Mark Volkmann's Posts - massage and bodywork professionals2024-03-28T15:25:53ZMark Volkmannhttps://massageprofessionals.com/profile/MarkVolkmannhttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1966381162?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://massageprofessionals.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=3i6fqgokyrypx&xn_auth=no2 non-negotiable ingredients for successtag:massageprofessionals.com,2012-12-21:2887274:BlogPost:2928372012-12-21T18:09:25.000ZMark Volkmannhttps://massageprofessionals.com/profile/MarkVolkmann
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 12px; color: #777777; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff;">Anticipating a wildly successful future? Doing good work and being nice comes…</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 12px; color: #777777; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff;">Anticipating a wildly successful future? Doing good work and being nice comes first. Master your bodywork skills, learn new techniques, find the products and tools that help you deliver the best experience possible – and keep getting better. Clients who take time out of their schedules and spend their hard-earned money for an hour of your expertise want to walk away feeling the experience was better than they had expected.</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 12px; color: #777777; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff;">Providing amazing service goes beyond your training and skills, it extends to how you make people feel. Being nice means that you listen to what your clients want and adapt the experience to their preferences. The extra blanket, the soothing music, the way you answer their questions, your smile - all of the little “extra” things add up to an experience that brings them back and turns clients into regulars and vocal fans.</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 12px; color: #777777; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff;">Customers who think you are amazing will recommend you to their inner circle.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.thecreativealliance.com/branding/lovable-brands/" target="_new" style="color: #41b7d8; text-decoration: initial;">Research shows</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>that when someone has an average experience they tell less than 10 of their friends. A customer who has a bad experience will complain to 20 people. However, they will tell more people if they receive an exceptional experience.</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 12px; color: #777777; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff;">Perhaps this is a sad statement about the rarity of excellent service. But you can do it – and they will talk about it.</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 12px; color: #777777; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff;">The reach of feedback – regardless of whether it is positive or negative - expands far beyond your immediate community. This is only good for you or your business if your customers are raving about how awesome you are!</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 12px; color: #777777; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff;">Another compelling reason to “be nice” is that 70% of Americans say they are<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.retailcustomerexperience.com/article/183007/Survey-Twice-as-many-people-tell-others-about-bad-service-than-good" target="_new" style="color: #41b7d8; text-decoration: initial;">willing to pay a 13% premium</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>with a company they believe provides excellent customer service. Massage competes with other “must haves” in your clients’ budgets. Increasing their willingness to pay for your services means you might see them more often.</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 12px; color: #777777; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff;">Doing Good Work and Being Nice. It makes all the difference.</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 12px; color: #777777; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff;"><a href="http://www.MassageBook.com">www.MassageBook.com</a> for more articles on how to build a thriving massage practice.</p>Poof! A new client appears. It's Magic!tag:massageprofessionals.com,2010-10-28:2887274:BlogPost:1121592010-10-28T04:00:00.000ZMark Volkmannhttps://massageprofessionals.com/profile/MarkVolkmann
My 3 year old told me about his magic hat today. Driving him back from<br></br>
preschool he told me he was playing magician with the other kids and<br></br>
made twigs appear from his magic hat. Poof! <br></br>Got me to thinking about
my experience with a lot of struggling therapists who felt like they<br></br>
had put a ton of energy into developing their skills as MT's, but were<br></br>
having a hard time getting new clients to come in the door. They were<br></br>
expecting the same kind of magic. "I will become…
My 3 year old told me about his magic hat today. Driving him back from<br/>
preschool he told me he was playing magician with the other kids and<br/>
made twigs appear from his magic hat. Poof! <br/>Got me to thinking about
my experience with a lot of struggling therapists who felt like they<br/>
had put a ton of energy into developing their skills as MT's, but were<br/>
having a hard time getting new clients to come in the door. They were<br/>
expecting the same kind of magic. "I will become the most skilled<br/>
massage therapist the world has ever seen and "POOF!" new clients will<br/>
appear and be lined up around the block waiting to see me..."<br/>So they
tried "Networking" - meeting people upon people, upon people and trying<br/>
to talk them into getting on their table. Didn't work so well. I still<br/>
hear a lot of MT's trying the same approach with the same result.<br/>There's
a critical perspective and understanding of acquiring new clients that<br/>
many people miss. I learned it the hard way too. Massage Warehouse<br/>
didn't grow to 100,000 customers overnight. It took years and lots of<br/>
focused energy, a focused strategy and lot of money to get there. We may<br/>
have had the best prices anywhere and the best selection, but we still<br/>
had to market the heck out of our business to get new customers and<br/>
grow.<br/>So what did I learn that would benefit you and every other
massage therapist trying to grow their active client list? A deep<br/>
understanding of how people make decisions and eventually get to the<br/>
point of taking action. The short version is this: Getting new customers<br/>
is NOT a one step process, it's a multiple step process.<br/>If you talk
to someone you meet "Networking", you have just created what they call<br/>
in the world of marketing, a "lead". The odds are not in your favor that<br/>
you'll be able to get that person on your massage table from that one<br/>
interaction. Problem is, most therapists give up after that first<br/>
interaction. The idea is to take that lead, and through a strategic<br/>
plan, develop a relationship with that person along with a heightened<br/>
level of confidence and trust until one magical day, that client "feels"<br/>
comfortable taking action and booking an appointment with you. (And not<br/>
getting that person to that point is just fine too. Not all leads will<br/>
make it to becoming clients, you'll be lucky if 20% do, so keep chugging<br/>
along until one day you've reached the magic number of clients and you<br/>
can just about stop "networking". (Another future post on that magical<br/>
step)<br/>So what's the plan? I'll give you a not so hypothetical example
of something that I did when I was a therapist that worked well for me.<br/>
<br/>Here Goes: Meet someone, start talking, share I'm a massage
therapist, stay on the topic a little while, find out they've been to a<br/>
massage therapist before for a leg injury (strained Hammy) and that<br/>
they're training for a triathlon. Talk about triathlons for a bit, then<br/>
get their e-mail address before I leave, telling them I want to send<br/>
them an article I just read on hammy stuff. <br/>Immediately take some
notes after I leave to remind myself of our conversation. In the next<br/>
week, I e-mail the lead and share an article I "found" on the importance<br/>
of strengthening opposing muscle groups and how active assisted<br/>
stretching (part of my massage skill toolbox) can really help bodies<br/>
perform better and reduce the risk of injury. Ask how the training is<br/>
going and if he is doing any group long runs on the weekend. Hear back -<br/>
all is well, thanks for the article, long run Sunday morning planned<br/>
with a group of buddies. <br/>How about I meet you guys afterwards and
take you through some of the stretches. I think you'll be amazed at the<br/>
difference it makes. Sure he says, we'll see you in the parking lot.<br/>Do
the meeting. Everyone stretched, they're happy to learn something new<br/>
and feel great. I mention that I'd like to get them all a copy of an<br/>
article on some more stretching routines they can do themselves at home<br/>
that my other clients have found very helpful. Cool. Groovy. E-mails for<br/>
everyone.<br/>Back to the office, e-mail them the article, along with
one on the benefits of massage for distance runners. Mention that I'm<br/>
running a marathon preparation special for runners -$30 for your first<br/>
hour and then get a free massage if you buy a package of 4. <br/>I hear
back from 3 of the 8 guys and book them. I make sure to treat them right<br/>
and offer them a free massage if they send me two referrals. (yeah - I<br/>
know who they're running with each week, and I've already met them.)<br/>You starting to get the picture? You MAKE your luck by:<br/>1) Listening more than you talk.<br/>2) Offer something of value for free to develop the relationship (This may go on for a long time...)<br/>3) Push the bounds of the relationship just ever so slightly when an opportunity presents itself.<br/>4) Offer more value for free (know when to pull the plug and let a lead go)<br/>5) Create an offer so compelling that they would be silly to refuse.<br/>6) Get them on your table, develop the trust and confidence your new client has given you. <br/>7) Use their confidence and trust with an incentive, to bring more people in your table.<br/><br/>One
step process? No way? Does it work? Absolutely. Are you driven enough,<br/>
creative enough, and sensitive enough to others that you can make it<br/>
work for you. Probably.<br/><br/>Mark Volkmann<br/><span style="font-style: italic;">Dedicated to helping the Artists of Massage</span><br/><a href="http://www.massagesuccess.ning.com">www.massagesuccess.ning.com</a><br/>How to make $100,000 a year as a Massage Therapisttag:massageprofessionals.com,2010-10-21:2887274:BlogPost:1110452010-10-21T19:30:00.000ZMark Volkmannhttps://massageprofessionals.com/profile/MarkVolkmann
<p>The typical college grad, after 4 years of school and often tens of thousands in student loan debt can expect to make $30,000 a year or less (if they can get a job at all now). An experienced 5+ year professional in demand can make $60,000 a year. Of course this varies from industry to industry, from city to city, but my point is this: Massage Therapists typically think in terms of hours, most other professions think in terms of a year when it comes to income. And when you start your career…</p>
<p>The typical college grad, after 4 years of school and often tens of thousands in student loan debt can expect to make $30,000 a year or less (if they can get a job at all now). An experienced 5+ year professional in demand can make $60,000 a year. Of course this varies from industry to industry, from city to city, but my point is this: Massage Therapists typically think in terms of hours, most other professions think in terms of a year when it comes to income. And when you start your career you make less than when you are experienced.</p>
<p>There's an unrealistic gap in expectations in most new MT's (and often in experienced ones too).</p>
<p></p>
<p>How would you answer this question:</p>
<p></p>
<p>A) If I agreed to pay you $40,000 a year, would you work for me full time as a massage therapist?</p>
<p>B) If I paid you $20/hour, would you work for me full time as a massage therapist?</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p>How many said "YES!" to A and "NO WAY!" to B? I'll bet many did - am I right?</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p>Guess what - they're absolutely the same. Two weeks off, 40 hours a week. It's the same damn thing. Ok, Ok, I can already hear the comment of "Wait, wait, no therapist works 40 hours a week!" Well, you certainly can, and I certainly have, but for arguments sake let's say you think 30 hours a week is more reasonable. Equivalent hourly rate? $26.66 (that's not including tip income). The tip is another 10-20% bonus, so now your making almost $50,000 a year working 30 hours and charging $26.66.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p>What continues to boggle my mind is how few MT's get this and absolutely REFUSE to work for less than $60/$70 an hour. What's $60 an hour + 10% in tips working 30 hours a week? $99,000 a year. If I offered you a job working 30 hours a week for $100,000 a year, would you feel good about taking it? I can tell you most doctors would jump on that opportunity.</p>
<p></p>
<p><a href="https://spreadsheets3.google.com/ccc?key=tshU1SNqo9gBpkcm-HJPqIQ&authkey=CJnL-aoO&hl=en&authkey=CJnL-aoO#gid=0">https://spreadsheets3.google.com/ccc?key=tshU1SNqo9gBpkcm-HJPqIQ&authkey=CJnL-aoO&hl=en&authkey=CJnL-aoO#gid=0</a></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p>I've created an easy to use worksheet online to calculate your annual income given your hourly rate, hours worked per week and weeks off per year. If you have other therapists working for you, fill out the bottom section too and you can see what they contribute to your income. I'm not sure how it works if multiple people are trying to use it at the same time, so let me know if you want a clean copy and I can e-mail it to you.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p>Mark Volkmann</p>
<p>Inspiring Massage Success</p>
<p><a href="http://www.massagesuccess.ning.com">www.massagesuccess.ning.com</a></p>I Went to Massage Envy Yesterdaytag:massageprofessionals.com,2010-10-20:2887274:BlogPost:1108382010-10-20T18:29:57.000ZMark Volkmannhttps://massageprofessionals.com/profile/MarkVolkmann
<p>I had to experience it first hand. MT's are feeling pretty passionate about how it's affected the industry and I wanted to experience it for myself before creating my own opinion.</p>
<p></p>
<p>So here's what I experienced:</p>
<p>1) I booked a Sports Massage. What I got was a weak Swedish massage that neglected to address my low back, glutes, shoulders, occiput and head entirely. The strokes and technique used indicated a complete lack of understanding of muscle anatomy and/physiology. ( 1…</p>
<p>I had to experience it first hand. MT's are feeling pretty passionate about how it's affected the industry and I wanted to experience it for myself before creating my own opinion.</p>
<p></p>
<p>So here's what I experienced:</p>
<p>1) I booked a Sports Massage. What I got was a weak Swedish massage that neglected to address my low back, glutes, shoulders, occiput and head entirely. The strokes and technique used indicated a complete lack of understanding of muscle anatomy and/physiology. ( 1 out of 5 stars)</p>
<p></p>
<p>2) Massage lube came from a well used tube. Cross contamination was assured.</p>
<p></p>
<p>3) The environment was spartan, but comfortable and clean. Good mood and professional.</p>
<p></p>
<p>4) "Prescription" for massage 2x month was given to me with solid push to join their membership program after the massage. Prescription was baloney and clearly used to set up the sales pitch on the exit. I could tell the therapist was just going through the motions in writing it up and didn't really believe in it herself. Weak.</p>
<p></p>
<p>5) Shared with the Assistant mgr. my disappointment in the massage. She seemed genuinely surprised, stating that the MT who worked on me was "one of their popular" ones. She gave me a coupon for a free massage. Nice touch.</p>
<p></p>
<p>6) Paid $49 + $10 tip for a total of $59. More on this in a later post.</p>
<p></p>
<p>My thoughts:</p>
<p>I learned that MT's get paid $17/hour of massage, nothing if they don't have any clients, and $20/hr if they do more than 20hours of massage a week. I'll share more in a future post when I discuss pay rates for MT's, but clearly this level of compenstation isn't going to attract and/or maintain the best talent.</p>
<p>I also feel like the general public who has experienced a massage at ME hasn't experienced a "real" massage and still is coming back for more. Crazy, but very encouraging for those MT's who actually do have some talent.</p>
<p></p>
<p>What Massage Envy has going for it is a marketing engine that brings new clients in the door, easy to find retail locations, a reasonable cost structure, a professional first impression and a credible business that leaves no room for interpretation about what kind of a massage to expect.</p>
<p>Where ME drops the ball, as far as my singualr experience leads me to believe, is in the quality of their services.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Now that we know what we're up against, how do we compete?</p>
<p></p>
<p>Ideas and methods for building a vibrant practice: <a href="http://www.massagesuccess.ning.com">www.massagesuccess.ning.com</a></p>
<p></p>Ideas and Methods for building a vibrant Massage Practicetag:massageprofessionals.com,2010-10-19:2887274:BlogPost:1106352010-10-19T00:00:00.000ZMark Volkmannhttps://massageprofessionals.com/profile/MarkVolkmann
<p>20 years of experience starting, growing and managing massage businesses from 1 to 100 people has provided me with unique insights into what it takes to grow and maintain a vibrant massage practice today.<br></br> <a href="http://massagesuccess.ning.com/">http://www.massagebook.com</a><br></br> Things are changing quickly, and professional massage therapists to adapt and grow if they are to realize their goals of bringing positive change to the world one compassionate person at a time.…<br></br> <br></br></p>
<p>20 years of experience starting, growing and managing massage businesses from 1 to 100 people has provided me with unique insights into what it takes to grow and maintain a vibrant massage practice today.<br/> <a href="http://massagesuccess.ning.com/">http://www.massagebook.com</a><br/> Things are changing quickly, and professional massage therapists to adapt and grow if they are to realize their goals of bringing positive change to the world one compassionate person at a time.<br/> <br/> Take a look at my new site dedicated to helping you succeed in building yourself a better, happier, and more profitable practice!<br/> <a href="http://massagesuccess.ning.com/">http://massagebook.com</a></p>