The most common question or concern in regards to your massage business is how do you actually get the clients.  You've got your room, your certificate and maybe a small number of clients.  But that's just not sufficient.  In order to get more in your business on a regular basis, there is something you need to seriously consider. And that's your marketing.

Don't get me wrong.  Your qualifications are important.  You cannot practice massage without them.  But from a marketing point of view, they are not an effective tool for attracting large client numbers.  And there's a very specific reason why they are not effective in this way, which I'll go into in a moment.

Many Therapists think that your marketing is putting an ad in the paper once.  No, that's not it.  Sure, it's part of it, but if you truly want the clients to come in high numbers you've got to view it differently to that.

You must make a decision, right now, 2004 is the year YOU get lots of clients.  If you can't make that decision you will get the same results as before.

You see if you want to create a lot of clients, then one of the things to seriously think about is doing the right advertising.  The 'right' advertising consists of client benefits, how your massage is relevant for clients and always focus on providing a solution to a problem they have.  The 'right' advertising simply means the advertising that will get you clients.

Lets look at what this actually means and why.

Too many times I see Therapists advertising their qualifications, their mission statements and their spiritual and healing beliefs and passion for massage.  I call this "me-me advertising."

In my experience, "me- me advertising" is massage-career suicide.

Why?

Please take note of this, because this is what will kick start 2004 for you.

Your prospective clients are looking for a solution.  They are consumers like you and me.  They are shoppers.  They are looking for a benefit and something that will change the way they experience life.  In a nutshell, they come to you for a solution to a problem.

It's all about the way people think.

If you walked into a department store for a pair of shoes, which shoe shops would you try?  The one that says that the manufacturer has good wholesome beliefs about shoe making, how they have been in business for 20 years and how they make the shoes? (Me-Me advertising.). Or would you most likely go into the shop that said how much comfort and support your feet got when walking in the shoes?  And how if your feet didn't feel like they were walking on air you'd get all your money back?

Which one would capture you?

I know which one you have picked.  The one that answers your problem, the one that states the pure, 100% benefit to you and you alone.  If those shoes gave you absolute support, felt great to wear and everything that was guaranteed you would feel, you actually felt, then you wouldn't care less about how long they've been around or what they believe about what they do.

Your massage business is no different.  Why should people come to you if you give them no benefits about what you do?  If someone has never heard of Lymphatic Drainage- and I can tell you the common lay person has no idea what that means, then why the hell would you put it in your marketing?  It makes no sense at all.

Think about it.

You must, must give people a reason to call.  If you are going to do the marketing that is printed, then you must make it openly beneficial for your clients.

Having a lot of clients depends on your ability to answer their problem in a way that's relevant to them and easily obtainable as a professional service, that will not only change the way they feel physically but will change their experience of life.