I’m not really sure how well this post is going to over with you guys but I just want to vent . . . .
I went to lunch this week with a colleague who has just recently ventured into private practice and, truthfully, he’s having a really hard time getting that first client. You can relate, right? You either are right there with him starting your own practice or you remember when you were back there hustling trying to get that phone to ring. It’s a hurdle for all of us to get that first warm body in the office . . . and it feels like it’s never going to happen . . . until it does.
So Jason and I are dining in this great little Japanese restaurant and the conversation goes like this . . . .
Jason: I’m starving to death! I still don’t have a client yet. And, I don’t know what to do!
Me: What have you tried?
Jason: Well, I’ve sent out my business cards and brochures to treatment facilities and I’m showing up at networking events every month. I’ve been meeting therapists and community providers. I’m reading books on marketing and how to get clients. I’ve joined the Board of a local non-profit and I’m offering my services at a reduced rate.
Me: Wow! That sounds like a lot of work! Are you getting any referrals? Are clients finding you?
Jason: Oh, sure! I’m getting 4 – 5 phone calls from potential clients each week but not one is making an appointment.
Me: (So I have a hunch that one of the things that Jason is doing is keeping The Secret That You Absolutely Must Tell.) So Jason, it sounds like your referral sources don’t really understand who you want to work with. They are sending you unqualified referrals.
Jason: Oh, no! They know exactly who I work with! I’ve been very clear that I work with XYZ. It’s on my brochures and my business cards and that’s exactly how I introduce myself when I’m networking.
Me: Well, then, let’s look at how the conversation goes on the phone. What do you say when your potential client calls?
Jason: Oh, I’m very personable! You know me . . . I can talk to anybody! I tell them what my credentials are and what I offer – individual therapy for XYZ. Then I ask them if they have any questions and if they want to book an appointment.
Me: OK, Jason, so those are important things to cover but there might be a better way to cover them. What I’ve found to be useful is . . . . (This is where I’m telling him about my 98% conversion rate to booked appointments and what my process is.)
Jason: (And, THIS is the response I got.) Yes, but . . . that takes up too much of my time to go through all of that and anyway, it’s all in my disclosure statement. . . . Anyway, I’m really great at marketing but I’m not getting any appointments booked. Blah, blah, blah.
Well, Jason says that he knows all about marketing but I’m not so sure he knows much about how to make a sale. After all, if he did, he would be speaking the language of his potential clients, booking appointments with them, and seeing clients in his private practice. Instead, he’s busy telling me how much he knows about marketing. He’s not interested in learning how successful therapists do those things. And, I’m not interested in telling him.
There! I’ve said it! And, I’m feeling better already!
Back in May I wrote a post telling you The Secret that You Absolutely Must Tell. So today, I’m telling you that it’s also important to tell who you absolutely do not want to work with.
For me, the clients that I least want to work with are Yes-Butters! So, I’m wondering who is it for you that you absolutely do NOT want to work with?
Tamara,
When I began the process of defining my niche I was asked to rank the clients from favorite to least favorite. I was encouraged to be mindful of who I looked forward to working with. At the top of my list~ adult survivors who are ready to create a life beyond loss. They work very hard in therapy. At the bottom of my list were people who did not want to take responsibility for their life. “You can lead a hores to water but you can’t force them drink.”
I am reading David P. Diana’s book and he speaks to the difference between marketing and sales. There is a progression to the process. He explains the difference between push marketing and pull marketing and how sales is affected by each type of marketing.
I have a question about your bloging experience. What did you do to increase readership of your blog?
I am long winded today. One last comment. I think Kiva is a great way to give. I have been giving the same $25 over and over for the past few years.
Hi, Brenda! Thanks for sharing your experience here! You mention something that is really key, in my opinion. Knowing who you love to work with and who you hate to work with (and being willing to say so), is key to targeting your marketing. It results in you saving money, saving time, and saving effort .
I love that you are reading David P. Diana’s book. I’m reading it, too, and am finding it very useful. When I finish reading it, I’m going to do a quick post to let all my readers know how terrific it is.
Blogging has been my own little stretch this last year as I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t work for me. Are you blogging, Brenda? If so, make sure you send me a link to it. I would love to read it and I’m sure we’ve got others here who would like to learn from you, too.
I do lots of things to increase readership of my blog and they are not so different than what I do to market my business face to face. I try to find issues, events, and places online that genuinely interest me and engage with those communities and those individuals. I follow up when people attempt to engage me. In other words, I attempt to build relationships in all the ways that those can happen on and off line.
And, finally, thanks so much for mentioning Kiva! I think you are the first one to mention it. It’s such a simple way to attempt to even out the playing field in this world. We, in the United States, are blessed to have so much. To make a tiny loan goes so far in a developing country . . . it just seems like a no-brainer to me. (For those of you who don’t know about Kiva, you can click on the link in the left hand column of my blog and learn more.) I’m glad you are willing to share your bounty . . . even as you are just beginning your private practice. There is always room to say “thank you” and give back!
It’s good to vent once in awhile.