Game Change Your Biz

For your business, how much money is enough? How much is too much? Is there ever such a thing as “too much”? These questions are prompting today’s episode and bringing awareness to the area of money. If we’re honest, we must admit that money is on our minds all the time. Our mindset is usually “More is always better,” but is that really true? Not having enough can certainly bring its own set of problems! The key is to find the happy medium that we need to live comfortably.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Consider what you want to have and experience in your life
• Put down on paper your bills and income
• Look at your day-to-day expenses and savings to identify what you need
• Break down your expenses into weekly and hourly needs
• Put some away for a “rainy day,” emergencies, and retirement
• Don’t forget taxes! Use IRS calculators to help you figure amounts
• When you first start your practice, you’re “testing the waters” to see if your hourly rate is enough to meet your needs
• Along the way, you’ll come up with things you want in your life and find ways to have them (For me, having a hot tub was a must!)
• Set aside a little extra as you can until you can afford those wants, needs, and “guilty pleasures”
• The bottom line is that we each must decide what is right for us regarding financial resources. We each want our business to be a profitable success, and managing money is another piece to game-changing your business.

Connecting with your client----are you good at it? If you can use a few tips on this issue, or maybe you need a fresh perspective, then this is the show for you!

As massage therapists, we know it’s important to give an exceptional massage experience to every client, but it’s the connection you make with them that will keep them coming back and secure your stake in their health and well-being. For example, my client base ranges from athletes and weekend warriors to those who need a medical massage, but they each want someone to think outside the box for them and their individual needs. Let’s look at ways to connect with each client successfully.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• How I’ve expanded my client base with additional trainings and certifications
• How my clients typically find me through a directory
• When I have their contact information, I call them back, for these reasons:
  • To find out their specific issue(s)
  • To help them understand my sincere interest in their needs
  • To inform them of the commitment needed to see results—“If it took them 40 years to get these problems, then one session is not going to fix it.”
• When they come into the office, I follow these steps:
  • Listen actively to what they say
  • Maintain eye contact to show my sincere interest
  • Put yourself in their shoes
  • Present yourself and your practice to them with confidence
  • Ask for feedback during and after the session about their pain level
  • Help them know they are more than “just a number” and that you are investing in their health and well-being
  • Follow up, ask them to rebook, and help them track their pain results
• Remember, creating a better environment for your client is key. When they understand that you are invested in them, they will rebook. Connecting with your client is another piece to game-changing your business!

“Do I need to raise my rates?” Have you asked yourself this question recently? If you’ve figured out that this is our topic for today’s show, then you are probably already grimacing, but stick with me as we talk out this issue. This could be the show that brings more profitability to your business!

Maybe you know you should raise your rates, but you just don’t know how to do it. Maybe you are afraid of how your clients will respond. I heard a motivational speaker recently who said that most of us who offer services are probably charging up to 30% less than what we should. Let’s explore the topic together.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Why don’t we raise our rates?
  • Most often, we’re too busy with appointments and forget to make adjustments based on inflation
• How do I handle raising my rates?
  • Let your clients know ahead of time
  • Encourage them to lock in lower rates with package deals
  • Change rates on brochures, website, and ALL materials
• Things I noticed when I raised my rates:
  • Clients didn’t complain and thought the increase was reasonable
  • My mindset was blocking my good fortune
  • My certifications and training justify charging more than minimal rates
  • Clients can see the benefits of my services and are willing to pay
  • I could track the specific client who is seeking my skills and willing to pay the price
  • I had to learn to acknowledge my value and take credit for my abilities
• How do you know when it’s time to raise your rates?
  • Know what your numbers are
  • Network with other professionals
  • Keep it simple and use email, social media, or your website to announce the changes

No one wants to sabotage their business and kill their profitability. Knowing when it’s time to raise your rates (and doing it successfully) is another piece to game-changing your business.

Let’s start today with a question: How about your action plan? Do you have one? As entrepreneurs, we may THINK we have a successful practice, but sometimes we need a little jump start. A business action plan can be the KEY! Putting an action plan together requires some work and some honest evaluation. So, ask yourself: What can I do to transform my practice or make it even better?

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Most action plans focus on income/expenses or marketing
• Here are some tips for putting an action plan in place:
  • Consider your schedule and operating hours; post them and BE consistent
  • Track your income with financial spreadsheets
  • Track the modalities and services that matter most to your clients
  • Set weekly, monthly, and yearly goals
  • Know your fixed expenses (and don’t forget taxes!)
  • Find out which marketing strategies work for you and which don’t work
  • Determine the best networking practices for your practice
• The bottom line is that you want your business to be profitable. Consider these tips and put your action plan to work! It’s another piece to game-changing your business!

Today we’re talking about how to connect with your community. Strong ties to your community can be vital to your business growth. But how do we build and sustain these relationships? We’ll discuss some tips about making these connections happen, and remember, some of these may be harder to do if your business is in a larger city.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• How do we define “community”? A community is composed of families in neighborhoods that are likeminded and have the goal of inspiring each other
• Tips to connect with and nourish your community:
• • Volunteer your time with likeminded organizations
  • Introduce your product or service at a discount or for free
  • Be a mentor to others
  • Attend networking events
  • Leverage social media for meaningful connections
• Try some of these ideas to improve your connection to your community. It’s another piece to game-changing your business!

Mentioned in this episode:

Memorable Events by Apryl     www.makememorable.com 

Today we are talking about your right to refuse a client. Many entrepreneurs in private practice don’t realize they have this right. Keep in mind that you can always refuse to work with a prospective client or discontinue work with an existing client, for several reasons. Let’s take a deeper look.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Important questions to ask yourself:
  • Do I know when it’s time to turn a client away?
  • Do I know how to do this?
• Examples of situations in which you need to make a “judgment call”:
  • With a client who is consistently late or a no-show
  • With a non-compliant client who doesn’t do the self-care of homework that is required as part of their treatment
  • When your own limitations and skill sets are being tested or pushed to the limit
• Tips to consider:
  • Have policies in place and inform clients about them
  • Have clear boundaries and remind clients, when needed
  • Be professional, yet firm
  • Always be courteous

Think about these issues, ask yourself these questions, and consider these tips. This is an important scenario that you need to prepare for ahead of time. Understanding your right to refuse a client is another piece to game-changing your business.

Today’s show is How to Overcome your Fear of Public Speaking. You may say, “Oh, no, I don’t ever plan on doing public speaking!” Believe it or not, we all encounter times when we must speak to a small group or even to our team of therapists. There are many ways that this skill can benefit you, like when presenting your marketing plan. Being an effective public speaker also helps you present yourself with confidence and positions you as an expert in the area of your modality. All of this can translate into more opportunities and greater revenue for your business. Don’t fall into the trap of equating public speaking with being a salesman. Learn to be informative about your business without being sales-y.

Tips for overcoming the fear of public speaking:

• Determine to overcome the fear
• Start small
• Know your material
• Visualize yourself having a conversation with ONE person in the audience
• Engage with the audience
• Present your ideas with confidence
• If you need help, contact Toastmasters in your area

Don’t let your fear hold you back from taking advantage of public speaking opportunities that come your way and can help grow your business and your influence. It’s another piece to game-changing your business!

What is SUCCESS, and what does it mean to you? We all try to pursue success, but each of us probably would give a different definition of what it means. Sometimes we even try to define it by what it DOES NOT mean. Let’s talk about success and what it means for your business.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Plan for success by having goals and a clear vision
• Know what success is NOT
• Look at who you are and what you want to achieve
• “Success is not final; failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.”

—Winston Churchill

• Some of the best success stories come from rock-bottom failures
• What you need to do to have success:
  • Set goals and objectives based on what YOU desire
  • Bring people on board who share similar goals
  • Build on your former success to move forward
  • Learn from your small successes AND challenges
  • Assess where you are RIGHT NOW
  • Figure out your strengths and weaknesses
  • Be clear about what YOU want to accomplish

Remember that the road to success is a long journey with many milestones along the way. Determine your own success and don’t let others define it for you. Your success will depend on what you value. Being clear about what success IS and IS NOT is just another piece to game-changing your business.

It’s Never Too Late to Start Over! That’s our topic for today’s show. A new year is always a good time to start off with fresh ideas, to continue what you started last year, or to totally reinvent yourself. Let’s talk about some ideas that you might want to put into action in 2018!

• Have the right mindset (Start each day with gratefulness)
• Be honest to yourself and others
• Honor your career
• Educate your friends and family about your career and the proper terminology around it
• Respect your clients and peers
• Honor others’ privacy
• Set clear boundaries
• Hold to standard operating procedures and policies
• Take time to learn from others
• Pay it forward
• Portray a professional image—Always!
• Take time for yourself

I hope you’ll take these ideas and put them into action for your practice this year. Knowing that it’s never too late to start over is another piece to game-changing your business!

You probably realize that we are just days away from a new year. It’s the time of year when most people think about resolutions of some kind. Most people want to accomplish a goal, kick a bad habit, or improve their life in some way. Today we are discussing your New Year’s resolutions for your small business, because resolutions aren’t just for your personal life! Let’s talk about ways you can bring about positive change in YOUR business for 2018!

                Suggestions for resolutions:

• Manage cash flow more effectively
• Improve your digital and social media presence
• Focus on becoming more productive
• Take a look at your expenses, prices, and profit
• Delegate more daily tasks to your team
• Become a better communicator

Consider these resolutions, and you may even want to add more of your own. Create an action plan to implement the needed changes. Consider finding the help you need, maybe through the services of a business coach. Resolutions are another part to game-changing your business for 2018!