3 Action Steps You Can Take in Your Bodywork Business When Everything is Crazy|

Business and Marketing for Massage and Bodywork Therapists

Episode 34.

MINDY TOTTEN:

Hey Hey there. Welcome back to the Do It With Intention podcast. I'm your host Mindy Totten, and I'm wondering, how are you doing? How is everybody holding up? I hope that you and your loved ones are all safe and well and are holding together through this very trying and uncertain time.

[00:00:18] In the past two episodes, I've shared how to plan when so much is uncertain and how to set goals when things are unpredictable. Today. I'm finishing up this series of episodes by sharing three action steps that you can take today to start to shore up your business foundation. Once you've started planning and you know how to set strong process goals, it's time to begin to take action.

[00:00:42] If you're at a loss for what to do to work on the business side of your practice, today's episode will help. I shared some of these ideas a couple of weeks ago on the heal your practice masterclass, and I hope that they'll help you today. First of all, remember, this might not be the best time to attract new people into your business.

[00:01:02] Depending on where you are, you may not even be able to do hands on work for a while longer, but that doesn't mean that you can't do the work to continue to build a solid business foundation. For example, now is the perfect time to build your referral network. You can reach out to other health care practitioners in your area and get to know them, invite them for a virtual chat.

[00:01:24] The key here is to be curious. This is a great, great way to network, but networking is not just you talking about your work and asking for referrals. This is an opportunity to really learn about your peers. Ask questions. What kind of work do they do? Who are their ideal clients? Do you know of anyone who could be a good fit for them?

[00:01:47] How might your practices compliment one another? Be genuinely interested and you will be amazed at what you can create by reaching out. If you're not sure what to say when you reach out to another practitioner, you can check out the business toolkit that I've written. It's got tons of templates and scripts that you can use to make all of your business communication easier.

[00:02:07] And I'll include the link in the show notes that you can find at Mindy totten.com/podcast/episode 34. Your referral network can be a fantastic resource for your business and now is just the perfect time to begin to make those connections. So if you're wondering what you can do to build your business, asking for referral partners and partnerships is a wonderful thing that you can do right now.

[00:02:37] The next thing you can do for your plan moving forward is to nurture your current clients by keeping in touch with them. This seems so obvious, but I don't see many therapists doing it. Just because you can't do your hands on work right now doesn't mean that you don't care about your clients. Let them know by reaching out, and I'm going to get up my soapbox here for a second.

[00:02:59] I'm not talking about shooting them a quick text. Anybody can do that. I'm talking about stepping up your game and giving your clients a call or sending them a short video that you've recorded for them. There's a program called loom, and we'll link to that in the show notes. Too. Loom is free and you can use it to send each of your clients a video.

[00:03:21] In the video, just ask how they're doing. Tell them what's going on for you. You can show them, you know, you're hunkering down. Shelter in place digs for me. My clients love it. When I pan the camera, I turn it over to George, the wonder dog. I'll tell you what, everybody loves to see dogs or George animals on zoom calls or on videos much more than we like seeing each other.

[00:03:44] Right? Ask if you can do anything to support your clients right now. And tell them that you can't wait to work with them again once the dust settles and then listen to their answers. Really listen, this means so much to your clients because it lets them know that they are much more to you than just a paycheck.

[00:04:04] They may need something that you can provide for them virtually or through something else that you create. And when you open your doors again, they're going to remember that you took the time to connect with them on a real human level. No marketing tip or tactic even begins to compare to authentic, true connection.

[00:04:24] So reach out to your clients now in a heartfelt, genuine way. The last thing I want you to consider doing in your plan moving forward for your business is to shore up the systems that you already have. Think about it this way. A system is basically how you do something. For example, if people usually find you through your website, that's a system.

[00:04:46] Take a look at it during this time and see how it can be improved. Another example, if you're planning to start an email newsletter to keep up, keep in touch with your clients, and I. Recommend that you do. You've got to keep in touch with them somehow. If you're thinking about, and you've been thinking about it for ages of starting an email newsletter, do it now.

[00:05:06] Now's the time to get that system up and running. You can also take a look at how you're inviting people to work with you, how you did in the past, and how you could do it now. If you've been missing that piece, then you can use this time to create a new offering so that you can better serve your clients.

[00:05:22] This is such a great time to do all the stuff that you usually don't have time to do. These three ideas for taking action will help you to be of service and also to build your business foundation. Implement them now, and you will be way ahead of the game when we emerge from this season. I'll be back next week with even more ideas for building an intentional massage or body work business for you.

[00:05:47] Until then, keep going and keep doing it with intention.