Money, Marketing and Soul for Massagepreneurs
Archive for August, 2010
You Become Who …
Aug 30th
Welcome to Motivation Mondays! Here is your quote for the week.
“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” –Jim Rohn
Creating a Success Journal
Aug 27th
According to the Law of Attraction whatever we focus on expands. All too often we concentrate on what is wrong with our bodies, our relationships, our lives, and our businesses. If we are focusing on what is wrong and the Law of Attraction says that what we focus on expands aren’t we getting more of what is wrong? What a vicious cycle and totally avoidable.
How you ask? I want you to stop being critical of yourself and I want you to focus on what is right – your successes. You will journal these successes – the “ups” of your life into a “Success Journal.” Journaling is the act of writing out your thoughts. By writing your successes, you train yourself to see what is working, relieve stress and tension, and multiply your successes, creating a “delicious” cycle as a former instructor of mine used to say. Remember that what you focus on expands. Since we are now focusing on our successes, we will draw more successes.
Some people find journaling difficult in general and now I am asking you to write only about your successes. Just in case you may be having a little difficulty, let me give you some ideas about what could be successes in the various areas of our lives:
Regarding our bodies
1. I went on a 30 minute walk first thing this morning.
2. I ate very healthy yesterday – all day!
3. I looked dynamite in my little black dress when my husband took me out to dinner last night.
4. My complexion looked very healthy this morning after my shower.
5. I lost two pounds this week without trying very hard – just by eating healthy and walking a few times a week. This is so different from the previous times I have tried.
Regarding our relationships
1. My husband and I had a great time at dinner last night. He took me to my favorite restaurant.
2. I love it when my daughter helps me with the breakfast dishes as she did this morning.
3. My son and I had an enlightening conversation about why I should let him borrow the car this weekend to take his girlfriend out. He was so entertaining, I am seriously considering it.
Regarding our lives (work, financial, health or whatever else you want to write about here)
1. I saved $10 at the grocery store by using coupons.
2. My client thanked me for helping him feel better. This acknowledgement made me feel appreciated.
3. I am having a massage after work today. I am looking forward to the relaxation. I deserve it.
4. I got 5 new clients this month and we still have two weeks left in the month.
You don’t have to write for an extended period of time, unless you want to. I recommend writing for 2-5 minutes each day. I do, however, recommend writing first thing in the morning because you are writing about your successes which will set you up for more successes throughout the day. Remember the Law of Attraction says whatever your focus on expands! Go ahead, end that vicious cycle, create a “delicious” cycle!
Here are some other tips to get you started:
1. Get yourself a journal dedicated specifically to record your successes. Journals come in all varieties. You should get one that appeals to you. Below are some resources to get you started.
2. Find a quite, clutter-free area to record your successes.
3. Remember only record the successes! And be sure to report back and share your experiences.
Do you have any tips for journaling? Be sure to share them in the comments. I’m always looking for ways to improve my journaling experience.
How to Differentiate Yourself from Your Competition
Aug 25th
Is business a little slow for you? Whether your business is slow due to the economy or any other factors, there are some things you can do to differentiate yourself from the competition.
There are a couple quick things you can do to your LinkedIn profile to optimize it for SEO. These tips will help make your LinkedIn profile more marketable against the competition, and to make your profile work for you by sending some SEO authority (think links here) to other pages on the web that you choose.
The video below explains it all and shows you exactly how to do it in about 5 minutes.
After you’ve customized your LinkedIn Profile, post on facebook your successes! Or you can also post your comments here :0)
If you liked this post, you may also enjoy
Kick Your Signature Block Up a Notch
Living Magnet
Aug 23rd
Welcome to Motivation Mondays! Here is your quote for the week.
“You are a living magnet. What you attract into your life is in harmony with your dominant thoughts.” Brian Tracy
Review of The Spirit of Tao Te Ching by Richard Warner
Aug 20th
Looking for something different? Try “The Spirit of Tao Te Ching”.
Richard Warner’s diverse musical influences makes each of the nine compositions on “The Spirit of Tao Te Ching” noticeably different from the others.
Some of the selections (“Thunder” and “Heaven”) reflect oriental musical styles, while one (“Earth”) is definitely colored by African traditions and others (“Sunrise”, Water”, “Mountains in the Mist” and “Wind”) sound more New Age-y (is this really a word?).
Warner combines acoustic winds, electronic keyboards, nature sounds and light percussion to evoke moods inspired by the eight trigrams of Taoist I-Ching symbolism: heaven, earth, fire, water, thunder, wind, lake, and mountain.
Less oriental-sounding than might be expected, this gentle combination of acoustic and electronic sounds in both traditional and modern musical styles took me a little while to get used to. Now I find it to be refreshing and delightful listening.
My favorite track is the last one, “Tao”, which showcases Warner’s meandering, hypnotic, wooden-flute improvisations with only chimes in the background.
You can get a copy of “The Spirit of Tao Te Ching” at Amazon by clicking on the link below.
If you do get one (or already have a copy), what do you think of it? Post your comments below, I would love to hear them.
What other music do you recommend?
Are you connected?
Aug 18th
It’s a mistake that I see all the time.
Colleagues, coaching clients and friends who are in other businesses tell me that they created a twitter profile, facebook group/profile/official page, etc but no one joined them there.
Let me tell you, “if you build it they will come” is not true for social media!
So you created a twitter account – does anyone know about it? How could they possibly find out? We already discussed the idea of linking to social media in your email signature. But what about your website?
For this tip, your mission should you decide to accept, is to add social media links to your website, a good place is probably your bio or “About” page. You can see an example of mine here. As you can see I kept it very simple, with links to the sites that I’m active on.
You can jazz it up by adding logos, but plain text links work just as well.
If you don’t update your website yourself, just send your webmaster links to your social media profiles and my site as an example. It should take less than an hour, and you’ll soon see more visitors to your social media profiles.
Don’t have a website? Isn’t it time to hop on board? For the month of August, you can enter to win a website designed by me (a $500 value) by purchasing my book “Creating a Prosperous Practice” from the CAPP website. If you already have a website you will receive a website review (a $99 value) should you be the lucky winner.
Don’t want to miss out? Go to Creating a Prosperous Practice now and order your copy today!
8 Fast Ways to Write Blog Articles
Aug 17th
Do you spend hours researching books, the internet, etc. to come up with great information for your clients? Or maybe you have always wanted to start a blog but haven’t found the time. Time actually is a huge factor of why people don’t start or often abandon their blogs. But doing a blog for your massage practice has its benefits
Personally, I’m in the first boat. I always want my articles to be perfect (for you) and spend hours writing and editing and editing my edits. So when I read this article 8 Ways to Write Quick Articles for Your Blog, I was so excited! And I had to share this information with you.
If you don’t have a blog, did it inspire you to do one? Do you will that this will make your blogging easier? If you do have a blog, what other tips have you found for creating quick articles for your blog. Please post your comments below. I would love to read your experiences.
Kick Your Email Signature Block Up a Notch
Aug 16th
Are you like most Massage Therapists who overlook this important marketing tool? I’m talking about your email signature block. It may seem like a remote blemish of your web presence, but every email you send could contain a subtle reminder about your business, special promotions or building community.
Here are a few ideas to feature in your email signature:
1. Contact Info. Stating the obvious…you kind of need to give your clients/prospects a way to continue the conversation. Who are you and why should I care? And, how do I get a hold of you if I do care? Include: name, company, phone, email, address, etc. Also, a link to your Website helps people learn more about your company. As a bonus, a LinkedIn profile link helps people learn more about you, your background, and provides another opportunity to connect.
2. Company Logo. Reinforce your business branding. People remember images more than words… so if your name, need, product or service comes up, your logo should be one of the first things that come to mind.
3. Tagline or Mission. What does your company stand for and how can I understand it in as few words as possible?
4. Social Networks & Social Media. Social networks and social media are a great venue to provide more intimate details about your organization and yourself. They help build community and make users feel more welcomed. Plus, if they like what they see, they’ll pass it along… Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube are among the most popular.
Bonus – Rich Media. Images and Videos speak volumes. A profile picture will help you connect a name with a face. Friendly images such as cartoons help you build a connection and bridge a communication gap oftentimes difficult to achieve without a conversation. Videos further enhance the user experience and accelerate communications.
5. Miscellaneous. The following are a list of possibilities to include in your email signature block depending on what you are trying to promote.
- Statistics. Stats resonate well with people and strengthen the message. Statistics help to quantify your message and better compel people to take action.
- Quotes. Quotes humanize your message and add credibility to you, your company and your product. Quotes should come from your customers, vendors, or company leaders.
- A special offer or discount code
- Direct link to a key part of your website (for example services, case studies or testimonials)
- A plug for your email newsletter
- Information about an event you’ll be speaking at soon
Here’s a model of what your email signature might look like:
_________
Linda Roisum
Alexandria Therapeutic Massage
6178 Darleon Place
Alexandria, VA 22310
(703) 851-6922
http://www.alexandriatherapeuticmassage.com
Are you in pain from an accident or injury? Learn how working with me can take ease life’s aches and pains: http://www.alexandriatherapeuticmassage.com
_________
Check out the screencast below to create one using a free download from Wisestamp:
Why not take a moment right now to create your email signature block and also add a to-do item on your calendar at the first of every month to update your email signature?
The Caring Few
Aug 16th
Welcome to Motivation Mondays! Here is your quote for the week.
“Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, they are the only ones who ever have.” –Margaret Mead
See Your Massage Practice Through Your Client’s Eyes
Aug 10th
What do your clients experience when they interact with your massage practice? Is the office clean? Comfortable? Too often we are too busy doing projects and forget about what the client sees with papers all over the desk.
If you have office staff, are they polite and helpful? How is the quality of the service? Are you giving your best massage (or other service) possible? Did you thank your client? Did you remember to ask if the client wanted to reschedule?
In your business, what you don’t know about your clients’ perceptions of your quality and service can hurt you. Put yourself in your clients’ shoes and pretend you are a client entering your practice for the first time, what do you see?
One of my consulting clients was having problems getting clients to rebook after their first massage. She didn’t have any problems with existing clients. So I asked her to pretend she was a new client coming to her office for the very first time. When she opened the front door, what was the first thing that she saw. My client told me that she saw her desk. When I asked her to describe her desk to me, she said that it has about 5 stacks of files, papers, etc. all waiting to be taken care of. I asked her if she thought the clients were seeing tasks that were being taken care of and thought maybe if she can’t take care of this paperwork, how can she take care of me? I told her how clutter affects people, so she agreed to clear the clutter with the aid of her staff. Almost immediately, she noticed that new clients were rebooking.
You may conduct the evaluation of your business yourself, enlist the help of a few friends, or hire a mystery shopping company to implement a formal, ongoing program. You might be surprised (pleasantly or not) by what you learn.
When you see yourself as your customers do, you can identify problems that may be costing you clients. Make it easy to do business with you and watch your profits increase!
So how did you do? What did you see/discover about your massage practice? What changes do you need to make? Share your experiences below. I would love to hear what you learned.
You did do the exercise, didn’t you? If you didn’t, go do it now.
