New LMT

[Shelly]

I'm newly licensed and was lucky to find a job w/in 2 weeks of being licensed.  I'm both excited and nervous.  I can't believe the schooling, exam prep & exam is over and I finally made it.  I'm so use to having everything set up and being done through my school and now its up to me...How did any of you guys/gals felt when you were first on your own?  Any suggestions on how to get clients or start off my new career (only part-time).thanks

 

[Madam Genius]

What kind of place are you working in?  Is it a spa or doctor's office, or   maybe you are renting an office space somewhere?When I first started doing several massages at a time, I would get tired and even shaky right away.  Our office is inside a gym, and one of the trainers told me to make sure I got enough protein before I started work.  Once I started drinking a protein shake in the morning and getting enough water during the day it made my job a lot easier.I have a brand new therapist starting in my office on Friday.  To help book her schedule I have a colorful flyer listing Friday massage openings taped to the front desk.  If you're in a high traffic area, posting the appointment openings works really well.Good Luck!Katykangaroo

 

[METROPOLIS1]

New LMT

Well, I too am new to having to find my own clients, heh. When I first started school, the only way I could attend is if I left my job (an office job working for Dell tech support). So I did, not knowing how tough it might be to start getting clients on the table when I got out of school. Fast forward 6 months, and here I am today. I've got few clients that come in, and so far it's not enough to pay all the bills. However, I just went for an interview today at my old job, and got the job. Trouble is, I cannot start until Sept 13, and I need money for rent and whatnot. Luckily, my chiropractor just made an ad in a local newspaper, and he included my name and Back To School Special (buy an hour, get second 1/2 price) to help bring people in the door for both of us. The ad just came out today and I've already had 2 calls thus far.What got me the few clients I have were a few things. I am friends with my hairstylist, so she allowed me to put one of my business cards at her station. I got my best client from that, he comes in a lot and we've become good friends. Another thing that helped was putting an ad in a local classifieds on the internet, along with my website. My website has generated more repeat clients than anything else.What got me a lot of appointments was targeting police officers. I offered each city's police station a free 1/2 hour massage, and they have the option to upgrade to the full hour for only $20. I've had many clients from that, and so far I've only had one person not upgrade. I did this last month, and it's good until August 30, and am still getting calls, keeping me on my feet.I've ordered the Fill Your Practice 101 course from bodyworkbiz.com, and they have MANY great ideas. i'm putting most of them into play already. If anything, it helps keep me motivated to keep marketing.To sum it all up, I'd recommend keeping your current job until your practice gets too much to handle both, then go to massage full time. I was advised to do this by people on this board and didn't listen, and looks like I should have (heh!). Feel free (no pun intended) to give away massage if you think you can get rebooks out of it, and don't forget, publicity can be found in almost anything.

 

[Pompal 09.]

Yay for you! I can't wait until I graduate. Look out world!  ;D

 

[Declan]

I plan on keeping my full time job, because it is a steady income and the benefits are excellent.  401K, profit sharing, health insurance and a medical savings account.  I'm not ready to give that up just yet. The place is just an office in a small 2 story building, with 2 massage rooms, a reception area and supply office, with only 2 other LMTs there.  They are hoping to rent out the room next door when I build my clientele.  I start on Sunday and I assume they will just book people for me if they want to come in on Sunday, because I will be the only one there.  Otherwise I was just going to pass out business cards to friends and relatives and hope I get some clients by word of mouth.

 

[Asher Ruth]

Speaking of police officers...It seems like I work on an awful lot of police officers, flight attendants, and dental hygienists.  Does anybody else notice a trend toward certain professions in their clientele?Katykangaroo

 

[AznBoii]

I have a LOT of attorneys as clients.  I also have a huge amount of Allstate agents!  Funny how that is so.

 

[in_lovebaby13]

New LMT

RNs... lots of them!

 

[Steveman30]

Musicians... definitely musicians!One plays piano, one plays 14 instruments, 2 play bass ( base?) guitar and no... they don't know each other.  Musicians really seem to enjoy the ART of massage. .. I think we relate well because of that.  Also all mine seem to have "forearm issues," as well.I also have three real estate agents, which I consider to be a lot. All three work at the same place now. (Two of them are sisters.) I have 1 MD who has been a weekly client for nearly 5 years, plus a handful of nurses.Hm, insurance agents... am I overlooking a target market? LOL