The 6 Simple Concepts Successful Massage Therapists Embrace

If you know a massage therapist who is self-employed with a full practice, I guarantee they are doing the following:

1.     They leverage social proof

The criteria people use to choose massage providers has changed immensely over the past 5 years. Even if a client receives a glowing recommendation about you from an existing client, they are still likely to look for good (or bad!) reviews about you before they commit to booking.

2.     They embrace consistency.

Clients thrive on consistency and are put off by change, especially in uncertain times. If your massage service, your environment, and your availability fluctuate, you will lose clients.

3.      They create scarcity.

There is a direct relationship between how booked up you are and your perceived level of expertise. When your calendar gets to a tipping point of scarcity, clients will prioritize scheduling their appointments ahead of time.

4.       They know boundaries and structure are their friend.

Saying “no” to a client, especially a new client, is so hard. But without boundaries around your time, physical capacity, and service price, you will eventually burn out and resent your clients.

5.       They constantly reexamine their relationship to the following words: "business”, “money”, “sales”, “marketing”.

Most healers, including myself, struggle with their discomfort around the business end of running a successful practice. The truth is if you can’t get healthy around all these concepts, you are better off working for someone who is.

6.       They take care of themselves first!

How many times a day do you gently convey this message to your clients? It’s obvious to us as healers that until our clients heal themselves, they can’t show up fully as nurturers in their own lives. Massage therapy has one of the highest burnout rates of any profession, so investing in self care is in investing in your practice.

This is a lot to take in, but these concepts are fundamental to a thriving, sustainable healing practice. Next week I will break down these concepts one by one and give you some short assignments that will help you audit where you may be unintentionally sabotaging your massage practice.