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MARKETING CHAIR MASSAGE by David A. Palmer David Palmer interweaves practical information on creating a successful business with concepts such as "truth, clarity, conviction." He describes chair massage business, opportunities in and outside the workplace and demystifies legal and tax issues, pricing, marketing and publicity. The book contains dozens of insightful articles that will help practitioners design the chair massage business best suited to their skills and interests. Includes sample letters, flyers, forms, lists of resources, useful statistics, a bibliography of helpful business books, and much more. 210 pages. bk/mcm $39.00 ea Qty: David may not have been the first to discover Chair Massage, but, like Columbus, there is no doubt that he was the first to put it on the map. —Scott Lamp, President, American Massage Therapy Association

EXCERPT:

Distributing the job of marketing

The process that gets your bodywork services out of your hands and onto your client's body is called your distribution system. This element in a service business is often overlooked as a way to develop a target market because, for so long, distribution of massage services has been standardized into a few channels. Traditionally, a client comes to your house or office and you give them a massage. The next most common bodywork practice has been one where the practitioner works in a chiropractor's office, hair salon, spa or athletic center. Typically the appointments are made at a central phone or desk and the practitioner may have only partial, or no responsibility for marketing the service.

However, exploring alternative distribution systems can often get you into otherwise inaccessible markets or open up completely new markets for your ser vices..

For bodyworkers, one of the best distribution systems to major corporations are professional consultants in the field of corporate health promotion. There are many of these firms throughout the country helping companies to develop wellness programs for their employees. These distributors have the financial resources and marketing experience to make credible presentations to major corporations. A truism in the corporate world is that business likes to do business with other businesses. Too often bodyworkers come across as individual practitioners rather that a full-grown bodywork business.

For many practitioners it will be much easier to sell your services to a wellness consulting firm and then let the consultant sell your services to the corporation. With their help you might end up doing table massage in a corporate fitness center of offering chair massage at the desk or assembly line.

In a completely different vein of distribution systems are the Canteen Food Service trucks which ride around from one job site to another. These drivers have routes which are specifically designed to find people who are taking a break from their job.

What a perfect distribution system for chair massage. You ride along in the truck, set up your massage chair at each stop, and charge $5 for a 5 minute neck and shoulder massage. If you do 4 hours of massage a day you will make $240. Pay the driver a 40% commission and you will be grossing $960 for a five day workweek.

How about the general category of gift massage? I heard about a practitioner who, in thinking about how to reach the special occasion market, realized that florists are a prime distribution system. She sold a florist on the idea of offering gift massage to people who came in to buy flowers and now a regular portion of her business comes from this market.

When you sell your services to a travel agent that specializes in booking groups for tours you are tapping into another efficient distribution system. There are tours to suit the fancy of almost any practitioner interested in taking their work on the road. Tours developed for athletes (runners, tri-athletes, cyclists), expeditions to exotic locales, and health retreat vacations have all been known to include massage services in the price of the tour package.