Who Deserves a Massage?

Next week is ABMP’s annual “EveryBody Deserves a Massage” week, our way to help you promote what you do. ABMP members give their time, money, and effort to help those less fortunate, while raising the profession’s visibility. Many members use it as an opportunity to help others or conduct a fundraiser. Ideas we’ve heard from members this year are combining seated massage events with canned food drives, as well as hosting volunteer massage at hospitals and firehouses. Others use it as a promotional opportunity and a way to build their practices. Members have used our new customizable promotional materials available on ABMP.com to promote the week. It’s a great opportunity to celebrate and share the good work you do. If you’re an ABMP member and aren’t using this event to build your practice, shame on you! Any opportunity to raise a little energy surrounding your practice is a good idea. Let’s take a few minutes to assess your practice. Are you in need of new faces, or just needing clients to book more regular visits? Using “EveryBody Deserves a Massage” week, craft a campaign to get at your practice’s weak spot—perhaps you offer a “bring a friend” promotion and offer half-price sessions for new referrals (and a gift or discount for your regular client). Or contact every client who has not been back in a month, offer something special to commemorate the week and get them to come in for a session. Another alternative would be to combine the altruistic and entrepreneurial efforts and provide a discount for every client who brings in canned goods or something to donate to a cause. Or make it a fundraiser—every dollar donated to a specified charity is matched by you, or taken off their session fee. Example—my normal massage fee is $60, if you give $30 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation you’ll only pay $30 this week. There are lots of ways to be creative to generate enthusiasm for you, your practice, and your favorite cause. So, let’s change the conversation to focus on you. Do YOU deserve a massage next week (or this week)? My official assessment is yes, you do. But will you get one? When was your last massage? Do you have a budget for massage, or just establish trades? Trades are nice, but they don’t feed you or your trade partner. WE need to commit to helping generate our economic engine. What about me? I’m getting a massage this week. Next week, I’ll be traveling to the National Conference of State Legislatures, to tell our elected officials about the good work you do.