For some time I have been encouraging therapists and healers to think beyond the dots. How can you take your passion and actually change the world? As we know it starts with one person with creativity and an idea.

And sometimes innovation can seem odd in the beginning. I remember the first time someone showed me “post-its” – those small notes that have self-adhesive on the back. At first I thought no one would want them as they’d stick to the wrong papers and end up a mess. Wrong! Now they are an office supply staple for most of us.

Being a leader with a passion to make things better often requires innovation. It means standing alone at first – waiting for others to join you in the cause. It takes partnership with those first few followers to generate the movement.

Here is a playful yet powerful 3 minute video from Derek Sivers at TED2010  that shows how a “lone, dancing nut” can start a movement. Turn your speakers on and click on the play button below.( And a big thanks to Calgary therapist Christine Korol, for finding and sharing this video with me.)

Did you get a chance to view the last two short videos I created?

The first one was “The Good News for Practice Building in 2010.” The second one was “Fill Your Practice with Speaking.”

You might enjoy watching them first if you haven’t yet. We’ve had dozens of wonderful comments on them so far.

This third (and newest) six minute video is “How to Find and Get Speaking Engagements.” In this video, you will find:

1. What to do before you even look for a group to speak to and

2. A Three-step Short Course on how to find community groups, who to contact, and what to do if you don’t hear back right away.

Thanks for watching! And please leave a comment about what you thought about this video in the comment section below. I treasure each and every comment.

And for those who are hungry for more strategies including how to prepare, deliver and follow up your talk in a way that invites people into your practice, please check out our newest 4-part audio program.

It is “soup to nuts” instructions on how to Attract Clients and Fill Your Appointment Book With Speaking - including sample letters you can send asking for speaking engagements. This is how I built my practice and I want to share it with you.

You can see all the topics we will cover in this 4-part audio series by clicking here.

Here is my new 6-minute video with more good news for marketing your practice in a way that works with what you do best – connecting with others. Whether you love to speak or are just starting out, community presentations can be a very effective way to attract new clients. This year you can step away from the computer a bit. Attracting new clients will be about connecting and reconnecting with people in your community. And I suggest 3 steps to get started.

Please let me know what you thought of this video in the comments section below. And let me know what questions you have about building your practice with community presentations.

Interested in more? Check out our newest 4-part audio program “How To Fill Your Appointment Book With Speaking” here.

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!

If you are just starting out or need a motivational refresher, here is a 5 step Practice Building Quick-Start Guide for you.

(Video is 6 minutes long.)

After you watch it, take a few moments and consider:

Do you need to refresh or change your marketing to attract more clients?

What are you next action steps?

Happy practice building!

Could you use more support and tips?

Please get your copy of my newest 90-minute audio series:

“Practice Building for Therapists in 2010″

In this audio series we explore:

How to shift your thinking from “private practitioner” to “private practice business owner” so that you are set up for success.

How to make friends with money. (No matter how great the marketing plan – if you don’t feel good about money, you won’t attract the clients you want.)

The four marketing personality types. Once you know yours, you can reduce that overwhelmed feeling – and get a sense of what might work for you. You may even surprise yourself and end up liking the process!

Whether or not you want to market a specialty to attract clients. (While this was once touted as mandatory, let’s take a second look at it based on today’s cultural changes.)

The minimum marketing one needs to get started – as well as suggestions for those who’ve done the basics and want to increase their marketing efforts.

How to not get ripped off with internet marketing schemes.

What I predict will be the best way to attract clients in 2010. (Hint: Speaking.)

This is a content-rich class. I have filled those 90 minutes with as much content as I can. We’ll have some exercises and new ideas to get your energy up and your mindset shifting.

But please don’t misunderstand. This audio series is only 90 minutes. It is the beginning. It is for the person starting or restarting a practice – or for those who want to get current on the cultural and technological changes in 2010 and how that impacts today’s private practitioner.

This audio series is the foundation – designed as a quick-start – to get you thinking bigger and moving into action. And if you decide you want more practice building support later, we have other programs – including our upcoming 4-part teleseminar series “Fill Your Appointment Book with Speaking” and our very exciting 3-day, live and in-person event “How To Make a Bigger Difference: Marketing Makeover Magic” April 15-17, 2010 in southern California to further support you in your private practice business success.

But, for now, let’s build that solid foundation. Let’s look at how you need to think and what you need to do to get those clients in the door….so you can make the difference you became a therapist to make.

Please get your copy of my newest 90-minute audio series:

Holding the vision for you,

Casey

P.S. I really do get it. You want to help people – more people. You want to have a great reputation in your community You want to earn more money. This practice is your dream. I’d like to support you in that dream.

If you are ready to shift into the business owner mindset and and identify what you need to do next to attract more cash-paying clients in 2010, please get your copy of my 90-minute audio series.

I promised I wouldn’t nag you about your 2010 goals. But here is a different twist:

What did you DECIDE in 2009? What did you decide that made it the best year you’ve had. (Or even what decisions did you avoid that, in rethinking it, should have been made?)

Here is a 2 minute and 10 second video of the decisions I made this last year. Warning: significant narcissism involved. But it is also a hint of what we at International Therapist Leadership Institute have in store for you in 2010! (Please press the play arrow and wait 15 or so seconds while it queues up to run. You will see a white screen while it is loading.)

The decisions I made that affected my year profoundly:

1. Do something I’ve never done before. (I ran 3 half-marathons.)

2. Invest in a MENTOR to help me push the envelope and offer services (such as the Virtual Conferences) that in my humble opinion made history in conference delivery.

3. Let go of playing it safe. I continue to look for ways to push the envelope in ways to support you.

But what about you… What decisions did you make? What do you plan to make?

Case in point – the 2009 Evolution of Psychotherapy Conference. The first time I attended this conference as a student. Each speaker seemed to embody all truth. This was actually quite a problem for me when they disagreed with each other! The second time I attended (in 1995) I was a fledgling clinician looking for specific answers to case conundrums. In 2000, I simply absorbed and enjoyed feeding my curiosity.

And this time – 2009? It has been about …

1) catching up with the speakers and

2) seeing their vision of the future

Just as we all change over the years, so do our speakers and thought leaders. Conferences like this give us a chance to see what our thought leaders are thinking now – SINCE they wrote their last book.

But let’s bring this back to you.

How are you different since your last big conference?

What has changed?

What do you value now that you might not have before?

What do you know now?

Look forward to hearing your comments!

This is a chicken and egg thought (plus a giggle about my worlds colliding) – would love your thoughts. (Please press the play arrow and wait for a bit (maybe 15 seconds) while the video queues up – you will see a blank screen until it queues.)

(Please press the play button and wait several sections while the video queues up. You will see a white screen until the video appears.)