Diverse Clientele

The best advertising is referrals from other clients. I love meeting new people who share a common connection with me. The original concept behind facebook and myspace is to get people connected through social contacts; a friend of a friend easily becomes a new friend.

But even with the most well connected friendly people, most therapists but still reach out to new people to build a client base. It is important to get a diverse mix of clients. If the current financial crisis has taught us anything, it is that putting all your money into one area can have devastating consequences if that one area falters, as people who invested everything into real estate or into a Madoff fund have learned from their very expensive lessons. I had one client who was a stock broker, but since he was the only stock broker client I had, losing his business did not affect my business in the same way that it might have if all my clients had been in the financial service sector.

Diverse clients means they work in different industries, live in different areas, and have different interests, but share a common taste for massage. The areas and interests of your clients will bring new circles of referrals to you, and it is always fascinating to me to meet and learn about new things and places, even if you learn that you don't want to explore further (one of my clients came from Abu Dhabi, and I learned that I never want to visit that city).

Diversity can show you how we all share a common bond that transcends outward appearances, it can expand your mind and world in business and in life. Allow yourself to learn new things and respect other points of view. Do your best to meet a new person everyday; your world and your business will be richer for it.