And How Your Marketing and Business Growth Reflects Your Ability to Do That
I am excited to announce our first Free teleconference in well over a year. I would love for you to join me! In the Stepping Into Your Greatest Self teleconference we will be looking at why your marketing and business growth may not be working. Are you self-sabotaging yourself? Are you doing marketing and advertising and your business is still struggling.
The growth of your business is in direct correlation to your personal growth and development. It has as much to do with you “doing” marketing and networking as has to do with your attitudes and beliefs about how you help others, how you feel when you approach prospects and create marketing materials and how you share your gifts with the world.
In our newest teleclass we will be examining some of the most common ways business owners and marketers self-sabotage and how to discover where we are self-sabotaging. Seeing where we are preventing our own success is the first step to stopping those behaviors!
We will also be introducing our newest coaching program, Stepping Into Your Greatest Self.
If you’ve been having trouble reaching your goals and creating the business and life you desire, odds are you can find several self-sabotaging behaviors ruining your success. Self-sabotage, by definition, is thoughts, feelings and actions that block your success by working against your own self-interests. Only a crazy person would consciously sabotage their own success, right? The thing is you are probably not sabotaging yourself consciously. All of this is happening underneath your radar in your subconscious. In order to stop these unwanted acts the first thing we need to work through is recognizing those self-sabotaging behaviors.
How can you recognize something you are not conscious of? You must first acknowledge that you have self-sabotaging behaviors, recognize which behaviors they are and then have the strength and stamina to look at them and work through them. This is how a strong person and a successful business are built.
Let’s take a look at the seven most common self-sabotaging behaviors massage therapists exhibit when struggling with their business.
1. Feeling you have no value. This feeling often comes from low self-esteem and comparing yourself to others. It’s easy to compare ourselves to others – oftentimes the grass is greener on the other side. Our insecurities tell us that others are doing “it” better because “it’s” different than what we are doing. Remember that each of us is created with something different and special to give the world. We are here to serve others. Each of our talents will connect with different people in different ways and you have to trust and know that. Healing can be a very personal event – you will connect with some people on a deep level and not at all with others. Don’t look at what others are doing, do your own thing. March to the beat of your own drum. That’s how you become a success!
2. Focusing on what is not working or not right. This is a common problem for not only massage therapists and other business owners, but also people that are generally unhappy with their life. What can you do to change things around? Start by writing down what IS working and what IS going right in your life and business right now. Then make a conscious decision that every time you catch yourself thinking a negative thought you switch it with a “what’s going right” thought. Pay particular attention to what you are thinking the 10 minutes before you fall asleep and the 10 minutes when you first wake up. This time frame sets the tone for your entire day. Come up with 3 or 4 positive statements you repeat to yourself daily or write down 30 statements – one for each day of the month.
3. Procrastinating. A big one for many healers and marketers, procrastination is the number one reason people don’t move forward. They are stuck in a place they don’t want to be and procrastinate when it comes to tasks to work their way out. Stopping procrastinating is not just about discipline. It’s also about understanding why you are procrastinating. If there is a specific part of your business, such as marketing, that you keep putting off but know you need to do, look at why you don’t want to do it. Does hearing “no thanks” make you feel less worthy? Do you feel insecure about marketing because you are not clear on best practices? Are you afraid to be seen and play big because some people won’t like you? Here are a few exercises to work through procrastination behaviors:
Try doing the task you are avoiding first thing in the morning.
Take baby steps – make your first steps easy, such as writing one blog post a month and working your way up to one a week.
Form your own mastermind or support group. Having others that you can either do the projects with or hold each other accountable can be helpful.
It’s important to recognize where you are stopping!! If you look I bet you’ll find you are stopping at the same places every time you come to them.
4. Not doing anything because you are stuck in fear. This self-sabotaging behavior can be hard to recognize and even more challenging to work through. First, closely examine what it is you are afraid of. If you look closely you’ll probably find your fears are based on things that haven’t even happened yet. The truth is you can’t control the future or what might happen. This is wasted time and energy worrying about what “might” or “could” happen rather than focusing on the conditions right this very second in time. Oftentimes fear leaves us paralyzed and we take no action because of what might occur. Put your focus on the NOW –Eckert Tolle has written some phenomenal books about being present in the NOW.
5. Having no purpose. Feeling lost or purposeless is not a healthy way to start a profitable business. Know that everyone has a purpose in this lifetime. Everyone – Especially you. The key is to bring to your consciousness what that purpose is. A life without purpose is often a life without passion and that lack of passion will come through loud and clear to your clients and prospects. People are attracted to passionate people. If you feel unsure of your purpose know that you have one, you just may not be aware of it. Journaling, meditation, and giving/serving others are an effortless way to discover your purpose and how healthcare fits into that. Sometimes bringing spirituality to your life can also help you have a feeling of purpose. If we don’t see our lives and business as having a higher purpose we tend to self-sabotage. Feeling as if we have no purpose is the root cause of the self-sabotaging behavior.
6. Getting distracted or losing focus. First things first with this one. Check your diet – are you drinking too much caffeine in the mornings and losing focus in the afternoons? Not eating enough or eating poorly? Not getting enough sleep? Need to break up your day and workout or take a lunch break half-way through? These are the physical areas to examine when you realize you are getting distracted easily. My Starbucks addiction affected my work a few years ago and I had to wean myself off coffee for a year. If it’s not physical then take a look at a few other things…Look at how you are feeeeling as you are having trouble focusing. Is there a specific incident, say an argument with your child or spouse that has you distracted? Is fear taking over? Lack of discipline? Sometimes there are days you just have to plow through your work and not get much done. We all have those days. There is a difference when this happens on a frequent or daily basis or occasionally. It’s when you see a consistent pattern that you need to start looking at a deeper reason for the lack of momentum.
7. Not finishing what you start. Another very common self-sabotaging technique is starting things (such as marketing!) and not finishing them. Look at what you are telling yourself or even other people about why you aren’t finishing – these are your excuses. Again look for patterns. Even important items such as kids, fights with your spouse or dramas that occur in your life are self-sabotaging behaviors which YOU create that detract from your goal. You are the creator of your world and what you manifest. You must own that.
Changing destructive patterns of self-sabotaging behaviors requires you to get curious about why you do (or don’t do) certain tasks. Particularly note how you are feeling when these tasks come up and look inward, dig deep into why. Awareness of your actions and then WHY you are doing them is how you stop the repetitive self-sabotaging behaviors that are preventing your businesses natural success and growth.
Growth is a natural state — everything in nature is either growing or dying. If you’re not growing you have to examine why.
If you don’t recognize your own self-sabotaging behaviors or can’t seem to work past them, a business coach can help. Contact us at 303-460-0285 or Kelly@AMarketingConnection.com to explore how we can help today!
Adding health coaching to your massage practice is a simple and fun way to increase revenues and serve your clients more fully.
Coaching your patients is something you are probably already doing…talking to them about their health, teaching them specific things they can/should do to live healthier lives, offering advice on supplements and exercises.
Do you find there are some patients that would like to spend more time with you than you have? Are there some patients that could use more guidance but don’t know how to get it? Adding coaching to the services you offer is just another way you can help them in a more personal, in-depth way.
How difficult is it to add coaching to your portfolio of services?
Adding coaching is easy. There’s a good chance you are already coaching clients and just aren’t calling it that. Rather than offering the service without charging for it, you need to name it and charge a price for it. For example, say a patient comes in repeatedly for a sports injury – do you not help them by offering techniques to avoid the injury? You may even find yourself recommending vitamins or even shoes that can help them do their sport more safely or efficiently.
This is simply coaching – you are just not calling it that nor charging for it.
Ideas for types of coaching
Are there questions your patients consistently ask about? Opportunities for learning you see that aren’t being met? Using coaching to meet these needs is a great opportunity for you to expand your practice, make more money, and more fully meet the needs of your patients.
Let’s look at an example of how a massage therapist could add coaching to their practice:
Offer health coaching packages individually and coach clients with specific issues: For example coaching for stress endurance. Coaching for insomnia.
Offer weight loss coaching or physical fitness coaching.
Rotate offering specific coaching on different topics that complement your practice such as meditation, increasing energy, relaxation.
Coaches traditionally charge anywhere from $100 up to $1,000 an hour or more. Depending on your practice and niche, I recommend starting off on the lower end and raising your rates as your coaching time fills.
Integrating coaching into your massage packages will allow you to set a price that doesn’t necessarily spell out an hourly rate. Many practitioners package their coaching with existing services to increase the value.
For example, a massage therapist could put together a package of 10 massages that normally costs $100 each. A $1000 value. For the package, they may discount the services because the patient is purchasing in bulk. Rather than discounting the price, the LMT could offer 30 minutes of one-on-one coaching, or free access to workshops or classes you do. You want to offer services that are easy to do, but add value for the patient and ultimately help them achieve their health goals.
Here’s what it ultimately looks like:
Ultimate massage therapy health package:
10 massages
Five 30 minute one-on-one coaching sessions
Develop personal health plan
Free admittance to monthly health seminar held in office for 6 months
Total cost: $2800
Coming up with several different packages with different price points for clients can quickly, and easily, add several thousands of dollars to your revenues and strengthen your relationship with patients.
Do you offer coaching services with in your business? Tells us about it!
It’s very important for any business owner, particularly massage therapists, to have a vision of success and prosperity. Success and prosperity can be things different for different people.
Your vision of prosperity
The prosperity mentality will naturally guide you so that you are extremely clear in your intention and purpose. I’d like you to take a few minutes and write down what prosperity means to you. Be descriptive in your answers. How much is “enough money”. How many patients do you see a month? How much time away from your practice do you have? Does your income come from a variety of sources or from your patient base?
Does striving for prosperity mean you are not sincere in your work?
Just because you are making money (which is an even exchange of energy for the work you do) does not in any way compromise the healing you do, or make you selfish and greedy.
Nothing can be further from the truth.
When it comes to our financial motivations, it’s helpful to get very clear about what we believe to be true about money. Why do some of us believe that money should be shunned, that it is somehow unethical to make a lot of money and help people heal? Why do others believe that money is the end all be all – that making money is the top priority in life?
As a massage therapist, your belief system around money will determine your success as much as anything you “do”. We live in a society that fears not having enough. Most of us have bought into the mentality that money is in limited supply and that we must do what we can, however we can, to get our fair share.
When we live from a place of scarcity, fear will dictate that unfolding of our lives, acting like a clamp that shuts us off from the magic and abundance of the Universe.
Recognizing your Prosperity Mindset
Understanding your beliefs about money and prosperity are an important component to changing them. I am now going to go through a few personal exercises to help you recognize your beliefs.
Write down the main qualities that come to mind when you contemplate how your parents relate to money. What did they teach you through their actions? Can you identify any harmful themes that have been passed down to you? Feel free to write this in a personal journal over several days and weeks.
Write down, by decade, your experiences about money throughout your life. What was your family life like when you were a child? A teen? In your 20s, 30s etc.
Read the following statement:
“As a bodyworker, I deserve to make a healthy six figure income. There is no cap to my earning potential. I value making money just as I value the service I offer to my clients.”
How do you feel after reading that statement? Do you embrace this statement wholeheartedly? Is there a part of you that resists it? What is the belief that causes you to resist it?
Understanding your beliefs about prosperity and money are an important factor for your growth and development, both personally and professionally. Uncovering deeply seeded beliefs can require much more internal work and analysis than I provide in this blog but is worth exploring on your end. As a business owner and massage therapist it’s imperative you explore your internal as well as external actions and beliefs. Business coaching can help you discover unsupportive beliefs that are preventing the growth of your practice. To schedule coaching with Kelly Robbins call 303-460-0285.
About the author
Founder of www.AMarketingConnection.com and www.TheCopywritingInstitute.com, Kelly Robbins, MA, is an award winning author, copywriter, energy worker and healthcare marketing coach/consultant. Kelly is a blogger for both Chiropractic Economics and Massage Magazine and is the author of Marketing 101: Why Successful Alternative Healthcare Practitioners. She also publishes The Healthcare Marketing Connection, a free e-zine on healthcare marketing tips. Contact Kelly to receive her free report, “5 Critical Mistakes Healthcare Marketers Make that Lose Sales and Plummet Profits” at www.AMarketingConnection.com or 303-460-0285.
We consist of four things: Our mental self, our emotional self, our spiritual self, and our physical self. To make a change, to shift a belief, or to touch a life, we must connect with all four aspects of a patient.
This may mean taking your massage therapy practice to the next level and going deeper with treatments and therapies. Treating a symptom is much different than helping a client create lifelong change by changing a nonsupportive behavior.
How we change behaviors now Simply throwing facts and statistics at a patient is not going to motivate them to change a behavior – no matter how harmful that behavior is, or how beneficial making the change will be. Showing massage patients an x-ray alone or discussing why their energy is not flowing optimally will most likely not change a behavior, at least for the long-term. What you’ll experience is the patient will change their behavior for a little while or until the pain stops and then they will quit coming in.
To change a patient’s harmful behavior the bodyworker must connect with the patient on all four levels; mental, emotional, spiritual, physical.
Many of us talk or may share an x-ray with a patient and show them how their injury or pain is blocking the flow of energy – causing the physical experiences they are having. Showing the patient the x-ray is fine, but you must take that to the next level. Explain to them how this blockage is what’s causing them to miss out on baseball games with their kids or preventing them from fully enjoying their work or missing out on opportunities in life. Make it real and if you can touch on an emotional aspect of their pain. “It must be difficult not being able to golf with all your co-workers. How is that affecting your job?”
As healers, the x-ray may make a strong connection for us simply because of who we are – it doesn’t necessarily cause a connection with the majority of our patients. You have to take that a step further and connect with them on another level.
There are several ways you can do this:
Tell them verbally
Have them touch and feel something such as an anatomical model. Use metaphors and dramatizations to actively involve the client.
Provide them with handouts or written materials explaining their condition so they can digest the information at a later time and possibly research the information online later.
Have them move if they are experiencing physical symptoms. If they have a hard time standing on one leg because of lower back pain, have them stand on one leg so they experience the pain again. The pain reinforces the message you are giving them.
Have them repeat specific messages you want them to walk away with. THEY have to say it, not just listen to you.
Finally, for you to be present in all four quadrants I recommend you empty yourself before you do a treatment to allow spirit to work through you. Empty yourself so your beliefs and problems are not in the way – allowing you to fully serve. If you’re thinking about your next patient or all the emails waiting for your response you are not fully present.
If you experience problems with massage patients coming in for an appointment or two and then not coming back, it may be because you are not connecting with them on all four levels. Try incorporating these techniques and see what a difference they make.
Putting “emotion” into your massage therapy marketing is something that most marketers don’t talk about. It’s not always the easiest or most natural thing to do. The natural thing to do is for you to talk and sell to your prospects logically. We usually do this by talking about our features.
Your sales massage therapys messages should talk to your prospects like you would talk to a friend. In an advertisement, newsletter, or other mass communication you may not be able to call your prospect by their name, but there are other ways to “talk” to the reader in a more personal tone.
Here are a few different ways you can put emotion into your massage marketing messages:
Don’t talk corporate speak. Use terms like “you” and “your” rather than “the”. For example, “your coffee” versus “the coffee”. Be a person! People want to deal with people – particularly when it comes to their health – not a large, cold, impersonal corporation. Be human.
Know clearly who you are talking to in your advertisements. Picture one specific person you are talking to, not all of the people reading the ad. I tell my copywriting students to actually put a photo of this person (their ideal client) on the monitor while they’re typing so they remember to talk to that one person. The picture helps you stay focused. You are more likely to make a connection talking to one person than a group.
Talk to your customers and prospects like you would a friend. Be conversational. One way to check your copy is to read it out loud. Does it sound like you talk or does it sound like you write? These are different. In school we are taught to “write” scholarly, not conversationally. Throw everything you learned out the window when you are marketing – write like you talk.
Let your personality shine through. It’s ok to be different – people like you for it. People “see” you because of it. If you like to travel, have three crazy kids, or love bungee jumping – share that with your readers. Your personality will make you stand out from the other 3,000 advertisements your readers are exposed to each day. I say it again, be human – not a company.
Talk about the benefits of your services, not the features. Benefits tend to be more emotional versus features which are logical. People buy based on emotion, not logic.While it is important you include logical reasons in your advertisement to justify a purchase that should be a small part of the actual selling you do. Talk to prospect’s emotions by addressing the benefits your services provide. Talk emotionally about how it will help them, not intellectually about how seeing you is the right decision.
Putting emotion into your massage marketing is an important part of making a true connection with readers and allowing prospects to know who you really are and what you stand for. As you know, when it comes to their health people are particularly looking for someone they connect with. Be that person! Look through some of your existing ads and see how well you’ve done.
We all make mistakes, both in our business and our personal lives. In fact, we skiers in Colorado often ask each other how much we fell. Because “if you didn’t fall you’re not trying hard enough” when skiing.
I think the same holds true in marketing your massage therapy practice.
Take chances – it’s ok to make a mistake. Oftentimes it’s the best way to learn.
I am currently reading The Million Dollar Consultant by Alan Weiss. Here is what he has to say about learning from setbacks:
“You win some and you lose some. The best baseball hitters are successful about one-third of the time. The best golfers win perhaps one of every 15 tournaments they enter. Abraham Lincoln lost more elections than he won. The finest salespeople probably close about two sales of every 10 legitimate meetings.”
I find it’s easy to see the mistakes you make and dwell on them. I see some people kicking themselves or their employees and spending weeks worrying about the consequences. Dwelling on the “what if’s”. You have to let go of them and move on. So what if no one came to a talk you gave? Don’t do it again. Pick a different location or topic next time.
Weiss tells us “the key, of course, is not to make the same mistake twice. Whether you swing at a wild pitch, hit the tee shot into the water, lose the election through poor debating, or lose the sale through lack of preparation about the competition, the idea is to lessen the chances that the same cause will produce the same result the next time.”
The lesson here is to take chances when marketing your massage therapy practice. If you get an idea try it. You never know unless you try.
What this does NOT mean is that you should purchase advertising space or give talks and not measure and track your results. If it’s not working stop doing it. Like many things in life, such as starting a massage therapy practice, there are no guarantees.
Especially in marketing, it’s important to try new things and pursue new ventures. If it doesn’t work – stop doing it and try something else. If something is working – tweak it and see if you can get it to work better!
If you don’t try, you fail no matter what, especially when it comes to growing your massage therapy practice and healing patients.
You are creating packages and pricing for your massage therapy practice. You have services and products to sell in several prices ranges and you aren’t sure where to start.
Should you present the least expensive service first, the mid-priced product second ending with the most expensive? Or start with the mid-priced product? It seems like starting with the least expensive service first makes sense, because you don’t scare the prospect away with a high-ticket item.
But that’s NOT what you should do.
What you should do may go against what seems like common sense, but is proven to not only sell more products, but in the long-run results in clients spending more money overall.
The key to making more money overall and selling more massage therapy products and services is to sell the most expensive item first. Robert Cialdini gives an example in his book The Psychology of Persuasion of men’s clothing salesmen. If a man walks in and asks to look at suits, sweaters and other accessories you should always present him with the suit first. After deciding on a $500 suit, a $200 sweater or a $150 belt seems inexpensive and he is more likely to buy all of them.
And because he just decided on a nice suit he realizes he should have high quality accessories to go with it and is more likely to spend more.
Another example Cialdini gives is a strategy used by car salespeople. They first sell you on the price and style of the car. They make the car easy and affordable to buy. After you’ve agreed on the price and type of car, they then offer you smaller items to add on. Upgraded seats, a nice stereo system, etc. What’s a couple hundred more dollars to the $25,000 you are spending on your new car? All those accessories add to a nice chunk of profits in the end.
Offering the most expensive product first is called “the contrast principle” and automatically triggers certain responses in humans. It’s psychology.
Failing to use the contrast principle and selling the inexpensive items first will not only make the more expensive items seem and feeeeeel more expensive, but it actually causes the contrast principle to work against you – it causes the more expensive item to seem even more expensive that it actually is.
This principle works so effectively because of the mood or atmosphere created in the beginning. When used effectively the mood you create is leveraged on the secondary sales items.
Let’s take a closer look at why this principle really works so well. You can try this experiment yourself. Get three buckets and fill them with water. Fill one with hot water, one with very cold water and one with lukewarm water. Put your left hand in the hot water and your right in the cold water. After a minute or so take both hands out and place both hands in the lukewarm water at the same time.
When you feel is truly amazing! Logically you know the lukewarm water is one temperature, but both hands are experiencing something very different. The hand in the hot water feels like the water is very cold, while the other hand is feeling warmth. Because of what they experienced before they were merged into the cold water.
What’s important to take away for your sales copy is to know what impression you want to make with your reader. Whether you want your product to seem expensive or inexpensive – the perception is influenced by what you present first.
Kelly Robbins also publishes The Healthcare Marketing Connection, a free e-zine on healthcare marketing tips. Contact Kelly to receive her free report, “5 Critical Mistakes Healthcare Marketers Make that Lose Sales and Plummet Profits” at www.AMarketingConnection.com or 303-460-0285.
Comments (0) Posted by Kelly Robbins on Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009
Some MT’s think if they invest thousands of marketing dollars into a high-quality brochure, patients will be attracted to it simply because it’s there and looks nice. The truth is that massage therapists should really use a brochure as an educational marketing tool that patients can use to answer questions on their own. They key to an effective massage therapy brochure is to provide patients with something new that makes them want to pick it up, read it, and keep it around long after they leave your office.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when creating a massage therapy brochure:
Include helpful information that makes clients want to keep it, such as three tips to reduce neck pain, or five steps to stay relaxed after your massage.
Share benefits rather than updates on new features or equipment. For example, describing new technology or equipment available in your office doesn’t attract interest, but showing clients how and why the new equipment helps them through less pain, faster appointments, etc will make them want to learn more.
Provide a strong sales message on the front cover. For example, “Your health is our priority”. This is your chance to grab the patient’s attention and make the brochure keepable.
Move the reader forward in the sales process. Accomplish an objective, such as answering common questions, and then ask the reader to call to make an appointment or visit your website for more detailed information.
Ensure your contact information is easy to find and up to date. Always include your phone number, web address, hours of operation, location and directions.
Don’t print expensive brochures simply because you should have them. Set objectives and make sure your brochure leads the reader to specific and helpful information about your practice.
Contact Kelly to receive her free report, “5 Critical Mistakes Healthcare Marketers Make that Lose Sales and Plummet Profits” at www.AMarketingConnection.com or 303-460-0285.
Comments (1) Posted by Kelly Robbins on Tuesday, February 24th, 2009
