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Many counsellors and others in the healing arts begin a practice by marketing haphazardly, never really knowing what they are going to do next, or why. This is understandable, since most service professionals do not have an understanding of marketing and how a marketing plan can help them. However, marketing a practice without a plan can be a huge detriment to your success in private practice.

The idea of developing a marketing plan is often scary and overwhelming for most professionals. They often don’t know where to start or what is involved in developing a plan, and therefore avoid it and/or convince themselves that they don’t need one.

The fact is, however, that most successful businesses do have a plan. After all, if you don’t know where you are going, how will you know how to get there?

The good news is that most coaches and other helping and healing professionals don’t need a complicated marketing plan. I encourage my clients to make it easy on themselves and develop a simple plan that they know they will utilize. There is no point in having a plan that is not going to be used.

Below are 7 key areas to include in a basic marketing plan.

Core Elements of A Marketing Plan

1. Do Your Market Research

You will need to do some sort of analysis of your market. Who is providing services similar to you? Where are they located? What prices are they charging? Are there gaps in their services that you could perhaps fill?

Further, it’s important that you assess the demand for your services. Are there people who want and need your services? Is there room in the market for another professional offering services like yours?

2. Select Your Target Audience(s)

Focusing on a specific target market is an important part of being successful in your business. Most professionals resist narrowing in on a specific market often because they fear they will close the door on other potential clients. In reality, however, the more narrow your market, the easier it is to get known for what you do, and ultimately, the more clients you will have.

Furthermore, many cities these days have an abundance of helping and healing professionals. If you are going to stand out from the crowd, you will have to market to a specific and unique population.

3. Identify Your Purpose and Goals

What are your goals for marketing your practice? You must be specific and quantify the results you want to achieve. For example, how many clients do you want to attract, and by when? How much income do you want to bring in? How many clients will you need to do this?

Your goals must be concrete, realistic and measurable. They should include those that are short-term (3-12 months), as well as those that are long term (1-5 years). A marketing plan is intended to be fluid, so don’t worry about setting goals too far into the future. They can be modified as necessary.

4. Create Your Marketing Message

Once you have your target market identified, you will need to write a marketing message–a statement of who you work with, what kinds of problem(s) you help solve, the benefits of your services, some proof (i.e. testimonials) that you can help clients solve their problem(s), and a call to action, inviting them to do something (e.g. to contact you for more information).

Many coaches, therapists and healing professionals are reluctant to be this specific about their services. However, unless you are very clear on your marketing message, you will likely find all aspects of marketing that follow this step challenging.

Clarity is key when it comes to marketing. It’s important to be able to articulate your services both verbally and in writing if you want to communicate effectively with potential clients.

5. Choose Your Marketing Strategies & Develop a Time Line

Describe the marketing methods you will use to attract your clients. These can include networking, public speaking, writing articles, advertising, direct mail, or any method you use to let others know about your services.

Once you select your marketing strategies, the next step is to put them into a very specific plan of action. What exactly will you do, and by when? For example, one marketing strategy might be that you will send out a brochure, letter and/or flyer to all the people in your network announcing your practice, or reminding them of it. You would specify a date when you would do this, and then perhaps a date for following up with them via phone.

6. Establish Your Budget

Examine your finances carefully and conduct some research on what it will cost you for each marketing method that you choose. It is a good idea to keep your costs as low as possible by selecting marketing strategies that are free or low cost–especially when you are first starting your practice and funds may be low. Many of the best strategies to use when starting to market your practice are free.

You will have to budget for marketing materials i.e. brochure, website, etc. and perhaps for mailing costs if you plan on doing any direct mail strategies. Other expenses you may incur include costs for advertising, letterhead, envelopes, office rental, and costs of running your office.

7. Track and Modify Your Results

Keep track of the results of your marketing efforts so that you can evaluate and modify your strategies accordingly. This way, you will know exactly how effective they are at bringing in clients.

If, after a while, your marketing strategies are not creating the results you desired, you will have to modify the strategies, or choose alternative methods.

A word of caution: Don’t eliminate your strategies prematurely. Most marketing methods take time before they start generating results. Healing professionals often come to me after trying out a method that appeared to not work for them. Often, the problem wasn’t an ineffective marketing strategy. Usually, they gave up too soon and/or implemented the strategy inadequately.

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Coaching and Counselling / Therapy: What is the Connection

Coaching came into its own in the 80′s, fed by the human potential movement, counseling and therapy, business and organizational consulting. As change became the norm rather than an exception in corporations, coaching provided one option to guide outsized, downsized, or self-maximizing employees.

Over the past ten years, coaching has spread beyond the business world. People from all walks of life are now hiring coaches to assist them in achieving a variety of personal and professional goals. The growth in coaching is evidenced by the increasing numbers of coaches joining the International Coaching Federation (ICF), the professional association that sets ethics and standards for the coaching profession and certifies coaches.

According to the ICF, coaching can be defined as “an ongoing partnership that helps clients produce fulfilling results in their personal and professional lives. Through the process of coaching, clients deepen their learning, improve their performance, and enhance their quality of life.

The name ‘coaching’ uses a metaphor from the sports community, where coaching is an established activity. No team of athletes would consider trying to reach excellence without a coach. In being coached, one does not have to admit either to needing help or even to having a problem, so the shame-based feelings often triggered by counselling or therapy are by-passed. It is no disgrace to have a coach, when even Tiger Woods has had several!

Some of the people who popularized coaching were business men like Thomas Leonard, who launched the financially remunerative Coach U (and now Coachville), women like Cheryl Richard, from her position as Oprah’s coach and writer of two very successful books, Frederick Hudson of the Hudson Institute, an academic, and Mary Beth O’Neill, from the Leadership Institute of Seattle, an organizational development consultant.

Counsellors and therapists were not in the vanguard of the coaching movement. However, as coaching becomes more popular and more counsellors discover it, more counsellors are found in various coach-training programs, and are either including coaching as one of the services they offer or transitioning from a counselling or therapy practice to a coaching practice.

How is Coaching Different from Therapy?

One of the basic questions therapists wrestle with as they think about coaching is, ‘How is it different from what I already do’? One of the difficulties in answering such a question is therapists do widely different things. (So do coaches, of course.)

If one compares coaching to psychodynamic models, for example, one might say that therapy focuses on issues of pathology, healing and unresolved psychological issues of the past. Coaching on the other hand, begins with the present and assists clients in setting very clear, and specific goals that they want to achieve in the future. While the past may be discussed on occasion, it is addressed only in the context of discovering what is blocking the client from moving forward. The focus is always on movement and taking action, not on insight or understanding.

Counsellors from the Solution Focused or more systemic end of the therapy spectrum often say that they already focus on the present and future as well and do not see coaching as very different from what they do. However, the words, ‘solution focused therapy’ may still imply that there is a problem for which a solution needs to be sought. In coaching a client may be seeking solutions, but they are more often seeking to enhance their performance (and sometimes reach excellence) in a given area of their life.

In addition, the word ‘therapy’ conjures up the notion that someone is in need of help or a cure. Coaching clients choose to work with a coach because they want to, not because they need to.

Another difference is that coaches, as contrasted to counsellors, are not seen as experts. Rather, they are seen more as a person with a set of skills they use to support people to achieve goals. A coach can be seen more like a partner or buddy that you check in with from week to week to review your progress, vision for the future and set new goals.

In an article entitled, Coaching Vs. Therapy: a Perspective, Hart, Battner and Leipsic asked coaches who were trained both as therapists and as coaches to report on the critical difference they saw between coaching and therapy.

Their answers varied, but one important difference reported was in the relationship. They reported themselves as more “self-revelatory,” as “having a skilled friendship”, and as being “in partnership.” The boundaries are looser, transference issues are not addressed and they use more humour, are more actively engaged.

“You can admit you know them in the grocery store,” one respondent said. Also, they ‘expect more” from their coaching clients. One counsellor reported that “coaching is not such a tender zone as therapy was.”

They also reported that there was far more flexibility in the delivery of coaching. Subjects interviewed reported coaching clients using telephone sessions, e-mail, and personal meetings over lunch or even on the golf course. Some sessions were an hour, some five minutes.

Nuts and Bolts: How Coaching Works

Coaching usually happens over the phone, although it can also occur in person.
Therapists often find it difficult to imagine that they could coach without being face to face with their clients. Coaches and their clients– usually do not find this a difficulty. To the contrary, it can be an advantage as it is more convenient for both client and coach, does not involve travel time or costs, offers clients more anonymity, and encourages coaches to develop exceptional listening skills.
Coaching fees range from $200-500 per month for 3-4, 30 minute individual sessions. Usually included in this fee is additional e-mail and brief telephone calls on an as-needed basis. Fees are usually higher for in-person coaching and/or longer sessions. Fees for corporate coaching can be as much as $1000 + a month. Fees for group telephone meetings can range from $100-$150 or more per month for two or three 1-hour sessions.

The Coaching Process

When a client first contracts with a coach, they are usually sent an intake package electronically that includes a contract to be signed, several forms (e.g. questions about life goals and plans) and (sometimes) assessments and tests to be completed (perhaps assessing values, behaviors, personality styles, etc.) Clients often send their coach a weekly prep form prior to each session which focuses on accomplishments in the previous week, challenges they are currently experiencing and what they want to accomplish with their coach in the upcoming session.

During the coaching call, the coach will ask what the client wants, listen to the answer and ask questions that assist clients to clarify, envision what they want, address limits or blocks, identify gaps, and help them move towards taking action. Typically by the end of the session, the coach will want to know three things from the client:

• What will the client do over the next week?
• When will s/he do it by?
• How will the client know s/he has been successful and how will the coach know the client has been successful at achieving his or her goal(s).

Future Directions

As the coaching profession continues to evolve, several trends are likely to become more obvious:

1. For the consumer, the availability of coaches will mean a change in the way some people seek support, especially those clients outside EAPs and agencies.
2. Some of the distinctions between therapy and coaching will be made more explicit and will becoming clearer to the public. People will know when they want to seek therapy or coaching. Some US regulatory boards (e.g. Colorado) that license therapists have suggested that coaching fits under their definition of therapy. This could cause problems for coaches who are not licensed therapists in those states. Organizations like the ICF and many therapists who are now coaches are addressing these issues, attempting to sort them out.
3. An increasing number of therapists will receive coach training and offer coaching services instead of, or in addition to, their therapy services.
4. Training programs for coaching will increasingly be developed in academe. The University of Sidney in Australia is developing a Coaching Psychology program.
5. More sophisticated models of coaching will continue to emerge incorporating theories and concepts from psychology and therapy.
6. Coaches perhaps will be required to have training in assessment for depression, suicide, abuse, and even grief counselling so they know both when to appropriately refer clients for therapy and what to do in order to avoid risking lawsuits.
7. Therapists are likely to refer to coaches more often once their clients reach a place where they are ready to take more action or achieve excellence in their lives. Coaches will increasingly refer a client to therapy when the client seems inappropriate for coaching or gets stuck on an issue that is not being resolved in coaching.

Bios of Authors

Juliet Austin, MA, Counselling Psychology, is a Marketing Coach, Consultant  and Copywriter who assists counselors, therapists, coaches, alternative health professionals and other healing professionals in marketing their private practices. She helps her clients overcome resistances to marketing, implement no or low-cost marketing strategies, create compelling promotional materials, and write attention-grabbing website copy designed to get results.

Sharon Brain is a Registered Clinical Counsellor who trained in Family Systems. She is a Life Skills Coach Trainer,a practioner of EMDR and has a private practice in North Vancouver, BC, Canada. She works with groups of health care workers suffering from moral distress and secondary trauma. She can be reached at sharonbrain@canadawired.com or 604.924.2417.

This article was originally published in Insights, the newsletter of the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors. Winter, 2002. Volume 13, Number 3.

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Coaching in Canada for Therapist-Coaches

When I started coaching in early 1999, coaching was still relatively unheard of in Canada. Although there was a strong and active ICF chapter in Vancouver where I reside, and there were other chapters around the country, most people, including therapists, still associated the word ‘coach’ with the sports profession. Like many places in the world, the coaching profession has rapidly caught on here in the past few years.

Coaching in Canada looks much the same as it does in the US, although there are a few differences that Canadian coaches experience. One of the challenges Canadian coaches continue to face is the cost of US training programs, given the low value of the Canadian dollar. There are only a handful of training programs in Canada and only one that is ICF certified at this time. Most Canadian coaches still choose to do their training in the US often because the programs have been in existence longer and have a proven track record.

Unlike the US, Canadian therapists do not have the issues of the US managed care system that have prompted some to enter the coaching profession. Most therapist-turned-coaches choose the profession as they see it as a more positive way to work with people or they want to add diversity to their practices.

Many Canadian coaches are increasingly concerned about their inability to acquire liability insurance. The ICF does not have an insurance package available for Canadians and insurance for coaches is virtually unavailable in Canada.

The coaching profession has a long way to go in terms of gaining the awareness and credibility of the majority of Canadians, and some of the particular challenges mentioned above will surely be resolved in the process. One thing is for certain: Coaching in Canada is here to stay.

This article appeared in the newsletter of Tomorrow’s Life Coach, the newsletter of the The Institute for Life Coach Training. Volume 2, Issue #5, May, 2003

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The Difference Between Website Content and Website Copy in Attracting Therapy, Coaching & Healing Clients

A client-attracting website has client-attracting copy, not simply written content.

Huh?

What does that mean?

Let’s begin with some definitions.

Website content is any content you have on your site. The main purpose of website content is to provide information to people. Unfortunately, most therapist and healing websites only consist of content and it’s also what most web designers focus on because they don’t know any better.

Website copy is also content that provides information, but it goes one step further (and it’s a GIGANTIC step).

The main purpose of website copy is to encourage people to take action once they land at your site. This action could be to get people to sign-up for your newsletter or call you to set up an appointment.

Compelling web copy is the single most important aspect of a website that attracts clients.

Therapy or healing clients visit your website to find out what you have to offer them. It’s your job to show them how they will benefit from working with you or from buying something from you. You will have to convince them that they will likely get what they want from taking the action(s) that you want them to take.

Now of course website content — if it’s well done — will usually attract some clients, but client-attracting website copy will typically attract a lot more.

How do I know that compelling web copy attracts more clients?

Because it’s been proven over and over.

Many expert copywriters are fanatical about testing their copy. They write different versions of web pages and then test the results they get. Changing even one word on a website’s headline has been shown to increase response rates by up to 500% or more.

My copywriting clients consistently tell me that their client-attracting web copy makes a huge difference in terms of the number of well qualified therapy or healing clients they attract. They also say that their clients report that their copy really made them feel understood and hopeful and that was the main reason they called for an appointment.

And this is exactly what strong, client-attracting copy is supposed to do.

If you want your copy to be more client-attracting, check out the Client Attracting Websites Home Study Program.

Websites for Therapists, Counselors & Healers: 5 Mistakes Often Made

One of the biggest obstacles to success for healing professionals, counselors and therapists is that their websites don’t attract enough clients. Furthermore, most professionals are completely unaware of why this is the case. This article highlights 5 common mistakes made on the websites of therapist and healers. Check below to see how many of these problems are preventing you from drawing in more clients.

If so, check out the Client Attracting Websites Home Study Program.

7 Core Principles of Enlightened Marketing For Therapists, Coaches & Healers: Revisited

The term ‘Enlightend Marketing’ was inspired by the Buddhist philosophy that has guided me throughout my personal and professional life for the past 27 years. At the core of Buddhist ethics is the notion that all of our actions must avoid harming ourselves and others. Buddhism holds that it is through an aware and conscious mind that we can achieve this. It is from this premise that this article is based upon.

Although I have seen a tremendous increase in the awareness of marketing amongst therapists and healers since I first wrote this article four years ago, many still remain largely uninformed about marketing and how to use it to their full advantage in building a private practice.

Furthermore, misconceptions and skepticism still abound and lead many in therapy and the healing arts to erroneously believe that they have to abandon their values, desires, authenticity and integrity in order market successfully. This “ignorance” leads to a great deal of unnecessary struggling and suffering for the practitioner.

Embracing an enlightened approach to marketing aims to help you overcome skepticism and correct misconceptions so that you can more easily build a healthy practice while also being ethical.

When you practice enlightened marketing, you will discover that marketing can be a source of inspiration and creativity, a way of expressing yourself and your passion.

Ultimately, practicing the core principles of enlightened marketing will help you move from struggling to attract clients, to attracting more clients with less effort and more joy.

1. Enlightened Marketing has Integrity

In order to attract clients successfully, enlightened marketing holds that you must market with high integrity. Clients will be much more likely to hire you if they perceive that you are sincere and can be trusted. Marketing with integrity means that you are honest and upfront in all methods of marketing that you use and that you aim to provide the highest value possible to those you market to.

2. Enlightened Marketing is Authentic

In order to market with authenticity you need to put your authentic self out there for people to see and experience. Acting authentically illuminates your uniqueness and naturally attracts the clients who feel they can benefit from your individuality and what you distinctly have to offer. They will also be the ones that you provide the best service to, and will therefore help spread the word about the benefits of your services.

3. Enlightened Marketing is Passionate

When you are passionate about marketing and the services that you offer, you will be more motivated to take the steps necessary to build your business effectively. In addition, the enthusiasm that you exude will be part of what draws clients to you and builds your reputation.

4. Enlightened Marketing Has Vision

Your marketing efforts will be more successful if you have a clear vision for your practice and know how you intend to achieve this vision. Furthermore, the more creative you are with your vision, the more profound and limitless it will be. The more you hold and implement your vision throughout all your marketing activities, the more success you will have.

5. Enlightened Marketing is Conscious

To be conscious from the perspective of enlightened marketing means that you are aware of how marketing functions as both an art and a science. You make a conscious effort to learn and experiment with marketing strategies, discovering what works and what doesn’t, and modify your plans accordingly.

6. Enlightened Marketing Shows Commitment and Dedication

In order to achieve the results you desire, you must be committed and dedicated to developing your business and making it a priority in your life. To this end, marketing must be taken just as seriously as the service you provide to your clients. Success becomes a goal and not an option.

7. Enlightened Marketing Is Unattached to Outcomes

While it is important to remain committed to your success, it’s equally important that you remain unattached to the outcome of your marketing efforts. Regardless of how much marketing knowledge you have, things do not always go as planned. Patience and persistence are essential. No matter how often you “fail,” you pick yourself up and continue to move forward with even more conviction.

Making the above 7 core principles foundational to your marketing will enable you to enjoy marketing more and help ensure that you attract the type of clients you most enjoy working with. In the end, you will be able to build a thriving and highly rewarding private practice faster and more efficiently. You will also save time and money as well as having a lot more fun in the process.

May your marketing be enlightened.

7 Steps For Attracting an Endless Stream of Referrals into your Therapy or Holistic Practice

Many professionals building a therapy or holistic practice seek clients through referral sources and if you are not one of them, you should be! Building your practice through referrals is one of the best ways to have a constant stream of clients flowing into your practice. The best referral sources are those that you can build mutually beneficial relationships with, where there is a relationship of
give and take on both sides.

If your attempts at getting referrals for your private practice are failing to bring in the number of clients you wish to have, following the 7 steps below are sure to get more of them knocking at your door.

1. Determine Your Best Referral Sources

Begin with the people you already know and think about who might be in a position to refer to you. Who is most likely to have access to your target market that could also benefit by referring to you? Who are the people that are “centers of influence” in that they seem to know everybody?

After you have thoroughly gone through your own contact list, ask your friends and colleagues for people they might know, but be sure to be specific as to the kind of people you ask for. Finally, brainstorm other professionals whom you think might be appropriate and make a list of who they are and then seek them out. Determining your best referral sources in a logical and systematic way will greatly increase your referral rate in the long run.

2. Get Clear Before You Contact Potential Referral Sources

You must think through what you’re going to say to potential referral sources before you contact them. This includes being clear about your marketing message (knowing who your clients are, the problems they are having, and the ways you help them), as well as having ideas on how you might want to partner with them. You don’t want to sound like you are unclear or confused in what you are doing and end up leaving a bad impression.

3. Make Contact With Your Potential Referral Sources

If it’s someone you know or a name given to you by a friend or colleague, you might want to call and offer to take the person out for lunch. If that doesn’t work or seems inappropriate, you might want to simply speak to the person on the phone. If you are contacting someone completely cold (e.g. a name from the phonebook or other directory), I suggest you write the person a letter first advising who you are, the services you offer, and how you might be of benefit. In the letter, let the person know that you will be following up with a phone call in the near future (usually within a week or two at the most).

Once you are in conversation with potential referral sources, focus on listening to them. Learn everything you can about the challenges they are having with their business and what they need in order to solve their problems. Ask lots of questions and make sure to limit your own talking. Through doing this, not only will you build rapport by making the person feel heard and understood, you will also learn valuable information that will help you if you end up partnering with them.

4. Follow-Up and Keep in Touch With Potential Referral Sources

Unless you know for sure there is no interest from a potential referral source during the first attempt at making contact, make sure you follow up with the person. This means if you don’t get a call back or a response to your initial letter, don’t give up. As with all marketing strategies, follow-up is key to succeeding.

Now, I am not suggesting you pester a potential referral source with endless phone calls and letters. But recognize that people have busy lives and that a lack of immediate response doesn’t necessarily mean they are not interested. It takes time to build relationships of trust, so you must be persistent and patient.

Remember too, that there are many different ways of following up. Maybe you have an article or some other piece of information that could be value to a potential referral source or his or her clients. If so, you could send it to the person as part of your follow-up strategy.

You must also develop a strategy for keeping in touch with referral sources on a regular basis. Once you have built relationships of trust through repeated contact, you will notice that the referrals will start coming. There are numerous ways to keep in touch. For example, send note cards, holiday cards, articles of interest, phone calls, etc. Be systematic about how often you get in touch (e.g. monthly, quarterly).

5. Contact Prospective Clients Immediately Once Referred to You

When you do get a potential client from a referral source it’s important that you contact the person as soon as possible. If you leave it too long the potential client may have lost interest or have found another way to solve his or her problem. People are impressed and appreciative when you respond quickly. It shows you care about the potential client and that you are professional in the way you do business. Further, it shows your referral source that they can rely on you to respond quickly which builds trust.

6. Advise Referral Sources That Prospective Clients Have
Contacted You

Unless confidentiality is an issue, let your referral sources know that the person who was referred has contacted you (or that you have contacted him or her). Keeping referral sources in the loop in this way lets them know that you are worthy of their referrals and prevents them from wondering what happened. If they are concerned about the person, it will also provide them with some comfort knowing that you have made contact.

7. Thank Referral Sources for Every Client They Refer to You

You can thank your referral sources by contacting them directly via phone, sending them a nice card, treating them to lunch, or perhaps even giving them a small gift. Always say thank you in some way, whether or not the person they referred becomes a client. Remember, if you want to keep the referrals coming, you must put effort into the relationship on an ongoing basis.

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Holiday Networking Tips for Therapists and Healers

Are you one of those people who says, “My practice always slows down over the holidays,” and then passively waits and hopes for it to pick up in the New year?

While it is true that business often does slow down over the holiday season, it doesn’t have to…

The Holidays can be one of the best times to network due to all the social activities that occur. While some people may not want to start working with you until after the holidays are over, you can take advantage of holiday socializing events to get things set up for the New Year.

You never know whom you may meet at holiday social gatherings. It could be potential clients, new referral sources, or people that you might want to partner with in some way around your business. Here are a few tips for making the most out of holiday networking opportunities:

1. Attend all the events that you are invited to and make the most out of them.

Make an effort to have quality conversations with as many people as possible and show genuine interest in what they are saying.

2. Eat before you attend the event so that it’s easier to meet and talk with people.

Having your hands free to shake other’s hands and exchange business cards will make networking go smoother. If you do decide to eat at the event, eat (and drink) lightly. Try to keep your right hand empty for greeting people.

3. Talk with people about their work and lives rather than talking about yourself and your practice or business.

You will get a much better sense of how you can help people if you focus on listening to them instead of talking about yourself. Furthermore, people are much more likely to form a positive and lasting impression of you if you show interest in them, rather than talking about your business. When and if the time is appropriate, you can talk about yourself and what you do.

4. Always, take your business cards with you to social events.

Give your cards out to people when, and if, they show interest in what you are doing. However, it’s much more important that you get other people’s cards and then follow up with them. This gives you more control so you don’t have to sit by the phone waiting for them to call you.

5. Have a one sentence “elevator speech” ready telling people what you do.

Make sure your elevator speech focuses on the solutions or benefits that you provide to your clients, rather than your job or title. After people ask, “What do you Do?,” tell them briefly and then re-direct the conversation back to them.

6. Don’t try to make any appointments with people at social events.

It’s best that you contact people after the event to set up any appointment times. This way you will be able to have a more focused and professional conversation without interruptions.

7. After the event, follow up with people with whom you might want to have a continued relationship with as soon as possible.

Following up the day after the event is ideal while everything is still fresh in your minds. Call people you met at the event if they showed interest in setting up an appointment, or send a card or email telling them that you enjoyed meeting with them.

If you have the intent to make the most of out of holiday networking events this season, you might be surprised at the number of new clients or business opportunities that come your way in the New Year.

A Marketing Mindset for Success in Your Therapist or Healing Practice

A lot of practitioners in counseling and the healing arts assume that all they need in order to be successful in their business or practice are more ideas or knowledge about marketing. While it’s essential that you have knowledge and skills in marketing, you must also have a mindset that will ensure your success. In fact, unless you exhibit the attitudes that will bring you the clients that you need to build and sustain your counseling or healing practice, all the marketing knowledge in the world won’t do you any good.

So what are some of the characteristics of a marketing mindset of success? Below are some that stand out for me:

1. You know what you want.

You know what you want in terms of success in your business, but you also know why you want to be successful. You know what success in your practice will bring to the rest of your life. For example, if you require a specific amount of income to travel or to retire at a certain age, you know how much income you need to generate in your business that will allow you to reach these goals.

2. You have made a commitment to succeed in your counseling or healing business.

You know that building a practice means that you are in it for the long haul no matter what happens and how discouraged you feel at times. You know that success requires time, persistence and patience and are willing to do what it takes to succeed.

3. You believe that what you want is possible.

In the words of Napoleon Hill, “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” You think positively and act as if you expect your dreams for your practice to come true. You don’t waste your time dwelling on what is not working. If you don’t know how to do something, you find a way to learn how to do it.

4. You face your fears and do whatever is necessary in order to overcome them.

You are aware of any fears you have about being successful and address them head on. The more success you desire the bigger the risks you will have to take, thus the more fears you will likely have to overcome. You are also mindful of any fears you are creating for yourself. You know that the more you think about the potential negative consequences of something, the more likely you are to experience fear. You focus on what you want to happen and the positive results you hope to reap from any risk that you take.

5. You know that “failure” is inevitable and that it can actually bring you closer to success.

In fact, when failure arrives you welcome what it can teach you about how you need to improve at becoming a better marketer. You know that each time you fail at some aspect of your business, it makes you and your business stronger if you act upon the lessons you have learned.

6. You believe that you deserve success.

You have faith in your ability to have the kind of healing or therapy business that you want and know that you deserve it. Just like you believe success is possible, you know that you are as worthy of success as anyone is.

7. You are prepared for the unexpected.

You understand that no matter how well you plan for things while marketing your practice, things will not always go as you envisioned. You are prepared to be flexible and adapt to each situation as is necessary. You know that sometimes you must change your plans in mid-stream if you find a better way of doing things. You accept this as part of the process.

8. You are comfortable putting yourself out there to the world.

You know your strengths and the benefits of the services you offer and are not afraid to tell others about the good work you do. You know that as long as what you are saying about yourself and your services in your marketing is true, it’s not only ok but necessary to talk about all the good things you can do, and have done for people.

9. You know that building your practice is a process, not an event.

You understand that because you are committed to your success that marketing will always be a part of what you do. You know that there are always things you can do to improve your marketing so that it can bring you even better results. You have learned that the more experience you have with marketing your healing or therapy practice, the more you realize what you don’t know about marketing, and that inspires you to learn even more. You also understand that even when business is good you must keep the marketing engine running so that you don’t get caught in the “feast and famine” cycle.

10. You know that you must take regular and consistent action towards marketing your practice.

You understand that developing promotional materials and marketing plans are essential components for preparing to market. However, until you get out there and take action, you will not get the business that you want. You engage in action activities on a regular basis that bring you clients.

Developing a marketing mindset, like marketing itself, is something that requires work on an ongoing basis. If you find yourself lacking in any of the ten areas above, develop a strategy for what you will do about it. Get help if you need it. Do whatever it takes to get your marking mindset in top shape for success.

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5 Beliefs That Cause Counselors and Healers to Struggle with Setting & Collecting  Fees

The topic of fees and money in general is often a taboo subject amongst Therapists, Holistic Counselors, and other Healers. There is a belief that holds that because you are called into a profession that provides healing services to others, that it is somehow unethical, unspiritual or even greedy to think about what you are getting from the experience.

The problem with this kind of thinking is that if you don’t identify and eliminate beliefs that tell you it’s not appropriate to charge what your worth, you will never be successful in your business.

If providing healing service is a hobby, or a way of picking up a little extra money on the side, then what follows in this article does not apply to you. However, if you are serious about having a successful business in counseling or the healing arts, you should continue reading.

Either you are running a business, or you are not. Either you want and need to earn a living or you do not. And if you do want and need to earn money, there are certain things you must do if you want to be successful. Coming to terms with any issues you have around money and the setting and collection of fees then becomes essential.

Below are five common beliefs that hinder Counselors’ and Healers’ ability to come to terms with getting paid sufficiently for their services.

1. “I Shouldn’t Be Concerned About Money as I Love the Work I am Doing”

Many professionals feel they are providing a service to humankind that they should do out of the goodness of their hearts. Sometimes this is an explicit belief and sometimes it’s more implicit in that Practitioners and Healers don’t fully realize they have this thought or understand how it is holding them back. Part of the problem is that many healing professions have been plagued by this kind of thinking for a long time so it’s not surprising that Counselors and Healers end up internalizing it.

Providing a counseling or healing service helps others live happier and healthier lives and this is certainly a valuable service to offer to the world. However, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get paid appropriately for what you do. Earning a healthy income and providing a valuable service to humanity are not mutually exclusive. If you are holding a limited belief about this, you need to find a way to change it–and fast if you care about your success!

2. “My Clients Can’t Afford Higher Fees”

While it is true that some clients will not be able to afford your fees, “being able to afford” something is often a matter of what is called “perceived value” in the marketing field. Just because someone says they can’t afford something, doesn’t mean they can’t. It is often a case of them not full understanding or appreciating the value of what you are offering so they decide it isn’t a priority for them.

I am sure you have met many people who earn an excellent living, who stated they couldn’t afford your services. On the other hand, there are people that are truly scraping by financially and yet, find a way to pay for your services because they make it a priority in their lives. If your service is important to people and they perceive it as being able to help them, many will often find the money by simply shifting their priorities.

If you continuously find that your potential clients are telling you they can’t afford your fees you might want to think about how you are articulating the value you provide.

Another problem may be that your marketing message is flawed and is attracting the wrong people. If you are marketing to people without sufficient funds to hire you, perhaps it’s time to find a way to market to a different audience. You can always offer a reduced rate or pro bono services to a set number of people who can’t afford your fees. However, you don’t have to do that for everyone.

3. “There is Too Much Competition in My field”

While it is a reality that there is a growing competition for those offering services or products in counseling or the healing arts, increased competition is not necessarily bad for business. In fact, more competition actually increases public awareness of the value of counseling and healing services, which can mean more clients for you in the long run.

Another problem inherent in this belief is that many counseling or healing professionals don’t have a focused niche audience that they market to, nor do they have a clear and well-articulated marketing message. It doesn’t matter what kind of counseling or healing arts practice you have, or how much competition there is, you will always find people offering similar services and products that are getting paid what they are worth.

In fact, sometimes they have more clients than they can handle. These professionals have learned how to market effectively and the first step in doing this is having a marketing message that stands out from the crowd. The more unique and compelling your services sound, the more people will be willing to pay you.

4. “I Can’t Charge More Than Others in My Field”

There is a common belief that tells you that you have to charge the same fees as what others are charging for similar services. Again, it’s a matter of perceived value. People often will pay higher fees if they think it’s worth it to them. If you can show that you are worth the fees you are asking, the price won’t be an issue for many people.

Charging more than others often gives the perception that you must be better at what you do. People want to feel that they are hiring the best and are often willing to pay for services they believe to be exceptional.

If you feel you offer great value for your services and they are worth more than the going rate, you might want to consider charging what you feel you are worth.

5. “I Am Not Skilled Enough To Warrant Charging More for My Services

Many professionals worry that they are not skilled enough in their counseling or healing skills to really charge appropriately for their services. However, if you have done sufficient training and/or have adequate experience in your field, how can you really believe that you are not skilled enough? Of course you need to always be improving and updating your skills to stay competitive, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be charging what you are worth now.

You do need to feel confident in what you are charging or your prospective clients will pick up on your uncertainty and lack of confidence and conclude you are not worth your fee.

Furthermore, if you have an amateur looking and non-compelling website or otherwise don’t present yourself professionally, you will have difficulty getting paid the fees you want to be paid. If you don’t value yourself or the services that you offer enough to present yourself in a professional manner, how can you expect others to value you?

In summary, you need to remember that keeping your fees low only devalues your services, giving the impression that you are not good at what you do. Unless you are happy offering low fees, perhaps its time to examine your beliefs.

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