I am excited today to introduce you to my e-friend and colleague, J. Kipp Lanning, MA, LIMHP, CPC in Lincoln, Nebraska. J. Kipp was one of those who has been part of our online community here almost since the beginning of Private Practice from the Inside Out. His comments are always thoughtful, relevant, and helpful in expanding the conversation. That was true again last week when he commented on the blog post “Naming Your Private Practice.” He wrote, “Fret less. Act more.” I loved that! And, I knew that he would have more to say about that so I invited him to share his thoughts here. He was gracious enough to carve time out of his schedule to write this guest post to nudge each of us forward!
(If you are interested in writing a guest post, check out the guidelines here.)
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A Guest Post by J. Kipp Lanning, MA, LIMHP, CPC
When it comes to our private practices the stakes are high. Career development, reputation, income, and helping others are all dependent on marketing. Marketing weighs heavily on my mind as a partner in a private practice that I founded. I not only market for myself, but for my independent contractors as well. What have I learned about building a practice over the last three years? Fret less; act more. That isn’t to say don’t fret – I just think most therapists in private practice fret too much and act too little.
Act by publishing. In private practice no one is 
there to give you a deadline. Don’t let yourself fall in to the trap of fretting over marketing messages so long you never complete them. Content that actually gets read is always going to be more effective than perfect content that sits on your desk. Take action by setting regular deadlines and sending it – perfect or not.
Act by prioritizing contact over content. Writing blog posts is great, and necessary! On the other hand your website should be where people go to check you out after you have met personally. Take action by meeting people and engage in a dialogue to learn what they want, then refer them to your website if they are still hungry for more info. Telling people what you do is advertizing; hearing what problems referral sources have is an opportunity. Learn what your referral source wants, and you’re now able to reference that conversation with other professionals to build authority.
Act by co-constructing understanding. As therapists we know that understanding is constructed; marketing is the same. Don’t fret over getting your message perfect on the first attempt. My corporation is AdultSpan Counseling. When we marketed our pediatric therapist, pediatricians were not able to see past our name. One discussion led to a clarifying question asking about our “peds clinic.” That was our solution. We branded our “peds clinic” with the corporate logo crossing out “AdultSpan” and in chalk board letters wrote over it “Kid’s Corner.” Take action by using your referral sources’ words and co-construct understanding.
Act by doing good work. Don’t fret over logos, tag lines and color schemes. Branding is the dynamic meaning and relationship that you create with your clients and referral sources. You could have a plain black dot for a logo and if your communication is timely, your clients are successfully discharged, and your referral sources see progress – that black dot will grow value. Fret less over your brand, and act more by focusing on returning phone call’s, providing unexpected positive customer experiences, and offer solutions to your referral sources’ and clients’ problems.
Act by talking to who will listen. Talk to the ignored. Don’t fret over being heard amongst all the other clinician’s trying to vie for referrals. Competing for time with other mental health professionals rarely pays off in my experience. Take action by innovating how mental health can solve problems for other professionals. Consider physical therapists, chiropractors, lawyers, clergy, schools, daycares. These people will be happy to hear you understand their problems and can help.
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About the Author: J. Kipp Lanning, MA, LIMHP, CPC is the founder and partner of AdultSpan Counseling, an outcomes focused, strengths based outpatient mental health therapy corporate practice in Lincoln, NE. His clinical focus includes Men’s Issues / Masculinity in Society; Mental Health for Small Business owners and Personal therapy for therapists. J. Kipp is the webmaster for the Nebraska Counseling Association and District I Chair.
Thank you for this insightful post! I have to admit that I was able to take a sigh of relief after reading it. As a therapist in private practice for almost two years, I sometimes am plagued by “the should’s” — things I feel like I should be doing, but which feel too counterintuitive to make myself do. Now I have learned that I can market my practice in a way that feels authentic to me, and by being true to myself, I can be the best therapist for my clients that I am able.
Good morning, Kate! You are exactly right. If it feels fake to you, it will read fake to others, too. I spent the first five years in practice copying my mentor’s marketing strategies. They worked beautifully for her and she was so generous in sharing them with me. But . . . they didn’t work for me! Eventually, I started reading books and taking training on marketing and understood why . . . . If it’s too far outside your comfort zone (rather than being just a bit of a stretch), it comes across as disingenuous and that not the message that serves mental health professionals well.
The good news, though, is that there are lots of “right” ways to market a private practice and what works best is what reflects who you really are and how you can best help clients improve their situations. That doesn’t mean that you can sit silently in your office, hang your shingle out, and wait for the masses to come. However, it does mean that effective marketing is about doing it your way!.
I encourage each of you to give up your fretting and “shoulding” on your selves. Do something. Try something new. Stretch yourself a little. Tweak something that hasn’t been working for you. Twist something that has been working for a colleague and make it your own. But, don’t bother with activities that feel downright “wrong” – not because they are wrong . . . they just may be wrong for you . . . right now.
Thanks, J. Kipp for underscoring the need to take action. And, thanks, Kate for underscoring the need for that action to be authentic (and for kicking off our discussion this morning!)
Thanks for your observation Kate – and I totally agree! I would agree that marketing needs to be an individualized approach – people can smell something that is disingenuous a mile away. A great example is that I encourage my clinicians to submit blog postings. They often ask what they “should” write. I tell them to write, in words they would use with a client, the things they wish every client knew when the first come in! When people feel they have “met you” before and that impression is consistent message when they do meet you – you’ll get clients who stick with you. Thanks!
Nice, J. Kipp! That’s a great way to put new bloggers at ease and, you’re right! It’s just more glue between the clinician and the client!
Kate, unless you are camera shy . . . you might want to add a gravatar to your comments:) Here’s how. http://www.allthingsprivatepractice.com/how-a-tiny-picture-of-you-can-help-drive-traffic-to-your-website-or-blog/
Thanks for the tip, Tamara! I tried to set up the gravatar…let’s see if it worked!
Excellent, Kate! I see you!
If fretting over my practice was an Olympic sport, I would have the gold medal. Thank you for this very timely, very encouraging post! I especially like the counsel about setting and sticking to deadlines in spite of imperfections– definitely a challenge for me!
There are so many books, mentors and coaches that teach us different ways to enrich and grow our practices… but I have found that acting from a place of love and authenticity is both relieving and surprisingly effective for growing a practice. I’m glad to find that others feel the same.
Oh, no, Ann! I’m sorry to hear that you’re fretting these days. You know, the longer I’m in this field, the more I realize that clients don’t expect us to be perfect . . . . They don’t even want us to be perfect! What they want is for us to help them learn what to do when they are not perfect. (And, by the way, there is some research out there that says that therapists are better therapists during their first five years of practice than at any other time in their careers. It seems we get sloppier and sloppier over time.)
This is worth repeating, “there is some research out there that says that therapists are better therapists during their first five years of practice than at any other time in their careers. ” And what are the implications of setting fees based on this research? It’s a curious thought. LOL
Scary, isn’t it? And, it certainly doesn’t have to be that way . . . . But when I think about some of the more seasoned therapists I know . . . I know some FABULOUS ONES and I know even more SCARY ONES! I think the same is true about the nurses and educators that I know. I know some FABULOUS ONES and I know even more SCARY ONES. And, out of all those professions . . . I know some seasoned professionals who are really great but I also know a lot of really great newbies, too!
Thanks Ann ~ Fretting isn’t all bad; some fretting is necessary. More often fretting becomes an excuse to avoid letting others know how you can help with your talent and that is when it becomes a real tragedy.
“More often fretting becomes an excuse to avoid letting others know how you can help . . . .”
I just thought that was quotable enough to be repeated. (Feel free to pass it on!)
Golden advice! I love the fact that we can share our anxieties and frustrations here! I’m guilty of going hot and cold on my marketing, and then shoulding all over the place. Relaxing a little and focusing on what makes me ME and enjoying my practice helps me spend the time where it counts. I don’t have it figured out yet, but being imperfect and making sure that my relationships are nourished sure does feel more effective than necessarily being perfectly consistent or innovative in every area! Although, consistency is good of course! I really like the bit about your clients and doing good WORK. Thanks!
Hi, Kat! I hope your week is going well!
Hey, I’m not advocating perfection but . . . I do want to put in a plug for the value of overall consistency in marketing. If you can predictably and professionally get your name in front of potential referral sources on a regular basis, you will see that pay off in referrals. I know that you are out there doing good work (I know because you are in my back door!) so I don’t think you are out there exactly slacking off!
But for the rest of you guys who have hit a slump in your practice, it might be worth your time to take an honest look at your marketing efforts . . . . If those efforts are on again / off again at best, that might be a great time to re-focus and re-commit to cleaning up.
In fact, the best marketing tip I learned from the psychiatric hospital I worked at back in the 1990’s is . . . “when the beds are empty, you need to market . . . but when the beds are full, you need to market even more!” I wasn’t so impressed with this dictum when I was working there. But two decades later, I see the wisdom . . . and I apply it, too. Sometimes it’s difficult to do but in the end it’s worth the effort.
Yes! And being consistent requires you to be efficient and effective, because otherwise you spin your wheels and burn out when you have too much going on! I totally feel on and off with my social media stuff and blogging, thank goodness for communities like this to keep the support and fire burning!
Yep, me, too, Kat! Haven’t tweeted consistently in forever! It’s fits and starts for me, too!
I absolutely agree that consistency is needed. One perfect message, blog or tweet a year is about worthless, but one relationship with a single referral source on a first name basis where leaving a voicemail or quick email on a regular basis is priceless – especially if that message is “Hey, how are the kids? Just wanted to let you know first that I’ve launched a couple of clients and I’ve now got a couple of openings!”
Hey, J. Kipp – That’s exactly how we met, I think!