Marketing in 2010, I predict, will be easier and make more sense, and it won’t take learning new technical skills or strategies.
This is a “good news” video about Practice Building in 2010.
Looking for more?
If you’re interested in how to make building your practice even easier this year with specific tips, don’t forget to check out Practice Building for Therapists in 2010, my new 90-minute teleclass program to teach you how to get clients the old-fashioned way – by building relationships with prospects and referrals sources in your community at http://InTLI.com/2010/.
So what questions do you have about practice building?
Are you looking forward to marketing that doesn’t required you to be a techno-lover?
I’d love to hear from you!
{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
I love the concept!!! The video presentation stirred up my creative juices and already I have subject matter in mind – just need to develop it.
Thanks!!!
This was cute. As someone else said bloopers moment. It shows that you need to be yourself. Even in your videos. Thanks for doing these videos. They are reminders of what we need to continue to do or be doing in our marketing efforts.
Hi Casey,
Thanks for the video – it is a great reminder that encourages all of us to explore off web marketing ideas.
I so agree that mixing it up with community presentations is a great way to broaden reff sources. Last year I created and copyrighted a workshop that I call “From Fairy tales to Face Lifts: Learning to Love the Image in the Mirror” I conduct this 2 hour workshop at local yoga studios, salons and spas in the Pasadena area. This was very effective in broadening my client base. So much so, that I began receiving requests from clients to start a women’s group! This led to my women’s weekly therapy group called H.E.A.R.T. [Heal, Encourage, Accept, Restore, Trust] for women whose spouse is addicted to sex and pornography [I am a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist as well as an LMFT]. From this group, I then formed a men’s therapy group called S.R.S [Sexual Recovery Support] that meets weekly. And from both of these groups, I formed a weekly couples therapy group [S.T.A.R. which is an acronym for Strengthen, Trust, Acknowledge, Repair] as a support for couples who are recovering from sex and love addiction. All of this ’sprouted’ from my workshops in the community. My income increased by $2,205 just from starting these 3 weekly groups.
This year, I created a new workshop that I copyrighted called, “From Tantrums to Tiaras: Talking Tools that will help Tame your Temper” This dovetails nicely into my other certification in Domestic Violence and anger mgt. Thus, I am gearing this toward women dealing with transition [young moms, burned out working women, divorcing women, and hormonal women dealing with menopause] and women with anger issues that are a result of unresolved trauma and grief. I am rolling this workshop out in March and anticipate good things to spring out of this idea.
I think the most validating thing for me beyond the additional income and clients, is seeing the growth and healing that occurs with my clients each week in my practice. That is extremely gratifying for me as a therapist.
Finally, the other really exciting validation is that from these two simple workshops that sprung out of my passion, I was recently approached about writing 2 books based on these copyrighted concepts! Whoo hooo! And, I have been asked to post on blogs, and participate in pod cast interviews…and so the story continues.
I truly encourage any therapist out there to create a workshop that comes directly from your passion, and then begin to shop it around. It can be a fun and interesting way to get out of the therapy room and into the community! Not only has my client base and reff sources increased 10 fold, my high fee is being met more and more. I am not someone who loves to speak in public, so I had to find a comfort zone and a topic that felt exciting and natural to me. And from one little idea that I loved, look at all that has developed
So good luck to everyone – if I can do it – so can you!
Thanks for all you do to support this discipline Casey – I sure appreciate you!
Kindly,
Mari A. Lee, MA, LMFT, CSAT
818-521-4370
marileetherapy@yahoo.com
http://www.marileetherapy.com
Yes, I agree with you. One to one marketing with other professionals is a great way to get your name out into the community! It is my favorite way of making contact with other referral sources and getting them to see me for who I actually am. Thanks for the reminder!
Thanks Randi for your comments!
Great stuff here Casey. You are wonderful for the proliferation of this profession!
Thanks James – and thanks for all you do for us – and the profession!
Hi- thank you so much for this type of communication; your video is much more effective reaching out to us; and I agree with your comments about going into the community, right on!
I have been developing some ways of going out there and doing it. I am starting a seven-week workshop on Improving Your Parenting Skills; starting mid-march in Pasadena, and I have been telling everyone that I come to face with because I am sure they have friends and relatives who are parents who would benefit from this.
Jousline,
Congrats on getting out into the community with your program. I love it that you are telling everyone about it!
I Like the mix of modern ( internet) and old fashioned ( community contact) marketing. It not only allows me to fire on all guns, but also keeps me actively interested in my own marketing. And if i am inspired it makes the process so much more enjoyable.
John Sovec, MA, LMFT
visit http://www.JohnSovec.com
Hi John – I totally agree that inspiration is the BEST way to market – and often that is where the best ideas bloom.
Hi Casey,
Thanks for that encouraging video reminder of what’s important – relationships! I have started to blog once a week and am feeling like it’s doable for just one short blog a week and helpful even to get all the stuff that’s in my head about my target client population *out of my head* and down on virtual paper.
That said, I’m doing a lot of networking with other professionals in the counseling and allied fields too. Not pushing myself as private practice intern yet tho’ because I am not ready to do that – don’t have an office, insurance, private prac supe yet. I figure I’m about 9 mos out from that yet.
Thanks again for all your continued help.
- Nancy
Nancy,
This is such great news – blogging is a great idea to help you build a “tribe” of people who love you and your message! You are preparing for it all perfectly.
A very good video, Casey. I appreciate your trust in the fundamentals, and look forward to hearing more about this in 2010. Hope you’re doing great.
Hi Jason,
Thanks for your comments. (And you are so right – I will be talking a lot about this in the next few months…especially about how to fill your appt. book with speaking.)
Hope things are going really well for you!
Hi Casey,
The video was wonderful. I felt more connected than just reading about these steps. I am working on getting out there more. Thank you very much for all your support! By the way, I like the video outtakes at the end!
Cheryll
Hi Cheryll,
Thanks for your comments. I am excited that you are getting out there. (And glad you enjoyed the outtakes at the end.)
I love that you included the bloopers at the end! Brought a smile and a reminder that Murphy’s Law is always marketing!
I couldn’t agree with you more about community marketing and education through local presentations, articles in local venues and volunteer work. Building relationships, community, helping our neighbors, treating others with kindness and equanimity are the values and goals as we move into the new planetary consciousness.
Psychologists and therapists can play a major role in this because of our communication, listening and mediating skills. As women we also build in cooperation and togetherness as a primary way of functioning.
I applaud your up front contradiction (as you see it,) to your past teaching now that you see it in new light. We are people people afterall.
Have a wonderful week everybody!! Blessings to all.
Kimberly – your thoughts are spot-on and so kind. Your clients are lucky to have you.
Wonderfully encouraging. I have been saying that this year, I’m going to be committed to building relationships and meeting new people. That is going to be my focus.
Fantastic Melissa. You intuition is spot-on.
What a relief to return to the person skills rather than the (not good) techie skills.
Susan Isn’t it a relief? Connecting is what therapists are so great at – and now that is what will bring clients! Yes!
It makes sense. I will still work on website and inter-net marketing. Talk to you tomorrow
David Lattman
Casey,
Nice touch with the planes at the end.
Thank you for sharing your 2010 ideas! I feel very encouraged by your words!
Casey,
I love the idea of getting out in the community AND networking with other allied businesses. My one big question that I’ve run into (helping my therapist husband network) is how to make it a “win-win” for the other business. Two examples. My husband was asked by a life insurance agent to have some material in his office and in exchange, my husband would benefit (either referral fees or sending clients his way, I don’t remember.) Second example was me running into a bankrupcy lawyer who would love to “share” clients with my husband.
Both those situations are a little touchy. Firstly, my husband would NEVER sell insurance to his clients! Secondly, my husband is cash-based and very unlikely to ever have a bankrupcy couple to send on.
So how do you handle the win-win required to make allied relationships work when it comes to the specific confidentiality and boundaries around mental health?
Your fan,
Elizabeth
Hey Elizabeth!
This is a very big question and I am a slow typist so not sure if I can answer it all here.
I think choosing the right referral partners is very impt and it doesn’t seem like the insurance guy is the right match. I would rather see your hubby involved in a biz referral organization like Business Network International. (In that group, I might refer my friends, neighbors and maybe a client here and there to the life coach, or the dentist, etc. but they may never refer to me. However someone else in the group might refer to me – it is kind of like a referral circle in a way.)
I might have a client who needs a service – and if I know and respect the service provider, I might recommend that person (along with some others if I believe in them as well) with the proviso “I have no idea if this person might be the right person for you but I have heard good things. Just a thought ..”
In terms of confidentiality – there are ways around that too. But I would never referral split. If someone sent me a client, I would ask the client if I could say “thanks” to that referring person (and respect it if they said no.) Some of the business networking meetings get a little funny around confidentiality but I have found that it can be worked out by talking to the leadership team and explaining the confidentiality of our profession – lawyers in the group will have it too.
Hope that helps a little.
Hugs,
C
Great video and I enjoyed your presentation. I am a believer that people refer and self-refer, to people they know and trust, more than they do to a website. I like the idea of staying connected to many people in the community, and I make an great effort to do this. Many thanks again.
Paul
Hi Casey! I love this post. My practice has been so busy – so busy in fact, that I haven’t been able to listen to many of the programs I signed up for with you over the past six months or so (and to be honest, the energy wasn’t drawing me in the way it used to – it didn’t seem to match what I was experiencing.) What I have discovered is what you are saying today about the web, the niche, etc. My clients have loved my website, yes, but after that it’s all about the relationship and their connection to me, and whether they have heard of me from friends, other professionals, etc. It all comes back around to the very core of what we do as therapists – how cool is that! Thanks for all you have done to help us, and it’s going to be another great year!
Hi Amy!
How exciting about your practice!