Networking
I am doing something that I never thought I would ever do!
This post is not about about off-body shiatsu, or etheric scanning of a client’s energy field but networking. I have joined a local business networking group in Worthing that meets every Wednesday at 7:30am for a breakfast meeting. With a limit of 40 members with a policy of one member per business category it is a small friendly group that has made me feel very welcome. I have been a member for just under two months and must admit that I have received a lot of interest about shiatsu but no referrals as yet. So is the business circle a waste of my time and money?
No, because I have learnt several useful lessons in attending regularly. The most important being on how to present shiatsu and your shiatsu practise to a group of strangers. Understandably this is not a lesson that is taught in the Shiatsu College as there is so much theory to get through in the limited time available. But when you finally start to spread your wings in the real world it is a bit of a shock to realise how hard it is to describe what shiatsu and why someone should pay you to treat them.
Stories seem to be the best way and some recent successes I have had with clients have helped improve my pitching technique. Talking about yourself is good too and now that I have passed my practical exams I can be more assured in describing what I am qualified to do. But even though I have started to improve in how I talk about shiatsu the breakthrough in referrals has not happened.
The best way to understand shiatsu is to see a treatment and so I have volunteered to do a presentation to the group in about three weeks. This will be the first time I have done a shiatsu demonstration so it will be interesting to see if I can talk and work at the same time. Because of the space and because this is a breakfast meeting I will not be doing a full treatment on the futon but a simple neck and shoulder treatment in a chair. But this just highlights the flexibility of the shiatsu technique.
Networking and business groups seemed a strange and alien idea to me a few months ago. Coming out of shiatsu course one does not necessarily think to find and join one. But to discover how people outside of the complimentary therapy world see your therapy and to learn how to sell it then it is well worth doing.
Tony Brown @ June 25, 2008
Hello Tony. I recently graduated from the ESS in London. As you know being self employed and getting clients is not so straightforward and like many of my colleagues here in London I am struggling to make Shiatsu known and therefore to have a regular intake of clients. I thought about breakfast networking. I had also found a place near me but I did not have the guts to speak in front of a group of people. Reading your article made me realise that it should not be so difficult. Also I take this opportunity to inform you that in London there will be shortly a 12 day Classical Based Shiatsu Course. Let me know if you would like to have more information about it. thanks so much. take care. Giuliana
Giulana,
Thanks for the comment. You may be interested in Bevan’s post about the recent article in the shiatsu society’s newsletter about marketing a practise.
Tony
[…] at a business skills course. “What do you want from us?” ask the other members of my networking group. Suddenly “nothing” or “anything” are not good […]