A client, Marcia, once told me that my massage business card sucked.
Actually she said: “Holy crap!” as she held my card in her hand.
Marcia was a graphic designer and rattled off a list of fouls I had committed when I designed my card.
So, guess what I did the next day?
Nothing.
Today I still have the same generic business card that Marcia hates.
But if Marcia had walked into my office ten years ago and offered a custom design and logo on my massage business cards in exchange for massage, I would’ve accepted.
What’s changed with me?
I understand that a business card is not going to make or break my business.
It’s low on the Must Do List for building a business.
Massage Business Card Versus the Hard Stuff
Marcia thought it was high on the Must Do List because design was her business.
The problem was business wasn’t her business.
And she didn’t actually know what made a massage business run.
Frankly, it wouldn’t matter if your massage business cards were cut out of paper grocery bags as long as you did these 3 things right:
- Relationships
- Customer service
- Internet presence
Let’s start with relationships.
Relationships
Good relationships = happier clients and better treatment outcomes.
Here’s what I mean:
Darius comes in for neck pain. There’s a lot of nerve stuff going on and he doesn’t have a diagnosis. So you refer him to a PT doc for a diagnosis.
After Darius goes to the PT he tells you he was diagnosed with Facet Joint Syndrome. You talk to the PT and find out what they’re doing to treat Darius and find out/figure out how you can support their work.
There are only positive things here.
- You learn more about Facet Joint Syndrome.
- You learn how you can support the PT’s work.
- You’ve done the best job possible for your client.
- By-product of all this is that your galvanizing your relationships with your client and the PT.
Which brings us to customer service.
Customer Service
Is Darius going to remember that you have a crappy business card or is he going to remember that you were with him every step of the way on the road to recovery?
Uh, I’m thinking he’s going to remember that you give a sh**.
To me, customer service is simply channeling your genuine care and concern for your client into business habits.
No schmoozy.
No cheesy marketing tricks.
Just you.
Here’s how I do it: How to Compete with Massage Envy.
Now for the non-massage-y part: Creating an Internet presence.
Internet Presence
An Internet presence is important especially if you don’t have any outside signage at your office.
Stay with me. I’m not tech savvy either. But nowadays you don’t need to be. I created all my websites and do all my SEO.
To have an Internet presence you need a website.
If you don’t have a website, here’s how you can build one fast and cheap: How to Build a Website Fast.
Once you have a website you can advertise for free on the Internet simply by ranking high in local and organic searches.
For now, you just need to focus on the local search.
Here’s how you can boost your ranking for local search: Massage Marketing Tips: How to Pick Winners.
On second thought, Mark, maybe I just need a new design for my business card…
Deep breath.
Relationships, customer service and an Internet presence do take a lot of work. But that’s where the payoff is.
Rubbing Marcia’s back in exchange for a massage business card design is easy and comfortable. The return is squat.
Want to have a massage business that continues to grow?
Throw yourself into relationships, customer service and an Internet presence.
And stop worrying about the font on your business card:-)
Hey, I also wanted to let you know that I have a free mini-course for building a massage business.
Click here and it will take you to the sign-up page.
And don’t forget about my free email group.
I send you my latest everything about making more money, building a massage practice and staying out of pain.
Sign up below:-)
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