One more week to get in your best massage marketing (or spa marketing) question.

We had so many excellent questions. It is going to be hard to find the best. Here is what we had so far:

• What is the biggest difference between spa marketing and massage marketing? by Lorraine Bloom
• We plan to move out of the city into a rural area in the next 6 months, is it worth trying to build up my practice before that, and learn some skills (not to mention, building my confidence) that will make it easier for me to build my practice again once we move? by Catherine
• Practice management software? Any ideas on what to choose? by Jodie
• What is the best way of attracting new business (apart from word of mouth)? How do I go about promoting myself? by Gizelle
• Do you think it’s worth running a natural health ‘open evening’ to discuss health issues and as an aside promote my practice? by Hannah Hempenstall
• How do I develop a relationship with health care practitioners who may not be familiar with the modality I practice? by Jocelyne Chevrier
• A common problem is smoothing out the peaks and troughs where one week is very busy followed by a very quiet week. What do you suggest for achieving or a more consistent workflow? by Krishna
• How can you build credibility in a massage practice? by Peppy Burmer
• How can I build a practice quickly? by Eva
• What should I focus on? by Roland Myers
• I’m no good at selling myself. by Katherine
• How can I discipline myself to contain my treatment times and not overrun allocated session time? by Peter
• I’m about to take on my first staff member - how can I best ensure their loyalty to me, as well as maximise client loyalty to my business, rather than the new therapist (and any other therapists that follow!)? by Paula
• New practice - unsure of repeat biz as yet. by Rodney
• What am I responsible for? by Amanda
• What is the best way to advertise? Reuben Gill
• How can I make money without reaching burn out? by Michelle
• Working from home - a lonely existence? by Tara Jonson

If you’ve got anything to add, ask away in the comments (or send me an email). I will answer your question and you have the chance to win a Passionate Training.

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How do I develop a relationship with health care practitioners who may not be familiar with the modality I practice? (avoiding their discrediting something they don’t understand)

Thanks Jocelyne.

I guess that really depends on what your modality is and how it complements what other health care practitioners do.

A relationship with you

What I am wondering is how they could discredit something that they are not familiar with. It probably means that they have heard negative things of the modality. So they might think that they are familiar with it, even though they do not know details.

Probably the best way around it is to build strong personal relationships: actively networking. It is probably best to focus your relationship building on other interests of yours.

Join a sports club, make music, go to events. Relate to people on a personal basis, so they get to know and trust you. Then will then extent to what you do.

And maybe it is not necessary to put a lot of emphasis on your modality, but rather on the problems you solve and the results clients can expect.

Supporting what others do

If there is a way that your modality fits int what other health care practitioners do (i.e. supports their process), you’ve got a great inroad for some mutual marketing activities.

I would avoid trying to convince people who use another modality that yours is better. But if they are a specialist in a niche different to yours, let them know about your niche and how you can help their clients in your area of expertise.