Ideal Massage ClientCreating a vision of your Ideal Massage Client is one of the first steps in the process of creating a business plan. I am often amazed at massage therapists reactions when I suggest to them that not everyone is or should be their client. I know I started out that way just thinking that everyone and anyone should be my client. It is sort of magical thinking. The truth is that not everyone is suited to your type of massage service or needs it. Being able to clearly define your ideal massage client will help you in making decisions about the direction of your career. It will sometimes hurt your business in the beginning when you start turning people away but in the long run you will be much happier. Of course it is also fine to take anyone and everyone as long as you know you are working towards finding only your ideal clients. I got the concept of an "Ideal Massage Client" when I started the process of getting supervision many years ago. It is also talked about in a few books in different ways. Lynn Grodski in her book Building Your Ideal Private Practice: A Guide for Therapists and Other Healing Professionals
In the book Attracting Perfect Customers: Who is your most 'perfect customer'? How do you feel when you are working on them and after you work on them? Do you feel connected to the joy and passion that brought you into the massage profession? See others ideas about what their Ideal Massage Client looks like. Share your opinion of what your ideal client looks like below. Working on people who are less than perfect or less than ideal are draining to your personal physical, mental and emotional energy. The effort often is not worth the amount that you make. In the long run the cost of doing business with these people hurts your business more than it helps it. It isn't anything personal about the person. It is just what you need. For instance - I have been taking insurance since about 2000 when the law was passed making us contracted providers in WA State. In the beginning insurance companies paid nicely and didn't have many restrictions. As time has gone on, the allowable fees get less and less and people's benefits get less and less. People who come in with insurance also seem to have less respect for massage (in general). They will be the first one's to cancel or not show up thinking it is only the insurance paying. Well over the years, this has just become too draining for me. I feel resentful sometimes for working on people with insurance especially for the company that pays me less than I charge my cash clients. It is no longer worth it to me. As I have changed over and stuck to my guns about this I have gotten more of what I do want - cash clients and also insurance clients with companies that pay more. It isn't always easy to stick to the picture of your perfect customer. It is a process sometimes and it takes having a certain amount of support and also having the finances to back you up when you decide to not take draining clients. The way I have done that is by creating websites for additional streams of income. I also get regular supervision sessions. So who is your "Perfect Customer" or "Your Ideal Client"? Once you get a picture of them, then all of your marketing efforts will reinforce the message. You will tell clients what you do by creating a statement of informed consent. When people know more clearly what you are doing and what will be happening or not happening in a massage session they can make a more informed decision about their healthcare which is also empowering and an important part of the healing process. When you work on only your "Ideal Massage Client" (or work towards creating that for yourself) you will find that it gets easier and more rewarding! You won't have to learn to sell massage. Clients will come to you. (This is also the basis of the Site Build it! system for building websites which is why I like it soooo much!)
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talks about 4 questions that you should ask yourself:
The Power of Strategic Synchronicity the authors Stacy Hall and Jan Brogniez talk about a similar concept and defines a perfect customer as "one whose needs are a perfect fit for your company's vision". 
