Advice from the Pros #10: Eric Stephenson

Our Advice from the Pros series of blog posts will highlight one of the leaders in the massage and bodywork field once a week. Eric Stephenson is our featured expert this week.

Eric Stephenson creates continuing education focused on career longevity, working with some of the most respected names in the wellness industry throughout the United States, Canada, Asia, and the Caribbean. His new video, “Intelligent Deep-Tissue Massage,” was released in May 2017. 

My most effective client retention strategy is …

Eric Stephenson: To educate and invite every single client to return with a professional recommendation and easy rebooking process. This includes how often they should receive massage, benefits of regular massage, and a piece of self-care they can incorporate between sessions. 

The customer service experience that taught me the most about how to treat my own clients is …

Eric Stephenson: Ordering from Zappos. They are a way-cool customer service company disguised as an online clothing retailer. They masterfully developed rapport by listening to my needs, mirroring back what they heard me say, and then recommended the perfect product.

The technology tool that has benefited my practice the most is …

Eric Stephenson: Social media, and Facebook specifically. When you are clear about who you are in the world, what you have to offer, and how that benefits others, you can broadcast the message to a large audience for free, over and over again.

My marketing advice for therapists is …

Eric Stephenson: Focus on creating “highly satisfied” clients, and they will do a large part of the work for you. They are twice as likely to return to your business and three times as likely to recommend you than the merely “satisfied” client.

This blog was created from Massage & Bodywork’s July/August 2017 Business Side column "Advice from the Pros.

Category: 

News

Tennessee Increases Minimum Education Hours

On April 16, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed into law House Bill 1610 and Senate Bill 1588, increasing the minimum massage curriculum hours that an applicant for massage licensure must complete at an approved school for massage, bodywork, or somatic therapy to be eligible for licensure under the Massage Licensure Act. Find out the new state minimum requirement.

Alaska Massage Board Remains Independent and Autonomous

Executive Order No. 129 sought to dissolve the Alaska Board of Massage Therapists and transfer its functions to the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (DCCED). The executive order was successfully overturned.

Gainful Employment Rules Compliance Updates

Over the past two weeks, the US Department of Education issued updates to the new “Gainful Employment” (GE) regulations for vocational programs published last fall. This web post addresses the updates to prepare school owners and educators ahead of the July 1, 2024, new GE rule effective date.

Blog

Avoid Pulling Clients' Hair

Massage therapy students practicing in a classroom.

It’s the finer details that matter in a massage therapy session, and unintentional hair pulling is a detail that carries more weight than you might think.

Faces of Bodywork: Adriane Maxwell

Massage therapist Adriane Maxwell stands in front of a palm tree.

Adriane Maxwell is the owner of One Healing Touch Reiki & Massage for Women in Charleston, South Carolina. Maxwell was featured in the May/June 2024 issue of Massage & Bodywork magazine in “Faces of Bodywork.”

Benefits

Podcast: Cancer, Clots, and COVID—A Complicated Client

A client was recently treated for colon cancer—and it didn’t go well. She had surgical complications, a bout of sepsis, and more. Is massage therapy safe? We discuss on this episode of “I Have a Client Who . . .” Pathology Conversations with Ruth Werner.

Please note: We have recently updated our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Learn more...