The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken up nearly every healthcare and consumer category, influencing new consumer behaviors, crushing entire industries and boosting growth in others. And it is no different for massage therapists. Unfortunately, there still are a lot of unknowns.
While the health and wellness industry is continuing to see many changes, one thing is for sure…
The pandemic has revealed that taking care and control of one’s own health is even more critical than ever, causing “health” to emerge as a KEY focus for consumers – your massage therapy clients!
And this movement is quickly emerging as one of the biggest consumer spending opportunities in decades and it’s continuing to grow.
Forward-Thinking Massage Therapists Are Expanding Further Into Health
Your ability as a massage therapist to generate revenue in your practice is your most valuable asset. Your clients come to you and exchange their money for the value you deliver. The problem is… your value far transcends your ability to help your individual clients through massage alone.
That’s why there is a growing trend among massage therapists who are in private practice to expand the “health” services they offer, and in particular, incorporate brief, cutting edge exercise programs for their clients that are easy to experience unmatched benefits they simply can’t get anywhere else.
By integrating exercise services into their massage therapy practices, they can not only take their healing an important step further, but they can add another cash revenue stream that often rivals their practice income from massage services alone.
Your Clients Already Know, Love, And Trust You
Your work as a massage therapist gives you a unique opportunity to develop a very trusting relationship with your clients. Over time, they learn from you as you reveal and teach healthful concepts that many times go beyond massage alone.
Haven’t you ever found yourself talking to your clients about other facets and topics that affect health? Sure you have… after all, you are “health practitioner” whose main approach to wellness is through massage and body work.
This is why implementing and growing a “micro gym” in one of your less used massage rooms is a perfect marriage to help improve the trajectory of a client’s wellness.
Does Exercise Fit Within Your Scope Of Practice?
Granted, in some states, the law restricts or prohibits licensed massage therapists from recommending or prescribing exercise. But in most states, these restrictions don’t exist and allow massage therapists to work with their clients in both active stretching and exercise.
But the true success that comes with adding 30-minute exercise sessions to your clients as a separate cash-paying service is that you can have a Certified Micro Gym Assistant closely work with and monitor the training of your wellness client IF the exercise solution is standardized and more technically efficient.
And in those instances in which you can’t recommend or prescribe exercise, then you can easily partner with or hire a certified personal trainer who will gladly follow your philosophy and revenue share so it becomes a Win-Win-Win for everyone!
The Costs To Start Can Be Less Than You Think
What your clients are really looking for when it comes to participating in an exercise program is a concise, focused, and personalized exercise experience that is both effective and time efficient.
So in order to offer this type of experience, you have to consider an exercise approach or a piece of exercise equipment that is upscale and unique that they won’t find down the street at the local health club or gym.
Exercise equipment companies are now offering creative ways to acquire a new, cutting edge, all-in-one piece of exercise equipment without leasing or purchasing. In fact, many are now offering a License Royalty Agreement in which it costs you virtually nothing to have the equipment delivered and installed. You simply revenue-share with the equipment vendor each time you use it. It’s perfect!
Where Will You Get Clients?
Most massage therapists underestimate the hidden revenue that’s in their inactive and past client files. They often forget the effort, energy, and money they spent to acquire them as new clients.
And while they may not return to your office for massage as much as you would like them to, they WILL RETURN if you have a different but related wellness-based service to offer them.
What’s even more interesting is that they may be already paying for personalized exercise services somewhere else or looking for a trusted expert (you) to buy them from now.
This is why it takes very little marketing to resurrect these inactive massage clients and convert them into cash-paying wellness clients… when you have a well-developed and results-oriented service they “want” beyond the massage and body work they may need.
By offering a new wellness service like exercise to both your active and inactive clients right inside your massage therapy office, you not only solve the challenges that you face in your massage practice now (maybe post COVID-19), but also become a powerful and profitable “wellness force” in your community… attract more new clients, boost your massage practice with more referrals, improve client retention, and generate more cash income.
Start Making A Difference For You And Your Clients
Research proves that health-promoting lifestyle interventions like massage along with time-efficient, evidence-based exercise is effective in the healing and prevention of lifestyle-induced health issues and chronic conditions.
Be the forward-thinking massage therapist who is ready to take advantage of this paradigm shift and offer your clients a “micro gym” exercise experience.
For more information, check out how other massage therapists are are shifting and expanding into “health”, join us today for a short 15-Minute call.
Rich is a Health and Wellness Business Adviser to a variety of health professionals including medical physicians, physical therapists, chiropractors, nurse practitioners, massage therapists, health club owners, and fitness professionals throughout the U.S. During the past 30 years, Rich has conducted training programs for thousands of health professionals regarding the planning and implementation of effective, sustainable, and profitable wellness programs in their practices.
Rich is also the founder of the Medical Fitness Academy, a wellness practice consulting company specifically for health and fitness professionals. The company offers a wide variety of consulting programs that help healthcare practitioners plan, implement, grow, and profit from adding cash-based wellness programs in their practices.
The Academy features wellness practice and business management, marketing and operational materials in the form of multimedia training programs as well as articles, business tools, downloadable forms, checklists and a wide variety of information on the systems and procedures required to operate a successful medical fitness and wellness program.
Rich is recently the the developer of the One Room Wellness Center Strategy, a complete proven business model for implementing a successful wellness program in just 80-200 sq. ft. of any healthcare professional’s office in 60 days or less.
To find out more about our One Room Wellness Center Strategy and if it’s a profit-generating solution for you and your practice, start by talking with us today during a FREE 15-Minute Phone Consultation at 888.311.1345.