How do you keep a full book and make money at a massage franchise? More tips in the description below!

0:00 Introduction
4:12 The sink-or-swim situation
8:15 Tip 1: Finding time for communication
10:25 Communication in the massage room
12:45 Allaying client concerns before the session
13:20 Communicating during a massage
15:25 How to know how much to talk?
18:22 Tip 2: How to increase client retention
24:00 Bonus effects of having a high rebooking rate
26:30 Tip 3: Differentiate yourself by showing off
30:43 Tip 4: Upselling to longer sessions
33:06 Clients remember how you made them feel, not how smooth you are

Other tips:
1) When you're starting to fill up, let clients know this! "By the way, my massage schedule is getting a little busier these days, so you might want to go ahead and make your next appointment when you check out." It's okay to say this when you're only 30% full, you don't have to wait for a full-on traffic jam :) This starts a snowball effect where more people ask for you in advance, causing more people to need to ask for you in advance to get their preferred time!

2) Make friends with the front desk staff, and make their jobs easier. In a perfect world they'd be impartially doling out new clients to whoever is slowest, but in reality they're trying to make good matches between new clients and massage therapists who make it easier to sell memberships. And... they might be more likely to think of you if you're both effective AND not a source of frustration. Basically, put paperwork where it's supposed to go, be clear in your communication so there's no double-booking or other snafus, don't get in their way when they're hustling to clear their inbox, etc. The front desk job is hard, and it can breed some resentment between front-of-house and back-of-house. If they feel relieved when you come in because they know you make their lives easier, they'll do what they can to make your life easier.

3) How to get a raise at a massage franchise: Start by doing any built-in, guaranteed methods that they make available. If they'll bump your pay by $1.50 for doing a certain continuing education course, every massage that goes by without that bump is money lost! After you've got those out of the way, asking for a raise sounds like this: "Hi [manager], could we set up a time to talk? I'd like to discuss the possibility of a raise." This can be done in person or by email. When you go to the appointment, show up with two copies of a bullet-pointed list of ways that you provide value for the franchise. E.g., "I've worked here for one year; 50% of my clients choose the 90 minute session; I have a rebooking rate of 75%; I was in the top 5 therapists for new memberships for the last 3 months." Stuff like that. Have a raise amount in mind (3 bucks is fine but not particularly ambitious; go for a fiver!), and if they're not willing to bump you at that time, try again in 6 months, or after your next performance review. The worst thing they can do is say no, and a consistent, well-performing massage therapist is worth their weight in gold.

4) Help out your fellow massage therapists. Realize that you're not actually in competition with them (there are tons of clients filtering into these places every day), and that the more members they bring in the more opportunity there is for everyone. Help them get people off that client treadmill, share your favorite ways to work with the neck, refer clients to them if you think they'd be better at working with a certain problem or style preference. This starts up a virtuous cycle of everyone referring clients to other therapists and sharing information and techniques, eventually leading to a more harmonious ecosystem. Mostly, help out those new, fresh out of massage school therapists who are feeling overwhelmed and adrift. I know it might seem like wishful thinking to say that you'll be paid back tenfold for your kindness, but I've seen it happen again and again. You'll get a reputation as a mentor and a leader, and even if that's not directly rewarded in a franchise environment, it will carry over if and when you eventually strike out on your own.

If you've got tips for succeeding at a massage franchise, leave them in the comments below!

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