Krishna Everson is a ‘Health Practice Success and Marketing Consultant'. Krishna has a 20 year background in advertising and health marketing. She currently operates Vitality Options Massage with her husband Deane and is the mother of 2 young children. Krishna is passionate about empowering other health practitioners to effectively promote themselves, and challenge some commonly held beliefs that can hold them back, without compromising their values. Website: www.healthpracticesuccess.com

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We cross the path of many therapists through our work and it is amazing how although each of their journeys are as individual as they are, the same issues continue to crop up. One of the commonly sighted issues is that of the difficult in maintaining the same enthusiasm as you did when you first commenced training to be a massage therapist.

There are a number of reasons that this can happen. It may be that you struggle to get clients that are prepared to pay what you are worth or that things take longer to get off the ground than expected. It could be that you are waiting for the clients to knock on your door, or leaving it to them to make that next appointment when they are ready. Perhaps you are not having the ‘fun’ you expected and that it is all just a bit of a drag!

There is but one way to put an end to such obstacles and that is to start with the end in mind!

Clarify your vision – why did you select your chosen profession in the first place? Was it to help people, is because you have an interest in health, or like how the body functions? Whatever the reason, revisit it and form a picture in you mind of where you see yourself. Perhaps things have changed from your initial intention. No matter, now is the time for a new vision.

Write your vision down – once you have clarified your preferred end result, write it down. This could be a sentence, a paragraph or a whole page! The more detail the better. Writing your mental picture will help take it from a concept to something you can action.

Working backwards – list the steps to be taken. One by one, list the stages that need to be taken to reach your end result. Do not worry if this seems a long way off – just take this approach and you will have yourself a plan that can be implemented.

Take your first step! Commencing with the last step you’ve written, get started. Keep moving forward. Do not labour over the end result, but keep it in your sights. In the words of Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company, “Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal”. Steadily work through each phase of your plan and in good time you will find yourself where you intended to go. Don’t be afraid to ask for help – if you are resisting a phase on your list because it seems difficult, ask for help from someone who has already experienced it. Most people are more than happy to share their experience of how they have overcome any initial difficulties. (Remember Thomas Edison failed 1000 times before successfully inventing the light bulb.) Having a mentor can be truly inspiring.

Don’t give up! - Remember why you started along this path and keep going. This may go a little slow at times, just stay focused on your desired result and steadily move toward it.

Meet with likeminded people – seek out a group with similar interests to you and share your ideas, successes and failures. They will encourage, applaud and inspire as you walk alongside them.

Krishna Everson
www.healthpracticesuccess.com

Have you ever felt like you have one foot on the accelerator and one on the brake? You know what I mean – you are passionate about what you do, but when it comes to promoting yourself you freeze!
We probably all have from time to time, but I’ve found it a really common phenomenon amongst the health practitioners that I work with. They can dutifully attend all my ‘how to’ workshops and courses, read marketing articles and sign-up for the wonderful online resources available, but then find themselves getting in their own way with a scarcity mindset or a fear of failure or fear of success.
Is what you thinking holding you back? Could you manage without negative self talk and give yourself a pep talk instead? Here are some common thought patterns and the perfect replacement for them:

The funny thing is, these new thoughts aren’t just positive thinking – they are real and achievable.
The key is simple. Recognize that your difference is the difference.
Rather than trying to be everything to everyone, carefully select your target market based on two things:
• who you like working with and
• who already benefits from what you do.

When someone asks you what you do, let them know who you work with and what benefit they receive from seeing you. Don’t just say: I’m a massage therapist. Instead you might say: I work with golf enthusiasts who want to improve their swing. Or whatever audience you have chosen and what the benefits are they receive. This is not big noting yourself or boasting. It is simply stating who you are passionate about working with and what is in it for them. You will grow to love promoting yourself when you do it in this manner - because it is not about you, it is about your clients. So stop thinking thoughts that stop you in your tracks, start to think from your clients point of view – and harness opportunities that present themselves daily to let others know about you and your services. Remember it’s not what you know, but who knows what you know that counts!

Krishna Everson
www.healthpracticesuccess.com

Let’s face it, advertising is expensive! It is common for new therapists to put an ad in their local paper and wait by the phone to take all the bookings…..only to be disappointed. Let's focus on just a few inexpensive methods to attract clients and common pitfalls to avoid.

Build Win/Win Partnerships
When Vitality Options first began, we made a decision to partner with people who reached a similar target to us but were not a direct competitor. Keeping the W.I.I.F.M. principle in mind (that’s What’s In It For Me - from the partners point of view), we approached our local fitness club with an idea that would benefit both of us. Our first tactic was to suggest that they run a ‘member of the month promotion’ where we would give a full body massage to a member of their choice who had excelled in their training. They had not considered anything of this nature before and were just as excited by the concept. We did all of the ‘work’ for them including creating a poster announcing the winner and a certificate for the individual that had both ours and the clubs logo displayed. The second tactic we used was to offer the owners free massages so that they could experience our services first hand and recommend them to their members. This was extremely effective and was a fantastic springboard to getting our business up and running. These methods were instrumental in developing our client base and word of mouth referrals. Our statistics show that 50% of our clients come from personal referrals, and that these referrals are most likely to become valued repeat customers.

Use Your Business Card As A Tool

Your business card is arguably your most valuable marketing tool, so a little thought into its design goes a long way. Your card represents your business image so it should be clean, clear and present your massage practice in a way that instils trust and professionalism, but can also reflect a little of you too. You can include a testimonial on the back, invite action with a special limited offer, include a photo, or add a slogan that markets your uniqueness. Be sure to include your web and email address if you have one, and please, please use a landline number whenever possible, relying on a mobile number can reduce response. If you are looking for great designs that are free or very low cost, check out Vista Print (see banner on left) for your business card needs.

Have an Irresistible Offer
A time limited offer can encourage prospects to take action today. We recommend value adding to your service, rather than cutting your price as this may attract only clients that want a discount massage. Vitality Options uses free detox sessions and extra massage time to promote ourselves. You can use your offer on your business card, in any correspondence or promotional activities.

The Give and You Shall Receive Principle
Although we don’t recommend price cutting, we do suggest offering freebies to qualified prospects who have a capacity to tell others or to generate community interest and encourage others to talk about you. You can also give free advice in the form of newsletters and email to qualified clients who have freely given their contact details to you.

Network, Network, Network Reaching people face to face increases your exposure to potential prospects. Do not underestimate this. Your first course of action is to get to know them a little and allow them to get to know you. Be interested. You can then use your business card and irresistible offer to encourage action. Join your local business or health network or speak at your local community groups. Ask For Referrals The golden rule – if you don’t ask you don’t get. If you have been able to help your existing clients, then you are likely to be able to help their friends. 50% of our business comes from referrals, and most of these become repeat clients. It is perfectly acceptable to ask your established clients if they know anyone else who can use your services, and offer them your business card with a time sensitive offer on it. You could also hold competitions to promote referrals, or offer free massage after a certain number of referrals. We like to offer a gift voucher to clients as a thankyou for referring friends.

Free Articles
What reaches your local area, is credible and allows you to establish yourself as an expert? Answer – your local newspaper. Take a closer look at your local press and you will find it is full of articles submitted rather than written by their journalists. The key to using local press is not to talk about yourself but to speak directly to the reader and what they might be interested in. Don’t just speak about massage – your knowledge is broader than that. You could write about back pain, insomnia, stress and so on, there are any number of articles that could help to distinguish yourself as an expert in your field while including the benefits of massage and inviting readers to contact your for further advice. This approach can also apply to specialist health and trade magazines. You can also submit articles for free to online article directories. Check the free directory listing on PureCalma...

Markets
Community markets are generally inexpensive and work in two ways. If you are set up for massage they allow you to generate income on the day, plus you are outreaching to the community and letting them know you exist. You could offer seated massage using a portable massage chair, or if you can screen your site effectively offer full body massage on a portable table. Be sure to have your business cards ready. Markets are also an opportunity to sell gift vouchers so be sure to have some prepared before hand.

I encourage you to implement some if not all of these methods and watch your client base steadily build.

Email Marketing |Online Surveys

Krishna Everson
www.healthpracticesuccess.com

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