It was almost two years ago that a friend suggested I post testimonials on my website written by clients. I only recently got around to doing that. It took me a long (very long) time for me to decide how to present this. They are here.
I’m likely very much like a lot of you folks: kind of hesitant about tooting my horn. So, I have to balance the tone of these testimonials by saying right up front that I have had some “less than optimal” reviews and testimonials.
I got most of these in the early years of my practice. Sadly, most were not given directly to me. I’d learn about a client’s feelings days or even weeks later. Second, third, or even fourth hand information presented to me handed off in half-remembered terminology. BUT, there was something for me to learn from these reviews: they all seemed to carry a common theme: “Rob didn’t give me what I wanted” or “Rob did give me what I wanted but not the way I think it should have been.”
Clearly, a part of my treatments had to include better communication!
So, over the years I have incorporated more talk into my sessions. Well, more conversation. The information has to be going in both directions. At the beginning of the session the client and I discuss the types of treatments that will be used, where they’ll be used, and what sort of outcome is expected. During the session, I’m regularly checking in with the client. “How does that feel?” “Is there less pain or is it gone?” “Shall we move from this part of your body to that part of your body or shall I keep working here?” “How is the pressure?”
The clients that I resonate with the best are those that seriously WANT to be a part of the process and this is how I do it.
This simple addition to the sessions may seem like I’m just creating small talk. It’s more than that. It’s an essential part of the massage session. The client is always in control of the session. The client always gets the treatments delivered exactly the way they want them (within reason).
Simple, huh?
It works!