The other day I was describing to a friend the frequent gas wars that took place when I was a child in the early sixties. My young friend was astonished when I told her I remembered one war where gas fell to only three cents a gallon. I tried not to laugh when her eyes became as big as saucers. Back then, competing corner gas stations would start lowering their prices, each time trying to beat the lowest price in order to entice the hungry gas guzzlers to their pumps. It was friendly as most of the wars were prearranged by the competing station owners.
Ah yes, those were the days. Candy bars were a nickel, sodas a dime, movies were seventy-five cents ~ and they were double features at that! The good old days.
In today's economy, however, massage and bodywork therapists are finding themselves in an undeclared war with each other. They didn't plan it. They didn't arrange it. They don't want it. It's just happening. Some are feeling trapped, frustrated and finally, some are just walking away from the work they love because the prices they're forced to charge cannot sustain them. As a result, they're going back to MacDonald's or the bank or wherever it is that people go to work when they've given up against seemingly all odds of pursuing their dreams.
They say the economy is getting better. They say things are looking up. I think whoever they are must be deaf, dumb and blind, because when I look around my town, I see prices going up, businesses closing down and less traffic on the streets. When I read economic reports I don't see particularly good news.
My therapist friends and clients are struggling in an economy where disposable income is shrinking and have even had to drop their prices in order to compete with other therapists and organizations. That can be a bit unsettling, to be sure. Seeing all that after what they say makes me feel a little discouraged; but... only momentarily. My discouragement is quickly overcome by common sense, and profound optimism
Why I'm only momentarily discouraged is based on a belief that difficult times, whether economic or otherwise, build fortunes and character. I firmly believe this is a time of unique opportunity because it's the perfect time for business owners, and wannabe business owners, to be creative and carve out their own special niche.
Why compete with all the other hordes of therapists doing the same things they're doing? When you do that, you are stuck with price comparisons by clients which inevitably leads to lowering your prices to survive.
Back in the glory of the gas war days, my parents owned two 1950s Cadillacs (my dad was a backyard mechanic who loved his Caddys) that couldn't have gotten more than three miles to the gallon, so even when the average non-war gallon of gas would go for about seventeen to thirty cents a gallon, a gas war was a good thing. My dad loved a good gas war and would wait until the last possible moment to fill'er up so he could get the best deal on the block.
I've read where some gas wars resulted in a gallon of gas going for less than one cent! Hard to imagine today when a gallon of regular gasoline hovers near four bucks. At a certain point, however, the station owners needed some other enticement to woo customers from their competitors. Eventually they began offering extra bennies such as S&H Green Stamps, Blue Chip Stamps, silverware, drink glasses and car wash coupons; as well as, full service which included pumping the gas, checking under the hood for oil and fluid levels and your tire pressure. Imagine that.
Today we have so-called gas stations that are essentially mini-markets/cafes that also happen to sell gas because the overpriced trinkets and a gallon of milk inside brings more profit than a gallon of gas. This is the result of an industry adapting to current economic situations.
Businesses, no matter how big or small, are continually adapting to the economy and the marketplace, so why should bodywork and massage therapists be any different? Some therapists in the recent past thought that offering every modality under the sun would make them more marketable or worth more per session. I would suggest that in this current economy, a client may be hesitant to shell out the big bucks for a jack of all trades, master of none. Consider also how much all that training cost. Isn't it a shame to think of having to lower your price to compete with ten other therapists who offer the same modalities after spending a fortune learning them?
In the meantime, don't allow yourself to be unwillingly dragged into a massage war. Find something extra to offer your clients that won't cost money or much money at the very least, that will set you apart from the pack, and fight to keep your prices where you need them to be. Try to resist discounts and freebies if at all possible.
Not too long ago, some therapists ~ myself included ~ felt that offering every modality under the sun would make them more marketable or worth more per session. I would suggest that in this current economy, a client may be hesitant to shell out the big bucks for a jack-of-all-trades/master-of-none. Consider also how much all that training cost. Isn't it a shame to think of having to lower your price to compete with ten other therapists who offer the same modalities after spending a fortune learning them?
You can best win the massage wars by maintaining control of your business and your plan, and by positioning yourself strategically to the point where price isn't the point.
Jules Hamland is an author, educator and massage business consultant, California Certified Massage Therapist, Certified Raw Food Nutrition Specials, and Advanced Health Practitioner. http://www.bodyworkmentor.com
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