Quiz time! How strong is your practice’s foundation? Test how well you’re performing these core successful-practice essentials. No cheating! (If you missed our first Practice IQ quiz, be sure to check out the July/August 2014 issue of Massage & Bodywork, page 28, in our digital edition archives at www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com.)
Les Sweeney: Back at the University of Virginia in the mid- to late 1980s, there was an English professor named E. D. Hirsch. At this point, you are expecting to read an interesting anecdote about how he was my favorite professor, or how I took an inspiring and fascinating class from him. Alas, you’re reading the wrong columnist. Wasn’t part of my portfolio as an undergrad. Great party where we all watched things thrown off a roof? Yes, but those stories don’t lend themselves to a business column, or polite company, for that matter.
Anyway, back to Professor Hirsch. He hit a period of fame thanks to a book titled Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know (Vintage, 1988) and established the Core Knowledge Foundation in 1986, which created a detailed outline of content and skills that should be taught from preschool through eighth grade. An appendix to Cultural Literacy included 5,000 subjects and concepts Hirsch felt every American should know. I wish I had taken a class from him.
What does this have to do with a business column? Well, by now, if you have spent the past several years with us, you realize that we, like many good comedians, believe in the concept of repetition, repetition, repetition. Business is not like pathology—which none of us could ever master in its entirety (well, unless you’re Ruth Werner). Business consists of a few key fundamentals you must, and can, master. The challenge is repetition, repetition, repetition. You can write a good email once, right? Can you keep doing it? Give a great massage? How about four more times today? What is your massage practice literacy?
1. Have a Clear Vision of Your Direction
Give yourself 5 points if you can summarize your passion and practice’s focus in one sentence; 0 points if you think direction only belongs in a popular boy band’s name.
Kristin Coverly: Wouldn’t it be great if we could be everything to everyone all the time? And also omniscient and perfect? Yes! But cruel reality dictates we can’t be any of those things. Sigh. Accepting this and moving forward, the next best thing you can do for your practice is to get clear about what aspects of massage and bodywork you really enjoy doing (dare I say love) and what type of clients you’re best suited to help, and then focus on doing those things really, really well. Don’t passively let your practice form on its own (this happens all too easily). Set aside time for soul-searching and brainstorming to determine what you want for your practice: Who do you want to work with? Where do you want to work? What modalities do you want to practice?
Identifying these preferences doesn’t mean you aren’t open to working with all clients; it simply helps you focus your marketing efforts and decision-making to steer your practice in the right direction so you’re not spending a lot of time and energy building a practice you’re only partially passionate about. Instead of trying to be all things to all clients, how about concentrating on being just the right therapist for your ideal practice?
2. Get Regular Massage
Add 5 points if you got a massage in the last seven days; subtract 3 points if your back spasmed when you read this.
LS: How many massages do you get a month? First, you better be able to answer this question. And it should be greater than one. If you don’t get it, why should I believe what you say to me about how important it is? That’s why I’ve made the commitment—for one, I need regular massage. Life is getting harder. And if I don’t “walk the walk,” what good am I? We can expand this thought a bit further and look at it as, are you taking care of yourself? You don’t have to be Mark Wahlberg or Jillian Michaels, but you do represent positive health care—difficult to do so if you live a less-than-healthy lifestyle.
3. Schedule a Weekly Appointment with Yourself
Earn 4 points if you have weekly office time; 1 point if you sit at your desk sometimes; 0 points if your answer starts with, “I’ve been meaning to …”
KC: If you’re like any other adult human on the planet, you have a long to-do list of things you want and need to accomplish every day. So saying you’ll get to practice management or marketing tasks “when you have a minute” really means never, or when it’s almost too late to send that client’s birthday note or your monthly email blast (you’re sending a monthly email, right?). Do yourself a favor and keep up with important tasks and decrease your overall stress level by scheduling weekly time to market and manage your practice. Set yourself up for success by picking a consistent day and time—say, Wednesday at 10:00 a.m.—and putting it on your calendar every week. When I finally did this, my anxiety level dropped significantly because I wasn’t always playing catch-up or worrying about what I was forgetting to do; I was proactively taking care of the important day-to-day aspects of managing and marketing my practice. Is it always easy to carve out this time? No. Is it always helpful? Yes.
4. Talk About Massage in Public
Add 10 points if you gave a speech/talk about the benefits of massage in the last 60 days; 0 points if you counted yelling, “I need a massage!” in the grocery store.
LS: Now, you don’t want to be like one of those people who talks about CrossFit/supplements/hobbies/grandkids/politics, etc. all the time, BUT, you are an entrepreneur and your business success is predicated on establishing a public profile. The saying goes, “MTs can’t live on friends alone.” Actually, that’s something I just made up, but I think it makes sense.
You have to go out and acquire new clients. One way to do so is to present yourself to the available public as a resource. What does that mean? Well, it does not mean yelling at people in the grocery store about thoracic outlet syndrome. But, offering your expertise for a career day at your kid’s school, presenting to a Rotary club, or participating in a wellness-related radio show are all possible opportunities to raise your profile and further educate potential clients.
5. Have a Marketing Plan
Add 7 points if you do at least two marketing efforts a month; 1 point if you’ve ever done any marketing; 0 points if you think marketing means buying groceries.
KC: Just to be clear here: “winging it” is not an acceptable strategy. As Les stated (and he’s smart, so we should listen to him) repetition is the key to many aspects of maintaining a practice, and marketing is no exception. I’m not suggesting you repeat the same marketing efforts over and over with no variety (that would be boring for you and would be less effective for your practice over time), but you should be marketing your practice on a consistent basis. Just like a New Year’s resolution to run a fast 10K doesn’t happen if you go for one run on New Year’s Day and then do nothing else, building a practice takes more than one marketing push. Marketing consistency and repetition really are the cornerstones to growing and maintaining your practice. I get it, though—not everyone enjoys marketing, so agreeing with that concept and putting it into practice are two different things. It’s something you need to embrace in your own way and prioritize if you want a full practice, because, bottom line, it works. And it works best if you do it regularly.
Let’s adapt some shampoo-bottle wisdom and chant this mantra together: Market. Grow. Repeat.
6. Use Your Phone
Add 6 points if you already use your smartphone for business; add 3 points if you have a smartphone, but don’t use it for business; 0 points if you don’t have a smartphone; subtract 10 points if you have a rotary phone.
LS: Talking about smartphones is a bit passé by now, right? They’re ubiquitous. Which is why we need to talk about them. If you are holding out, it’s time for a look in the mirror. If you don’t have a smartphone, ask yourself this question: Why? Philosophical objection, or a cost issue? If it’s philosophical, I’m not sure how I can sway your thinking—other than to think about it in the context of what else has changed in your lifetime. Do you still drive with just lap belts? Use a VHS player? Listen to 8-track tapes? Technology evolves; the key is to use the advancements to your advantage and not to consume anything too much. If your concern is cost, I suggest you conduct a cost analysis. You can deduct phone expenses off your taxes—up to the percentage of time you use it for your business. And think about the ways a phone can make your business money—like online scheduling, accepting credit cards, email, text reminders—the list goes on and on.
7. Have a Client Retention Plan
Add 8 points if you’ve created your own unique client retention strategy; 0 points if you think “doing things exactly like everyone else does them” is your best plan.
KC: I’m sure you’re not shocked that I’m recommending you have a client retention plan. You’ve already heard how important this is—probably from me. Here’s my new twist on this advice: please have fun! There are so many things we should do to maintain our practices that everything can start to feel like a chore and we begin to lose the joy of doing what we love. Yes, a good retention plan includes the tried-and-true items: birthday and holiday recognition, rewards for frequent visits, package plans, referral incentives, etc., but this is a fantastic opportunity to implement at least one strategy that’s unique to you and your practice. For example, a friend is celebrating her practice’s 10th anniversary with special promotions for current clients that feature the number 10. Another friend holds a drawing from each month’s clients for a special prize the winner can use with her next session: an extra 15 minutes, free stone massage upgrade, etc. This rewards clients for repeat visits and introduces them to how wonderful longer sessions and add-on services are. Take advantage of this opportunity to put the “fun” back into the fundamentals of managing your practice (ba-dum-tss).
8. Be Online
Add 10 points if you have a website; subtract 10 points if it’s only pictures of your cat.
LS: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat—it can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Just like with your phone, your online presence can be a reflection of what you value. You don’t have to be everywhere, but sitting on the sidelines is not an option. Why? Because your clients aren’t. Beer advertisements are shown during sports, because men like sports and men like beer. Smart move by the beer people. Where are your clients, or future clients? On the web? Certainly. Facebook? Likely. Twitter? Maybe not as much. My brother-in-law owns a restaurant, and he regularly posts pictures of sumptuous meals on Facebook and Instagram. It doesn’t help me much, since I’m in Colorado and he’s in North Carolina, but I’m sure he has created and enhanced a client base through his posts. Here’s one of my pet peeves—I go online to do some research or look up a business, and there is no web presence. My reaction? “How serious are these people?” Every business should have a web presence—in my view it should have its own website (ABMP members get one for free, but even a Facebook page is better than nothing).
9. Have a Survival Plan
Add 5 points if you have a solid practice survival plan; 0 points if you’re yelling, “S.O.S.!”
KC: Just like boats have life preservers and rafts, you need to have a self-preservation plan to get you through the ups and downs of being a small-business owner. Not sure how much income you’re going to make this week? Step one: keep breathing! Step two: plan in advance for the dips by carefully forecasting and controlling your expenses and saving excess revenue when you can. Step three: do all of the other things we talk about in this article to build a full practice. Anticipate challenges in advance and create plans to overcome or deal with each of these hurdles one by one. This applies to more than just your business’s financials; how will you keep yourself motivated on the days you’re dragging or when troubles and worries from your nonmassage life start to infringe on your massage world?
The question is: What are your practice’s life preservers, and are they ready to be used in case of emergency?
10. Ground Rules
Add 3 points if you have a cancelation policy; 0 points if you have a sign that says, “PLEASE TIP ME.”
LS: One of my favorite recollections of my kids’ formative years was watching them play “unorganized” sports—like a different game at the end of soccer practice or pickup hoops on the driveway. Around ages 8–12, they seemed to spend 70 percent of that time arguing/negotiating about what the rules should be. It always amused me to think about how important it was to them to understand what the rules were and how things would work.
I guess they got that from us. We all live under ground rules, guidelines that help us not only maintain society, but also operate businesses and relationships. Your practice is no different—you need to set boundaries for your own health and safety, but to also establish a successful business and set expectations for your loyal and future clients. That includes ground rules for tardiness, cancellations, and tipping (will you or won’t you accept?).
How Did You Do?
35–50+ points: Congrats! You’re a practice-management superstar. E. D. Hirsch would be proud (and so are we).
20–34 points: You’re getting there, but there are a few cracks in your practice’s foundation that need attention.
0–19 points: Thanks for reading this; now, put these ideas to work for you!