a little while to get there, but it will be totally worth it.