End the struggle of Business

Does your business feel like a struggle?

I have come to realize that I very likely have an addiction to struggle.

It seems like a crazy thing to even consider, I mean why would I want to make my life harder than it needs to be? Who would do that?

Well, apparently me!

Perhaps one of the hardest things to actually own up to, yet it is also vital to my own success. You see as long as I hung on to the idea that life was hard, business was hard work, having a business took lots of time and money, it takes years before you see profit in a business...and so on... I would never realize the success that I was looking for. What I did do was create more struggles.

In looking back I now see all the crazy ideas and justifications that I used to not move forward in my business. It makes me laugh now, and wonder why some of my friends did not shake me to try to wake up from that nightmare. I used to tell myself that money spent on trade shows and advertizing would not really get me any further ahead when consistently we got new customers from them. I choose to focus on what we spent that year and what came in directly say from a trade show justifying dropping them with the fact that we failed to cover our expenses. Of course I had lots of great reasons why this was true and the right decision and would seek out others who also thought the same way so that I validated that decision. Craziness at its best at times.

There was another factor that I would fail to calculate into those equations...the lifetime value of the client. This was the part that I was not being truthful about.

While the jury is out at the moment about trade shows, the point is that my perspective has changed and thus allowing me to see more of the equation to evaluate things differently. I am still not keen on putting trade shows back into the mix, but more from the perspective of time than money. Quite likely they do pay off financially, but is that the best use of our time for that return. That is the hard question to qualify, and remains unanswered.

This awareness of my addiction to struggle is one that has been unveiling itself over the last couple of months as I have been going deeper into my beliefs about money and the idea of having lots of it. This focus has forced me to stare at this addiction and admit to myself (and now all you) that this behavior is not helping me or my business. All it is doing is keeping me stuck in an old loop kind of like when a record gets a scratch that makes it play the same 3 second piece over and over again until you pick up the needle and place it past the scratch. I have picked up the needle of my own life recording and placed it out of reach of that repeating loop and none too soon on that one.

Just this week in fact, I had to look at how deeply this addiction has affected all areas of my life. I have a fantastic husband, and we really do not have any issues, however my sneaky subconscious managed to make a mountain out of a mole hill (I am an expert in that lol) and get all bent out of shape about something to the point that I blew up at him. Three days later we are finally able to have a rational conversation about what happened, resolve things and get back on track. Later, I take a step back and I can see that this is yet another aspect of the same issue. I bought into the stereo type of married people being frustrated with the things their partners do, isn't that just the way it goes? lol

What if all my beliefs are wrong? What if all those reasons I gave for why I am not doing as well I could are actually lies? What if I could choose a new reality and new possibilities? How would things change? How would I change?

These are the new questions that I am using to re-evaluate my life instead of looking for things that validate the old beliefs. I am delighted to say that it is making quite the shift. I have opened up to and taken action on things that I would have slammed the door on in the past. The best part is that these are the things that are easy, interestingly enough. 

Biography: Dana Pharant is the owner of Whole Body Healing - Therapy Supplies. She has been a registered massage therapist since 1992 and running a therapy supply store since 1999. Her store rocks out at both its geographical locations at: 68 Hooper Rd Barrie, ON and on the internet at: http://www.wholebodyhealing.com.

Spotlight on Skin - Eczema

What is it? The most common form of eczema, more accurately called atopic dermatitis, appears as a red, swollen rash. Depending on the stage, the rash could appear scaly or thick; it could appear moist or leak fluid; it may even contain small, raised bumps. Clients will complain of itching, a classic tell-tale indicator of eczema. Small rashes may appear around the eyes and lips, but most flare-ups are on the inside of elbows, the backs of the knees, or the underside of the hands.

How do you get it? The form of eczema identified as atopic dermatitis is believed to be the result of an allergen. An allergen is anything that triggers an allergic reaction. Often this form of eczema is hereditary; the client may have suffered from it since childhood. However, it is possible to develop eczema as an adult. Allergens can come from food, animals, the sun, the cold, or any number of environmental factors. During a flare-up, a person’s immune system is working overtime to try to combat a foreign substance.

How is it treated? Treatment of eczema works best along a two-prong approach. The first is to strengthen the body’s immune system through supplements. Healthy eating, regular exercise, and adequate rest also help build a healthy immune system. The second approach is to pinpoint the source of the allergen and get rid of it. Sometimes, however, it’s impossible to identify the trigger. In this case the only thing left to do is to treat the rash. Warm soaks, creams, light therapy, cotton material against the skin, and antihistamines are all useful treatments. Proper moisture is crucial to reduce the itch of eczema, so creams should be applied immediately after a warm soak, and the skin should be kept hydrated throughout the day. Creams can be natural, such as calendula cream, or they can be by prescription, such as cortisone or steroid creams.

Specific Product Recommendations: Footlogix Very Dry Skin formula and the Footlogix Foot Soak as your hand washing soap. The soap is phBalanced and moisturizing and the moose application of Very Dry Skin #3 will penetrate into the deeper layers of the dermis which creates healthier skin over time as old skin is exfoliated off. I have seen great results with these products for many clients.

Acting the Part

Acting the Part

I was driving through the mall parking lot the other day and I noticed that some drivers would hang back at the end of the isle waiting for an opening to magically appear, while others would edge out slowly making it all too obvious their intent. The drivers who clearly set out their intention to get into the flow of traffic created an opening easier and faster than those who hung back.

I got to thinking that this is very similar to getting customers for a business. Those who make it obvious that they are serious about what they do, attract far more customers than those who fail to put out those signals.

What is the signal you are sending your customers?

We have all come across someone who is running a small business from home, they have home printed cards complete with perforated edges, photocopied brochures that are low quality print and slightly off set. I don’t know about you, but I react to those the way I would react to being approached by a sales person wearing a hoodie and pants half hanging off.

In my experience, individuals and business that invest time and money in well thought out marketing material do 2-10 times better than those who do it all on the cheap (that which looks and feels cheap).

Now, this does not mean that you need to rush out and spend thousands of dollars on flashy marketing material and professionally designed graphics. If you work on your own, then at the very least a clean professional looking business card and a simple brochure that looks like it was done with care and pride can go a long way. On the other hand if you are looking to open a clinic with other therapists and perhaps sell some products then you will want to go the extra mile and get a logo, professionally done brochures, matching cards and some clothing with your logo.

If you work from home, then your marketing material should not scream that out to prospective clients. They still want to know that you take your work seriously, and your marketing material is your representative.

With the significant drop in printing costs over the last few years, I am amazed to still find therapists who are too cheap to spend the money on something that looks good. It really screams cheap.

Once you have the client in your office, what impression are they left with? Does your table look and feel sturdy? Do your sheets look and smell clean? Do the furnishings look like you picked them up at yard sales?

You do not have to spend a fortune to have a professional office, but do keep your client’s critical eye in mind when you are setting up or fixing up. While some clients will overlook the decor, it does play a role in the majority of client’s choices for returning or not.

If you are selling products, are they displayed in a manner that is pleasing to the eye? Are they free of dust? Are the prices clearly marked?

Your return will be in proportion to how serious you take your business and its image. Take time to honestly evaluate your marketing material and environment, does it send the message that you want? If not, then it is not too late to make some changes. You may be surprised at the results.

Biography: Dana Pharant is the owner of Whole Body Healing - Therapy Supplies. She has been a registered massage therapist since 1992 and running a therapy supply store since 1999. Her store rocks out at both its geographical locations at: 68 Hooper Rd Barrie, ON and on the internet at: www.wholebodyhealing.com

Is There Too Much Competition?

Are There Too Many Massage Therapists?

You have heard it before; “the market is saturated”, “there are too many massage therapist in my area” and other such comments.
Is it true?
Why do therapists seem to think it is?
On the outside it may seem like there are too many therapists, however I had a really good reality check the other day when my Dentist came in to see me. We often get talking about business and what is going on with each other’s respective businesses, and this day was no different. She began to tell me about how she was involved with the local association of Dentists and that they had a meeting set for that evening. I got curious and asked how many dentists were in town and how many they would typically get out to a meeting. Boy was I shocked.
First they typically get about 50 members out to a meeting and second that there were 181 dentists in my city. In a city in which we have a population of about 150,000 people and in which there are about 175 massage therapists. I would not have guessed that there were more dentists in this town than there were massage therapists.
So what is so astounding about these numbers? Let me share with you my thought process on hearing these numbers and why I got so excited for every massage therapist and massage student in my area. The similarity between massage therapists and dentists is that we both rely on insurance coverage (at least here and in most areas) for our customers to be able to afford to come in on a regular basis. When looking at the per visit coverage instead of the total dollar amount paid out, the number of visits is often the same or better for massage therapy than for dentistry.
If we are both dealing with the same (or close to) segment of the population; being those who have jobs with benefits or are willing to pay out of pocket for health care, then it could be safe to assume that we have approximately the same number of people to market to. Now, here is the exciting part; according to my client a dentist would typically have 2,000-6,000 clients for a full practice. If we have 181 dentists in this town who are all busy (which according to the association meetings they all seem to be fairly busy), then we have a HUGE untapped market for massage therapy. I am not sure about you but if I have 200 active clients I am really busy. Compare this to the 2,000-6000 for dentists and you can start to see the potential for many more therapists. In fact, about 10 time more therapists. Even if we say this is too optimistic and cut it in half or even by three quarters that would still leave 3-5 times the growth in the number of clients for massage.
You could choose to make up all kinds of stories as to why this theory would not work, or you could choose to use the numbers and information to shift your perspective to one of abundance and that there truly is lots available for everyone.

Biography: Dana Pharant is the owner of Whole Body Healing - Therapy Supplies. She has been a registered massage therapist since 1992 and running a therapy supply store since 1999. Her store rocks out at both its geographical locations at: 68 Hooper Rd Barrie, ON and on the internet at: http://www.wholebodyhealing.com.




Biography: Dana Pharant is the owner of Whole Body Healing - Therapy Supplies. Her store rocks out at both its geographical location at: 68 Hooper Rd Barrie, ON and on the internet: www.wholebodyhealing.com.

Giving Away Your Profits

Whole Body Healing Column

Column 1: Giving Your Profits Away!

By Dana Pharant RMT

Selling product is a challenging prospect for many massage therapists. They may fear that they will be viewed as pushy, money hungry or somehow unprofessional by their clients if they sell products. On a different note, we’ve all experienced the client who thinks every treatment should be free; the one who doesn’t respect you or your services as being worthy of the term professional; the type who thinks minimum wage is a good idea for everyone but themselves. You can grow old quickly trying to please these people, so let’s focus on living in the real world instead.

When did making money - more specifically - profit, become an evil thing? Why is it that people in the health care or healing industries tend to shy away from admitting to wanting to make a good income? Why do we shun other practitioners who make a good income? Is this attitude part of the reason we are not viewed as being professional enough to be included in the same league as other medical practitioners? Does anyone ever ask his or her doctor (or their lawyer) for free services?

If you are still not ready to make money from selling products, you may consider this suggestion. Have a selected product or products for sale at your office and then take the money that you profit from them and donate it to your favorite charity. This allows you to offer an extra service to your clients, but not feel like they are being judged by profiting from it!

You can get your clients involved in the process by changing the charity you donate to on a quarterly or semi-annual basis and allowing them one vote for a cause of their choice with each purchase/treatment/session. Have a sign over the shelf where the products are displayed that outlines the policy and place the voting box beside it.

While you aren’t making money from sales, you can use this as a valuable marketing strategy. Send the local paper a press release letting them know how much you have raised for your charity and how you have done it. Be sure to get a photo of you and a charity rep shaking hands as you hand over the check and include that with the press release. You can also ask the charity for a tax receipt for the amount of the donation, which can help you at tax time!

On the other hand, if you believe that the services you provide have real value, but still feel conflicted about deserving a profit from the work you do, read my next column!

Biography: Dana Pharant is the owner of Whole Body Healing - Therapy Supplies. Her store rocks out at both its geographical location at: 68 Hooper Rd Barrie, ON and on the internet: www.wholebodyhealing.com.

Come back next issue for Dana’s next installment: Money Isn’t the Root of all Evil!

Know when to hold ‘em, when to fold ‘em, when to walk away and when to run

It’s easy to feel like a gambler when you’re trying to strike a balance between making full profit on your inventory and discount pricing. You want your stock to move, but you don’t want to give it away to do it. If you’re paying interest for the credit you used to purchase said inventory, then the situation can become even more perplexing.

What to do with the two or three items that you’re tired of dusting when the rest of the box flew out the door? Or even worse, what about when only a couple have sold and you’re still looking at the rest of the box sitting on your shelf when a salesman drops in to tell you about a really great deal on an even better product?

When to hold ‘em
Sticking to your regular price

You are not some big box store and you should not feel obligated to price match these behemoths. They can’t compete with your product knowledge and after sales support so why should you give that away by trying to compete with their pricing. Some products are sold strictly through professionals. On these types of items hold to the recommended pricing for the sake of maintaining your professional integrity.
Hold your pricing on the items that are your staples. How often do milk or eggs go on sale? I can’t remember ever seeing a sale on either of these items. That’s because they are the staple items of any grocery store, part of the regular provisions the majority of customers who pass through their doors will be buying.
“So what are the staples of a massage clinic’s retail line?” you ask. Epsom Salts comes to mind, as do ice packs and topical analgesics. They will regularly turn over without much assistance so leave the price alone. I would only recommend putting them on sale as an up-sell promotion such as buy a gift certificate for a one hour massage and get product X for half price.

When to fold ‘em
Marking down your regular price

If a product is not moving then mark it down until it goes. This is a form of compensation for mistakes in judgement but it is an opportunity to learn at the same time. Is the end of the box not approaching as fast as the expiry date? Was it such a good deal that you bought too many in the first place? Perhaps it was something no one wanted. Did you restock after you had already sold it to all your clients? Treat it as a lesson in mapping the purchasing habits of your clients and you can find a way to see the positive rather than treating it as a complete loss.

How much to mark it down? Part of this depends on how fast you want to get rid of it. The traffic flow you have will directly affect the speed with which you are able to clear out product. Still, you don’t want to start giving it away (your cost) immediately. Drop your price too much too soon and the clients who paid full price last week could get offended, or worse yet, decide that it’s better to wait for it to go on sale rather than buying anything at full price from you.

If you get to the point of having to sell at or below cost it may be wise to indicate this when displaying the sale price. Some people are very driven by thrill of hunting for the bargains and will only pick up your sale items. Thankfully there are also those who have to be the first to own anything. If you’re lucky, you’ll have a mix of both flowing through your clinic.

In an ideal world when you purchase 12 pieces of a particular item, 10 sell at full price while the last 2 go for 25% off the regular price. Then you move on to a new item you discovered for your clients. In an ideal world.

When to walk away
Saying “No” is not a bad thing

This applies to whether or not you will continue to carry specific products. Maybe the whole line isn’t working for your situation. Just because you sold all of the first shipment doesn’t mean you have to re-order immediately. Changing inventory when your selection is narrow is a good thing. Many clients will ask when they can’t find the display of that great thing they got last time they were in, but few will ask about that new thing you haven’t shown them yet, unless it’s proudly displayed on your shelf.

Whether your selection is narrow because of budget constraints or shelf space to use as display, variety is your friend in that situation. If you’ve already had one product through your inventory and aren’t sure whether it’s worth restocking right away, consider putting up a picture/poster of the product and list it as a special order item to see what kind of response you get for that.

We all know the type of client who thinks every treatment should be free. You can grow old quickly trying to please these people, so don’t be surprised when they want to haggle with you over the already fair sale price you have clearly marked on your product. They always want you to lower the price you charge them down to your cost or below. Try not to get offended in that it’s not necessarily personal (they treat everyone this way), then calmly explain to them that while you appreciate that if you don’t ask you don’t get, your answer is “no thank you.”

The wrong approach in this situation would be to get defensive and start telling them about how hard you work for your money and how you deserve to sell products for a profit. How dare they offend your sensibilities with such an offer. this customer does not care and it will just leave you in a foul mood, not to mention looking bad to anyone else who may be in earshot.

This type of individual has to “win” which in their mind means that they must “beat” everyone else to be satisfied. If you offered to give it to them for free, they would want you to pay them to take it away. When a bargain has to be bad for you before they’ll consider it good for them, that is when it’s a good time for you to walk away from the deal.
Personally speaking, I would refer them to another clinic, because I don’t want price shoppers coming to me for therapy. I believe it is okay to say “no” to clients who ask for something that will cost you money. Even more than okay, I believe it is in your own best interest.

When to run
Sales people who don’t believe in win-win
Some salespeople consider their greatest asset to be the ability to change their minds to buy something they don’t really need or can’t afford simply because the salesperson needs to sell so many of said product to make their life easier. They don’t usually have a lot of repeat business, but that not a concern to them because there’s always new fish to fry. They always seem to have a deal that sounds to good to pass up and won’t be around for long.

Avoiding the type of traps set by these individuals requires you to know what you can move at your clinic. Would 80% of your clients be likely to buy it? If less than 25% would be even remotely interested then you may as well forget it. Unless those people will commit to buying enough to make it worth your while to bring in your chances of moving the product in a decent turnover time is low. Try asking the nice salesman if you could have a poster to display so you could special order those items if people show interest.

Avoid the classic volume discounts that are commonly used to talking you into purchasing more inventory than you can move based on the promise of a lower price per unit. When their only focus is on how much money you’ll make from the entire deal, stop for a moment and consider the amount of time and effort that will be involved on your part to make that mountain of money. I will continue to mine that same vein of thinking in that I recommend avoiding selling product altogether if you are not willing to talk about it to your clients to the point where they are excited about it. Basically, if you’re not going to sell then don’t spend the money on inventory that you hope will sell itself.

Biography: Dana Pharant is the owner of Whole Body Healing - Therapy Supplies. Her store rocks out at both its geographical location at: 68 Hooper Rd Barrie, ON and on the internet: www.wholebodyhealing.com.