From the hands-on techniques you employ in the session room to the business practices you employ behind the scenes, a broad array of factors can have an impact on the amount of money you make as a professional manual therapist. Fortunately, if you do not feel satisfied with your current bottom line, there are plenty of steps you can take to give it a boost. In many ways, if you are wondering how to increase your salary as a massage therapist, the answer often is as simple as this: massage continuing education. By choosing to enroll in massage courses that will teach you lucrative massage skills and techniques or that will teach you how to strengthen your business and marketing skills — or, even better, by taking CE classes that cover both of these arenas — you should begin to watch your bank balance climb.
If you are wondering how to increase your salary as a massage therapist, the answer often is as simple as this: massage continuing education.
If you are learning how to increase your salary as a massage therapist, one of the first actions to take is simply to seek out and put a stop to any business practices that are actually causing you to lose money. For example, if you do not have an organized system for invoicing and billing your clients, as well as a firm grasp on exactly what you owe in taxes and how to keep your tax bill as small as possible, you could be missing out on more money. Unfortunately, these kinds of accounting matters can seem complex and sometimes even overwhelming, especially if you have never taken the time to learn how to properly run the business side of a massage practice. If you feel at all worried about whether or not you are managing your massage practice as efficiently as possible, then take action by enrolling in a massage therapy continuing education class on the topic of accounting or business practices for bodyworkers.
Employing more effective marketing efforts is another critical piece to the jigsaw puzzle of how to increase your salary as a massage therapist. There is no denying that an appealing website with an easy online booking system can set one practitioner apart from another. It is also clear that social media sites can help massage therapists create a loyal client base and attract new customers. However, it is vital that you know how to use these tools in order to get results. For this reason, it can be extremely helpful to take CE classes for massage therapists that focus on the topic of marketing. Many times, such classes take place online and provide students with a whole host of templates and step-by-step instructions for developing a social media presence from scratch, as well as an attractive website and Internet-based booking system.
Whether you already have your business and marketing practices pinned down and running smoothly or feel the need to get further education in order to gain confidence in these areas, you can still begin to explore another incredibly effective way to make more money. This route toward a healthier bottom line involves learning skills that will increase the demand for your services and also allow you to charge higher fees per session due to the value of these services. Therefore, as you ponder how to increase your salary as a massage therapist, be sure to include a close look at what methods of manual therapy merit greater pay. One such modality is Erik Dalton’s Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques (MAT), a research-based system of assessment protocols, deep tissue massage techniques and client self-care suggestions that can help unlock the patterns the keep clients in chronic pain. Among the reasons MAT is considered to be such a valuable service is because it has the ability to manage or even alleviate chronic pain.
Manual therapists who are interested in increasing their income by offering hands-on services that are worth higher fees can begin to move their practices in a more financially rewarding direction by signing up for MAT continuing education classes. Dalton offers massage CE programs that take place entirely online, as well as several home-study MAT continuing education classes and a short list of in-person workshops each year. Besides allowing the solo practitioner to earn more pay per session, training in MAT can open the door to better-paying employment opportunities, too.