Why It’s So Important to Ace the Initial Session (and how to do it!) |
Business and Marketing for Massage and Bodywork Therapists
Episode 18.
MINDY TOTTEN: Today, we're giving you a solid plan for your first session with clients. Defining this initial session can turn a $100 dropping client into thousands of dollars lifetime value.
MINDY TOTTEN: Welcome to Do It With Intention, the podcast for massage and bodywork therapists. I'm your host, Mindy Totten, a mentor and coach for bodyworkers who want to turn their passion for the work that they do into successful businesses that they love, all without burning out or selling out.
For the last 15+ years, I've created a successful six figure CranioSacral Therapy practice in a small city in coastal North Carolina. Over those years, I've met so many skilled, big-hearted therapists who are struggling to make their bodywork businesses work for them, not because they weren't terrific therapists, but because they didn't know how to make the business side of their practices work.
It became my mission to help other massage and bodywork therapists build practices that support not only their souls but also their bottom lines. On the Do It With Intention podcast, we'll dive deep into what it takes to build and to sustain a profitable massage or bodywork business.
We'll have honest conversations about what really works (and what doesn't) as you create the ideal practice for you.
After all, you do great work in the world, and you deserve to make a great living doing it. But you've got to be intentional about it, not only in your modality, but in your business too. And THAT’s how bodyworkers Do It With Intention.
Welcome back to the Do It With Intention Podcast. Today's episode is key to moving your massage or bodywork business forward and it's something that's relatively easy to implement.
We're going to give you a solid plan for your first session with clients because defining this initial encounter can turn that $100 paying client to many thousands of dollars -- a lifetime value client, someone who comes in again and again and again.
But you've got to get it right -- you've got to ACE that initial session.
I came up with this after years of being what I call a mystery shopper. Do you remember those? Where people go into a restaurant or a clothing store and not tell anyone who they were, but they were being sent by the company to see how people were treated.
I started doing that in my own town right when I started, years and years ago. And now I do it when I travel.
I'll book an appointment for a massage or bodywork, not only because it’s self-care, but also to see how are people treat their clients.
I try to notice what’s working and what's not working so well — How do I feel as a client with this person? How is this person's business sense?
Through years of doing this I found that people take you for granted. I can't tell you how many times I have reached out to someone for an appointment and instead of a person treating me like a human being, I get a link to a scheduler.
Not even an email that says, “Oh wow, you're coming to visit our town. That's great.” No personal connection at all.
So I schedule the appointment electronically, which is convenient for the therapist, but it makes the client feel like they're just one in a herd of people.
Then I might get a few auto-texts to remind me about my appointment, but still no real connection with a human.
I created a process that really helps you to connect with these clients -- before the appointment, during the appointment and after the appointment.
Follow this program and learn how to ACE the crucial initial session with a client so they will come back and work with you again and again and again.
The bottom line is to connect on a human level with your clients and prospective clients. They are reaching out and hoping you can help them.
The initial session with a client is your time to shine. It's an opportunity to do everything you can to provide a premium service for your clients.
Here are some guidelines:
Let’s start before the initial appointment. From the moment you book the appointment until the client arrives at your office, you want to make things easy for them as possible.
In the business world, they call this removing friction. Don't make people jump through hoops. Don't make things confusing. Too many choices is a turn-off.
Follow up your conversation with an email appointment confirmation so that you and your clients are on the same page. If you want to use an online scheduler, that’s your prerogative.
I have found that when therapists make a more personalized connection, they get better results. Their clients feel seen, they feel heard and before they even walked through your door, they have an excellent impression of you and your practice.
These may seem like very basic steps, but you’d be surprised how few therapists follow them.
Be sure to provide directions to your office with specifics to make the journey smooth for your clients. Do they need instructions for parking? Will they need to navigate stairs? Let them know these things.
One time I scheduled an appointment and couldn't find the place.
When I finally called, the therapist instructed me to park at a different building and walk around the block and then come in through the basement… Why didn’t she tell me this before?
Include your intake form in your confirmation email so that the client can fill it out before the appointment. This is not only a time saver but also allows the client to complete it more thoroughly because they're not sitting there with you staring at them.
Finally, be sure to confirm with your client 24 hours before the appointment just to be sure that she's going to show up for her time slot.
Some people don't do this because they feel they’re training clients to be irresponsible. I disagree. I feel like it’s an extra level of service.
If they can't make it, somebody from the wait list can come in, but most of the time they simply say, “Thank you for the reminder.”
Make sure that you have one more confirmation, hopefully from you, not from an anonymous scheduler, that says, “I'm looking forward to seeing you tomorrow at this time.”
That's all before the first appointment.
During the initial appointment, this is where you shine. You do your wonderful work and your wonderful modality. You listen carefully and you communicate smoothly.
A few things to remember: I highly recommend scheduling extra time for that initial appointment because then you won't feel rushed and you'll have time to get to know your clients a bit.
I usually schedule two hours for the first appointment. That doesn't mean I'm doing hands on for two hours. I usually talk for maybe 10 or 15 minutes with the client beforehand, and get a good sense of where they are.
I explain what CranioSacral Therapy is and what to expect from the session, and then I tell them what will happen after the session -- that I will share with them what my impressions were and my recommendations for moving forward.
That way they know before we even begin what to expect.
It's probably about an hour and 20, maybe an hour and 30 minutes of my actual session, and then I schedule that extra half hour between clients.
You won't feel rushed, you'll have time to get to know the client and she'll appreciate the time that you spend with her. Hopefully, she’ll want to continue working with you.
Because you're spending more time with the client during the initial session, I highly recommend charging a higher fee for a first session.
It's your job to give clients a premium experience, and if you do, they will happily pay you for your time and expertise. Something to think about.
The third part of the process comes after the appointment. This is an area where I've seen so many bodyworkers come up short, not because they’re not wonderful therapists, but because they're not sure what to do afterwards.
So here's what works after the treatment:
While you're talking with your new client, give her your professional opinion about your recommendations for her care.
You're not being pushy; you're being a professional.
For example, how many times should she come in to best facilitate her healing?
I always ask about their experience because most people come out of the session and ask what I found. I turn that around. Only then do I share my thoughts about their session.
I might say that I don't think CranioSacral Therapy is going to get them the results that they're looking for. And I may recommend a physical therapist, or other professional that might help them.
I might also say that I think that their body responded very well to this work and in my experience it takes three or four sessions over three weeks – or whatever is appropriate -- to see if this will really be beneficial for you.
Then I ask – and this is critical – if they would like to set up those appointments now.
Here is where you MUST detach from the outcome.
If they say yes, great. If they say no, that's great too.
The question must be said smoothly without any hint of anticipation.
I used to book one appointment at a time. Then I realized it would be better to recommend coming in once a week for the next four weeks. Then ask them if they’d like to book those dates.
After those sessions expire, I’ll ask how the work is going for them. I might say: “What do you think about continuing our work together?”
If the answer is yes, set up new appointments and reserve them for her. It’s important to start laying that foundation and start with that pattern on the initial appointment.
Once you've handled the rebooking and the payment, I recommend giving your client a Welcome To My Office package.
This doesn't have to be elaborate or expensive. It's just a little something to create that personal connection and welcome them to your space.
I've been doing CranioSacral Therapy for 16 years now, so I include a copy of Your Inner Physician and You, which is a book by Dr John Upledger about CranioSacral Therapy that's written in layman's terms and really helps people understand the work that we do.
So it's something I give them that enhances their experience and makes them feel special. I also throw in there a tee shirt that I had designed with my logo on it, bookmark and pen, a couple of little things like that, but a really important thing is a personalized welcome note.
I then follow up in writing with what I call your Session Observations and Recommendations for Care.
I’m Old School, as you know, so I write this out. I actually use a pen and write this out, and I send it in the mail the next morning so my clients will have everything that we talked about after the session in writing and then they can ask me any questions they might have at their next appointment.
This has been so, so successful for so many therapists who I've worked with following up with an actual physical thing that people can read.
Not an email, not something that's digitalized, but something they can actually look at because we all know right after our appointments, sometimes after the sessions people are so blissed out, they can't really even absorb what we're saying, what we're talking about. I say this at the beginning of the session: “I'll share with you my recommendations for going forward and then I'm going to follow up in writing so you have it all and you can make your decision about whether this work is helpful for you or not.” Something like that.
It’s really, really helpful for letting folks know how you as a professional think this work can help them, and what is a program for moving forward.
Again, you don't say, “I think you should come in every day for a week and if you don't, I'm not going to see you.”
It’s nothing pushy like that. It's just -- this is my professional opinion in my experience. This is how many times necessary.
And if you don't have the experience yet, reach out to mentors, reach out to other people who do have the experience and find out what they think. How long does it usually take to get relief from migraines or to start having range of motion in the shoulder?
You need to work toward mastery always, and then all of this will get much, much easier for you.
Okay, phew. That is a lot, but the initial session with a client is such a marvelous opportunity to showcase not only your fabulous modality and your healing work, but also to give your clients an outstanding customer experience. Implementing some of these ideas does take some time, but it's time well spent to help you build the practice that you have in your vision, working with clients that you love.
Thanks for coming on this journey with me today. I know what it takes to find time to fit something like a podcast into your busy day, and I so, so appreciate that you tuned in and listened to all the way to the end. We've got all the links from today's episode in the show notes that you can find over at MindyTotten.com/podcast. That's Mindy Totten, T O T T E N.com/podcast.
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That'll help us get this podcast in front of more massage and bodyworkers like you, so that we can all work together to make the world a touch kinder.
Okay. That's it for today. It's my pleasure and my privilege to be with you on this journey. I'll see you next week, same place, same time. Until then, get out there and Do It With Intention.