Hello Friends and Family,

The first thing you may notice is our new look! We've offered some new graphics and a new design that include some nice photos of the life and times of National Holistic Institute.

This issue also offers an article on how to successfully market your business. Additionally, we've included a recent speech from one of our grads that we know you will enjoy. And the latest 2007 schedule of NHI's Continuing Education offering is currently available in this issue.

Dave Casuto
Placement Coordinator

Marketing Your Business Marketing your business or private practice is easy if you have a structured plan and some creative ideas. Below we have outlined some "outside-the-box" (and some inside) ways of growing your business and getting your name out there. Networking Networking can be one of the most effective methods of gaining new clients for your practice and creating results in the marketplace. Develop a Network of “Warm Contacts” Among People You Know: You can gain a majority of your clients through a lead provided by a friend, a relative, or an acquaintance. Since you already know these people, I call them "warm contacts", and they are the most important group of people in your networking. People are more likely to try a new product or service if it is recommended by someone they know and trust than if it is recommended from any other source. If you are organized in asking them to help you, they can provide you with many client leads that you will not find in any other way. They can also lead you to other people they know. Developing new contacts from people you know, or “networking” - works as follows. Make Lists of People You Know: Develop a list of anyone you are friendly with, then make a separate list for all your relatives. These two lists could potentially add up to 25-100 people or more. Then think of other groups of people with whom you have something in common, such as people you used to work with, people you went to school with, people in your social or sports group, members of your professional association, former employers, and possibly members of your religious group. You may not know many of these people personally, but most will help you if ask them. Contact Them in a Systematic Way: Each of these people is a contact for you. Obviously, some lists and some people on your lists will be more helpful than others, but almost any could help you find a potential client lead. Start with your friends and relatives. Call them up and tell them you have started your career as a massage therapist and need their help, Be as clear as possible about what you offer your clients and what skills and qualifications you have. Develop a system for contacting these people. Keep track of who was very helpful and which leads they provided. You will need this information later when sending your thank-you notes. Remember, good manners never hurt and you may need the assistance of these contacts again someday. Ask Them for Leads: (I am assuming you have already invited them to get a massage, and their appointment is booked!) It is possible that they will know of someone who has been searching for the perfect massage therapist. If so, get the details and get right on it! More likely; however, they will not, so here are three questions you should ask. 1. “Do you know of anyone who would be interested in getting a massage?” If the answer is no, then ask: 2. “Do you know of someone else who might know of such a person?” If they do, get that name and ask for another one. If they don’t, then ask: 3. “Do you know of someone else who knows lots of people?” If all else fails, this will usually get you a name. When you get in touch with these leads, you should let them know who referred you and ask them the same questions. (The first question is ALWAYS ‘Do you want to get a massage?’) For each original contact you have the potential to expand your network of contacts by hundreds of people. Eventually, one of these people will hire you or refer you to someone who will! Open Houses Open houses or “Grand Openings” can be a great way to begin networking with your business neighbors and community. Send out announcements or invitations to the residents and businesses which are near your business. Offer light refreshments and drink, a tour of your facility, free on-site massage and demonstrations of other services you offer. Your goal is to get people to show up and then to get them to book an appointment. Offer specials or discounts for booking an appointment at the open house. Community Events Become part of your community by donating massage at charitable events in your community. You can reap the benefits of free radio, newspaper and TV coverage. Be sure to make lead cards and add to mail list at all events where you give away massage. Make people fill out the card as the only payment you need for the massage. Also have your appointment book handy to schedule those full-body sessions, after they get a sample on the chair. Lead Cards A lead card can be made on any computer. It should be copied onto a heavier card stock paper, and should include the following: Name, Address, Phone number. You can also include other questions on your card such as: Have you had a massage before? Are you interested in upcoming promotions and discounts? Birthday, Anniversary, etc. Birthday and Anniversary are good to include on your client intake forms, as it gives you an opportunity to offer the client special deals or “gifts” for their significant days. Join the Chamber of Commerce Start networking and referral agreements with other businesses in the Chamber of Commerce. Attend events and look to your Chamber to see if they have special, publicized events for new members (i.e. ribbon cutting ceremonies, etc.) Gift Certificates Offer some complimentary gift certificates to some of the local radio stations to use in radio giveaways. They will be getting your name and possibly your phone number and address out over the airwaves several time during the giveaway. This is free radio advertisement, and the winner may become your next regular client. Newspaper Send press releases or call your local newspaper with news of what’s happening in your business. Most newspapers need human interest stories and like to support local business owners. TV See if any of your local TV stations do spotlights on local business owners, health care or community involvement, and contact them. See if they will spotlight your business or at least let you talk about massage therapy. This is free coverage in your target area. Be sure to include your address and phone number in your segment. Mailers You can conduct direct mailers to the zip code area nearest your business. Offers of discounts, coupons and specials can be included. Give people a time limit to respond. Also be sure to conduct regular mailings, thank-yous, etc. to your regular clients and anyone who has visited your business. Be, Be, Be! Be your business all the time! Always be ready to answer questions about your business, offer information about the benefit of your service and invite people to get a massage. Choose the times and places when you will be “on” and the times and places when you will be “off.” Then do it! You are the key to success with your business! You are the expert, the image and, possibly, someone’s whole idea of what massage therapy is—keep that in mind at all times. Never Stop! Marketing is not just about getting someone to think about massage, it is about getting them on your table and keeping them there. Never stop “courting” your clients. Don’t take for granted that since they came in once they will come in again. Send thank you notes or call to follow up. Offer water after the massage. Offer discounts for any referrals they give you that actually book appointments. Be creative and always be aware of the client and their needs.

Silicon Valley Half Marathon 2006 The Silicon Valley Half Marathon has been an institution in San Jose for years. New to its long history is National Holistic Institute. NHI has been fortunate to participate for two years running allowing for not only the runners to receive quality massage, but a great opportunity for our students to benefit from this great experience. Some History In Fall of 2005, NHI students provided post-event sports massage for participants of the Half Marathon. Proceeds went to the Katrina Relief Fund. In 2006 NHI asked Rock Solid Massage Therapy Team (RSMTT), founded by graduates and Teaching Assistants of NHI, to organize and train students for the post-event sports massage provided at the finish of the Half Marathon. RSMTT recruited 23 students from NHI offering hours towards their Externship as well as great opportunity to network. Rock Solid then trained students in an eight-minute full body post-event sports massage sequence. Workbooks were provided for the students along with eight sessions of traning. The students were trained at the campuses of Emeryville and San Jose for 4 hours at a time. Some Stats 7:00AM - The Rock Solid team arrived at Los Gatos High School at 7am on the day of the race in preparation for the initial finishers. 8:11AM - The first runners crossed the finish line at 8:11am. 8:11AM – 11:00AM - For the next 2½ hours Rock Solid and its crew of NHI therapists treated participants using the 8-minute sequence. How many? The therapists provided treatment to 221 bodies out of 931 participants. That’s more than 20% of the runners! The Value Students got a chance to experience the “stage” of being a therapist including muscle cramps, muscle spasms, and ankle sprains. They learned how to treat and educate a client about sports massage. Students learned the marketing aspects of working big events, how to build their practice, and work as part of a team. We at RSMTT would like to thank the student therapists who participated in the Silicon Valley Half Marathon. We hope you enjoyed the experience as much as we enjoyed working with you. We look forward to working with each and every one of you in future events. RSMTT would also like to give a special thank you to the NHI faculty and staff, especially, Tim Veitzer, Linda Rikli, and Alicia Ramos. Without their support, the success of the Silicon Valley Marathon would not have been possible. We hope you have a blessed and prosperous day. Sincerely, Cavan, Xavier, Bounxous, & Johnny Rock Solid Massage Therapy Team http://www.nhi.edu

Marissa Krueger, NHI Graduate NHI graduates hundreds of students every year and with those graduates comes many great and entertaining speeches. In this newsletter, we have spotlighted one or two in the past of exemplary quality, ones that made us laugh, cry, think and remember NHI fondly. Below is just such an example. Marissa Krueger is a recent graduate from NHI who regaled us on her graduation day not only with her entertaining personality, but with her eloquent and poignant words. Parents, teachers, families and friends – welcome and thank you for joining us today! This is a really special time for us. My name is Marissa and I’m proud to be a part of Group 2! This morning, we celebrate all the hard work we’ve done and all that we have accomplished. Today is our day to say to the world we have the courage to succeed and the dedication and perseverance to make our dreams come true. We are here before you, proud of what we have already done and of everything we plan to do. As we leave NHI to build our success, we feel proud, excited and maybe a little scared. But thanks to the faith and patience of our wonderful teachers, family and friends, WE DID IT! Today is our day to celebrate! I would not have made it to this day without the support of some very special people in my life! My most profound thank you and appreciation goes to my husband, Larry! Your unconditional love made me feel very special, you’ve brought me sunshine and comfort in some of my darkest moments. You are the most important person in my life and I love you very much! Thank you - To my dear sister and her beautiful family – you are my best friend! To our mentor Rebecca and our teachers, thank you for your unending dedication, for your inspiration and guidance. After 20 years of working in a corporate setting, I’m grateful that I’ve finally answered my calling – the healing arts through massage therapy. My vision is to TOUCH as many lives possible in the hopes of channeling what is in my heart to increase the health and energy of the world which we live and work. The last 10 months have been some of the best of my life. I’ve made great friends and matured in so many ways. I’ve not only earned the credits I need to graduate, but I also gained a family – my NHI family! Some of the best lessons in life I’ve re-learned here at NHI! -Empty the cup! -Embrace Tiger! -Praise Sandwich -- -Truth with Compassion -FWAG – Feng Shui, Wash Your Hands, Assess, Ground -Be in the moment -Meditate -Super Learning Techniques – Mindmaps, AVK – auditory, visual, kinesthetic -Practice, practice, practice! -Breathe! And finally, you’ve got to find what you love. Cause the only way to do great work is to love what you do!!! Thank you NHI, for providing us the fertile ground and opportunity to dedicate our lives to the life-changing experience of massage therapy. NHI ALUMNI WEBPAGE

1. Name three of the five muscles we learned in the NHI program that have an agonist/antagonist relationship with themselves. 2. What is the definition of medulla? 3. What boney landmark is named after the Greek word for eyeball?

NHI Continuing Education Schedule for 2007! NHI's Encino Campus, formerly Touch Therapy Institute, has a longstanding reputation as one of the top providers of Continuing Education in California. In addition to our robust Continuing Education classes at our Encino Campus, NHI intends to continue this strong tradition by offering a wide array of courses at our Northern California campuses. See below for more information on the upcoming workshops.

SCIENCE CORNER - ANSWERS! 1. Name three of the five muscles (we learn in the NHI program) that have an agonist/antagonist relationship with themselves. Answer – Deltoids, Gluteus Medius, Gluteus Maximus, Trapezius, Pectoralis Major 2. What is the definition of medulla? Answer – The inner portion of an organ 3. What boney landmark is named after the Greek word for eyeball? Answer – Glenoid Fossa (cavity)

Thank you for reading In Touch: National Holistic Institute's Newsletter. We welcome your feedback and comments. If you have suggestions for future newsletters, would like to be published as one of our success stories or know of anyone who would like to receive the newsletter, please contact us at intouch@nhi.edu, or call 510.547.6444 x142.