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There's no time a client appreciates massage more than the moment he leaves your table. As the business coach for massage therapists, I recently polled my LMT clients whom I just started working with, and was astonished to discover that quite a few failed to take advantage of this ripe moment. Allow me to explain.

The first question to ask a client leaving your room is, "How do you feel?" Most therapists are pretty good about doing that. Most people who've just been massaged usually reply by saying something like, "Great." What a large percentage of therapists fail to ask at this moment is the critical follow-up question--"Would you like to feel this great next week?"

This is a two-part question, the first part of which is a no-brainer. Of course your clients wants to feel this great. If he's used to coming in for massages every two or four weeks, then the second part of the question-would he like to come in the following week--can be challenging to him. The challenge is usually on one or both of two different fronts:

A) Can he financially afford it?

B) Does he think he deserves to have such peace?

Far too many therapists make the error of taking responsibility for a client's financial decisions. So I'll say it simply, "The person in charge of your client's financial decisions is your client, not you. If he can afford it, he may opt for a session the following week, if he can't, he probably won't. You might not be able to help him on this score unless you take credit cards that allow him to pay in the future for the treatment he receives the next week.

As for deserving, you can help your client see that he deserves to feel good-often. A body worker, you're also a growth facilitator for clients, inspiring them to live a life in more peace and harmony.

You've nothing to lose by asking your clients if they want to feel great the following week. As Jesus said, "Ask and you shall receive."

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Cary Bayer was keynote speaker at the 2006 AMTA national convention. Widely known as The Business Coach for Massage Therapists, Cary is a Life Coach; CE provider licensed by NCBTMB and Florida Dept. of Health's Board of Massage Therapy; and faculty member of Massage Business University, he writes for Massage Today, and AMTA publications in 14 states. His 27 publications include 11 specifically for massage therapists. He's coached some 150 LMTs. His 6-CE seminar, "Build a $100,000 a Year Massage Business in Just 1 Hour a Day" is very popular among therapists.