Speaking from experience
Reflexology professionals are notorious for having big hearts and genuine concern for their clients’ well being, but are less known for their exceptional marketing skills. Perhaps that is, in part, because:
Business training is generally separate from reflexology practical training, in the very nature of the short duration of most reflexology courses
It is common for reflexologists to be solely responsible for all aspects of business, whether or not they have the expertise
Many reflexologists work on their own small business models with little or no budget designated for contracting promotional companies
In North America, most reflexology professionals are women, and statistics of women in business support the common view that women often perceive marketing as awkward and pushy.
Whether you are a female or male reflexologist, one indisputable fact stares any marketing strategy right between the eyes: when it comes to menopause, not all women experience menopausal symptoms, but all menopausal symptoms are experienced by women. What does this mean to you as a reflexology business owner? Go put on your woman-power marketing hat: this is one marketing adventure focused ONLY on women.
Know Your Client
Is there a right kind of client? If you want to get noticed by menopausal women there is! First, she has symptoms that you are qualified to help her with. She’s smart, and likes to make educated choices. She’s health conscious, and wants to do the right things for her body. She’s savvy, and won’t put up with sloppiness or anything less than professional. And finally, if it works, she’ll be back, and she’ll refer her friends, her family, her boss and a lady she overhears on the street. You need to get this woman in your office!
Know this:
Women prefer social media
Women market to one another
Women depend on trust relationships
Women are highly educated, and respect expertise.
Women look for quality in a product
Who Has Money to Spend?
One correlation you need to pay attention to as a business owner: the women with the most buying power are at the stage of life when menopause relief is most relevant. And menopause symptoms are best helped through reflexology with consecutive sessions, for the cumulative effect to be of real benefit in helping to balance hormones in transition.
Financial Footing, Education and Disposable Income
Does it make some of you uncomfortable to think of your clients in terms of revenue? How about repeat-revenue? The question I am really posing is this: why would you not promote a skill that could help reduce unwanted symptoms such as chronic stress, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, hot flashes, headaches, breast tenderness, irritability and depression, while improving quality of sleep, mood, energy, and pain relief—for women who want to feel better? Part of your job is to educate. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship. Would a client trade the money spent on a pedicure for a reflexology session instead, if she better understood the benefits?
And what happens to those women who don’t have income to designate to their health, and who don’t have health plan coverage for reflexology?
If this is in your heart, be creative in how you can contribute to your community. Is it possible to volunteer one Saturday a month at a community health clinic? Can you offer a sliding scale fee, advertised and visible to all your clients so that they may choose whether they apply? Possibilities for accessibility of services are limited only to your own creativity and community research.
Use These Strategies to Spread the Word (a.k.a., to Toot Your Own Horn!)
Small postings on social media that can easily be ‘shared’ about menopause: make it interesting and short!
Aftercare pamphlets that establish your professional expertise: create a Post-Session Self-Help Guide for Menopause. Outline do-it-yourself techniques to relieve pain (pituitary gland reflex), sleep better (solar plexus reflex), balance the stress response and reduce inflammation (adrenal gland reflex)
Relationship-building marketing through public speaking : get seen and heard by women at women’s health centers, special interest groups, women’s health fairs
Educate, and follow through with the right ‘product’: women who understand that the cumulative effects of several sessions of reflexology are greater than the effects of one session alone, are more likely to come at regular intervals.
Make this happen with ease by offering session packages in 3, 6, or 10 session packages, at a discount of approximately 10%, 15%, and 20% respectively.
Enlist the help of your satisfied clients in recommending your services: create a referral program that rewards them for their efforts.
Finally, have a website. Women + Google = You got found (and can now be communicated with online!)
Be Your Shiny Self
When it comes to women, relationship marketing is key. Let your personality shine through! While you always need to uphold the highest professional and ethical standards, you certainly do not need to do it in a sterile way. Women consumers who feel a personal connection are more likely to do business with you. Be funny, be warm, be quirky…if those traits are natural to you.
You Have the Power!
You have the power to increase everyone’s chances of success! The more specifically you market, the more clients you attract, the more positive results they experience, the more stellar reputation your business earns. Reflexology’s growth as an industry speaks for itself in its effectiveness in improving or relieving menopausal symptoms. Go brag about it to all the right people, and watch your business grow, one hot flash extinction at a time.
Jennifer Johnson is a reflexology therapist with 20 years’ experience running a successful practice; she is Director and Instructor at the federally recognized Atlantic School of Reflexology, offering professional certification courses in Canada.
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