Am I Too Harsh?

[massageblog]

I’m a business woman.
AND, I have a sympathetic heart…
but, even when I am understanding of another person’s plight, in the end, I still run a business.
And you do too!
Many massage therapists I coach don’t recognize the fact that they are in business for themselves. I get that same warm-fuzzy feeling as you do, and we all want to help as many people as we can, but if you can’t pay your bills because you’re letting people ‘slide’ on their ‘no-shows’, ‘same day cancellations’, and ‘Oops- I-forgots’, than you’ll struggle a lot more than you need to.
My husband often reminds me, “You’re not the Salvation Army!†He’s right.
I wrote an article that was just published in ABMP’s September/October publication, Massage and Bodywork Magazine, titled,* MTs’ Magic Glue; Make Your Appointments Stick -* How To Keep Cancellations To A Minimum.
(You can read the online version -(look for page 82) here http://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/78617)
After the article came out, I had a therapist contact me and write, “You sounded like a gold digger.* I know most of us are too lenient on our cancellations but you sounded a bit harsh.â€
The way I now structure my business (and what I encourage you to do) is to have your policies in place, let them be known, AND when someone needs a ‘free pass’ you choose whether or not to offer it. Then they love you for being so understanding. BUT, if you don’t even have your policies figured out, and you let everyone slide, you are often perceived as wishy-washy, a push-over, not very organized, or not respecting your own time nor taking your business seriously.
And, I’ll remind you, every time a client does not show up, their care is compromised.
REALITY CHECK: If you truly believe you provide big results and benefits to your client, how in the world can you stand to let them miss out on it even for a few days? (When a client of mine has to reschedule, it pains me to know they are postponing feeling relief sooner!)
I ask you to read the article in the link above,* and come back here to post below and let us know 2 things:
#1: How do YOU have your Cancellation/Rescheduling policy set up to control your income, your schedule (time management) AND your client’s therapy plan?
and
#2. If you don’t have policies in place, how do you justify that they can skip a session without it affecting their therapy plan you have set up? (And if you don’t have therapy plan set up for each client… well, then, we REALLY need to talk!

~Enjoy this with an open heart and mind!