A question from the LinkedIn Massage Instructor's Forum involving the creating of a program curriculum. I thought it would be good to add here as well...

Thank you Michael for the opportunity to expand the conversation. We are looking at about a 750 hour course. The intention is to create a program that is at the forefront of massage education, equipping students with what they will need to be effective and successful in the coming years in a new economy.

Some of the specs... I'd like to create a bridge for the graduates to understand the language and relate with doctors and other mainstream medical professionals in the care of people who are already being treated within the western medical model -- that would be most of the population. Along with that, students will graduate with the technical training to treat clients who present with a variety of clinical diagnoses and be able to refer to others when they have reached the limit of their scope of practice. To equip them, I want to integrate training in Neuromuscular Therapy, Myofasical Release, MET, PNF, orthopedic assessments, and other modalities

During the past ten years, I have seen a trend continually moving toward a more integrated medical model that includes what we talk about as "alternative" along side the "western". It wasn't too long ago that chiropractic care was where massage therapy is now. Unless a massage therapist is only interested in doing stress-relief massage, they will need a greater understanding of and ability to relate within the larger medical system in the United States. So, they need their bearings in that world.

I also want the training to encompass an appreciation for and competence in a variety of energetic modalities as well. It really is apparent that all bodywork is energy work, regardless of how "clinical" or "medical" the approach. Cultivating intuition and creativity I think will go a long way to put graduates in a strategic place to do well and meet some of the needs that other medical professionals don't have the training to address.

So Michael, considering this perspective, yes, I do want to develop a broad eastern-western program. I wonder how others who have existing programs might be adapting or altering what they teach to be relevant within our changing world. That is the basis of this conversation. Thank you all for contributing.

Here was my response:

In my experience teaching programs of 720 and 620 hours ranges, you will be a little hard-pressed to fit all of that in and still cover it at the depth you would probably like. Have you taught and developed curriculum before?

It sounds to me that you have a focus on western massage styles and integration with health care. I think that you will have time to cover most of what you mention there at sufficient depth in a fundamental program. An initial question I might ask is are you taking students from zero to hero? Will they have a background in massage already or are they starting from scratch?

For the moment, I'm assuming you are talking about a fundamental program and not an advanced one.

I think the challenge you will find is that orthopedic assessment is certainly a process for students and one that takes a long time to develop. It certainly is in the upper levels of Bloom's Taxonomy and you have to lay a strong foundation of the fundamentals before they can even begin to synthesize them and apply them in this process. Question. Are you looking at a sequential program or a modular one? That can make a difference in how you choose to address this challenge.

With everything that you are talking about, another big challenge that you mention is the language to relate with other medical professionals. Learning all of this language and vocabulary is a huge mountain for most students to climb - it quite literally is a new language for most students. Try to be realistic about how you balance all of the new terms with the expectation that they also understand the concepts, how to use the word, and eventually being able to relate that word/concept to the others that they have learned as well.

I teach a modular program that includes 5 classes that a student can start at any point and take in any order. We have swedish, zen shiatsu, deep tissue, sports, and a chair/business development module.

From experience, the more you emphasize the western clinical model, the more time it seems to take away from eastern/energetic. I find that spending time with the zen shiatsu is incredibly beneficial - but it is an entirely different language and mode of thinking than the western medical model.

Business as well is a large skill-set that many students don't have and need to be successful. You have to know how much time you will need to spend on professionalism skills. It won't do any good if they have amazing technical skills if they don't know the professional mind-set to be a team-member, how to manage money, or even dress/speak on the job. Just teaching the medical terminology isn't enough if they don't know how to put a sentence together in plain english.

I know that this is a lot, but I can probably narrow it down to:

1. What is the starting level of your students - technically, educationally, and professionally?
2. You have a limited amount of time to accomplish your goals, what are the most important things you'd like them to be able to do when they walk out the door?

Mike

I'll continue to follow this discussion here, so stay tuned!

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Other Massage Bloggers

There are some amazing blogs out there discussing different topics on massage therapy. I thought I'd put some links down here to some of my favorites (in no particular order). I tried to place links to some of the interesting articles, but this is by no means exhaustive for everything available. Enjoy!

Fingertips:

1. Tendinosis
2. How Inflammation Causes Fatigue
3. Shin Splints
4. Therapeutic Communication
5. Silence as Communication
6. Buying a Massage Table
7. 100 Best Foods
8. Client Comfort
9. Knees
10. Manipulative Behavior
11. MBLEx
12. Anatomy Clothes
13. What's the Point?
14. Valuable Customers
15. Creating a Professional Appearance

Massage, Mind, and Body:

1. Which Massage for Which Aches?
2. Say No to Splenda
3. Cancer Fighting Tips
4. Old injury, New Pain

The Bodyworker:

1. Recession Proof Your Massage Business

Massage Therapy Benefits Blog:

1. Start a Massage Business
2. Index of Benefits, Techniques

Massage Success Tips:

1. Attending Massage Conferences

Massage Geek Blog:

1. What CEUs to Take?

The AromaConnection Blog

Massage Marketing Rebellion

Creating a Prosperous Practice

The Enlightened Body Blog

Massage Therapy Online

Free Massage Video Blog

Massage Nerd Blog

Please feel free to comment and add your own blogs or favorites to this list. Thanks!

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5 Quick Tips to Build Clientele

I posted this response to a question on the Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals group on LinkedIn.com. I thought I'd repost it here since there are some good, quick tips for building your client base.

The Original Question:

Hello, I am a massage therapist in training. I will be completing my studies in
October 2009. Is there any advice that can be given or suggestions as to how to
start building a clientle. -Nicole Morris

My Response:

Nicole, There's a lot of great information here (referring to other posts)! You need to find your balance between different methods of building your business. I'm always for spending as little as possible to the best effect, so let's look at a few to get you started. Others have mentioned networking here. Networking is in my experience by far the most effective, but it takes time to build it up. There are however some things you can do to speed the process.

1. Be ready to talk to everybody about it. And even more importantly, you have to know what you want to say. Make sure you know your market and what it is that they are looking to get out of what you do. Then you can craft what you say to appeal to them. Get your message as clear and concise as possible, then be ready to say it whenever anybody asks what you do.
2. Recruit your network. You're a member of Linked In here, so you know the power of networking. Use the network you already have of friends and family. I have my students write a letter to them explaining what they've been doing and what they do (back to #1). By telling them in your words, they are more likely to use your language in describing your work to their friends and family - which appeals you your target market more. And then be sure to ask them directly for their help - "please help me build my practice by telling all of your friends and family about my work" - or more directly - "invite your friends and family...". That way they know what you'd like them to do.
3. Partner-up. That doesn't necessarily mean a business partner, but build a network of people to refer to you. In my work it used to be networking with concierges in hotels, who in turn referred clients to me. Think about how you can create win-win-win situations for you, your referral network, and your clients.
4. The right kinds of incentives. Don't assume that everybody wants to have a free massage or a discounted rate as a reward or incentive. Sure they can be the cheapest, but they aren't always the most effective. Ask them what they want and give it to them - then they'll give you what you want.
5. Track it. Make sure you keep tabs on where your business is coming from. Track the top 20% of referrers in your network and make sure you keep them happy and referring as they'll probably send 80% of your referrals by themselves. Hope that helps. I write on these and other topics frequently on my blog ( http://www.linkedin.com/redirect?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Emassage-continuum%2Eblogspot%2Ecom&urlhash=OjAp&_t=tracking_disc ) if you'd like to read more.

Additional Comments:

I can add to this that as she is a student, she should start building her client base now. Word of mouth takes a while to build and the sooner she starts, the better. She should begin letting her potential clients know where she is with her business development and can start working on these clients (maybe with student rates even). Many students who choose not to charge while they are in school still make quite a bit in tips. One word of caution though, make sure you build in the expectation up front that rates go to your normal professional rates after you graduate. If you don't build this in from the get-go you may run into problems later in transitioning these clients to paying (or paying more).

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Building Your Personal Network To Build Your Massage Business

This is a very simple, yet powerful technique to kickstart the best way to build your business – word of mouth. I’ve taught this method in my business classes for years, and the students who apply it meet with great success.

Building Word of Mouth

This is far and away the most effective long-term strategy for a healthy business. It involves building a reputation and confidence in your customers that if they send their friends to you that they will be well taken care of. It starts with exemplary service to your customers. Provide top-notch customer service to every client and potential client. They won’t recommend you if they did not have a good experience.

But how do you take the next step, getting them to refer their friends and family to you? With some clients, you don’t have to do anything – they will sing your praises to anyone within earshot. It’s the others that you should focus on (without forgetting these wonderful people of course!)

What Do You Want Them To Say?

One thing that I’ve seen very few people pause to think about is what people are saying about you. Remember that everybody has their own view about what massage is and what it means to them. People will talk about what massage does for them, not necessarily what it can do for their friend.

To tailor this message a little more, first you need to understand what it is that you deliver. That involves several pieces…

1. What do you do? (Frame it in terms of what the client gets out of your work) and what do you enjoy doing? What are the challenges that you like to face in your practice?
2. Who do you work with? This ties in to what challenges you like to face, but what kinds of clients do you work with? Athletes? Pregnant women?
3. What environment do you practice in? Clinical? Spa? Outcall to clients’ homes? This is tied heavily to the clients you work with. It can also include the kind of “functional” environment that you create. You can create a spa feeling within a clinic and vice versa.

The final step in this process is to create a mission statement that includes these pieces. Try to make it clear and concise – preferably something that is easy to say aloud. Why? Because you will be saying this to your clients in so many words and more importantly, this is what you want your clients to be saying to other people.

Get The Word Out

Once you have refined a mission statement, you need to get it out there. Let all of your current clients know about it and use it in your marketing and in conversation with potential clients. You don’t have to say it word for word every time, but it should be clear enough that every person hearing or reading your message will be able to describe fairly accurately what you are all about.

It is not limited to only potential clients though, and here is the magic. When you make a simple, clear statement about what you do (that really communicates your mission) then that is what sticks in the person’s mind. You’ve created an association in their mind, you’ve created a special category for you, your brand of massage therapy, who you work with, what environment you work in, and what problems you deal with. From that point on, any time one of those topics comes up, they have a much better chance of recalling you.

Recruiting Your Army

Finally we get to the simple, yet powerful, technique I mentioned at the start of this post. The Friends & Family Letter (FFL). To understand how this works, think about what you do when you need something you don’t know about. Where do you turn to first? Simple, you turn to the people you know to ask about their experiences. Then you rely on other people’s testimonials and personal familiarity (like you drive by the business every day but have never been in it). Then, and only then, do most people turn to marketing. Of course that doesn’t mean that you should neglect your marketing, but that shouldn’t be your first effort.

The FFL is designed to recruit the people you already have a relationship with to be your sales & marketing force. The good news is that because these people know you they will hear you out. They care about you and they want you to succeed. You can sound like a dork in the letter and they won’t care because they already like you!

To write it, discuss the following:

1. What you’re up to: Are you just graduating or still in school? Are you starting a private practice? Are you job-hunting? Give them an update
2. What you do: Here is where the personal mission statement kicks in. Make sure you frame it in terms of how you can benefit them (your friends & family). Make sure it is in terms of how they should talk about it to their friends and family. It is very important to be clear here, because what you say here heavily influences what they say about you – which is exactly what you want.
3. What you want them to do. ASK! Make sure you come out directly and ask them to help you. They like you already so it isn’t a great imposition. Do you want them to come in and get a massage? Do you want them to tell all of their friends and family about you? Do you want them to ask their friends and family if they have heard about any massage jobs for you? All of these? Make sure you ask them directly – don’t just hope that they understand what it is that you are looking for.
4. Thank them and let them know what they get out of it. You might have a referral program or you might offer your undying gratitude. Make sure you show your appreciation.

You can tell your friends & family that they can forward it on. Send it as a letter or as an email.

Effective?

So does this work? I had a student who sent out a FFL by email the night of this class lecture. Over the next 2 days she got over 20 new appointment bookings from people she knew, booked herself out for that weekend, and ended up getting established with a successful weekend BBQ massage business – all by referral. In fact it was so successful that she turned it into a monthly newsletter that continued to help grow her business.

These people know you, so they are likely talking about you already. But are they saying the right things? Do they know what you’d like them to say? Do they know you’d like their help? Do they know what they can do to help? This FFL helps to answer all of these questions.

Good luck! And let me know how it works for you!

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