themostbeautifulqirlever
Member
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2009
- Messages
- 49
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 6
Hmmm. I am sure there is better terminology, but my brain isn't pulling it up right now.
I wanted to add this info to some other thread, but I am not sure what thread I would add this too, so I'll just start a new one. Cross-links are always welcome.
So, I have made a friendship with a massage colleague and will be the therapist she will refer to while she is out of town. She'll leave very simple message on her answering machine that the clients can contact me if they need to while she's gone (for about 4 weeks). She said she has a hard time finding anyone who even resonates with this type of thinking, and I agree. So many MT's are so freaked out about their clients seeing someone else it seems.
While talking about it, I suggested I give any of the clients that come my way a little card or piece of paper to encourage them to make a follow up appointment with her when she comes back.
It will look something like this:
I wanted to add this info to some other thread, but I am not sure what thread I would add this too, so I'll just start a new one. Cross-links are always welcome.
So, I have made a friendship with a massage colleague and will be the therapist she will refer to while she is out of town. She'll leave very simple message on her answering machine that the clients can contact me if they need to while she's gone (for about 4 weeks). She said she has a hard time finding anyone who even resonates with this type of thinking, and I agree. So many MT's are so freaked out about their clients seeing someone else it seems.
While talking about it, I suggested I give any of the clients that come my way a little card or piece of paper to encourage them to make a follow up appointment with her when she comes back.
It will look something like this:
- Thanks for visiting us.
Please don't forget to schedule your upcoming August appointment with your regular therapist, , LMT.
Massage Therapy
Located inside Chiropractic
Blvd.
, Texas 77xxx
//
Options:
BBCode is ON
is ON
[flash] is OFF
[url] is ON
Smilies are ON
Disable BBCode
Disable smilies
Do not automatically parse URLs
Attach a signature (signatures can be altered via the UCP)
Notify me when a reply is posted
//
Upload attachment
If you wish to attach one or more files enter the details below.
Filename
File comment
Topic review - Vacation Relief/Cover Therapist
Author
Message
kathryn
Post subject:
Re: Vacation Relief/Cover Therapist
Yes, I understood what you meant Pueppi, and that certainly is a really nice thing for you to do.
Yes, I understood what you meant Pueppi, and that certainly is a really nice thing for you to do.
Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 11:33 am
pueppi
Post subject:
Re: Vacation Relief/Cover Therapist
kathryn wrote:In your shoes, I wouldn't even worry about giving them a reminder card. If the client now prefers your work, then that's the way it is. Any therapist that refers out should be aware of that possibility but it still shouldn't keep us from cross-referring. We should want what's best for the client. I would think that it's the other therapists responsibility to send out reminder cards for their clients to return, not yours.I may have been mis-understood. Most all of her clients will have their appointments already booked for when she gets back in town. There's little doubt I'll see many of her clients while she's gone and less that they'll decide to tansfer their care to me.I am doing this because I know how hard it is to keep our clients on their regular plan when even a small kink in the schedule comes into play. Clients can get off their schedule and then sometimes take a month or more just to get back into the swing of things when they have busy lifestyles, and this can be difficult for the business side of the practice.This is a nice gesture and it's not expensive. I only need about 4 - 6 sheets of colored cardstock, quartered and printed. Cost, about 5 dollars. What I hope is that this thread will encourage other MT's to be proactive at helping each other when we get the opportunity. Being helpful, rather it is our responsibility or not, can be such a positive experience. And, I know I'd be thankful if someone cared enough to do it for me.
[quote="kathryn"]In your shoes, I wouldn't even worry about giving them a reminder card. If the client now prefers your work, then that's the way it is. Any therapist that refers out should be aware of that possibility but it still shouldn't keep us from cross-referring. We should want what's best for the client. I would think that it's the other therapists responsibility to send out reminder cards for their clients to return, not yours.[/quote]I may have been mis-understood. Most all of her clients will have their appointments already booked for when she gets back in town. There's little doubt I'll see many of her clients while she's gone and less that they'll decide to tansfer their care to me.I am doing this because I know how hard it is to keep our clients on their regular plan when even a small kink in the schedule comes into play. Clients can get off their schedule and then sometimes take a month or more just to get back into the swing of things when they have busy lifestyles, and this can be difficult for the business side of the practice.This is a nice gesture and it's not expensive. I only need about 4 - 6 sheets of colored cardstock, quartered and printed. Cost, about 5 dollars. What I hope is that this thread will encourage other MT's to be proactive at helping each other when we get the opportunity. Being [u]helpful[/u], rather it is our responsibility or not, can be such a positive experience. And, I know I'd be thankful if someone cared enough to do it for me. :)
Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 8:08 am
Timedess
Post subject:
Re: Vacation Relief/Cover Therapist
Taoist wrote:Timedess wrote:Agree with this. We have one fellow therapist here who takes scheduled vacations several times a year. She sends a letter to her clients listing alternate MT's she recommends, knowing that the clients *could* decide to switch, and at the same time *trusting* the therapists she lists to not actively solicit those clients. We have been among her list of recommendations- it is quite an honor to know that she thinks so highly of us. And, of course, we do not "take advaneforum.xxxe" of that trust.I think whether you encourage those clients to see their regular therapist when they get back or not, having a good professional relationship with the other therapist is key so they don't think that you ARE trying to steal their clients. My eyes are really starting to be opened to how jealous, competitive, and juvenile a lot of the MTs in my area are.... Anyway if you do decide to use the reminders, I think the wording you have is great!It really is sad, isn't it? There certainly are MORE than enough bodies to keep ten times "this many" therapists busy in any given area. We need to work together, to educate the public on the benefits of massage, rather than wasting time arguing about one silly client. ("the client" not being silly; rather, the arguing being silly)The MT I mentioned here is actually our mentor, the lady I met and dared to approach back when we were first getting started. Far from being "big-headed", she was so kind and has been ready to help us in any way she could. She's even referred a few clients to my DH (knowing firsthand his particular skill set, whch she knew those clients needed and which she also knew she could not duplicate). The awesomest part about that is that the one client who has continued to see him after her recommendation, for over a year now, still also sees the other therapist too. She comes to DH for the "down and dirty work", and our friend, her original therapist, for "the relaxing stuff". She (the client) knows the "risk" the other MT took in recommending someone else to her, and she is committed to continuing to support her, even as she also now wishes to support our own little business. I explained that poorly (It is late and I am tired), but I think that ROCKS! That's the kind of client we want our books filled with! And the other MT is the kind of friend and colleague we want in our life, as well.
[quote="Taoist"][quote="Timedess"]Agree with this. We have one fellow therapist here who takes scheduled vacations several times a year. She sends a letter to her clients listing alternate MT's she recommends, knowing that the clients *could* decide to switch, and at the same time *trusting* the therapists she lists to not actively solicit those clients. We have been among her list of recommendations- it is quite an honor to know that she thinks so highly of us. And, of course, we do not "take advaneforum.xxxe" of that trust.[/quote]I think whether you encourage those clients to see their regular therapist when they get back or not, having a good professional relationship with the other therapist is key so they don't think that you ARE trying to steal their clients. M[b]y eyes are really starting to be opened to how jealous, competitive, and juvenile a lot of the MTs in my area are.... :smt009[/b]Anyway if you do decide to use the reminders, I think the wording you have is great![/quote]It really is sad, isn't it? There certainly are MORE than enough bodies to keep ten times "this many" therapists busy in any given area. We need to work together, to educate the public on the benefits of massage, rather than wasting time arguing about one silly client. ("the client" not being silly; rather, the [i]arguing[/i] being silly)The MT I mentioned here is actually our mentor, the lady I met and dared to approach back when we were first getting started. Far from being "big-headed", she was so kind and has been ready to help us in any way she could. She's even referred a few clients to my DH (knowing firsthand his particular skill set, whch she knew those clients needed and which she also knew she could not duplicate). The awesomest part about that is that the one client who has continued to see him after her recommendation, for over a year now, still also sees the other therapist too. She comes to DH for the "down and dirty work", and our friend, her original therapist, for "the relaxing stuff". She (the client) knows the "risk" the other MT took in recommending someone else to her, and she is committed to continuing to support her, even as she also now wishes to support our own little business. I explained that poorly (It is late and I am tired), but I think that ROCKS! That's the kind of client we want our books filled with! And the other MT is the kind of friend and colleague we want in our life, as well. :)
Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 8:34 pm
Taoist
Post subject:
Re: Vacation Relief/Cover Therapist
Timedess wrote:Agree with this. We have one fellow therapist here who takes scheduled vacations several times a year. She sends a letter to her clients listing alternate MT's she recommends, knowing that the clients *could* decide to switch, and at the same time *trusting* the therapists she lists to not actively solicit those clients. We have been among her list of recommendations- it is quite an honor to know that she thinks so highly of us. And, of course, we do not "take advaneforum.xxxe" of that trust.I think whether you encourage those clients to see their regular therapist when they get back or not, having a good professional relationship with the other therapist is key so they don't think that you ARE trying to steal their clients. My eyes are really starting to be opened to how jealous, competitive, and juvenile a lot of the MTs in my area are.... Anyway if you do decide to use the reminders, I think the wording you have is great!
[quote="Timedess"]Agree with this. We have one fellow therapist here who takes scheduled vacations several times a year. She sends a letter to her clients listing alternate MT's she recommends, knowing that the clients *could* decide to switch, and at the same time *trusting* the therapists she lists to not actively solicit those clients. We have been among her list of recommendations- it is quite an honor to know that she thinks so highly of us. And, of course, we do not "take advaneforum.xxxe" of that trust.[/quote]I think whether you encourage those clients to see their regular therapist when they get back or not, having a good professional relationship with the other therapist is key so they don't think that you ARE trying to steal their clients. My eyes are really starting to be opened to how jealous, competitive, and juvenile a lot of the MTs in my area are.... :smt009Anyway if you do decide to use the reminders, I think the wording you have is great!
Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 2:45 pm
Timedess
Post subject:
Re: Vacation Relief/Cover Therapist
kathryn wrote:I've given clients the numbers of other therapists in the area when either out of town of if the time they want isn't available for a while. What I've found is that very few of my clients will go to someone else, and the ones that do schedule in with me again when I've returned or a time has opened. Anytime I give out the info for another therapist, I'm already mentally prepared to lose that client if the client finds the other therapist better suited for them. It's the client's choice if they decide that they don't want to return to their original therapist. However, it's another thing altogether if the therapist to whom I referred the client continues soliciting their business when I have returned.In your shoes, I wouldn't even worry about giving them a reminder card. If the client now prefers your work, then that's the way it is. Any therapist that refers out should be aware of that possibility but it still shouldn't keep us from cross-referring. We should want what's best for the client. I would think that it's the other therapists responsibility to send out reminder cards for their clients to return, not yours.Agree with this. We have one fellow therapist here who takes scheduled vacations several times a year. She sends a letter to her clients listing alternate MT's she recommends, knowing that the clients *could* decide to switch, and at the same time *trusting* the therapists she lists to not actively solicit those clients. We have been among her list of recommendations- it is quite an honor to know that she thinks so highly of us. And, of course, we do not "take advaneforum.xxxe" of that trust.
[quote="kathryn"]I've given clients the numbers of other therapists in the area when either out of town of if the time they want isn't available for a while. What I've found is that very few of my clients will go to someone else, and the ones that do schedule in with me again when I've returned or a time has opened. Anytime I give out the info for another therapist, I'm already mentally prepared to lose that client if the client finds the other therapist better suited for them. It's the client's choice if they decide that they don't want to return to their original therapist. However, it's another thing altogether if the therapist to whom I referred the client continues soliciting their business when I have returned.In your shoes, I wouldn't even worry about giving them a reminder card. If the client now prefers your work, then that's the way it is. Any therapist that refers out should be aware of that possibility but it still shouldn't keep us from cross-referring. We should want what's best for the client. I would think that it's the other therapists responsibility to send out reminder cards for their clients to return, not yours.Agree with this. We have one fellow therapist here who takes scheduled vacations several times a year. She sends a letter to her clients listing alternate MT's she recommends, knowing that the clients *could* decide to switch, and at the same time *trusting* the therapists she lists to not actively solicit those clients. We have been among her list of recommendations- it is quite an honor to know that she thinks so highly of us. And, of course, we do not "take advaneforum.xxxe" of that trust.
Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 11:00 am
kathryn
Post subject:
Re: Vacation Relief/Cover Therapist
I've given clients the numbers of other therapists in the area when either out of town of if the time they want isn't available for a while. What I've found is that very few of my clients will go to someone else, and the ones that do schedule in with me again when I've returned or a time has opened. Anytime I give out the info for another therapist, I'm already mentally prepared to lose that client if the client finds the other therapist better suited for them. It's the client's choice if they decide that they don't want to return to their original therapist. However, it's another thing altogether if the therapist to whom I referred the client continues soliciting their business when I have returned.In your shoes, I wouldn't even worry about giving them a reminder card. If the client now prefers your work, then that's the way it is. Any therapist that refers out should be aware of that possibility but it still shouldn't keep us from cross-referring. We should want what's best for the client. I would think that it's the other therapists responsibility to send out reminder cards for their clients to return, not yours.
I've given clients the numbers of other therapists in the area when either out of town of if the time they want isn't available for a while. What I've found is that very few of my clients will go to someone else, and the ones that do schedule in with me again when I've returned or a time has opened. Anytime I give out the info for another therapist, I'm already mentally prepared to lose that client if the client finds the other therapist better suited for them. It's the client's choice if they decide that they don't want to return to their original therapist. However, it's another thing altogether if the therapist to whom I referred the client continues soliciting their business when I have returned.In your shoes, I wouldn't even worry about giving them a reminder card. If the client now prefers your work, then that's the way it is. Any therapist that refers out should be aware of that possibility but it still shouldn't keep us from cross-referring. We should want what's best for the client. I would think that it's the other therapists responsibility to send out reminder cards for their clients to return, not yours.
Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 7:44 am
pueppi
Post subject:
Vacation Relief/Cover Therapist
Hmmm. I am sure there is better terminology, but my brain isn't pulling it up right now.I wanted to add this info to some other thread, but I am not sure what thread I would add this too, so I'll just start a new one. Cross-links are always welcome. So, I have made a friendship with a massage colleague and will be the therapist she will refer to while she is out of town. She'll leave very simple message on her answering machine that the clients can contact me if they need to while she's gone (for about 4 weeks). She said she has a hard time finding anyone who even resonates with this type of thinking, and I agree. So many MT's are so freaked out about their clients seeing someone else it seems.While talking about it, I suggested I give any of the clients that come my way a little card or piece of paper to encourage them to make a follow up appointment with her when she comes back.It will look something like this: Thanks for visiting us.Please don't forget to schedule your upcoming August appointment with your regular therapist, , LMT. Massage TherapyLocated inside Chiropractic Blvd., Texas 77xxxYour body will thank you for it. Wording, ideas and comments are welcome!! What have you done in the past when going out of town or covering for someone?
Hmmm. I am sure there is better terminology, but my brain isn't pulling it up right now.I wanted to add this info to some other thread, but I am not sure what thread I would add this too, so I'll just start a new one. Cross-links are always welcome. :)So, I have made a friendship with a massage colleague and will be the therapist she will refer to while she is out of town. She'll leave very simple message on her answering machine that the clients can contact me if they need to while she's gone (for about 4 weeks). She said she has a hard time finding anyone who even resonates with this type of thinking, and I agree. So many MT's are so freaked out about their clients seeing someone else it seems.While talking about it, I suggested I give any of the clients that come my way a little card or piece of paper to encourage them to make a follow up appointment with her when she comes back.It will look something like this: [list][list][i][b]Thanks for visiting us.Please don't forget to schedule your upcoming August appointment with your regular therapist,[/b] [color=#400080][/color], [b]LMT[/b].[color=#400080][/color][b] Massage Therapy[/b][b]Located inside[/b] [color=#400080][/color] [b]Chiropractic[/b][color=#400080][/color] [b]Blvd.[/b][color=#400080][/color][b], Texas 77xxx[/b][color=#400080][b]Your body will thank you for it.[/i][/b] :)[/list][/list]Wording, ideas and comments are welcome!! What have you done in the past when going out of town or covering for someone?
Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 3:14 pm
Board index » Business » Business Issues & Marketing Discussion
All times are UTC - 8 hours
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: putur12 and 0 guests
Jump to:
Select a forum
------------------ General
FAQ's - NEW MEMBERS PLEASE READ THIS SECTION FIRST!
Introductions and Birthdays
MassagePlanet Members' Map
MassagePlanet Members' Work Spaces
Off the Table Topics
Massage Events & Meet Ups
News & Troubleshooting
Talk to a Practitioner
Clients & Hobbyists Talk About Massage
Massage & Bodywork
Massage & Holistic Therapies (Techniques, Modalities, etc.)
Injury - Illness - Pathology - Procedure
Chair and Corporate Massage
Energy Work Forum
Student Forum
Animal Therapies
Massage - The Male Practitioner's Perspective
Tools of the Trade
Research
Business
Business Issues & Marketing Discussion
Business/Practice Ethics, Conduct Issues & Questionable Dilemmas
Insurance
Professional Marketing Materials
Website Ideas, Software & Technical Information
Spa
Spa Techniques
Aromatherapy
Reflexology
Reflexology Techniques and Other Thoughts
Reflexology Business, Marketing, Products & Ethics
Reflexology Education/Legislation
Myofascial Release
MFR Techniques
MFR Business, Marketing, Products and Ethics
MFR Education and Legislation
Education, Legislation & Resources
School & Curriculum Discussion
CEU's
National Certification
County, State & Country Requirements, Legislation and Politics
Resources
Nutrition and Natural Living
Self Care and Body Mechanics
Opportunities
Employers seeking Practitioners
Practitioners seeking Opportunities
For Rent!
In Search Of & Want to Buy
For Sale or Trade
Referrals Needed
Therapeutic Trades
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group
- Thanks for visiting us.