I’m not sure if my thoughts on this topic will be the popular one. After speaking with many therapists on this topic what I have heard most was…Wow I never thought of it that way.
Have you ever tried to throw something against a wall and hoped that it would stick? How does it feel? Tell the truth, don’t you always feel like its not going to work, but maybe you’ll get lucky? Essentially this is the mindset of a Massage Therapist who volunteers their services hoping to obtain work as a result. It’s a lot of effort for a little bit of hope. Not a good Return on investment in my opinion. I don’t know of any other profession where one volunteers on a regular basis hoping to create more income. I do feel that there is a time and place to volunteer but it must be carefully looked at. There are ways to get your name out, show good will, par-take in causes that are near to your heart without giving away the services that you provide both as a professional and that put food on your table. As my grandfather used to say, “Why buy the milk when the cow is free?” He wasn’t talking about massage or milk for that matter but I think the expression fits for this subject.
I believe a better solution than volunteering, is to use that time to better hone your business skills. Learn some new marketing techniques, take a sales class, read a book on people skills, all of these things will be much more lucrative and time-efficient than volunteering. It’s about getting out of one’s comfort zone and investing in you. You already invested in yourself by going to school to become a massage therapist. But there is little in school that speaks of what one needs to do to become successful. I am not putting down the schooling of massage. I believe that is true in most fields. Accountants go to school to become good at accounting but they rarely learn in school how to create a successful practice.
I understand wanting to be a caring professional that gives. Just understand, often the Not-For-Profit agency you are volunteering for has a budget for the event and is paying for other things, like the dinner, the shirts or whatever else they have. There are other ways to support a cause, show that you are an expert in your field and get the word out about your services than to just give it away. Funny how at the same time therapists often wonder how many massages they should do to be profitable without hurting themselves. Keep in mind the big picture when you choose to volunteer and the impact that has on our industry. Not only are you giving away services that you should be paid for but you are also giving them away when someone else could be earning an income. Think about that on a bigger scale. If you look at any volunteer opportunity most of them really could be a paid situation.
At one time years ago in our industry, we needed to get the benefits of massage out into the public, and volunteering was a way to do that. We have accomplished that goal, as evidenced by my recent purchase of a carton of Tropicana Orange Juice showing pictures of people staying in good shape. One was of a person receiving a massage. Here’s a little secret…(I think the word is out and that massage is a major benefit. It has become mainstream.) The leaders in our industry have done a tremendous job. Now it is time for another shift in how our profession is viewed. The next phase for our industry needs to be creating awareness that massage is a valuable service for many different reasons. Not only for how it makes people feel but because of that it is a great way to attract people to a fund raiser or for profit reasons. The NFPs know it and businesses also know that massage is valuable to them but if you are giving it away why would they want to pay for it? In my opinion it has gone way to far. I see volunteer opportunities all the time that aren’t even for NFPs. Look any place where volunteer postings are listed. What benefit is it really serving the therapist? When one gives there should be real value in the giving to the giver as well. Not just a let’s get some exposure. You can get paid and get exposure.
I recently saw a volunteer opportunity to give massages to a well known, publicly run company. This was posted by a massage membership organization who also spends the members money on advocating the higher standards for massage therapy. They do a great job in many areas of our industry but I can’t understand why they continue to put such effort into volunteering the therapists’ services. How is that helping?
Recently I received an email from a large department store wanting our services for free in exchange for advertising. O.K. doesn’t sound bad if that were our market? But it wasn’t our market. I have two thoughts on that. One is to offer a discount for the exchange if there is value to one’s practice. . Two, (and this is a subject for another blog…) know your market. You can’t be everything to everyone and I will guarantee you will be happier, more focused and make more money when you create a niche for yourself and value your profession.
What is your opinion on volunteering?
What do you do to increase business for yourself?
