Early this week I saw a video on social media in which a therapist gave his thoughts on matching up clients with therapists. He felt that this was necessary to insure therapist success and clients rebooking.  His opined that the establishment staff should know his skill set and attempt to bring him clients that he could do his best work on at the best time.  Sounds great, right?

Being served up the perfect client at the perfect time is a wonderful dream, but some of you are out there struggling for enough clients to make the rent, aren’t you?  I’m not saying he is wrong, and I’m not even saying that in a perfect world this sort of client-therapist matchmaking shouldn’t happen. In fact, my students will tell you that I make a concerted effort at our school to do precisely what this therapist was suggesting. It’s especially important as a student when you are just getting your feet under you. However, in the corporate world of massage therapy, this simply does not happen with regularity.

So, here’s the thing…how do we set ourselves up for success with every client every time?

Here’s what I think

First of all, “set your intentions.” Check your attitude at the door. Plan to do good for your client, and plan to give them your best effort while working with them.  Remind yourself of this before you meet your client, and again before you walk into the therapy room.

Create a space that is “safe” for each client that walks through your door. Let everything else go – what’s for lunch, your last client, your anger with the front desk, whatever, it HAS to go while you are with this client.  Ask your client, “what do you want to see happen?” “Is there anything you do not want?”  Explain your plan to your client, and skew toward the side of under promising a bit.  Under promise, over deliver is a tried and true sales tactic that works in just about every industry. Promise your clients reasonable, easily achievable goals, then sail past them and greatly exceed their expectations!

Finally, “trust your training.” Never say that you can do something you aren’t comfortable with or trained to do. Be honest with them, and yourself, about what you can do in your time with each client. Base your interactions on their needs and your training. Build a relationship with your client that gives them some input into what they will receive and, in turn, they will respect you and return to you.

Join the discussion and let us know what strategies you use to build rapport with your clients!