Sales – Elder Cottage Clinic, Warton.

The awkward conflict of sales

January 16, 2016November 7, 2019 by JMReflex, posted in Business, Ethical Sales, Marketing, Reflexology, Sales

Do you ever feel awkward about charging for your therapies? Do you ever feel that you are charging too much, or feel as though you should be offering your therapies for free?

With complementary therapies not widely available on the NHS, clients seek us out to help with their problems. But the monetary cost can be expensive.

If we as therapists can help someone overcome health issues but there is a financial obstacle, we would rather remove the obstacle in order for the therapy to go ahead.

There also seems to be an expectation to give away free taster sessions, or perhaps reduced rate treatments in order to allow people to try the therapy and perhaps pay for a full treatment at a later date. But is this marketing technique effective?

People like a freebie or a bargain and likely not want to pay for further sessions. Those serious about using the therapy as a method of regular relaxation and overall healing will prioritise financially in order to pay for it.

As a reflexologist I have invested a lot of time, money and energy into my training and my continued learning and experience. I feel the rate at which I charge is appropriate to that. However I am always open to negotiation if it means that I can continue to practice and help other people.

Jackie Marsden MAR is a qualified reflexologist and independent consultant (Team Leader) for Neal’s Yard Remedies Organic. Jackie leads and mentors a growing team of consultants (many of whom are therapists integrating organic products into their existing businesses) via the NYRO social selling channel, holding regular team meetings, one-to-one coaching via phone and facetime, and a closed facebook group. All views are my own.

Image courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Selling is about people helping people

January 15, 2016November 7, 2019 by JMReflex, posted in Business, Carbon Neutral, Eco-friendly, Environment, Ethical Sales, Health & Wellbeing, Organic, Sales, Skincare, Social Selling, Trading Fairly

I am always slightly dumbfounded when I invite other therapists on the NYROrganic journey and they respond ” no thanks, I’m not into selling”. Even as therapists we are still selling, and selling is selling whether it be a product or a service.

There seems to be a conflict of interest within the mindset: therapists are passionate about their therapies but anything to do with money seems to damage or taint their holistic principles.

But it is like a very good friend of mine said of reiki, “everything is energy: money is energy, reiki is energy. So all you are doing is exchanging energies.”

Ultimately, selling gets a bad name when the person selling the item is selling for selling sake: they are not passionate about the product and they don’t believe what it stands for, they just want to make money.

When you believe wholeheartedly in what you do and why, selling becomes something else, it becomes the promotion of a good thing, it becomes “spreading the word”, it becomes “people helping people”.

So if you want to be about people helping people, where the product ingredients are natural and organic, where the people in the supply chain are treated fairly, and when you look behind you there is no carbon footprint, then adding NYROrganic to your therapy business is a good choice.

Image courtesy of nenetus at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It is absolutely acceptable to be a salesperson

December 30, 2015November 7, 2019 by JMReflex, posted in Business, Carbon Neutral, Community, Eco-friendly, Environment, Ethical Sales, Health & Wellbeing, Marketing, Organic, Organic, Reflexology, Sales, Social Selling, Trading Fairly

I recently read Jane Binnion’s book The Heart of Sales. Jane is a social media and ethical sales training, and has written this book for small business owners who choose to trade ethically. This book is the inspiration behind this blog.

Many people are so frightened by the whole “sales” idea of a business, and it is not surprising really when the term “sales person” conjures up an image of a man in a grey suit knocking on doors cold calling, or swathes of telesales staff in a windowless office harassing “innocent” people.

When I invite people to join my social selling team with Neal’s Yard Remedies Organic (NYRO), many people respond with those images of sales people in mind, saying that “sales” is just not their thing.

But selling is the heart of any business. If you don’t sell anything then where are you making your money? The truth is that the majority of people are selling something. Even as an holistic therapist I am a sales person. I am selling reflexology. I am exchanging a service for a price. This is absolutely acceptable because I have invested a lot of money, time and passion into my training and I am confident in my therapy and with my price.

The same can be said for NYRO. It is absolutely acceptable for me to sell these products, especially when the ingredients are sourced naturally and ethically, and suppliers are treated fairly and the company is environmentally friendly with carbon neutral status. Not to mention its pioneering efforts in organic farming and organic ingredients, and partnership with the Soil Association.

All of these factors give me confidence in my products and their price, and they make it very acceptable for me to sell them.

So yes I am a sales person but I am also much more than that. Because my business makes a difference. I am helping my customers choose the best for their health and wellbeing. I am spreading the word in organic and fair trade. I am passionate about what I do and yes, I am making a profit from that, and yes! I am selling! And yes, this is absolutely acceptable.

If you would like to know more about what I do and how you could do it too – please get in touch. It is absolutely acceptable to do so 🙂

JJackie Marsden MAR is a qualified reflexologist and independent consultant (Team Leader) for Neal’s Yard Remedies Organic.

Jackie leads and mentors a growing team of consultants (many of whom are therapists integrating organic products into their existing businesses) via the NYRO social selling channel, holding regular team meetings, one-to-one coaching via phone and facetime, and a closed facebook group. All views are my own.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net