DO YOU HAVE THE PROBLEM OF SEEING
A LOT OF PATIENTS ONLY ONCE?
by Ralph Stephens, LMT, NCTMB

Ralph's Archives

Do you have the problem of seeing a lot of patients only once? Wonder why your patients don’t come back or reschedule? There are two major reasons for this. First, you do not have the therapeutic skills to satisfy the expectations or needs of the patient. Second, you do not have the promotional/communication skills necessary to manage your practice correctly. While these principles apply to either seated or table massage, let’s look at how they apply to seated massage.

It’s a competitive world out there. The general massage-consuming public is becoming much more aware and difficult to impress. You must be able to meet their expectations or they will not reschedule. While there are many factors involved in meeting expectations of the public, first and foremost, you have to have the therapeutic skills to give a great treatment. Doing some routine that is boring to you is also boring to the patient as well.

You must be “fresh” and “alive” for each patient. The patient must feel that the treatment they are receiving is special; just for them. Even if it isn’t, they need to think that it is! Don’t just shift into “mind-numbed robot gear” and crank out another round of the ol’ routine. Boredom is obvious to those receiving and to those watching. You must keep “life” in your treatment and make the patient feel that they are receiving a massage made just for them. You must make them feel special. If you have trouble putting life in your routine, drop your routine and learn to make a massage customized on the spot for that particular person. In doing this, every massage you do will be different, at least to some degree, and you will never be bored.

Many therapists view seated massage as purely a relaxation, stress reduction modality. While it can be that, there is no need to limit seated massage to relaxation only. The massage chair is a great positioning device to do fantastic upper body therapeutic massage. Using Western anatomy and massage strokes, the soft tissues of the lower back, shoulders, neck and forearm can be examined and treated very effectively. Most common soft tissue complaints in these areas can be resolved utilizing the seated position. More people will pay to get help with some painful condition than will pay to relieve stress. Learn to help people with their painful complaints and you will increase the size of your potential client base as well as the odds for repeat appointments.

If you are working in shorter sessions, you need to see the patient more often, right? Exactly! So, learn more skills to address complaints, become better than the therapist down the street and you should get more business. An excellent video training series that can help you break out of your routine and work in this way is available from Golden Ratio Bodyworks. It is called Seated Therapeutic Massage, Volumes 1 – 3.

Your therapeutic skills must be supported by promotional and business skills. This is an area of training sadly lacking in our profession. If you are deficient in these skills, do not despair. They are learned skills and behaviors. All you need is the desire to succeed and the willingness to learn and change.

There are lots of good books, tapes and programs available, very inexpensively, that can help you with your marketing and management skills. Listen to the tapes as you drive around. Toastmasters is a great organization that helps you learn to present yourself effectively and efficiently. It is also a great place to meet other professional people.

Now, back to getting that repeat appointment:
Ask for it.
Recommend it.

A great way to present it is, “To continue to improve your low back condition, you need to schedule another appointment as soon as possible. I will be back here on Thursday morning, can you see me then?” You are the health care professional. You must guide the patient to achieve the best results. They do not know how to best utilize a massage therapist. Massage is probably new to them. If it isn’t, the fantastic work you do should be!

Explain they did not develop their condition in 20 minutes and it will take frequent appointments to make efficient progress in reducing their complaint. Be sure to give them a reminder card with the day, date and time of their next appointment before they leave. A great way to impress first time patients is to call them later that day or the next day to ask how they are doing and answer any questions they may have. It is a great idea to schedule this call as their appointment ends so they are expecting it. This follow-up call shows that you care about them. People love this. Don’t you love it when others care about you? A proven way to prevent “no shows” is to call them the day before their appointment to remind them of their commitment.

Hopefully, this has shared some helpful ideas with you. If you would like more, let us know. If this has been too basic let us know that too and we can share more advanced marketing tips in future issues.

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