We’re a bit more than halfway through 2014. I’m wondering how you’re feeling about your psychotherapy practice. Are you where you were hoping you’d be by now? Are you halfway to where you want to be by 2015? Let’s use this mid-year point to reassess, see what you might need to shift and what you should be celebrating. Don’t wait until it is New Year’s resolution time or until you’re adding up your 2014 income for your taxes.
It is honesty time!
I want you to look at a few areas of your practice right now:
#1: How is your income?
Are you tracking it? Exactly how much came in every month from January through June in client fees?
I want you to have a number in mind of what you need to bring in to make ends meet and another number of what you need to earn to feel well paid. If you’re not making ends meet, focus on getting there first, but also commit to being well paid soon. That number will be different for every therapist, depending on your expenses, both business and personal, what you want your life to look like and how many hours you want to work. How close did you come to being well paid in the past 6 months?
#2: How many referrals came in each month?
If you’ve been following my guidelines in this area, you know exactly how many calls and emails (inquiries) have come in. You know whenever possible where those referrals are coming from. You’re tracking what’s happening with each inquiry: how quickly you get back to them, whether they schedule a free consultation, and whether they become clients or are referred out.
#3: What have you done to build your practice?
How have you been reaching out to your ideal clients to let them know you’re doing the work you do? Write down every practice building activity you’ve done. Be specific. Have you been networking? How? Have you been going out to lunches or for coffee? Have you been creating or improving your website so that it attracts your ideal clients? Have you been getting your website out there more? Have you been speaking?
If you’ve been consistent at these things, six months is enough time to know whether or not they are starting to work. Six months is enough time to whether you are doing enough or doing the right things to build your practice.
Is the plan you came up with for 2014 working?
If it isn’t working, what do you need to do to change that for the 2nd half of the year?
Picture yourself on Thursday, January 1st, 2015.
You’ve continued on the plan you’ve been using so far. You do the same amount of practice building. You’ve got the same amount of information and tools. You have no further support. You’ve made the same amount of money and got the same number of referrals in the second half of 2014 as the first half.
Now, picture where you WANT to be on Thursday, January 1st, 2015. Where do you want to be, and what will that take? What can you commit to changing? Can you commit to getting more support? Can you increase your accountability? Can you increase your skills in practice building?
It is time to turn it around. No one can build a practice without support, so call or email me today for a free consultation. I'll help you clarify what your next steps should be.