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October 5, 2007

Client Feedback

In massage school we were encouraged to get massage from as many different therapists as possible. This was to facilitate our learning because every person massages differently and we can pick up techniques from them. The same is true of our clients--they can discover techniques that they like or that are effective for them and convey that to their therapist.

Every massage therapists should have a handful of clients that use the services of several other therapists. I embrace these clients as good consumers of massage. They use the unique skills of every therapist to their advantage. I find these clients to be savvy consumers who can give me valuable feedback concerning the work I do.

Such was the case concerning a client yesterday. They shared an observation that I think is important for every massage therapist to know. When you work on a muscle that a client says feels good, don't stop and move on to another muscle. Just because a technique on a given muscle feels good to the client does not mean that the muscle has given up its tension.

This is not the first time I've heard this complaint from a client. A year and a half into my private practice, another savvy client pointed out that I was doing this. I learned to listen to my client and would stay on the muscle for a while, checking to make sure I wasn't overworking it. It all comes down to communication. Many clients won't give you feedback if you don't ask. And many clients will walk out the door unsatisfied, never to return, without telling you why they won't be back.

Be open to feedback from your clients. This takes courage. If you're loosing clients and don't know why, put a feedback survey with a suggestion box in your reception area. Allow the feedback to be anonymous. Some of the feedback may be hard to hear, but it may be the most valuable information that you gather (more so than their intake form) for business success.

tags: massage massagetherapy wellness massage therapy bodywork health massage ethics massage practice building

Posted by linda at October 5, 2007 7:30 AM