Game Change Your Biz

Elise talks about the importance of a website for any business, but especially for the massage therapist who has a mobile or brick-and-mortar business. As people no longer use yellow pages, a business without web presence is missing out on one of the most powerful marketing tools available in this technological age. People search online, via Google, to find anything they need. They research products, companies and providers before they make a purchase.

Elise tells the story of how many websites she made before she finally settled on a domain name registrar and hosting company for her current website. Listen to the details she provides on the following:

• How the internet has improved her business
• Her very first website was Yahoo
• How she used Wix website to set up her own website in a couple of hours
• How her website captures her target audience
• How to help your clients find you through your website
• People use Google to search for the most convenient method of purchase
• They Google to find out the closest store, the best price, and the easiest people to deal with
• Websites help build your reputation as a massage therapist
• Websites help build your credibility
• People learn about your business through your website
• You can choose to have online booking through your website
• Your hosting company can host multiple websites or businesses
• Your website will include all the information you want your audience to know about your company.
• All the pages that you should have on your website
• Your website will help convert leads to sales
• Elise says you can have your own website for a very affordable fee
• You can even start with a $100 only

Check out her website for the rest of the valuable resources and tips: Game Change Your Biz

Have you ever wondered before what type of client you want to have-- your so-called "avatar"? Is it just the ones who come to the door? Or is it the perfect client?

We business owners know that there's a good client and there's a bad client. And then there's your perfect client. Yes, there is. He's your dream client. This type of client for the massage therapy business is the one 1) who needs the massage therapy service 2) can afford to pay for it; 3) the business survives and thrives because of his patronage, 4) He is easy to work with, 5)He doesn't make unreasonable demands, 6) He brings in the most money because of his regular visits, and 7) Is the best fit for your business from the outset. Elise talks about the "perfect client" for the massage therapy business in this episode.

Get the details of the following from the podcast:

• Defining your perfect client/avatar/dream client
• Knowing your specialties: Are you offering Swedish, Shiatsu, Deep Tissue, Hot Stone, Reflexology, Thai, Sports massage, Manual Lymphatic Drainage? -

What you offer will determine who your perfect client is.

• Have a written profile of your avatar or avatars, find specific client for each niche
• Consider the following in identifying your perfect client:
• Demographic factors
• Your specialty techniques
• Your own location
• Not all clients are healthy, some have health issues but they can still be your perfect client
• Work up a treatment plan for them
• Chances are your perfect client/s will find you depending on your geographic location and online presence in the social media, your website,
• When your perfect client finds you, and if it's their very first massage, educate them about the benefits of massage therapy
• Show your client/s how you will help them
• If you have an optimized website that contains all your services, your ideal client will find you
• Join networking events, offer discounts, ask for referrals from your present clients;
• Give incentives to referrers
• You can be sure that you found your perfect client, or that he has found you, if you know that he recognizes your worth as a therapist and happily pays you for your service.

Listen to the podcasts at our resource center: www.gamechangeyourbiz.com

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Meeting customer needs and expectations is critical to business success. Bad customer service can ruin your business. Customer-staff interactions or moments accrue leading to customer experience which should generally be great. They do have varied needs and priorities such as service quality, comfort, relaxation, (even entertainment☺), trust, and most importantly, affordability. These may change from time to time just as their moods and behavior change. Their expectations may also be heightened depending on the situation or stimuli.

A customer may be very clear in telling you what his exact preferences are but others may not be as vocal. You could run the risk of assuming what his needs are. To avoid this, standard procedures and processes should be in place. Other clients book online so the first client-staff interaction really starts at the front desk. Make sure you have a full understanding of customer service and your personnel are fully trained. Elise talks about setting client expectations in this episode.

Get the details of the following from the podcast:

• Start by greeting your client at the front desk with a sweet smile
• Ask a set of clear and specific questions and actively listen

• Allergies to anything?
• Any particular type of massage preferred?
• Therapist preference, if client is a regular

• Make sure you understand them clearly, note down his preferences on the client profile
• Clients expect results, great experience, and great quality of service
• Develop strategies for a great client experience
• Meeting client needs and expectations
• Can you exceed client expectations?
• Each customer is different – how to adapt to each of them
• Avoiding disruptions
• Ask more questions:
• • How is the pressure?
  • Do you like the music?
  • Room temperature okay?
  • Need water or any drink?

• How to maintain and even make good service better
• Resolving issues; rectifying the situation by personally talking to customers
• Give customers a way to provide feedback, either through a questionnaire survey, email, or a phone call

Listen to the podcast for all the details: www.gamechangeyourbiz.com

Here are practical suggestions to help the business owner build a team of engaged and happy (even inspired) employees. These management practices can put your employees in a productive mindset and also help you gain more loyal customers because efficient staff will attract and retain more customers. Listen to the podcast to get the details of the following highlights.

Show notes:

• Selecting and training support staff
• Hiring employees or independent contractors or both
• Setting goals and making action plans for employee development
• Providing training and retraining for all staff – the front desk staff and service staff
• Importance of continuing education – providing for employee training
• Appointing staff to coach and supervise new employees
• Regularly update everyone's knowledge of the office protocol, procedures, and processes
• Building strategies on employee development
• Setting expectations
• Building a work environment that promotes productivity
• Designing economic incentives for your employees
• How to inspire your staff to be committed to your company's success
• Beating challenges on how to motivate employees
• Motivating yourself so staff is also motivated
• Following the licensing requirements of the State so your employees know that 1) you are aware of state policy and requirements; 2) your employees know they are connected with a legitimate business; 3) your customers are assured of their safety inside your premises
• Setting up standard operating procedures to make your employees consistently efficient and, later on, may help them become more creative. Office rules and regulations or standard operating procedures will eliminate confusion, help maintain good practices and keep employees efficient
• After the training, provide a copy of office manual to staff and make them sign an acknowledgment form that they have read and understood the rules and procedures. This will make them observe and maintain good practices
• Building trust among your employees. Employee trust can ooze down to customers and be translated to customer loyalty
• Customer satisfaction resulting from great customer service from a well-trained staff can lead to great word-of-mouth advertising and referral business

Get more valuable tips from:

Website Game Change Your Business

This episode is packed with the most valuable tips for the small business owner especially for the massage therapy business. Elise covers each management aspect for the entrepreneur. The strategies include: setting achievable goals, financial planning and budgeting, mapping out an action plan, efficient and cost-effective management actions, strategies for multiple business locations, increasing client base, increasing income base, and many other valuable pointers.

Get the following details about:

• Small business strategies
• Efficiency and effectiveness
• Comparison between efficiency and effectiveness
• Pursuing effectiveness while maintaining efficiency
• Setting achievable goals
• Comparison between goals and objectives
• Financial strategy
• Cost -effective management actions
• Managing multiple business locations
• Maximizing productivity and minimizing costs
• Managing time and all other resources effectively
• Increasing client base
• Increasing revenue
• Measuring performance and goal attainment
• Measuring effectiveness of every management decision
• Promoting the business during downtime
• Being creative during downtime

Resources:

• Check out all the helpful information here: gamechangeyourbiz.com
• http://smallbusiness.chron.com

Is your business successful? We would all want to answer YES! Take a closer look: is your business THRIVING? We might not be so quick to answer. The truth is that we need a foundation and we have to be prepared for the challenges that inevitably come. The cold, hard fact is that 80% of businesses fail. Let's talk about the reasons why they fail and how we can avoid the failure!

Five Reasons Why Businesses Fail:

• Lack of financial, business, or strategic management plans
  • Failing to plan sets you up to fail
  • Where do you see your business in 1, 2, and 5 years?
• Lack of marketing strategies
  • Check competitors' services and prices
  • The goal is to "stand out" in your community
• Insufficient cash flow
  • Have a budget forecast
  • Know your expenses!
• Failure to market online
  • Your business MUST be visible
  • Make the most of SEO and social media potential
• Failure to listen to your customers
  • Ask customers for feedback (use surveys)
  • Show customers that you care
  • Pay attention to details

I hope these reasons are helpful to you, future and fellow massage therapists. Make it another game piece to your successful, thriving business.

Check out all the valuable practical information here: www.gamechangeyourbiz.com

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Do you often feel like there aren't enough hours in the day to do what you HAVE to do? Are you always "short on time"? Do you feel like this is your story EVERY SINGLE DAY? I have some practical tips to help you GET MORE out of the time you have each day. Today's topic is Time Management, an area in which we all can improve. You may not have ultimate control over every minute of every day, but we will talk about how to control what you can.

Time management tips I've found that WORK:

• Make and use lists to stay organized
• Limit meetings and have boundaries for them
• Block your time
• Pre-plan and prioritize
• Learn to say NO
• Look for patterns that waste time
• Schedule time for interruptions
• Use a "Do Not Disturb" sign when necessary
• Have specific times during the day for specific tasks
• Check off the items on your list throughout the day: Feel accomplished!

Helpful Resources:

"How to Manage Time with Ten Tips That Work" by Joe Matthews, Don Debolt, and Deb Percival (article at www.entrepreneur.com)

www.gygb.com (See Traci's helpful advice on time management!)

No BS: Time Management for Entrepreneurs by Dan Kennedy

Welcome back to Game Change Business of Massage Therapy! Today's episode is a continuation from my Youtube video on the basics of how to set a massage room on a budget. I am going to share with you some suggestions how to set up your space and why it is important to stage your space just right.

Show Notes:

• Why is it important to have a unique space?
• What should you consider when picking a location for your office?
• What are some suggestions for the waiting area for setting the "tone"?
• What are the important items to consider in your massage room?
• Sketch it out!
• What is a roomstyler?

Resources:

• roomstyler.com
• youtube.com

Elise shares her unforgettable story about carrying her old 32-pound massage table to her clients' preferred massage area, the top floor of a 3-storey house using a spiral staircase! The client preferred the 3rd floor because of the panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean. She saw the importance of buying portable equipment, e.g. massage table, if the therapist has no massage office or shop.

She did some research and provides helpful tips on:

• What to carry to a client call
• Saving for your business needs
• Investing in the right equipment
• Basic guidelines for purchasing massage equipment
• Suppliers /sellers of massage equipment
• Choosing what suits your budget and purpose
• Purchasing your massage table, desk, side table, chair, cabinet, lamps, wash sink, water glass, water cooler, etc.
• Purchasing and organizing your massage supplies: oils, lotions,
• Purchasing your linen, kits, etc.
• Best and affordable portable massage table

• Best practices in setting up a massage therapy room
• Sharing expenses with a fellow therapist
• Purchasing basic equipment
• Comfort, affordability, durability
• Preparing supplies good for at least 2 days
• Making your space a place where you enjoy working
• Making it what your clients love to visit
• Lighting - where it should be fully –lit , and where it should be dimly-lit

She recommends watching out for bargains and deals from: http://www.massagewarehouse.com

Business owners should have goals that are written down to guide them and their employees and even providers and contractors. The acronym SMART Goals can have slightly different variations in meaning but the letters stand for:

S stands for specific. Goals must be specific rather than general. A specific goal has a greater chance of being achieved. A general goal could be: Grow my customer base. Your specific goal will be: Increase the number of my customers from 30 to 60 within one month.

M means Measurable. It could also stand for meaningful and motivational. The direction and success of your goal must be measurable so that you will know how to gauge your progress and also be able to modify your goal. Establish a concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set.

A stands for Achievable, or attainable. Your training, knowledge, and skills should match your goals which should be achievable.

R stands for Realistic or Results. Your goals if they are achievable are realistic. When you have the necessary knowledge or skills, then results can

T stands for Timely or Tangible or Timeframe. Set a timeframe for achieving your goal and establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set.

Listen to the episode as Elise gives specific examples of SMART goals for your business.