Guest Blogger Benjamin McDonald, MBA is CEO of Massamio.com, an elegant, easy to use online directory, website, and booking service for independent massage therapists.
Your massage therapy practice statement or “elevator speech” is an important opportunity for massage clients seeking the right therapist client fit, to learn about you, and what sets you apart from other massage therapists. It’s your first handshake with the potential client, and an essential part of your professional online profile. It can either make clients want to learn more about you, or it could just as easily make them click past you if it’s not catchy, clear, and benefits-focused. This is no easy task for most of us, we can assure you, so here are some tips for creating the best practice statement for your current massage therapy practice:
1) Make it catchy and memorable so potential clients want to know more: Think of an intriguing way to catch your potential clients attention from the get go, so they are left wanting to know more. This is where the art of the craft of communication comes in. Here are some good examples of a catchy open-liners: I’m a body mechanic; I’m a pain detective; I’m a body relaxer...
2) What are my current skills? In order to create a helpful and effective practice statement, try concentrating on aspects of your treatment that make you a unique therapist. Start with yourself. What are your skills? Are you a new therapist with mostly Swedish massage training? Or are you a therapist who has practiced for over 10 years with countless CEUs behind your belt. Either way, your practice statement should accurately articulate your skills.
3) Who is my current target population? This can be fun. Think about what kind of clients would you like to have--your ideal client. Are they people who have common problems, like cancer patients, athletes, or stressed out professionals? How frequently do you envision yourself seeing them? Each population has a different set of needs, and will cause your to conduct your business differently in order to meet their needs.
4) What is the benefit that my client can expect to get from my treatment? What is the most important benefit your clients are seeking in treatment? Is it injury specific, general pain or stress? Maybe just to relax? Try to illuminate a benefit that causes your potential client to recognize massage therapy as more than a luxury; you want to hit on how their life will be better.
Here are some examples of a powerful and accurate practice statements:
- “I’m an athletic performance enhancer, providing elite athletes with sports massage therapy, helping them recover faster and reach peak performance."
- “I’m a baby whisperer, specializing in prenatal massage, reducing pain and anxiety, and bringing peace and comfort to expecting mothers.”
- “I am pain detective, using therapeutic massage to help people with chronic pain live lives free of suffering.”
- “I’m a stress buster, specializing in relaxation massage therapy for busy professionals so they can function at their highest level.”
The key to helping a potential client understand if you are a good match for them is by clearly stating your specialty or focus. Many massage therapists fear that by being too specific, they will turn off potential clients that they could effectively treat. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
More than anything, clients are seeking reasons to TRUST that you are a good match for them. By reducing your scope of practice, you begin to build trust with potential clients by letting them know that you are not all things to all people. Trust builds long lasting client relationships, and successful independent massage businesses. What could be better than that?
Let us know what your elevator speech is in the comments below.