Successful Goal Setting for Your Practice

By Jon Lumsden, owner of Massage Marketing

How much time and attention do you put into setting your practice goals for the year? Is it really that important to your future to re-evaluate and update your business plan every year? Does the very thought of putting together a business plan make you feel anxious? Then, read on!

When you’ve established a certain level of business and you know you’ll be relatively busy, it’s easy to coast along on the plans you made for yourself last year. But if you do, subtle changes in your business activity could go undetected. You could find yourself at the end of the year wondering how your appointments (and your income) dropped off.

Reviewing and updating your practice goals offers you the chance to take a fresh look at all aspects of your practice and make sure you’re putting your attention on the things that will contribute to reaching your goals. A well-written business plan serves as your road map to your destination for the year, so give it the time it deserves.

A few months ago, I put together a free marketing e-book to help therapists evaluate their marketing plans. Here’s an excerpt:

Your goals are the yardstick that you use to measure all your actions. “If I add another therapist to my practice, will it help me reach my specific goals?” or “Will spending this much money on a Yellow Pages ad be an affordable way to make my business target for the next year?”

A good place to start is to write down your concept of the ideal practice. Write down all the little details that come to mind. You’re painting a picture of the future you want to create, so don’t scrimp on the particulars! If you can make a good living doing things exactly the way you’d like to do them, it will make you a happier therapist and you’ll be more motivated to take the necessary steps to become successful.

Think big-picture and long-term. A goal is something like: “To find personal fulfillment helping hundreds of people improve their overall well-being through regular massage” or “Build a career delivering excellent massage in my community and make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.” Evaluate how each goal contributes to your concept of your ideal practice. If it doesn’t fit with your big picture, it doesn’t belong on your list.

Clearly define why you’ve chosen this path. This is your purpose in pursuing your massage career. Why did you choose to become a therapist? Is it the personal reward you get when a client tells you what great massages you give? Do you have a spiritual calling to help others? Identifying your purpose gives you the emotional and mental fuel to persist with your plans.

Decide on the steps you’ll take to reach your goals. Did your notes help you decide on some of the details, like where your ideal office would be located? What sort of atmosphere do you want for your space — soothing and spa-like or maybe more clinically oriented? How many massages will you deliver each week? How many clients do you need to develop in order to maintain a full schedule?

Organize your notes into step-by-step projects. Then, decide the logical order for your to-do list (like get your business phone number before you order business cards) and assign a timeline for each step.

Keep in mind that in business, everything is in a constant state of change. As you accomplish some of the steps, you’ll undoubtedly need to revise your plans to accommodate surprises that pop up along the way. Basically, you want to put a promotional plan into action, then keep doing the things that are bringing in business and drop the things that aren’t. If you’re lucky, the things that are working for you will remain effective for quite a while, but always monitor your results and be prepared to adjust your efforts when necessary. …

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You can download the Successful Marketing e-book at my website: www.MassageMarketing.com. If you have any marketing questions, please contact Jon Lumsden. He will help you reach your goals!

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Jon Lumsden launched Precision Marketing & Client Communications in 1988, specializing in newsletters for healthcare professionals such as chiropractors, optometrists, physical therapists, dentists, etc. Creating Massage Marketing in 1997, Jon now focuses his attention on writing client education newsletters for massage therapists and bodyworkers. Massage Marketing also offers other marketing tools, including monthly client e-newsletters and websites. If you wish to use his client education publications to promote your business or learn more about his services, visit www.MassageMarketing.com online or call Jon at 877.634.1010 (toll-free in the US or Canada), or 417.264.7662.