how did your first MTget you in the door

[the world of danger]

as I was reading another post ( what helped you )so here is my question.before you became an MT what did you get a massage?if so what did you MT have to do to get to come and see them.I thought if we could all step back to our lives before massage it might help some with ideas on how to get new clients into their office.I was sent to my first massage because of an L&I injurybefore that I had no Idea of what it was.so in my mind it was very medical so when I got out of school I gave a lot of free massages to doctors.

 

[a wolf at the door (42)]

a thought

it should have said
(what worked for you)

 

[Tiki-Man Jenkins]

a thought

JC, that's a great thought...i.e."what brought you in can very well bring others too."But my first massages were given by friends. First, some TP work demonstrated by my mentor. Then a "family fist" in the right place (usually between shoulder blades) "please please right THERE" *lol*...I was an avid giver though, the whole time, since I was a kid. My first full (good) massage really didn't happen until after school. I did get a great comp from a lady who wanted to show me how she worked before hiring me. I was recently graduated, so she gave me great tips on my own massage when I did her in turn. It was fun working for her, my only problem was distance. I didn't have a car and it was getting rough timing hours to catch buses across several cities. Through that "demo" however, I did learn where to go for a great massage! I also often referred my clients who lived in that area to her.

 

[emorain]

a thought

Yes, I thnk that this is a great thread idea.  A better title would help, but.........My first was when I was doing apt maint, I had a neck and shoulder pain that wouldn't quit (I'd worked on a bifold door track the day before).  My wife scheduled me at the place downtown, "they are the best".  I actually hurt worse after that massage.  2nd was at a spa in the next closest big city (ST Paul).  Wife found them on the internet...it was good.3rd was on vacation4th was a lady at her home, wife gave as gift.  5th was same spa, went back cause it was good.  2nd time around wasn't so good.  I was in school by now, and knew what he was doing wrong. Others have been G/Cs along the way.  Must be someone with a better story than mine.

 

[CAROLE]

how did your first MTget you in the door

"A better title would help" ;D I agree I tryed to change it not sure if it worked yet

 

[KingPineApple]

how did your first MTget you in the door

*lol* I like it JC! Mick! You've got a GREAT wife!

 

[stefan_ptg]

I had my first massage back in 1990 when I was a full time skydiving instructor.  I was beating myself up on a regular basis and one of the jumpers, Jennifer Powers, became licensed and brought a little peanut trailer with a table out to the drop zone.  She used to offer 1/2 hour massages for $25.00 with a discount to the instructors.  She did  a lot to keep us all moving.  A lot of time passed but I kept up somewhat regular massage even after that period of my life.  It was really a major factor in going into it myself as I realized that she had actually been doing very early sports specific massage and it had been so beneficial.  Steve

 

[Pompal 09.]

how did your first MTget you in the door

I think we're not really giving the answer we're looking for...I personally never had a massage before going to school for it *gasp*. But to find the school, I basically searched the net for massage schools, did a LOT of research, then found the school, so I'm no help as to what let me find my first MT.Many of our clients that had never had a massage before while I was working at the school just went to the place with the biggest yellow pages ad. They said that if the ad is that big, the place must be good to be able to afford that type of advertising.

 

[stloa]

how did your first MTget you in the door

hugs Gute Yea seforum.xxx I was hoping that this would give some ideas that other MTs have used (that worked on us) to get us into their office.nice that you caught that though cupons have worked to get me into new places

 

[Paradise Regained]

how did your first MTget you in the door

One thing I've been doing is holding a public drawing for a free massage. I discuss it in a little more detail in the thread on direct mailing here in B&M. Also using initial and referral discounts. As far as my first encounter with massage goes, it's alot like the others. Once apon a time a friend of mine who is a massage therapist.... Great idea for a thread man.

 

[Mummy 2 Lorenzo]

I think we're not really giving the answer we're looking for...

What I meant to convey was that it was more a case of the therapist being in the right place at the right time for my introduction than any advertising method.  Sometimes it is just being there.  I know that friends of mine in Jacksonville  Florida that are living in apartments are now saying that a lot of the new places come with a free monthly massage for each of the tenants with more available for purchase.  I had one of my friends contact one of those therapists and was told that each one generally just works out their own deal with the  managers or developers.  Again it seems that people are getting exposed simply because of proximity and easy availability.  I don't know who is paying for those monthly ones or if they are donated but the therapists are reportedly staying very busy and I suspect many of these folks would not have responded to direct mail, fishbowl drawings, yellow page ads,...  as well as they do to just having it there.  Of course that takes more faith from the provider but it seems to work.  The only reason I started getting massages was because the girl simply dragged her little trailer out there and was visible.May not work for everyone but it seems like it is for some.Steve

 

[Kaitlin]

I know a few people doing such things as Steve is talking about, both with apt. comlpexes and realtors.  What they've done is sold a packege of gift certificates to the realtor/apt. manager, and they in turn include the massage in their offer. sort of a deal closer.  The important thing is to try something. You're guaranteed 0% results from every idea you don't use.

 

[oweaponx]

i was working a crappy job way-back-when, and my hubby got me a GC for a massage and a facial, to help me de-stress.....low and behold, i went home after and told him "if I can make one person feel like THAT and the end of their *&^$# day, THAT'S what i want to do!"  and 6 months later, after careful financial planning, i quit my unhappy job, and enrolled in school!

 

[ideaguy83]

I had never had a massage till I was in massage school! I was going to college to become a Physical Therapist, but after 1 semester I decided that it wasn't for me.  I had a full-time job working for a DC, but we only had one therapist that were occasionaly referred out to.  It was my mother's suggestion to go to massage school.  I liked that it was hands on, so I decided to give it a try.  Now I can't imagine my life without massage.

 

[Ebo]

how did your first MTget you in the door

i was working a crappy job way-back-when, and my hubby got me a GC for a massage and a facial, to help me de-stress.....

Have you asked your husband what got him to get the gift certificate, as in, how did he know where to go to get the GC? Was there a type of promotional offer going on? Did he find them in the yellow pages or newspaper? Did you two just happen to live locally by?

 

[lady rose]

how did your first MTget you in the door

Gotta go with Steve on this one... right place @ the right time.Here goes... the condensed version:I went w/ my sister to her nail appt at a day spa to keep her company, since we rarely got to visit and she lives 4 hrs away from me. So I went walk in and the "receptionist" ask us if we have appts and my sister tells her she does have a nail appt. And then the "receptionist" asks me if I have one. And I say, "no, I know my hair needs cut...but I was just here with her to keep my sister company."And the gal says, "Oh, I'm not a hair stylist, I'm a MT and I have time to give you a massage if you like."Well my sister urged me to try it... and I was like all self-conscious and afraid to go... but I gave in.So I got a 30 min. deep massage from Sheila. (Talked through the whole thing to, because that's the way I am. And really clicked with Sheila too... established trust.)And one of the things I Said to her was, "Have you ever been standing in line @ the grocery or somewhere and had the almost overwhelming urge to reach out and massage the person's shoulders in front of you?"And she said, "yes."And I said, "Oh, what a relief. My family thinks I'm nuts!" (I guess you could say it was the first inkling MT might be a good career for me. LOL)So anyway, it's after the massage and I asked the Sheila, my MT again, "Did you say you had 4 hr packages available?" (She was offering 4 hrs for the price of 3, and you could break it up and give some of them away as G.C. if you wanted and everything.) She did, and I said, "I'll take a 4 hr package. And do you have another 30 minute session available later today?"She did. So I rushed back to my sisters, and drug my Mom (with an injured rotator cuff) back over there to her. (Instinct led me to believe it would help my Mom recover as I had not discussed it with the MT.)Several months later Sheila was booking my next appointment... and I forgot myself and started massaging HER Shoulders while she wrote in the appt book. She asked me if I could tell which side was more tense... I said, Of course... and she said, "You should be a Massage Therapist."A few months later I asked her to recommend a school...(Feb.- Aug. 1997)And "A Massage Therapist was born." LOL

 

[Courteney]

Seforum.xxxg...    He has been gettin massages way before he met me, and figured it was time for me to have one, too! i believe he drove by the place he got the GC from, and went from there. They had a sign that caught his eye, & he went in. Are you looking for ways to market that are proven profitable? i need to do some more marketing myself!

 

[demnity]

how did your first MTget you in the door

I thought if we could all step back to our lives before massage it might help some with ideas on how to get new clients into their office.

Bodymovers, yep.

 

[to the end.Hello Good Bye]

how did your first MTget you in the door

This info is great guys but lets take it a step furtherand see what happensso what I'm getting here is that most of us were introduced to Massage by way of the GC.or by being in the right place at the right time.so that being the case (so far)what can we take out of this to help new MTs to build a practice?

 

[Carlie G]

During my year at the noisy salon, I had the great pleasure of introducing massage to a lot of people.  First time for 50+, anyway.  The majority of them came because of a GC or day of beauty, which amounts to the same thing.  Therefore, I've geen giving GC's away, calling it donation for nearly every good cause I can find.  Lining up chair massage events as often as possible, sometimes, if I can get my hands on someone, that is what it takes.  "It doesn't hurt at all...." is one response I've heard too many times.My advise to everyone is to do as much networking as possible, join as many groups as possible.  I'm joining Toastmasters, which is part of my communities chamber of commerce.  Going to make speaking fun.   :-/  I'm sure it can be fun.  mick