Back to Basics Chapter 2

This is Chapter 2 in my 10 Fundamental Principles Blog Series. 

In Chapter 1, I introduced 10 fundamental principles to avoid, which underpin what I teach my coaching clients. I also invited you to score your performance against these 10 principles.

In this and subsequent Chapters, I will explore in more detail each of these 10 principles to avoid.

Starting with Principle #1 - Anyone Can Schedule a Session With Me, For Any Reason.

I see so many Massage Therapist social media posts asking, “How can I get (more) clients?” and “Where should I advertise?”

What this tells me is that basic small-business marketing is still not taught in our core training.

This is disgraceful.

Firstly, let me address How can I get (more) clients? I’ll explore Where should I advertise? a little later.

The best marketing coaches will all tell you: “When We Market To Everyone, We Market To No One”. 

In other words, our marketing efforts cannot effectively reach anyone in particular if we seek to appeal to everyone. 

Our message becomes way too generic, and, as a result, it fails to resonate with any specific audience.

When I talk with Soft Tissue Therapists, I always ask, “Who’s your ideal client?”

Inevitably, they reply with, “Pretty much everyone.”

Um, no. 'Everyone' Is NOT Your Ideal Client!

To grab a potential client's attention, we need to create a marketing message that speaks to ONE PERSON AND ONE PERSON ONLY! 

This ONE PERSON is our Ideal Client.

(In reality, there will be many instances of this ONE PERSON, BUT each marketing message you create can only speak to ONE PERSON at a time.)

A common mistake I see is Massage Therapy Professionals saying, “I am a Massage Therapist, Have You got Any Niggles, Aches and Pains?”.

But, if you research all the massage therapists in your area, the vast majority will be saying something very similar.

What ONE PERSON is this message aimed at?  …… THERE ISN’T ONE! 

How does this statement (message) encourage the reader to book with YOU rather than your competition? …… IT DOESN’T! 

One of the most common responses I give in Massage Therapist Groups is this: People Buy Solutions Not Modalities or Disciplines.

To attract your ideal client, you need to speak DIRECTLY to a potential client (prospect) about the SPECIFIC PROBLEM they need a solution to.

And most importantly, you need to speak to them using the EXACT language that THEY use about this problem. 

Not what YOU would or want to say!

So how do you find out what language your ideal client uses about their problem?

YOU ASK THEM!

When your ideal client reads your marketing, you want them to think: “Hey, they are talking to ME - I must get in touch and book”.

When you use wishy-washy, generic messages such as “Have You got Any Niggles, Aches and Pains?”, the reader will most likely move on and look elsewhere.

And what factor will they typically use to decide who to book with? …… PRICE!

The LAST thing you want ANYBODY to use when deciding who to book with to solve their problem is PRICE!

When you hit the sweet spot with your marketing message, speaking DIRECTLY to your unique IDEAL CLIENT about the SPECIFIC PROBLEM they need a solution to, PRICE becomes irrelevant. 

This is called RESONATING with your ideal client.

Research has proven that you have approximately 8-10 seconds to grab any reader’s attention before they move on. 

This means you need to grab a reader’s attention IMMEDIATELY. 

No “impressive” logos or pictures at the top, causing the reader to scroll down. 

Your key marketing message MUST BE THE FIRST THING THEY SEE and READ in your marketing copy.

So all those hours spent crafting 'cool' graphics, logos, pictures, etc, are a total waste of time, effort and money when it comes to attracting your ideal client! 

People don’t buy logos, they don’t buy graphics, and they don’t buy pictures or photos!

They buy SOLUTIONS to SPECIFIC PROBLEMS. 

Let me move on to “Where to advertise”

THE best advice here is always to “Fish where you KNOW the fishes are".

Firing Into The Air in the vague hope that your message lands in the right place is a total waste of your time, energy and (if you are paying for something) money. 

Instead, speak DIRECTLY to your unique ideal client about their SPECIFIC PROBLEM, where you KNOW your ideal client is to be found.

How do you find out WHERE your ideal client is to be found?

ASK THEM!

Ask whether they use social media. And if so, ask them which ones they use most frequently.

If they tell you that they don’t use social media very much, then ask them if they they go to / use any specific physical location, e.g. Shops, Schools, Libraries, Business Networking, or Local Fayres. 

If your ideal client doesn’t use Facebook (for example), there is no point trying to speak to them on Facebook!

They may use social media (e.g. Facebook) for keeping in touch with family and friends but ignore business marketing. This is no good to you!

The same applies to ANY marketing platform or channel. 

Fish Where You KNOW The Fishes Are!

Let me talk briefly about leaflets.

Leaflets are the ultimate “fire into the air” marketing method!

How many marketing/advertising leaflets do you get through YOUR letterbox every week? 

How many of these leaflets do YOU read? 

Where do the vast majority of these leaflets end up?

IN THE RECYCLING BIN!!

Leaflets become VERY EXPENSIVE WASTE PAPER!!

P.S. An exception to this is a leaflet produced for a specific event, where you KNOW your ideal client will be in attendance, and you hand a leaflet to somebody once you have spoken with them to determine that they are your ideal client.

Finally, avoid Massage Therapy marketplaces, discount organisations and voucher companies like the plague!

Another common question I see from Massage Therapy Professionals concerns companies such as YELL, BARK, and other marketplaces that promise to get you “lots of bookings” or companies such as WOWcher, GroupOn, or other discount operators.

You will pay lots of money to such organisations for VERY little return. And once they have their teeth into you, they are almost impossible to get rid of!

With these organisations, you have ZERO control over who makes a booking with you. You CANNOT speak directly to your ideal client about the specific problem they need a solution to. 

These platforms are full of people solely interested in the cheapest deal they can find, turning you into nothing more than a commodity. 

The more SPECIFIC your marketing message is, speaking DIRECTLY to YOUR IDEAL CLIENT and talking about the SPECIFIC PROBLEM this ideal client has, that ONLY YOU can solve, where you KNOW they will read it, the better. 

Here is ONE example: Are you a working grandmother who is utterly fed up that you cannot pick your grandchild up without an intense pain in your lower back? A pain you have sought help with from multiple professionals but that nobody seems to be able to sort out?

The more you know about your unique ideal client; their gender, their lifestyle, their age, do they work, what do they do, do they have children or grandchildren, the specific problem they have that they NEED a solution to, the language they use to describe this problem, the emotions they feel or express about this problem, and how desperate they are for a solution, the more specific your message can be and the more likely you are to resonate with them.

If you would welcome a FREE 30-minute Zoom call to explore your unique ideal client and how to craft a message to attract them, click HERE.

I don't sell on these calls; I will listen, answer your questions and offer direction where requested. I guarantee that you will learn something new.

The next chapter is all about why selling single sessions to clients is not a good strategy AND what you can begin to do immediately to change this.