Podcast

Episode 393

Dec 24, 2021

Do your stock images include all bodies, or are you unintentionally ignoring some people? Allissa and Michael discuss how to make sure you are making sure people that need bodywork feel welcome and wanted in your business.

Listen to "E393: Who Are You Unintentionally Ignoring?" on Spreaker.
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EPISODE 393

Weekly Roundup

Discussion Topic

Quick Tips

Sponsors


Transcript:

Sponsor message: 

This episode is sponsored by The Original Jojoba Company. I firmly believe that massage therapists should only be using the highest quality products because our clients deserve it and our own bodies deserve it. I have been using Jojoba for years, and here's why. Jojoba is non-allergenic, I can use it on any client and every client, without fear of an allergic reaction. It is also non-comedogenic so it won't clog pores. So if you've got clients prone to acne breakouts, Jojoba is a good choice for them. It does not go rancid, there're no triglycerides, so it can sit on your shelf for a year plus and not be a problem. And that's what also makes Jojoba a wonderful carrier for your essential oils as well. It won't stain your a 100% cotton sheets, so your linens are going to last longer. The Original Jojoba Company is the only company in the world that carries 100% pure first press quality Jojoba and we are delighted to be their partner. You, my friends can get 20% off the price of the product when you shop through our link massagebusinessblueprint.com/jojoba.

Michael Reynolds:

Hey, everyone. Welcome to the Massage Business Blueprint Podcast, where we help you attract more clients, make more money and improve your quality of life. I'm Michael Reynolds.

Allissa Haines:

I'm Allissa Haines.

Michael Reynolds:

We're your host, welcome. Hi?

Allissa Haines:

Hi good morning? Well, it's morning for us right now. So I did a really funny thing just this second, where I was like, okay, let's go I'm ready to record. And then the second it started recording I realized that I had accidentally closed our podcast agenda for this episode. I'm like, I don't know where that is or what I'm doing.

Michael Reynolds:

I see that you're in it again though. So it looks like you've reopened it.

Allissa Haines:

I did manage to quickly find my history button, but I had to take a sip of coffee and that screwed me all up.

Michael Reynolds:

All right, well, what you got, what are you reading or listening to right now?

Allissa Haines:

So I have listened to a handful of episodes from a podcast of one of our Blueprint Mastermind members as our private community. And it is called the Positively Being Well Podcast and it is from our friend Jeanie Troncao-Heath. And I want to also point people to this podcast for a few reasons. One, I really enjoy it, it is great positivity infused, like without being obnoxiously saccharin, positivity infused health and wellbeing tidbits. And I think what's amazing is that Jeanie has jumped into to doing this podcast. So if you start listening from the beginning, you can kind of see the evolution of it. And Jeanie was so sweet and asked for some feedback on it, which Michael and I both gave her some technical feedback and stuff. And so we know that it was scary to start a podcast, but Jeanie jumped in and I really admired her growth and her approach and, I just like Jeanie in general, I love her approach to everything.

Allissa Haines:

She's also a mental health counselor and also a massage therapist so she's got the scope of practice to be able to talk about stuff and actually referred... I sent a link to an episode to one of my clients because I felt it was really helpful. And also just as a massage therapist who might consider a podcast to communicate things to clients and the world in general, I think this is a wonderful example to listen to. And I really enjoy Jeanie and I wanted everyone to know, you can find it, we'll put the link in the podcast notes, all the major podcast places have it. Also, you can look for it at her website, positivelybeingwell.com. The direct link to the podcast archive will be in our notes.

Allissa Haines:

And also, you can just like, look for it on Apple Podcasts and all the places. I don't know if it's in like all the places, but it's in most of the big places, or you can just listen to it from the website, but I'm really enjoying it. Especially the episode that was episode number six, that really talked about the different kinds of stress. And, then the next handful of episodes are all about different bits about stress management in different ways and different kinds of stress and I really enjoyed. That's all I have to say.

Michael Reynolds:

Yeah. I really like what she did because she just jumped in, like you said, she just started producing episodes and just went for it and that's the best way to learn, to just do it. Yeah, nice.

Allissa Haines:

That's all I got. Who's our first sponsor? Oh, sorry.

Michael Reynolds:

I was about to say I got nothing, but you've already alluded to that. So let's go to a first sponsor, which is PocketSuite.

Allissa Haines:

I was trying to not put you on the spot.

Michael Reynolds:

That's all right.

Allissa Haines:

PocketSuite is an all in one app that makes it easier to run your massage business. You can schedule and get booked online by clients and it's super easy for clients to book themselves online. You can manage your forms, notes, contracts, payments, reminders, all of the things. And it's all within this HIPAA compliant app, whether you are just starting out or seasoned business owner, PocketSuite helps businesses save time, make a great living, massage therapists can be up and running on PocketSuite in 15 minutes. You, our listeners get 25% off your annual premium subscription for your first year of PocketSuite, visit massagebusinessblueprint.com/pocketsuite to check it out.

Michael Reynolds:

Thanks PocketSuite. All right. So, I love what you're going to talk about today regarding being inclusive and who you are intentionally ignoring. So let's see what you got.

Allissa Haines:

Well, things happen when we... so we have this giant spreadsheet of podcast topics and when we're going to record them and all that stuff, and I was looking at the one that was scheduled for today and I was like, oh yuck. So instead I became inspired by something that recently happened on the Twitter, who are you unintentionally ignoring? And this comes about because, we have the Massage Business Blueprint, the Blueprint Mastermind Premium Community. One of our member benefits is a stock photo library of more realistic massage stock images, actual massage therapists, actual massage clients, a few different body types, a couple of different body tones. We don't have anybody aged yet, we need to do a new photo shoot and I promise I will post-pandemic. We need pregnant bodies, we need older bodies, but we have a decent diversity here.

Allissa Haines:

And, then we also did that episode a few weeks back with Lindley Ashline about How to serve Larger Clients. And so all of these things smashed together recently on Twitter, where I read a tweet that said, "Listen people, like estheticians, wellness providers, healthcare providers, there's no excuse for not having more diverse stock photos." And I think it specifically alluded to like body size. And I was reading some of the replies from people. And then I replied myself and said, "Yes, it's not that hard to get models, I did a shoot with larger bodies and the feedback I've gotten from clients has been phenomenal." And I actually attached to the tweet, two of the images that I use on my website from more photo shoots. And the responses that happened from that, I'm going to read them to you. Somebody said, "These photos would make me feel comfortable enough to finally get a real massage from actual professionals." Okay. And then another comment was a reply, "I've literally never seen a picture of a fat person getting a massage before, this is a phenomenally inclusive thing to do." And then another one, which is where I almost started to cry. "If I saw this on a website, I would instantly feel comfortable, welcomed, and accepted being naked is so vulnerable that people shouldn't have the extra question of, have they seen a body like mine?"

Allissa Haines:

And another one that said, " I have a massage gift that I have not used, I am so uneasy about people touching me and judging my body." And another one that was so practical that said "Pics like this would let me be able to ask if your table could take my weight rather than leaving me too embarrassed." Folks, there are so many bodies out there that need our work, but have not been made comfortable enough to access it. Even people who have money, I'm not just talking about people who might not have the resources. There are plenty of people who do have the resources, but have never been made to feel welcome or comfortable in a health or a wellness space. And it is our job to serve them. So many people who don't see themselves in our websites and maybe they just need a few good stock images of people who look like them.

Allissa Haines:

And a blog poster too about how we can serve them. And then they will be able to get our services, and then they will be a dedicated client for life. This benefits us, this benefits them. When I'm talking about people who are large, I'm talking about people with every skin color and perhaps birthmarks and skin imperfections. I'm talking about people with disabilities that have changed the shape or the state of their body in a way that makes them feel that they will be looked at or judged harshly. Scars, limb differences, someone missing a toe or with an extra toe or with a displaced toe, all kinds of things that make people feel weird about their body. And because they have never seen that kind of body be a massage client, they don't feel they can be a massage client. People who will not remove clothes because of a religious issue, think that they can't get massage.

Allissa Haines:

And we all know there are plenty of kinds of touch that people where in a full on body suit can get or a space suit. And I tell people that you can walk in here with a space suit and I am still going to find a way to effectively massage you. People of all ages from babies to older people. And I will say because I don't have my own stock photos with older people. I've bought a few for my website, people at every fixed fitness level, from super buff and muscly and toned to not at all buff or muscly or toned etcetera, etcetera. If you look around you, you can probably find a community that you want to serve, that you are not effectively welcoming via the images and the verbiage on your website. So fix that, get some more diverse stock photos. And I meant to set up the links for these, but there are a few other places you can get stock photos, not just from us, although we would love for you to join and get them from us.

Allissa Haines:

You can go to our website to look at our private Blueprint Mastermind Community for the info on that. You can also get stock photos at... I'll put the links in the podcast notes because I don't have the exact links right now, but Ryan Hoyme the Massage Nerd has some Savannah Bell Moore or Moore Bell... I should have looked up her last name. She sells some that are fantastic, but put the legwork in or when it's safe and comfortable to do so, get a photographer into your space, spend 500 bucks, get some diverse bodies on your table. Do whatever you got to do. Beg, borrow, steal bribe to get some diverse bodies on your table and get pictures of you massaging them, write a relevant blog poster too.

Allissa Haines:

If you want to serve older, larger bodies, get some older, larger people, get some pictures and then write a blog post about the stability of your table or positional changes you can make to make the table more comfortable for people or when it's time for them flip over, if that's not something a body with a certain ability can do when they're on the table or it's too hard, then say, "There's always an option for me to just leave the room and then you can get off the table and then get back on it in a different position, like in a different way, without me being there to hold sheets or make you feel like something's going to slip and slide all over the place and you're going to be exposed." Or make a point of saying, "It's okay if you want to leave your underwear on, because you are concerned about moving around and modesty." Do whatever you got to do in a blog post, say the working weight of your massage table so someone knows that I looked it up, my table can lift safely up to 600 pounds. So someone who is 550 pounds knows that they can be comfortable and safe on your table in your office.

Allissa Haines:

Take a picture of the chair without arms, take a picture of the safety bars in your bathroom so that if you have somebody who is an amputee and is not stable, they know that they can use your bathroom without worrying about falling over. Take a picture of your doorways and see how wide they are. Any of the things that you need to do to make that little bit of the population of the community that you want to serve see themselves, and see the accommodations you can make on the site like in your office to make massage accessible to them, do it because we are not serving enough people. And it's because we're probably not making enough of an effort to make sure that these people know we can absolutely serve them. And that is the end of my rant.

Michael Reynolds:

Thank you. It's an important rant.

Allissa Haines:

I think. So I have a lot of feelings about this and it can be really hard to dive into serving larger bodies as an example. And it's just because it's the thing I've been most dialed into lately. Means we have to deal with our own issues about size, right? So a lot of this hits me very hard because I grew up with a mom who was really, really overweight. And I didn't recognize a lot of the difficulties that caused her until I was an adult. And then, I read more now and I learn more now about what it's like to live in a larger body and it just breaks me. And that is part of why this has become a bigger thing for me. And I'm slow to the game. There's plenty of massage therapists that have already been doing this, our friend Marcy is fantastic at it. But there's probably someone you want to serve, but you just haven't enough about how to make them feel welcome via your online presence or otherwise, so do that. I really am done.

Michael Reynolds:

All right, thank you. Hey, our next sponsor is us. Look at that.

Allissa Haines:

Yay. I didn't bring the link up, so now I'm bringing the link up so I can actually talk about it. Hey, I packed the episode. So yeah, we have an eBook about How to Get New Massage Clients. It is a familiar question that we see often in massage groups online and in other places, how do I get new clients? The reality is there is no single tactic. There is no one answer to that question, but we laid out in a very organized linear manner. Here are the things you need to do. Here are the effective steps you can take to bring new clients into your massage office. Michael, I did not write down what the quick link is to this. Wait, maybe I did.... sorry, go ahead.

Michael Reynolds:

It's right there. massagebusinessblueprint.com/getnewclients

Allissa Haines:

Yeah. If you went to this link before and it wasn't working for you, I apologize. We had a little technical glitch for a week or two. So if you went to get it and you couldn't get the thing, go back, I promise you, you'll get it this time.

Michael Reynolds:

It was my fault.

Allissa Haines:

It was Michael's fault, but I didn't want to tell everybody that. And I fixed it. I was really excited that I figured out how to fix it and didn't break the page on the website. So yeah, we have an eBook, How to Get New Massage Clients. It's a quick read, it's a helpful read, it's a good reference guide. You can go back and be like, "Well, what's my next step?" It's got a great picture of me and my niece on the front cover. And that's what I have to tell you. You should totally do that.

Michael Reynolds:

massagebusinessblueprint.com/getnewclients.

Allissa Haines:

I was going to say, "Could you say that web address again?" And you did. Quick tips. What do you got Michael?

Michael Reynolds:

So, I don't remember if I've shared this quick tip before or not, but I don't care I'm going to share it again because it's important. And I think it's coming up again recently because it's the end of the year, we're talking to accountants, a lot of people are refinancing their homes, like all sorts of sensitive documents are kind of flying back and forth during this time. And I want to remind everyone, do not send sensitive documents over email. Email is inherently insecure. It can be intercepted, it can be sniffed. Sniffing is when someone sets up listening programs on the interwebs and they can actually, sniff the traffic going by and intercept your messages and see the text and the messages. So do not send sensitive documents over email and do not trust businesses you work with to do this properly.

Michael Reynolds:

I am amazed at how many businesses I work with that I would think, they would be very current on their security practices and using good security, but they do not. They say, "Hey, fill out this credit card authorization form as a PDF and email it back to us." No, I'm not doing that. That's insecure. And people ask for it all the time. So I'm ranting, this is a [soapbox 00:18:10] of mine, I apologize but take it upon yourself to use proper security practices. So if someone asks you to fill out a PDF with your credit card information or your social security information, or they want you to email your tax returns to them for a financial transaction whatever, encrypt. There's a lot of ways you can do this, you can encrypt the PDF on Mac, on the preview app, if you go to export and then permissions, you can set a password on the PDF. So you can set the password and then maybe call or text the person, tell them passwords so they can open it.

Michael Reynolds:

On windows, you can use an app called Smallpdf.com that can let you add encryption to PDFs. You can use a temporary Dropbox or a Google Drive link and then delete it once the people have downloaded it. You can use an app called like WeTransfer as a free app, you can use to send files back and forth without attaching them to emails. A lot of ways you can do this. So, take it upon yourself to have standards for security and do not send sensitive documents in plain text over email without encryption. That's my rant.

Allissa Haines:

I have a question, is text messaging secure?

Michael Reynolds:

Yes and no. So, if it's iPhone to iPhone, to me it is secure enough to satisfy me because Apple automatically encrypts iCloud messages back and forth. So if you're going iPhone to iPhone, I am comfortable sending sensitive information in that method because of the encryption. When it's texting between Android phones or iPhone to Android, I haven't dug into this as much, I think it's still fairly secure but not as secure as Apple's encryption. So I would not send sensitive... personally, I wouldn't send to an Android phone if it were sensitive information directly via text. That's me.

Allissa Haines:

Do you use the Signal app at all on your phone?

Michael Reynolds:

Signal? No, I don't think so.

Allissa Haines:

All right.

Michael Reynolds:

What Signal?

Allissa Haines:

Signal is a messaging app, and I started using it because I had someone with an Android where their texting wasn't working properly and I was like, well, why don't we use an app based messenger? And I had heard about Signal, which is super secure. It is an end to end encryption situation and a lot of people use it for texting because it's secure and also people in countries where they are surveilled use it because it is a safer way for them to communicate without getting arrested for trying to overthrow the government etcetera or, fight fascism. But that could also be a really good option if people you're dealing with use it. I use it with a handful of friends and I have sent certain, not like hyper careful documents but whatever, you know what I'm saying. Anyhow, it might be worth looking into if you are someone who doesn't have secure texting, it could be an app that you might want to use.

Michael Reynolds:

Yeah. Thanks for the tip.

Allissa Haines:

That is all we have. Take us home, Michael.

Michael Reynolds:

Okay. That is all we have. Well, Hey everyone. Thanks for joining us today. As always, you can find us on the web @massagebusinessblueprint.com. And if you'd like to email us, the email address is podcast@massagebusinessblueprint.com. So check us out there, have a great day. We'll see you next time.

Allissa Haines:

Can I say something? Sorry I forgot, so the next episode is going to come out on December 31st, 2021. And it will be our three words episode where we talk about our three words which are similar to resolutions but not, anyhow, if it's something you have done and you know what we're talking about, maybe start thinking about your three for 2020. And if you have no idea what I'm talking about, I will put in the podcast notes, our previous three words episodes so that you can see and maybe even be prepared for the new year.

Michael Reynolds:

Right on. Thanks.

Allissa Haines:

Now I'm really done. Sorry about that.

Michael Reynolds:

Okay. All right, thanks everyone. We'll see you next time.

Allissa Haines:

Bye.