newbie therapist in need of advice! :)

[snoopy]

HELLO! I just graduated about 3 months ago, and I am having issues with my friends who were 'free' non-paying clients while i was in school, and now need to pay for therapy. any advice to help the transition?
I am also looking for new ways to advertise and market without seeming arrogant?
thanks!

 

[masterj00769]

newbie therapist in need of advice!

Can you be more specific about the "issues" you're having with your friends?

 

[vacant]

newbie therapist in need of advice!

There are different ways to handle the 'moochers'. One way to handle the 'freebie' friends (or family!) is to set a very short limit - perhaps 2 minutes. Even say with a laugh, but firmly: "Two minutes to remind you how good it feels and after that you have to make an appointment."

Bear in mind that what people get for free they seldom want to pay for afterwards, so you might have to seek a whole new lot of clients.

If you use the search function on MassagePlanetL, there are lots of threads on these topics. I am sorry but I don't have time to hunt this morning.

 

[Cass]

newbie therapist in need of advice!

There are different ways to handle the 'moochers'. One way to handle the 'freebie' friends (or family!) is to set a very short limit - perhaps 2 minutes. Even say with a laugh, but firmly: "Two minutes to remind you how good it feels and after that you have to make an appointment."

Bear in mind that what people get for free they seldom want to pay for afterwards, so you might have to seek a whole new lot of clients.

If you use the search function on MassagePlanetL, there are lots of threads on these topics. I am sorry but I don't have time to hunt this morning.

Here is a thread I found to get Eryn started...

"I'll be your guinea pig!"
http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=13507"

I seem to remember a thread that mentioned thanking your practice people by giving them a chance to earn "free massage" by referring new clients to you. Refer x number of people get a free 1 hr massage, etc.

I also seem to remember someone mentioning using this "waiting list" of people to be your guinea pigs when you want to change something about your massage... for instance practice a new modality on them?

I hope you find a way to work this list of early supporters (emotionally) into fans of your work who support you financially. Please keep us posted on how it goes for you!

 

[Pompal 09.]

newbie therapist in need of advice!

Thank you guys for your advice and links. They both did help. I figure as long as I create clear boundaries thru communication, I should be okay. I have plenty of people who are willing to pay, but sometimes feel bad for making my good friends pay, ya know? BUT, this is how I make my living. So it must be done. Thanks again.
Bless.

 

[kitkato95]

newbie therapist in need of advice!

I figure as long as I create clear boundaries thru communication, I should be okay. I have plenty of people who are willing to pay, but sometimes feel bad for making my good friends pay, ya know? BUT, this is how I make my living. So it must be done.

Yes, it must be done. The way I set that boundary in my practice (and how I will explain it to friends if/when the issue comes up) is this: "Having me as your massage therapist is not a condition I place on our friendship. If you choose me to be your massage therapist, I appreciate that and will do my best work with you as I would with any other client; by the same token, I don't offer any special pricing etc. over what I would offer to any other client."

I have a lot of friends who get massage regularly - some from me and some not. It's their choice and has no impact on our friendship.

That said, I have been known to do a few minutes of massage here and there to get a friend out of "crisis" - like the time a group of friends and I were on vacation together and one of my friends had a sciatic issue acting up; I was happy to spend 5 minutes releasing his piriformis to clear up the issue temporarily until he could get back to his regular MT once he got home. I'd rather do that than spend my entire vacation watching a good friend limp around in pain. LOL

 

[Reverse_Thread_Wing_Nut]

newbie therapist in need of advice!

I seem to remember a thread that mentioned thanking your practice people by giving them a chance to earn "free massage" by referring new clients to you. Refer x number of people get a free 1 hr massage, etc.

This is great advice too! One thing I did when I first started out was offer to "trade" massage with friends if they would help me do things like put up flyers, help work my booth at a street fair, etc. - stuff that would assist with my marketing but that I couldn't, at that time, afford to pay $ for.

 

[Grumpy]

newbie therapist in need of advice!

PETE! great idea! i'm HUGE into the bartering system as well, and this plays nicely into it all. Thank you! Good compromising

 

[Finnegan]

newbie therapist in need of advice!

I also LOVE the idea of bartering.

I handle it this way:

First, I come up with a list of things I need/want enough to be willing to pay for. Do this BEFORE you are approached with a possible barter situation; this way, you're prepared without being put on the spot. (Good candidates to get your brainstorming juices flowing: massage therapy, acupuncture, hair color/cut/style, house cleaning, Whole Foods discounts, auto mechanic work, website design/build, advertising space, music lessons, handyman work, hand-made jewelry, petsitting/babysitting, etc. Heck I've bartered for chiropractic, ham/amateur radio gear, marketing/coaching/development, and lawn care LOL. My own list now consists of front desk/reception help and yoga/martial arts classes/instruction.)

Then, I show this list to anyone who indicates financial stress (caveat - anyone RELIABLE, down-to-earth/drama-free - go with your GUT on this one, and really listen to it). Maybe they can't pay for it out of pocket but they've got an amazing skill.

I repeat, be careful who you approach the subject with. No crazy/unstable people, flaky people, freebie-seeking people, etc.

Don't let yourself get talked into things that aren't on your list. I couldn't believe some of the inquiries we got - some people have no standards and no clue about your value. Don't be afraid to communicate it.

If they don't have anything I need, I give to those who give back - you can easily make business/post cards that have a "Thank you for your referrals!" message on them and hand them out by the handful (or keep them at your desk for clients to take) to clients. For every [x] number of new paying clients they refer, they get [x] amount off their next massage OR they get [x] extra add-on treatment at no cost (I typically prefer the latter, so as to avoid being seen as a discount person or otherwise degrade my services).

If they can't barter and can't refer, it's full price baby

 

[delphispolaris]

newbie therapist in need of advice!

That was just what I needed to read jyoti . Thank very much for the advice on bartering.

 

[madart]

newbie therapist in need of advice!

I've made it a practice not to do treatments on friends & family. I think it makes life simpler. I refer them to another therapist.

 

[wish~]

newbie therapist in need of advice!

Offering trade is a great way to handle this. You could also consider having a 'friends and family' discount if you want, that way it's easier to break it to them that they are going to have to start paying.

As far as marketing ideas, 'refer a friend' deals can be very beneficial. Don't underestimate the power of word-of-mouth.
Being active on sites like Yelp can help too, and simply reminding your clients that a review on Yelp can really help you.
Other social media such as Facebook and Twitter can be great too, with some time and practice.
You could experiment with online advertising too.

Best of luck, and let us know how it goes!