Cherie Sohnen-Moe

A massage therapist wrote to me that she had sent letters to 40 chiropractors in her area and 2 of them want her to talk with them about working together. She wanted ideas on how to approach them. I suggested that she prepare for her meeting as an informal presentation and prepare something about how working together benefits both of their practices as well as helps clients/patients improve.

• Talk about the benefits of massage
• Give examples of how massage complements chiropractic care
• Discuss how the collaboration benefits all parties.

It's also wise to include a packet of material in a pocket folder: Business cards; brochure; copies of any media interviews of you; copies of published articles about chiropractic and massage; and a one-page bulleted chart listing the specific benefits of working with you.

I've been asked by several people what they should do in these difficult economic times to stay afloat. First of all, if at all possible, don't raise your rates. Also consider offering prepaid package discounts. Perhaps you can do a modified session at a lesser price.

Although we need to take into consideration people's concerns and fears about money, we certainly don't need to buy into that mindset. If you have set wellness goals with your clients and have a treatment plan in place, the majority of your clients will continue at their previous pace.

I also suggest you take the exceptions on a case by case basis. For instance, let's say you have been working with a client twice a month for the past two years. That client gets laid off. You can decide if you want to defer payment for a limited time so the client can continue to receive sessions until s/he gets a new job. Granted, it would be difficult to make this offer to a lot of people.

Flexibility, compassion and a sense of humor are the keys to getting through these economic times.

An unusual interview, an animation talk show, has us discussing Business Mastery, marketing with no money, and the value of knowing your target market. Fun!

Here is an excerpt from a presentation I will give at the AMTA 2009 National Convention, Sep 26 2009.

A résumé is a tool with one specific goal: to inspire an potential employer to interview you. A résumé that clearly highlights your professional training and experience, and conveys an understanding of an employer's mission, is the one most likely to lead to an interview.

To create an effective résumé you need to learn about the company's history, its mission, needs, and problems. Determine the ways in which your skills and experience can contribute to the company's success and emphasize these points in the résumé as well as the cover letter. Finally, find the name and title of the person in charge of hiring (which is not always the personnel administrator), and send the résumé to that person.

Here is an excerpt from the introduction for the Teaching Business Ethics Can Be Fun! course I am offering at the AMTA 2009 National Convention, Sep 26 2009.

Teaching business ethics is often challenging yet can be extremely fun and rewarding. Although ethics have been debated by philosophers for millennia, agreeing on what is "good" and "bad" remains difficult; so much depends on context. Not all ethical breaches are gross violations of conduct; many unethical violations are minor infractions. Furthermore, being ethical isn't limited to knowing and following ethical codes, laws and regulations. Ethical behavior involved striving to bring the highest values to one's work and aspiring to do one's best in all interactions: doing the right thing, in the right manner, and with the right attitude.

Ethics courses lay the groundwork for your students to build a safe, professional practice. Guide students through the ambiguity surrounding this topic. Assist them in identifying their own values, beliefs and morals.

Breathe new life into your ethics courses! In this workshop we explore techniques to strengthen the impact of your course material delivery and support students to engage in self-examination.