You’ve heard that building a successful private practice takes a long time.
Perhaps you’ve heard it takes YEARS to grow a successful business.
It is true that time helps if you’re doing the right things consistently, and that the right actions will pay off more and more over time. Your practice will be more profitable and you’ll have more choices 2 years from now than you will in six months.
But don’t discount how much you can accomplish in six months.
You DON’T have to wait years to have a successful private practice.
When you believe it takes a long time to build a successful practice, that can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you’re waiting for referrals, you may in fact be waiting for word-of-mouth to kick in and fill your practice. Word-of-mouth is a wonderful PART of a practice building strategy, but it takes way too long on its own.
If you don’t take action based on strategy, time won’t lead you to a full practice.
Your practice will grow slowly, and it will grow in a direction you might not choose. Without strategy, you may end up with a practice full of clients you’re not excited about, doing work that doesn’t really suit you.
Strategy and action build your practice.
What is strategy? Strategy includes
positioning your practice
choosing your business model
creating a marketing plan
Positioning your practice means knowing who you’d like to work with and how you’re unique as a therapist. When you position your practice, you’re clear that what you offer is a great fit for the clients you want to serve. You know you’re not competing with every other therapist out there, and you’re able to articulate how you’re different.
Your business model is the set of services you offer your clients. A business model can include only one service, such as individual 50-minute sessions, or it can include groups, workshops, coaching, and more. Your business model should be designed to lean on your strengths and bring you profit.
Your marketing plan is the way you reach out to your right-fit potential clients when they are ready to work with a therapist. Thoughtful and authentic marketing is an important part of speeding up the process of building your practice.
If 2016 is your year to build your bold and unique practice and make more money, it might be time for my next Superpower Method For Therapists Program. If you sign up for the interest list now, you’ll be the first to know when I open registration in January.