The countdown to 50 continues with Day 2 of the giveaways and today’s is a doozy! I’m here to help you create the practice of your dreams and today’s book will be a great help. Michael Port has written a marketing book geared specifically for the service business industry. Whether you are just starting out, are looking to grow your business or branch out, this book will walk you through all the steps of putting together a plan.
Book Yourself Solid is filled with lots of nougaty goodness. The contents take you from identifying your ideal client, to developing a sales plan, marketing strategy, networking, and selling. I can’t say enough good things about this book. Don’t believe me? Read some of the reviews on Amazon.
So why is a plan so important? Well, if you don’t know where you’re going, you’re not likely to get there. Goals need to be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. It helps to have someone walk you through the process and Michael Port does that.
So don’t wait until you’re 50 to get this book. Enter to win by leaving a comment. But not just any comment will do. I want you to leave an idea for a future post. Have more than one topic you want me to cover? I’ll consider each topic idea a new entry, up to 5 entries. Hey, it’s my contest, I get to make the rules.
So here’s your chance to win an awesome book. And if you entered yesterday’s drawing, you can still enter for today’s. Don’t forget to check back again tomorrow for the next giveaway.
I want you to write about the mechanics of affiliate selling, and the ethics of doing so. Especially for those who run dual businesses, that is, massage therapists with a client practice, but who also teach/consult/write. I’m seeing some boundary and over-lapping issues.
@Allissa and @Susan, just to clarify, are you talking about teaching/consulting/writing with your clients as new customers? Or marketing these services to other massage therapists?
And so far, the suggested topics are blowing me away. I should hire you all, you can be “Minions”!
Oh, and Happy Birthday.
I would love a blog post devoted to dealing with those clients who think they can manipulate a therapist into giving them a happy ending. How can we best handle boundary crossings or challenges.
Michael Port is the man! I’d love to have this book; I took it out of the library and read it through twice, when I was just starting.
How about a post about being an “old” massage therapist? I worried about that, when I switched careers in my late forties, and I found most my worries baseless. But of course the media at large thinks we’re all 24 year old women; even the massage magazines picture us that way (with the occasional 34 year old man tossed in for variety’s sake.)
I’d really like to see some posts devoted to pathologies, eg fibromyalgia, arthritis, and perhaps one about various immune disorders. It seems like there is constantly updated information out there that I’m not aware of. Werner’s pathology book is great, but I like keeping up-to-date. Plus it’d be neat to hear your experience with different pathologies.
I would love to have ideas for a single person (me!) who would love to be a full time massage therapist but cannot just jump ship from my 40 hour job because I have to pay the bills.
It is difficult to find a part time place that won’t take ALL my free time or expect me to be there even if there are no appointments. How can I build a client base? I’m in the Atlanta area so it’s a well populated area.
Ditto what Allissa said. And I’m not just being lazy. …OK, so I am. But I still think that’s a great idea. Cheers.
I’d love to see a thread about how to choose products to sell that will fit in a) w/ your business and b) that you can ethically feel comfortable promoting w/o c)being 1 of the same as everyone else crowd.
How about those new business owners who try to lure your clients away with “super-low discounted prices!” Many of them go out of business themselves down the line…but I hate losing any clients even temporarily and cannot lower prices and stay viable myself!
Liza is the winner of today’s drawing! Congratulations Liza and I look forward to hearing form you in the future.
Thanks to everyone for your ideas. I am really amazed by the variety of topics and the complexity of the issues. I will be busy thinking and writing for a while.
How about a post on how a new massage therapist can become an old massage therapist (in terms of lasting in the business, not age
). Topics here could be keeping your own body in shape, keeping from burnout, financial management, etc. I suppose this could cover a lot of posts.
Topic: How to market yourself as different (ie more therapeutic than relaxing) without coming across as bragging or putting down relaxation massage.
Tips on visual layout of the front page of your website including wording of headlines, images, videos, placement, etc that instantly impact and get the visitor curiously engaged so that they stay rather than click away within those first vital few seconds of landing there.
I have just gone out on my own and would love some advise on not getting in over my head just starting out. I feel like I am trying to do everything and am trying to slow it down a bit. I’m afraid of slowing down too much.
1. Have you ever received an email like this. 2. How would you answer this.
Email 1. “Hi , I need your help if possible, My wife & I will be in PC next weekend for our anniverisary. I want to give my wife a gift she will like. I want a massage for her preform by a young women, and all areas treated, if you know what I mean. Do you offer this? Or can you help me find what I’m looking for? Thanks”
(I asked what exactly he was looking for)
Email 2 “I guess what I’m asking is some type of mild sex massage? What does a full body massage consist of? I don’t mean to be so personal but do want her satisfied… Thank you very very much for your e-mail back and discussing this with me!”
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I am an avid believer in working smarter not harder… How do you educate clients that just want to feel beat up, all over, every time.
Thank you Kelli…the book arrived safely and so far has brought up some things to think about. I already realize I’m in the “you know what TO do..you just need to do it” category. It is hard to step up and add another “should do” task after spending the day working, even if it means better clientele or income per service later on!
I’m glad to hear the book arrived safely. There is a lot of information there, so take your time and work through it a bit at a time. Remember, you eat an elephant 1 bite at a time!
Ideas on how a new therapist can embrace their individual gifts and to expound on them. What are the options(lomi lomi, relaxation, reflexology, etc) once you graduate?
That’s a good topic, Misha. I’ll add it to the list!