Massage Marketing Rebellion

Market flooded with massage therapists

One member of Massage Marketing Rebellion Yahoo.Group responds to the statement above:

"I disagree that the market is flooded with massage therapists.  Massage has such wide ranging applications.  Every professional and collegiate sport organization should have Massage Therapists on staff.  So should hospitals, oncology practices, Physical Therapy offices, dental offices, and ob/gyn offices.  Sure, these should be more advanced practitioners, but they should command a decent salary.  There should be more massage group practices out there as well."

Would you agree?

What are your thoughts on this topic?

Mind Massage

The moment you read this you might take a deep breath and relax.

Set aside your business mind and listen to the sounds around you. Do you hear anything different? How close? How far? Anything interesting? Nothing at all?

What's Your Why?

Got a Dream?

Got a vision?

Got your heart set on an outcome?

Know your WHY, and the motivation to achieve it will come.

Live on purpose . . .

Inspired by the New Year, and concepts like "Small is the New Big", I've been paring down the plan for 2007.

Changing residence and re-entering the workforce have slammed a double-whammy on the need to simplify life and possesions. Something has changed, I feel it at the core. The passing of another cycle  means a time of reflection and change. That, combined with years of questioning, bring about a sense of release and a review of what really matters most.

Gratitude

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others."   --

Cicero

A note of gratitude for all. Whether you celebrate the time of harvest, the tradition of Thanksgiving, or another cultural honor for this time of season and year, be well in your dealings, be safe in your journey's, and be loved by many.

Blessings to all,

~ B ~

Massage Envy?

Much ado has been made about the impact that Massage Envy (ME) may have on the massage trade.

In many of the massage circles I travel, just the mention of the name brings fire talk and hissing fangs.

Practitioners worry that the corporate massage factory will diminish the public understanding and appreciation that massage practitioners have worked so hard and so long to earn. What's worse, that it might cheapen the value of our soul-filled careers.

I've tried to stay open minded because our worst fears are rarely realized, and in some ways Massage Envy will play a role that supports massage practitioners by making massage more mainstream, and drawing in clients that couldn't otherwise afford the work. However, they won't be getting the same massage that you and I give.

Competition vs. Collaboration

The best way to end competition is to collaborate a win-win for both or more parties.

OK, take a minute and think this through . . . you just might find a way to prosper.

According to Wikipedia:

Competition is the act of striving against another force for the purpose of achieving dominance or attaining a reward or goal, or out of a biological imperative such as survival.

Collaboration refers abstractly to all processes wherein people work together

But which one has greater sustainability?  Should we debate?

Massage Products and Sales?

Nina McIntosh say’s in her book Educated Heart, that selling products “dilutes the therapeutic relationship." And, many in the massage field agree.

Though her book was published in1999, I had come across this adage years before in my massage training. In 1992, it was “Old School” advice for us “New Age” practitioners, because in those days massage was a business still fighting for legitimacy and respect. Operating “outside the box” of accepted practice, was foolhardy. And many massage instructors lauded the claim.

Now massage has come of age and the field is awash with new practitioners. Every day I hear therapists claim they “can’t make it”, "it's too hard," and that business costs are "beyond what One-on-One massage can produce" without jeopardizing family and future.

But business has changed, and technology calls. Perhaps “outside the box” is appropriate now.

It’s a topic worthy of discussion.

Money Challenged?

Making and managing money is an art beyond massage.

The challenge with a health service like massage therapy, is that the many who become attracted to the field are healing and service oriented, yet not business minded or entrepreneurial. With real practical wealth training missing from the rest of our cultural experience, is it any wonder that we are money challenged.