How to Influence and Win CLIENTS

In today’s blog topic I am going to quote Dale Carnegie’s book “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. I highly recommend this read for anyone starting out in business or needing a refresher on business etiquette and life protocol.

This book was written in 1936 –  over 80 years ago! What he learned then is the same now when it comes to what people like to feel from someone else.  It even defies technology.

Mr. Carnegie listed 6 ways to make people like you. Now, “make” doesn’t mean you are going to force people to like you. It’s quite the contrary. These are the attitudes and behaviors that just automatically make people like you. I am going to interject some massage business principles with each of these statements just for you to think about.

The Six Ways to Make People Like You by Dale Carnegie.

• Become genuinely interested in other people.

Your client is with you, on the table, for an hour. This is a wonderful opportunity to be interested in them as a person. Your actions, mannerisms, and talking show exactly what you are interested in. Make it be about your client.

• Smile

 As a therapist, smiling could set the whole tone of the client’s experience with you. It could make the difference of a rescheduled appointment with you as well. I dong think a client would reschedule with uncomfortable interactions and situations (even if the massage was good).

• Remember that a person’s name is, to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language.

This is a no-brainer. If they are on your table for an hour, you should remember their name and use it once or twice. It just means that they were important enough to be addressed.  I always call use a “Miss” when addressing all my little old ladies – “Miss Julia or Miss Gayle” – out of respect for their age. They love it.

• Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.

I have even taught a class on this called Massage Table Manners. It basically tells you that you need to quit talking as a massage therapist and make the session about the client.

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard from clients “I really liked my (previous) therapist, but I got so tired of listening to them talk about themselves that I quit going to them.”

Remember, this time at the table is about your client – not you.

• Talk in terms of the other person’s interest.

So, what do you talk about at the massage table if you do not talk about yourself anymore? Here is your answer. Some of my favorite questions to ask my clients are:

1. “What do you like to do for fun?”

2. “What kinds of things to you like to do in your spare time?”

3. “Tell me about your job…”

4. “Talk to me about your grand kids – what do you like to do with them?”

5. “Oh! you like to run marathons? How many and where have you run?”

6. “Whatever topic they bring up is a good conversational thread to follow”

7. Make the other person feel important – and do it sincerely.

I think this is an easy one. Just being on the massage table can make them feel taken care of; important. Or that they have taken the time to address their own health makes them important to themselves.

It’s interesting to me how easily these things translate to the massage table and business and that successful therapists naturally address their clients in these 6 areas.

Remember: Be present, be aware, address their needs through touch, use the client’s name, be interested and most importantly – SMILE!