Clients wanted!

[Pompal 09.]

Hello, I just joined today and am looking forward to conversing with all of my peers!   ;D  I am finishing up my last 2 months to become a licensed myomassologist in Michigan.  I am a bit frustrated though as I don't have any "regular" clients.  I plan on doing massage on my own, on an out-call basis as I will be attending school full-time in the fall for my psychology degree.  Does anyone have some suggestions on how I can build my client base?  Eventually, I would like to go to a referral only practice, but for now, I just need some regulars!  I do worry a little bit about strange clients, etc., so I really want to be careful where I market.  Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Zok]

Clients wanted!

Welcome! I am also new to the group! ;D I think you are probably sitting on a gold mine of clients at the university. Try volunteering on the professors. Once they can see what you can do for them they get hooked.If they don't get hooked you might still get good referals from them later, not to mention the practice, either way you don't loose. You can rent massage chairs from some schools or businesses for less than 20 bucks around here. You'll have to check that out where you are. There are lots of other places to volunteer as well, think about all the businesses that have well paid stressed out employees and try to get in to work on them. good luck.

 

[mcafton]

Clients wanted!

I think now (the beginning of your massage career) is a perfect time to very specifically define for yourself what you see your niche in the biz as, and (more importantly) define who your ideal client will be. Just remeber that your work needs to pay your bills, etc. Getting clear in the beginning about how to make a living in this business will be absolutely invaluable. I'm not saying that you can'r give back to the community. I hope you do! There's a great newsletter about marketing that I recently came across BodyworkBiz [subscriptions@bodyworkbiz.com] very recently. It may have been here or at massageresource. Anyway, I think we all could use some marketing strategy now and then.... newbies and seasoned vets alike. Good luck to you!Jill/Sagetherapist

 

[SarahBear]

Hi!I am also a myomassologist in Michigan.  I studied at Irene's, is that where you're going?  If you are, they have a job referral list that they'll give you when you graduate.  I know that you said you want to be a private contractor, but if you get in part-time somewhere, you'll gain some valuable experience and a moveable clientele.  It's been my experience that massage therapists are like hairdressers...once you find a good one, you'll follow them anywhere! ;DBTW, I really cracked up over your "mmmmm.....fascia"  LOL!   LOVE the sense of humor!Carole

 

[Harry P]

Clients wanted!

What works for me of course may not work for you, but here is what I have found.Being out of school now for just about a year I have had the chance to work in a wide variety of places.I got hooked up with a chiropractic office doing on-call work within a month of graduating, so that helped to provide some income while I found out what I wanted to do.I still work at the chiropractor and have my own practice also, I do everyother day at each location.What I found to be the best for me is to work on clients that needed theraputic massage rather than just a nice relaxing massage. The people that have some type of injury or problem they are trying to fix will come in for sessions on a regular basis, freeing you to do more work with less time and money trying to get new clients. Someone who just comes in for the nice relaxing massage with only come a few time per year (birthdays, anniversary, etc.) where the other type of clientel will come once a week, once a month, etc. I have several clients who come even twice a week.Just my two cents...

 

[jon]

I'm with the questionner here, and haven't seen a good answer.  Does anyone know how to get new clients and build a practice without giving your services away for FREE or lowball all the local therapists so much you wind up having to PAY to provide massage at a discount?  I absolutely need to earn some money, and soon.  I need to support my family, and the mortgage is due.

 

[eeyore6802]

You guys are looking for some magic answer here.  Unfortunately, the best answer is not going to be found on this website, but in your own business plan and marketing strategy.  Private massage therapy practices grow slowly and there's no one great way to find clients.  You need to advertise in your local papers, purchase direct mail listings from your local city commerce office and send out mailings, do chair massage at events, grand openings, offer your services as gifts at auctions, local fund-raisers, do special promotions around holidays (Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, etc) and a host of others.  If you're afraid to see new clients, you're going to really limit yourself.  Instead, consider developing a screening protocol over the phone, ask probing questions that will quickly let you know if this person is really looking for a therapeutic massage or something else.  Keep a log of all your appointments at home so your loved ones know where you are during the day.  Your day planner in your massage bag isn't going to help anyone if you don't show up for dinner.   Your practice will grow, but it takes time.  Also, introduce yourself to your local health care practioners and offer them free services for referrals from their office.  Build a website, it all helps.  It's a matter of being inventive and your business plan is your best place to start.  Find a manual on writing one (if you're unsure as to how to do it) and follow it and the work itself will follow as well.  If you're just starting out and need to start making a lot of money right away, you need to take a step back and figure out how that's exactly supposed to happen.  Without a proper business plan many massage therapists go out of business and leave the profession within 2 years.  Check with AMTA for the most up to date stats.  Consider building your practice while working for someone else to pay the bills at the start.  If you don't have a lot of clients, you've got the free time.  I don't mean to sound harsh and I truly hope you find success in this ever-changing and challenging field but so many of the posting on the site are help me, help me when the best answers are all withiin us.    Good luck, Joe E.

 

[Mateo]

You took to words right out of my mouth ;D, Joe E.I agree totally with your insights.  I have a practice in my small home town community (does reach out to several other surrounding communities) and it takes good common business sense, foot work,  and PR work.  The PR work doesn't necessarily take a lot of cash.  Word of mouth has been my BEST advertising tool.  Of course, my location has also been very beneficial.   I lease space from owners of a Curves Exercise for Women.   They also have a tanning business which allows men on that side of the business, so I am able to draw male and female clients.  It works great!   But I agree, that it is within each person and their style as to the making of their practice.So far, I really like this web site, but I agree also that there will not be an answer to all new therapists questions.Redrose in Oklahoma

 

[CaliBlondi7]

I agree with Joe also.  The only way you are going to make it in this business is with a plan.  If you have no idea about a business plan, talk to the Small Business Development Center in your area.  They provide free and discounted services for new businesses (like helping write a business plan)  Also decide who your target marget is going to be and get included with that group.  I went for Business owners,  So I joined the Chamber of Commerce and Rotary.  There were lots of business owners there so I started selling myself every chance I got.  I now have the business owners and alot of their employees coming in, but it took 5 years to build to this point.  My first year was kind of scary, not alot of $$ coming in and all the money was still owed out.  If I didn't have a plan I would have washed out that first year.  A business plan is not something you should do, it is something you MUST do.Dale

 

[Office Monkey]

Clients wanted!

Thanks to everyone about the Chamber of Commerce ideas....I've actually started writing to a few of the surrounding cities, so hopefully, that will be a good place to start!

 

[Pompal 09.]

Clients wanted!

Another suggestion. Start with corporate chair massage. I got started in a spa and have been amazed at how many companies have asked me to do chair massage. I haven't had the time to pursue that area but its a great way to get income flowing and a great way to get people to try a table massage. If people like your chair massage, they'll want more.

 

[DanielCude]

Hi, 12-year massage veteran in Louisiana here.  A few things I've tried: chair massage booths at Women's Conference (tip: share the booth with a local chiro and nutritionist to save money and increase audience interest)(tip#2: request a booth position nearest the traffic from workshop doors (foot of interior stairs) then place your chair AT the foot of the stairs and be a traffic-stopper!  When they find out what's holding them up, they'll all want one!); county fair (massage the local tourism/anticrime/antidrug/school mascots in costume and have a friend take pictures for your print ads and website); car/truck/cycle show (tradeout massage gift certificates with the organizers for your booth rent; massage the photographer's wife at the next booth and she'll drag women to your table/chair! do ear candling, too and make $20/30mins!); non-profit org client resource fair (offer to do a mini massage workshop at the fair as well; print massage research abstracts and articles from the web (check out Touch Research Institute), make a newsletter and print TONS of copies - booth visitors love to thumb through this while they wait their turn and will ask you to speak at their club meetings.  Be sure to read your research as they will ask pointed questions about particular conditions); corporate mini-health fairs (sponsored by local refinery and casino for their employees - get another therapist to help you as there will be too many people for you to rub them all.  Have a drawing box for gift certificates, then do a joint follow-up flyer (both your names, credentials, specialties, phone numbers and locations) to the mailing list you got in your box.); senior olympics (local and state level)(ask to join the massage team.  When they tell you there isn't one, offer to be the team coordinator and be sure to give your colleagues that come to help you as much notice as possible, and print thousands - I'm not kidding! - of copies of your team's roster with all their names, specialties, contact info, and have highlighters for each therapist to mark their name when they hand it to the booth visitors afterward.  Get chiros and nutritionists and team members to sponsor your roster by selling 10 business card size ads on the other side to help defray your printing costs.  be sure to put that particular senior olympics' logo on each side at the top with their basic event dates and locations - for example May 5-12 at Crosslands State University, Osborn, MI, keep it short - and organizer's contact info.).  Drop your business card in those free lunch fishbowl drawings at restaurants all over town and the briefcase at your local office supply store - make customers out of the managers!  Get a copy of the Chamber of Commerce's Clubs & Organizations and Major Employers booklets.  Call the club program directors and get a spot speaking to their people about your favorite subject - massage!  Call the major employers' human resources department and ask if you could drop off copies of your newsletter to be distributed to their employees through their internal mail system (ask how many copies you'll need to bring) or write an article on wellness for their company newsletter or speak to their employees' group or do a massage demo on a casual Friday in a breakroom.  Drop off copies of your newsletter when you do your banking, go to the doctor's office, the beautician, the post office or grocery shopping.  Drop them off in campus offices, local public and private schools (pre-K, elementary, secondary, vocational, etc.). Teacher Appreciation Week is in April.  Do a special promotion for teachers that month.  Followup with School's Out (May, December) and Back to School (August-September, January) when moms are exhausted from all that shopping and the holidays.  Call the school board and get the report card schedule and do a report card reward promotion with other local merchants - kids need massage too!  Do a mass mailing with your leftovers of that massage research newsletter - go to the Chamber of Commerce, get a peek at their copy of Cole's Directory (names and addresses of folks in your town, ranked by level of income!) and mail to your clients of choice.  If you have a local pre-sort service, use them to get a lower postal rate - they already have the mass mailing permits that get you the lower rates and will even sell you a mailing list and add you to another mailing of theirs to help your mail volume qualify for reduced rates.  Mail your newsletter to doctors, lawyers, accountants, beauty salons, people who need to be kneaded work everywhere and this will land on their desks and in their breakrooms!  Also mail newsletters and gift certificates to folks mentioned in your local paper's Business Notes section for their recent achievements.  Last but not least, remember to email your newsletter to as many as gave you their addresses on those drawing slips, and get email addresses on new client history forms - to save money and the environment.  I've got loads more ideas from over the years, but that's enough for now.  Best wishes and remember - you make your own luck by getting out there and meeting your clients where they're at!  Once you touch them, they'll come to you.