1 Unit 385 Business Practice for Complementary Therapies Please read through this information carefully before you begin this project Students always worry– and then once they actually start doing it, they get carried away with it and enjoy it – so don’t worry about it, just start doing it……. After all – How do you eat an elephant? Answer bottom next page There is no exam for this subject any more - coursework only – students used to do a project like this and then sit an exam on it – How lucky are you? The material pertaining to your life as a therapist will be discussed in the class, but these are projects are to get you thinking ahead of that During the course other ideas will materialise, and you can make changes later, but get it done now (except where indicated in the question) The answers may be just the written word and you may wish to use chart (as in pie chart for example), spider diagram, graph or other pictorial presentation, depending on the type of question. Include the question in your answer, otherwise we can’t assess it - the answer may be right, but we wont know the question Cross reference when you can, but please copy your previous answer and paste it so that we don’t have to search around for it? Thank you Hardy & Sumner Book (H&S) is a mine of information on starting up a business – look through this book, become familiar with it – there is a business plan on page 191 for example
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Unit 385 Business Practice for Complementary Therapies
Please read through this information carefully before you begin this project
Students always worry– and then once they actually start doing
it, they get carried away with it and enjoy it – so don’t worry
about it, just start doing it……. After all –
How do you eat an elephant? Answer bottom next page
There is no exam for this subject any more - coursework only – students
used to do a project like this and then sit an exam on it –
How lucky are you?
The material pertaining to your life as a therapist will be discussed in the
class, but these are projects are to get you thinking ahead of that
During the course other ideas will materialise, and you can make changes
later, but get it done now (except where indicated in the question)
The answers may be just the written word and you may wish to use
chart (as in pie chart for example), spider diagram, graph or other
pictorial presentation, depending on the type of question.
Include the question in your answer, otherwise we can’t assess it -
the answer may be right, but we wont know the question
Cross reference when you can, but please copy your previous answer
and paste it so that we don’t have to search around for it? Thank you
Hardy & Sumner Book (H&S) is a mine of information on starting up a business –
look through this book, become familiar with it – there is a business plan on page
191 for example
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This whole project entails planning an appropriate business plan
for a potential complementary therapy practice – yours!
Now is the time to think about how you are going to work as a therapist – are you
going to work from home – if so where in the home? What work needs to be done,
what are the legalities for working from home where you live, if this is your plan –
this whole project should revolve around what you need to do to make your plan a
reality.
Perhaps you are thinking of renting a room – again, where, how much will it cost?
What are the restrictions? Now is the time to find out.
Perhaps you are thinking of buying a property, leasing a property – or ‘going mobile’.
Whatever you are going to do takes planning. This project should be personalised –
this is your business plan!
If you are already a therapist then include your present therapy in say the
publicity or brochure you devise and if you already have premises you will know in
retrospect how much it cost you to start up.
By the time you leave the course, having done this project, talked and discussed in
class about it, learned from your tutors the pitfalls of running a business (they all
run their own businesses), looked at what works in advertising, getting and keeping
clients etc – you will be fully armed and prepared to start up your own business or
make your present one more successful…….
This is part of ITEC’s assessment form and
this is where the project comes in to enable
you to be able to tick these items.
Answer: by taking one small bite at a time
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See notes on ITEC Business to help answer these questions
1 – Mission Statement
You need a mission Statement for your Therapy Business – if you are already a
therapist – include any previous qualifications too.
Notes to help you with this. Delete the notes when you hand in your project:
Example of a mission statements:
At The Therapy Agency we will strive to:
Work enthusiastically to maintain our position as the UK's leading supplier of
complementary therapies to the workplace and elsewhere.
Employ quality, integrity, technical innovation, and attention to detail to
deliver excellence whatever the requirements.
Adopt an ethical and holistic approach to nurture the health, wellbeing, and
quality of life of all, including our clients and therapists.
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2 Market Research
We have a market research project that has proved extremely valuable to our
students. It involves you going for a treatment and making brief notes on it – later in
the course this is discussed in class so that you can all learn from
the various experiences you have all had – this is best done half
way through the course when you have more idea what to expect
from a professional therapist!
More on that later in the course, so don’t worry about this question
for now. – leave a space for this information but hand the rest of the project in on
the due date please.
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3 Competitor Analysis
Part of the market research project will be to gather information on your competitors –
their prices and leaflets/brochures.
Start making enquiries now so that you have some material to start off your project and
you will be able to answer this question later.
But is it just about the price? Make a table and compare the market you are
about to enter, something like this. This can be done after you have done the
group marketing project which you start half way through the course
Competitor A Competitor B Competitor C
Price
Location
Length of
treatment
Qualifications
Other therapies
Similarities
Differences
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4 Premises & Location
4.1 Plan the interior of your ideal treatment room (a simple drawing and a list of
equipment)
4.2 Think about where you would like to practice from
Look at the pictures on the next pages – have a think about actually working
from home, in a clinic or visiting clients in their home.
Part of your training is to enable you to launch yourself into your business
with some ideas - this is where it all starts! You will be discussing this in
class as well and getting ideas and advice etc.
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Please add at least two more on each example: (use Advertising handout to help
with this )
Advantages and Disadvantages of Running a Clinic from Home
Advantages Disadvantages
Economical overheads Need to set aside a room
Flexible hours/can work when you like Never ‘away’ from work
Fits around other commitments Distractions
Secure premises Parking problems
+ +
+ +
Advantages and Disadvantages and Working From a Group Complementary Clinic
Advantages Disadvantages
No disruption to home and family Not possible to create your own environment
and atmosphere.
Ease of referral to other practitioners Cost of lease/rent
‘Off the street’ clients Business rates
+ +
+ +
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Advantages and Disadvantages of Carrying out Home Visits to clients.
Advantages Disadvantages
Client relaxed in own home Having to pack and transport equipment
No need for client to move Travelling adds to time spent
at end of treatment Hygiene may not be adequate
+ +
Having looked at the advantages and disadvantages of various options, what
are your plans for where you will work, mobile? Clinic? Any ideas please
discuss below:
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Question 5
Corporate Image and Design
` 5.1 Design a logo/business name, leaflet/poster, brochure and
business card for your business (this can be a drawing)
5.2 How important do you consider image for a business? How important do
you consider image for your business? And Why?
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Notes to help with Question 5
`
You have seen my logo – how much do you think that cost me? Not as much as you
might think! It cost £45. Here is the link to the website:
http://www.pcgraphicsdesignservice.com/
Did you know that you can get FREE business cards from Vistaprint? On the web.
You only pay for postage – they have lots of free offers on – you could even
practice with your business card during the course using Vistaprint (lots of
different designs). Sometimes their offer is a free bag – a cotton one and you can
have your ‘business name’ printed on it – fridge magnets, car magnets – for putting
on the car door – like the taxis do, even their leaflets are sometimes free....
The Health and Safety at Work Act is important and so is the following:
14.1 Local Byelaws are laws that relate to local areas – does your local council
require you to obtain a licence? Phone your local council to find out. If you
don’t need one for your therapy, what therapies require a licence, if any,
from your local council. What department helped you with this enquiry.
14.2 What are National Insurance Contributions for? Find out what your
contributions will be when you become self-employed. Would you need to pay
VAT? Why not?
14.3 When will you need to tell the Inland Revenue that you are self-employed or
earning money as a therapist (eg working evenings or weekends) whilst employed
elsewhere?
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15 Security and data protection
How would maintain security for your premises, goods and client records?
16 Customer service and communication
(if any part of this question has been answered elsewhere please cross reference your
answer)
16.1 Evaluate communication techniques and describe how to communicate
effectively with clients and colleagues: see BSB 1.4
Use the handout on communication skills which you will find on the same area as you
found this project
How I important is customer service to any business?
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17 Cancellation Policies: Before you read the following pages, please say if you agree with the principle of this example: An example: Please give 24 hours notice if you wish to cancel an appointment or 50% of treatment fee will be charged. Do you think this is fair? Yes / No Why? Now read this example of a thread written by professional therapists: A Went on a home visit to a client this morning, door was opened by her surprised-looking husband who said 'I don't think she's expecting you. She was working on her chapter all night and went to bed at 8 this morning. I'm not going to wake her up.' Checked my mobile (which I hadn't looked at til then, not being a teenager I don't keep looking at my mobile at all hours) and she had texted me cancelling this morning just before she went to bed this morning. That would be about 80-90 minutes before I'd set off to her, and hours after I'd packed the bag ready. Can I have suggestions on how to reply to her? She's asked if I can see her again another morning this week. Trouble is, this isn't the first time she's been a bit 'casual' about her appointments - a couple of weeks ago she wanted to change a 10.00 am appointment to 12.00 or 12.30 at just a couple of days notice (I said no to the change). I've mentally composed a couple of replies but they sound rather mardy and passive-aggressive, hence asking you lovely people! Thanks in advance
B How frustrating. Do you have a cancellation policy in place? A lot of places have a 'must give
24 hours notice' policy or a small fee is levied (although that said I don't think anywhere has ever actually levied a charge against me as normally when I've had to rearrange it has been some medical/child based unavoidable and totally understandable emergency not that I've been up all night tinkering on the computer!). It's a hard situation as you don't want to offend her but equally she's wasted your time this morning, you've had petrol costs and could have slotted in another client, met a friend for coffee or finished off some paperwork in the time you took to get to hers and back. So some how you're going to have to find a way of setting a boundary with her that it's not ok to have a last minute change of mind unless her child is sick or she's ill etc. A Absolutely, if it had been a health problem or a family crisis I wouldn't have minded so much. I
think I should come up with a cancellation policy, though I'm not sure it would help with this particular person - she seems a bit 'in her own world' where appointments and my convenience (or lack of it) are concerned! C I have a 24 hour cancellation policy and although i very rarely use it i do make it very clear that i
have a business to run and could have used that appointment for another client. Perhaps you could suggest another time but please could she BACS the money to your account before you
confirm the appt in future. She is probably completely unaware of her behaviour and would be
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mortified if she was letting you down. I have learnt over the years that I have to be firm. It is really
difficult but her behaviour is unacceptable D I always text the night before with a friendly reminder. You'll always a get a few that mess us
about but It cuts a lot of cancellations or people forgetting and helps me out remembering who I have in. Maybe if you sent her a reminder text she might have allowed for the session or reschedule
E In my hypnotherapy business I have a cancellation policy which is hard to enforce but I now
send out a text 24hrs before. If they cancel within hours of an appointment I expect it to be an emergency (health kids etc) and I don't mind as that happens to us all. I think it's reasonable to now ask this lady for payment (or at least 50%) up front. If she refuses then you may need to ask if she's the right client for you. Your time is valuable and I'm not sure if she appreciates that.
F I now have a slightly different policy to preserve my sanity... and my time. This is the wording on
my website: Wherever possible with my treatments, I work on a basis of mutual trust. Should an emergency crop up, and I need to cancel a session, I will do my utmost to give at least 24 hours notice to change the appointment. And, wherever possible I ask my clients to do the same. I just find this period of notice gives us both enough time to reschedule our plans and gives me the option to offer the session to another client on the waiting list. As you can see, I have no mention of a cancellation fee. BUT!!! if people start messing me about like this lady has with you Liz, I let them go. I do accept emergencies and things crop up... that's fine. But, to be messed about like this (and regularly) is a clear message for me... the treatments are not taking priority in their life. And, I tell them that openly.... and say, I think it best we leave treatments as you clearly need to focus on your work (or whatever). That way, you do not have to continually cancel me at the last minute, which really is not good for me and my business... and, I can offer my sessions to someone else who is waiting to have a treatment with me. I never end the situation on a bad note. I just let them go, and concentrate on those who value what I do. It has taken me 6 years to work out that this is what works for me.... but, it really is a personal choice. A cancellation fee really does work for some... and I wholeheartedly agree with it. I just cannot face pursuing it as it drains me... both in terms of time, and energy!
A Back to the original poster!!: Well, the original client sent me about 4 texts during yesterday afternoon
asking for another appointment (I didn't see them til late last night as my phone is switched off while I'm driving or doing treatments) sounding quite desperate, so having told her I had no free time til the new year, she wanted to book in straight after the bank holiday. I've suggested a couple of dates to her - if she gets back to me I'll tell her face to face that I need more notice. It's so easy to get your tone wrong with just the keyed in word, I think face to face would be clearer. What is your conclusion as to having a cancellation policy now? What will you do?
Once you have decided what your one will be: Put your policies on your website and on your leaflet
You could also:
Have people sign a copy of your policy when they come in. Is this a good idea? Yes/No
Put your policy on your phone message. Say something like “Please be aware if you are calling to cancel that you will be charge xx.oo amount if you cancel in less than 24 hours or if you are late, your appointment will end at the scheduled time.(or whatever you set up.) Is this a good idea? Yes/No
When new clients call to schedule an appointment, consider taking a credit card to secure their time and tell them of your policy right up front. Consider telling them that you are reserving that time for them and them alone so that you will not take another client in that spot. Is this is a good idea? Yes/No
An online scheduling system will allow you to take credit cards to secure the appointment. Is this a good idea? Yes/No
My comments on how to let my client know my policy:
Late arrival policy idea The Late Arrival Policy
The ideal late arrival policy says your time is valuable and you also respect my other clients time. You know things happen – traffic, last minute phone calls, things at work/home, but people need to responsible for their own time. An idea for a late arrival policy:
Your late arrival will require that I end the session at the scheduled time, meaning your session will unfortunately be shorter today. I have reserved this time for you and only you and have other people scheduled after your time.
My Comments on late arrival policy:
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Conclusion:
Write a few lines only to say if and how the business practice project has helped you plan your