So here you are, finally certified as a massage therapist! Now you're ready to start your practice! But where are all the clients?!?

"Ah...", one might think, "That's the tough part." But it's not really. Like many things, it just requires discipline and tenacity.

The most important thing to remember is: Be Everywhere!

Try to attend all kinds of functions: mixers, fund-raisers, parties, etc. Set up your table or a massage chair at a local walk-a-thon or other charitable event and do free 10-minute massages for the participants. (Be sure to have lots of business cards and brochures on hand, of course.) If you're going to be working on your web site or doing admin work on your laptop, don't do it at home! Take your laptop to a coffee shop and work there. There's always the chance that you might meet a future client. Right now, take socializing as seriously as you take the actual bodywork you do.

When you can't physically be somewhere, find some other way to still "be there". If it's a fund-raiser, call ahead of time and see if you can donate a gift certificate for the silent auction. If it's a mixer, see if there's going to be a prize given for a raffle or something that once again, you can donate a gift certificate for. Join MySpace, Facebook, and any other free online communities and be active in them. Wherever you have a chance to make an online profile, do so - Evite, Zoom, etc.

Formal networking groups like Ali Lassen's Leads Club and Business Network International can also be quite beneficial. The way these groups work is that the members become each other's sales force. They usually meet weekly to exchange referrals and learn about each other's businesses. A smart thing for a massage therapist to do in one of these groups is to offer a hefty discount for the first session for all group members - maybe 25% or so. The members who do take advantage of your offer, will find (if you do your job well), that you're skilled and professional. They will then have no hesitation referring you to folks they bump into in their day-to-day comings and goings, or maybe even their top clients. Having this "sales force" around town is yet another way that you can "be everywhere."

Ever see those cheesy promotional products? The mug that your insurance salesman gave you with the name of his company printed on it? The pen your realtor let you keep with his name and number on it? I bet you've thrown lots of promotional products away, huh? But I bet there are also a few that have hung around your house or office for a while before they ended up in the circular file.

Here's my favorite "promotional products story." I bought magnetic To-Do Lists with a peel-off sticky spot to adhere my business card to. The only reason I bought them really was I felt I should support the PR person in my networking group. I thought they were kind of cheesy, actually. I stuck my cards on them while I was watching TV at home and then distributed them to my clients. To my surprise, clients were actually happy to receive them and in some cases even asked at later sessions if they could have "more of those cool To-Do Lists". Not only that, but three years later, I had a new client come in for her surprise birthday appointment. Her boyfriend, who had to be out of the country on business for her birthday, had secretly scheduled and paid for the session ahead of time. He then called her from Paris the day before to tell her that he had scheduled a massage for her and told her where to go to receive it. When I asked the woman how her boyfriend found out about me, she said, "Oh, I've had one of your To-Do Lists on my fridge for the past few years and have been meaning to come get a massage."
http://www.smartmassageshop.com/