Worth. An interesting word when you think about. What is worth? What is the true worth of something? Is there even such a thing as the true worth of something? Who gets to decide what something is worth?
For massage therapists, the questions get a bit more personal: What are you worth? How much are your skills, training, knowledge and time worth? I think for many massage therapists these can be uncomfortable questions. And the most uncomfortable question of all, probably because it directly confronts your self-esteem; how good are you?
I think a lot of the discomfort could be avoided if you realize that these questions have, in fact, very little to do with you. You are not selling your services, you are selling an experience. Your clients are not buying your skill, they are buying the experience of being relaxed, or the experience of being in less or no pain, or the experience of greater range of motion.
How much they are willing to pay is mainly a function of how much value you create for them, not how much you think you’re worth. A client who pays you seventy five dollars to help relieve their pain will get more value from your session than if they paid someone else forty dollars and didn’t experience any relief. So as far as the client is concerned, your session was worth far more.
I’ll talk more about setting and raising rates in the near future, but for now I would encourage you to spend less time pondering your worth from your perspective and instead consider your worth from your client’s point of view. Keep asking yourself the following two questions; how much value are you creating for your clients?, how are you contributing to their quality of life?
5 Responses to “What Are You Worth?”
Joe, i liked the way you describe the value of a massage. It is the whole experience that is so valuable not just rubbing muscles. The complete person benefits from the session as a whole human being. Including body mind and spirit.
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brett passarella, on April 22nd, 2008 at 9:29 pm
This was a question that I thought about all last weekend and I thank you for putting my thoughts into perspective. I like that it is about the value I give and contribute to my clients lives. Thank you!!!
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Dannee Rodriguez, on May 7th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Hi Joe -
I totally agree with your point about the value you create for clients by providing a service that meets their needs or helps their pain. And there are a lot of other things besides offering pain relief or relaxation that bring value to your sessions. For example, having a positive attitude, a smile and welcoming tone of voice or being ready to begin your sessions on time all add value to a massage or bodywork appointment.
Other more tangible things like providing cool water, breath mints and extra blankets can make a big difference in the perceived value of your work. And then of course there are bigger things like offering birthday rewards or free product samples that have an apparent dollar value attached to them.
In short, everything you do to touch the client, literally and figuratively, makes an impression on them and either adds or detracts from the overall experience. As a spa consultant, I often advise clients to take a look at their overall business practices, procedures, and the details/ steps of the client experience to see how they can make things better. You might be surprised at the differences a few changes can make - and how your clients will respond!
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Felicia Brown, on May 8th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
I read this question a lot in professional literature. The question I never read is “how much is the client worth?” I think I am worth a lot. I know that in an affluent neighborhood I could charge a lot of money for the skills that I have. But what about the clients in less affluent neighborhoods, which today are increasing in number? It’s commendable to volunteer your time to an organization intended to help those who have the least, but what about everyone in the middle? Another article in this issue complains about the extra cost of deep tissue. That is an additional expense based on “worth,” and worth that is speculative at best. The entire healthcare industry has gone out of control with pricing. Is that the model we want to follow? I am by no means suggesting that anyone should earn less than they need to live comfortably. But if spas like the one mentioned earlier are setting the market price for our service, knowing full well that they are often gouging, is that really a good marker for what we are worth? Is our value set only in terms of dollars? To ask the question “how much value are you adding to their lives?” says to me that only those who can afford the value you assign deserve relief. If we ask the question “How much do I need to live comfortably?” instead of “How much more can I have according to the market?” there would be less waste, more comfort and more equal distribution.
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Joe McCue reply on June 1, 2008:
Celia,
Thank you for your comments. I suggested a possible solution to your question in the comments section of my “Examining Beliefs about Money” blog.
I invite you to check it out.
Be well,
Joe
Celia, on May 16th, 2008 at 9:03 am
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