How to Maximise the impact of your promotions
Holistic Health 2010
Today the 26th of April
I drove for a good couple of hours to get to the Holistic Health exhibition in the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre.
This was a two day exhibition which was started on the Sunday 25th and concluded on the 26th.
Now in its Sixth Year, Holistic Health supports the holistic and complementary therapy market, offering exhibitors the opportunity to showcase the latest products, treatment launches, equipment innovations and training courses.
This year had quite a large emphasis on learning, there were numerous seminars and workshops that could have been used to increase awareness of the industry. There were ample opportunities to make connections with other members of the industry as well as an extremely popular Chill Out Zone.
The exhibition was twinned with the Beautyshow 2010 and represented quite a bit of overlap as there were some complementary therapy professionals within the beauty section of the hall. Which in my opinion vastly diminished their exposure.
I overheard a few people say things like “we don’t want to go over there that is the beauty section.
The art of giving business cards
Believe it or not but the mere act of giving out your business cards is an art, not only because they are needed to be considered successful or because, in fact, they represent your professional identity, but also as an opportunity to impact your existing or prospective clients, and stay in touch with them, helping you to deal confidently.
Now if you are serious about pushing your business forward and don’t have a business card then I suggest that you stop reading and order a few. Remember you are professional most therapists have trained to acquire the necessary skills so there is no reason not to treat your as a profession, along with being a professional comes a professional image, so having your own business cards is a prerequisite of that.
If you haven’t got any yet then www.vistaprint.com as they normally do a free business cards but be careful not to get too caught up in the myriad of options that they have there as you can easily get distracted and before you know it you are paying quite a lot of money for some things you don’t really quite need.
Anyway back the card thing…
The scope of business etiquette includes considerations that many massage therapists ignore, or simply do not pay enough attention in the belief that a business card is just a small paper rectangle with a name and phone numbers to introduce yourself.
Colour business cards demonstrate that there is something else beyond a simple paper cut; otherwise, they simply would not exist. Certainly, all over the world business cards are used to provide information about a company and/or the employee or professional who holds it, as well as contact information and other details such as business acquaintances or personal details.
Some of them include expressly empty spaces to write certain details such as an appointment date, some others are as simple as blank cards that come in handy when the holder has to leave a client further details. However, those in colour are undoubtedly part of a practical business strategy following refined business etiquette.
In business, time is gold and every minute is important because more often an individual only has a few minutes to impress a prospective client, before someone else does it first. Gentle manners can conquer, but accompanied with poor business cards, it is more likely the client will forget about you as soon as you live. Unprofessional business cards will not impress but will leave your prospective client with negative thoughts about your company.
On the other hand, colour business cards are as attractive that catch the eye of even the most skeptical business contact. There is nothing more accurate that “a picture is worth a thousand words” when it comes to describing the first impression left on a person who receives a business card especially crafted to achieve a predefined business goal.
Colour business cards and regular business cards should meet the criteria of being printed in very high quality paper, designed by professionals and never using public domain graphics or other elements that makes them look cheap. Make sure to include all personal information to your business acquaintances, and always carry enough of them with you, particularly when you are planning to attend a business meeting or social event.
The art of business cards is not only in giving them away, but also exchanging and receiving. Every time you attend an event where other professionals participate, try to exchange business cards with them, particularly colour business cards to better impress, and when you receive a business card, study its design and content because you can learn from them.
Finally, always keep in mind that business cards are the branding tool of your company, not just a piece of paper to stay in touch with someone else.
Findings from the AMTA 2010 Massage Profession Research Report
If you are a member of the American Massage Therapy Association, you may be aware that every year the AMTA publishes an industry fact sheet with statistics about the massage therapy profession. Typically it addresses the demographics of who receives massage, how much they pay, what the average massage therapist looks like, and other details that create a snapshot of our profession. A typical fact sheet has the following headings:
- Massage Therapy as a Profession
- Who is Today’s Massage Therapist?
- Massage Therapy as a Career
- Education is Valued in the Massage Therapy Profession
- State Regulation of the Massage Therapy Profession
- Who Gets a Massage and Why
- Massage and Healthcare
- Massage Therapy Research
This year’s Fact Sheet is available here: http://www.amtamassage.org/news/MTIndustryFactSheet2010.html, and it is free to everyone: members and non-members alike.
But you may not be aware that the AMTA also produces a much more thorough report specifically for member schools. Titled 2010 Massage Profession Research Report, this year’s effort is a monumental piece of work with 59 fact-filled pages of information about our vocation, along with ideas about how that data can be applied. It provides a wealth of information based on extensive surveys of practicing therapists and massage therapy clients. Interested readers can access the report here: http://www.amtamassage.org/a/shoppingmall/ProductDetail.aspx?SiteMapId=5&ProductId=2874.
It is free to AMTA members, and available for a charge to the rest of the public. Even if you aren’t with an AMTA member school, if you have any interest in the marketing of massage therapy, this report will be worth your time and money.
Here is a tidbit from p. 9, taken from a survey of clients who had received massage within the past year:
Primary reasons for receiving last massage:
Pampering/ just to feel good/ special indulgence 17%
Relaxation/ stress reduction 32%
Medical reasons (including injury, spasm, pain relief) 32%
The remaining 18% had no specific reasons to get a massage; their responses were “it was free”, “It was a gift,” and the like. But the trend is obvious: of all the people who got a massage recently, about one-third did it to deal with a pressing physical or medical need—more, if we add the people seeking stress reduction. Compared to the 17% who claim “pampering” to be their primary reason for their last massage, we can derive some important information about the need for therapists to be well-educated in how to work with clients who live with imperfect health.
In an apparent contradiction, on p. 13 the answer to the question, “Where did you get your last massage?” was most often—and by quite a wide margin—in a spa setting. This points to the fact that the difference between massage as a service industry and massage as a health care intervention is a distinction that many clients don’t understand. Massage therapists in spas, cruise ships, franchises and salons are daily dealing with clients who are looking for a health care consultant more than a pampering provider.
As our profession considers what lies before us in the possibilities of tiered licensing and varying regulations to reflect levels of training, I hope we can keep in mind that separating practitioners by skill level on paper is one thing: it is entirely another when the public is looking for health care, and goes to the spa to find it.
How Do Massage Chairs Differ From Regular Treatment Tables?
As a massage therapist, you liable wonder which equipment is the best for your business. Perhaps you have seen massage chairs and treatment tables and wondered if there was a benefit of one product over the other. Both massage chairs and treatment tables have benefits, so you will need to evaluate your business’s wants when choosing linking these products.
Main Differences Linking the Two
There are several main differences linking massage tables and massage chairs. First, massage chairs can be portable, whereas massage tables are stationary for the most part. Portable tables do exist, but are not as common as portable chairs. Massage tables require patients to lie down in order to receive a massage. Massage chairs allow patients to receive massage therapy from a seated position. Finally, when you give a massage with a massage chair, you will not have to bend over quite as far as you will with a desk.
Benefits of Massage Chairs
Massage chairs have many benefits over massage tables. They are far more portable than tables. Whether you are visiting a local honest or compelling your business into corporate offices or malls, you can do this so much simpler with a massage chair.
Also, massage chairs allow you to give a massage to someone even as they are fully clothed. Some patients are uncomfortable removing their clothing for a massage, even though you handle the massage as a trained professional. With a massage chair, this is no longer an issue.
You will not have to bend over as far when you use a massage chair. This can make it simpler on your back to give the massage. Sometimes bending over the massage desk makes strain on your back, and this is restricted somewhat with a massage chair.
Benefits of Massage Tables
Massage tables also have many benefits as well. Because clients usually remove their clothing to receive a massage on the desk, you can use therapeutic oils to help the muscles relax. Also, you will have simpler door to the major muscle groups with a desk.
Some massage chairs, particularly portable ones, do not hold up well under the continual strain that comes from manifold clients. Keep in mind that you may have some clients that are overweight, and your massage apparatus wants to be able to withstand this weight. Massage tables, particularly permanent ones, tend to be sturdier and can handle the stress of continual usages much better than chairs.
Massage tables are made out of one main surface. This makes them simpler to disinfect linking clients. There are fewer crevices and folds in a massage desk than in a massage chair.
Unique Types of Massage Chairs
If you choose that massage chairs are the best fit for your business, or if you choose to use both chairs and tables for your business, you must know that there are a variety of massage chairs on the market. Portable massage chairs are made out of aluminum so they are strong even as at the same time frivolous. They can be adjusted when you set them up to accommodate patients of different shapes and sizes.
You can also choose a desktop massage chair. If you visit offices to deliver your services, this can help. These chairs sit on the top of your client’s desk or any other flat surface in the office. You can deliver your massage without compelling too much time out of the client’s day.
Finally, you can choose on-site massage chairs. These are more durable than portable chairs. They also can be adjusted for different sized clients. If you wish to give seated massages at your clinic, this is the type of chair to use.
Whether you use a chair or a desk, you are as long as vital services to your clients as a massage therapist. Take the time to evaluate the differences linking massage chairs and tables. Then you will be able to choose which is best for your business.
