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Perhaps you’ve taken extensive business classes while you were at
massage school. Perhaps not. Maybe
you came from a previous career in business or maybe you are a novice in this
wide world. No matter what your background or how much you learned in school,
the question is How much time are you putting into your business activities
now?
At this point, some of you who are currently working for other people are
probably thinking, “this article isn’t for me”.
I beg to differ and encourage you to read on.
Whether you are in practice for yourself, working for someone else or a
combination of both, you are “in business” and should be spending time and
energy on its matters. The amount
of time and energy depends largely on your situation but EVERY massage therapist
should be doing something towards the business-part of their livelihood.
Surprisingly enough, often it is the veterans who settle into a routine
and forget to focus on business matters. Consider
this situation. You are working at
a spa under an umbrella of managers who supervise and support you in all aspects
of your work. The laundry is done,
the linens are provided, the schedule is set and you basically show up for work.
Sounds like you are not in business for yourself.
What about rescheduling your clients? Isn’t it the responsibility of
the therapist to retain clients? Do
you have a secure dialogue for your exit interview?
Are the clients rescheduling? What
if you are at a cocktail party or your son’s soccer game and someone asks you
what you do for a living? Are you
able to be an ambassador for the field of massage therapy while giving a strong
biography of yourself? These are
business activities and whether you know it or not, we are all responsible for
performing many of them daily. Some
of these activities happen unconsciously. Others
are more planned. They are
necessary and can always be improved upon no matter how long you have been in
business. Business
does not have to be about accounting and long-winded business plans.
Even though that is a valid aspect of professional development, many
massage therapist hire accountants and some never write business plans.
If you enjoy those pieces of the business side of massage therapy, good
for you. However, I feel the most
important aspects of business revolve around client relations. Getting the clients scheduled in the first place, performing
excellent customer service beyond the “hands-on” work and retaining clients
is paramount to success. A
successful massage career is much more than a good massage just like a five star
hotel is much more than a comfortable bed. So
how much time are you putting into those activities? In the thirteen years that I have been in private practice, I
can honestly say that I have spent about 20% of the time on business-related
activities, mostly relevant to client relations. In other words, for every 20 clients that I see per week, I
spend about 4 hours doing the “other” work.
Believe it or not, most of that time it is fun for me.
I get to network, educate my clients, talk about massage therapy, meet
new people and watch the effect that my efforts have on my career.
It can be very rewarding. Obviously
this formula changes for different work situations but it is meant to be an
example of the time commitment necessary to make your profession work for you. No
matter what your working situation, a certain amount of time needs to be devoted
for business and professional development. Schedule the time like you would a client.
Plan to do it with a friend. Chose
the optimal time of your day to perform the activities you dread most.
Whatever business activities you need to do, do it!
The list is never-ending and the rewards are many.
Have fun with the process. Stay
focused. Published in IN TOUCH - NY AMTA Newsletter Summer 2004 |
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For more information, email to jennjsa@aol.com or call 516.633.9464. All requests are handled personally and promptly. |