The Top 10 Questions Therapists Ask Me...#6

This is part of a series of blog posts: The Top 10 Questions Therapists Ask Me.

#6: How Much Time Should I Spend On Marketing?

How badly do you want and need your private practice to succeed? Answer that question before you schedule your practice building time. Let’s say you want your practice to succeed very badly, and you want to build it quickly. If you want to have between 15 to 25 sessions per week, and you have less than 10 clients now, you should spend about 16 hours a week building your practice. If you don’t have that kind of time, you’ll have to reach that goal more slowly.

Let’s say your practice is near the level you want it to be, but you need a few more full fee clients. You may not need 16 hours a week. Commit to spending at least a few hours a week on practice building, and don’t let anything keep you from that commitment.

If you only have a few hours a week and you really need to build your practice quickly, here’s what I would advise: find more time.

What should you spend that time ON?

You need to spend this time on practice building activities. These activities include things like:

• Contacting colleagues to network
• Networking one on one
• Attending networking events
• Following up with colleagues you had contact with
•  Improving website copy
• Blogging
• Writing articles for publications
• Contacting people about speaking to their groups
• Preparing for or doing public speaking
• Working on SEO
• Creating or managing paid advertising
• Participating on list serves and/or social media
• Creating and sending a newsletter

Don’t fool yourself by spending your practice building time only reading about marketing, making lists about marketing, and thinking about marketing. That may feel comfortable, but it doesn’t build your practice. You’ve got to actually do things.

You’ve got to be consistent.

One way to make your practice building time count is to schedule your time and use the same methods over and over again. Create a strategy and stick with it for at least 6 months. For example, don’t try public speaking once or twice and then decide it didn’t work and took too much time and effort. You can build a private practice using public speaking as your main method, but only when you follow through with a consistent strategy. This is true for every method of practice building.    

Without the right mindset, most of that time will go to waste.

The other factor for making your time count is all about mindset. Use self care strategies, talk to people who help you feel good about yourself, talk to people who are entrepreneurial, listen to your favorite podcast, take a walk to clear your mind, do whatever you need to do in order to get into a positive mindset about what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.

Don’t spend your practice building time feeling discouraged, frightened and desperate and expect anything positive to come out of it. Get clear on your vision of the practice you want and need, get clear on your value to your future clients, and go!

You don’t have to do this alone. I can help you create a strategy that will work, and I can help you stay accountable. I am completely committed to helping you follow through and create the practice you deserve.

Next week I'll answer this question: How much money should I spend on marketing?

The Top 10 Questions Therapists Ask Me...#5

This is part of a series of blog posts: The Top 10 Questions Therapists Ask Me.

#5: Does My Marketing Have to Be Cheesy?

This is one thing I love about working with therapists: We tend to place a high value on integrity and authenticity. If that is you, you’re in the right place.

Web copy is a different kind of writing.

When you are creating written material for your website, you need to get comfortable with a completely different kind of writing. The purpose of the copy on your website and the purpose of the articles you wrote in grad school or the articles you might write for professional journals now is totally different. The skill set is different too.

The purpose of the copy on your site is to reach your ideal client quickly in the very moment when they are looking for your help.

You need to show your potential client that you understand what they are going through and help them to feel a connection with you. You need to speak to what your ideal client is thinking and feeling in that moment. You also have to be willing to expose a bit about your personality.

This can be hard to get used to.

This kind of writing is more vulnerable and open than you might be used to. It is a lot more like talking than it is like the writing you’ve done before. It isn’t the place for professional jargon or showing how much you know. If you’re feeling self-conscious and you’re picturing your most judgmental and sarcastic colleague reading your site, you will probably feel that your web copy is cheesy or dumbed-down. Expect this process to feel uncomfortable and remember the purpose and audience.

Here’s an example. John Gottman has done over 40 years of research on relationships. He’s written several books for clinicians. He also runs the Gottman Institute with his wife and business partner Julie Gottman, providing Couples Therapy and Couples Workshops to thousands of couples every year. The home page on their site features copy like this: “the fastest way to better relationships.”  On their page for therapists you see this: “research-based professional instruction and resources.” They know who their audience is in each situation. They are not trying to impress other therapists on their home page.

Dare to write directly to your future clients. They are your audience. Be wary of asking other therapists what they think of your marketing materials. They have the same biases you do. If you need support in this process, contact me. I am a therapist, so I know what you’re going through. You don’t have to do this alone. 

Next week I'll answer the question: How much time should I spend on marketing?

The Top 10 Questions Therapists Ask Me...#4

This is part of a series of blog posts: The Top 10 Questions Therapists Ask Me.

#4: Do I Have to Have A Niche?

Usually when therapists ask me this question, they are afraid that choosing a niche or a specialty will limit the clients they get to work with. They fear that they won’t get enough clients because they will exclude so many people.

What I see happen over and over again is that therapists who don’t choose a niche struggle for longer and work harder to build their practices. Often they fail. Therapists who choose a niche and focus their marketing efforts in that direction have much less work to do.

I am defining a niche here as a problem or a population. Sometimes a niche will encompass both. For example, infidelity is a problem. Couples are a population. A niche could be infidelity, couples, or couples dealing with infidelity.

Having a niche makes your marketing easier.

You stand out to other professionals. 

Let’s pretend you are meeting 2 different therapists at an event.

One says:  “I like to work with a lot of women, but also with some men, both individuals and couples. Sometimes I work with adolescents too. I help people work through their relationship issues and recover from past traumas. I also work a lot with people recovering from depression, and I work with people dealing with anxiety a lot too.”

The next says: “I specialize in helping people recover from depression.”

Then you’ll go on to meet many more therapists before the day is over. Who will you remember at the end of the day? Most of us would remember the person who only mentioned depression. Our minds do a lot of filtering to avoid overwhelm, and we do better with less information at one time.

All your marketing efforts are competing with a smaller number of therapists.

You can be among a small number of therapists known for the particular work you do. This works when clients are finding you on the internet and when they are looking for you through referral.

Here’s an example: Think for a moment about who you know who specializes in work with adolescents. Now think for a moment about who you know who works with everyone.

Your first list was shorter, right?

You can also try doing an internet search for “therapist” with your zip code “therapist for adolescents” with your zip code. Those therapists who specialize in working with adolescents have had a much easier time showing up on the first page in that search.

You can establish your status as an expert in your niche quickly.

You can blog, speak, give workshops, and have one on one conversations about your area of expertise. You can be the go-to person for your colleagues about your niche. You can’t do that as a generalist. 

But what about that fear that you’ll be limiting your practice?

It doesn’t work that way. Many therapists who market themselves in a particular niche actually have general practices. Others find you through word of mouth. When your clients and other professionals know that you’re a good therapist doing good work, they refer you all sorts of clients and issues.

In my therapy practice I have only marketed to couples for over seven years, and a large percentage of my practice is individuals.

Many people who market only to LGBTQ clients also end up seeing many straight identified people too.

But how do I choose?

You need to choose something that you feel excited about. You should feel like you could write or speak about this topic every day and not feel bored by it. Make your niche narrow enough that you aren’t trying to include everyone, but wide enough that you have enough to say. This will be a commitment for a few years, not forever. You may change your niche at some point in your career as other things become more interesting to you.

Choosing a niche can be tricky, and I don't want you to get stuck in that process. I can help you to make sure you're making a choice that is both interesting to you and also profitable. Set up a free phone consultation now. 

Next week I will answer question #5: Does my marketing have to be cheesy?

The Top 10 Questions Therapists Ask Me...#1

This is the first in a series of blog posts: The Top 10 Questions Therapists Ask Me. 

#1: Can I make good money as a therapist in private practice?

The short answer is yes. If this weren’t the answer, I wouldn’t want to be a business coach for therapists!

 I think when therapists ask this question, they are usually wondering a couple of things:

1. Are there clients out there who want to pay for therapy? and

2. Do I have what it takes to build a full practice?

I'll answer the first question first. Yes, there are clients out there who want your help. 

Many therapists have full practices and are turning clients away every day.

I know a lot of therapists with full practices who are making 6 figures. Yes, there are plenty of clients out there who want your help.  In the last two years, roughly 27% of adults in the U.S. have received mental health treatment. People in your city or town are looking for a therapist right now. They want to work with the right therapist for them, the person who will really understand them and offer hope and help. You would need a very small number of those people to work with you in order for you to run a full practice.

Now for the second question: Do I have what it takes to build a full practice?

You will need to do some inner and outer work to have a full practice. It is not about being a better therapist. If you are already helping people to find relief and to gain peace or fulfillment or better relationships, then you’re already doing the clinical work (although I know you’ll keep on working throughout your career on being a better and better therapist because that’s just how you are).

You need to be a better entrepreneur.

If that sentence makes you uncomfortable, it is probably because you haven’t been taught how to integrate being a good therapist with being a good business owner. In order to have a full and fulfilling practice, you will need to grow your entrepreneurial mindset and skill set in an authentic and ethical way.

Private practice is not for everyone,  but if working in private practice is your dream, then learning how to build it is worth it. You get the freedom to do your work the way you do it best, set your own schedule, choose your clients, and make a good living.

I’ve got a free assessment you can take right now to find out where you are now and what you need to do to have the practice you want. Click here to get started. 

Next time I'll answer question number 2: How do I decide what to charge? I'll see you back here next week. 

Trying and trying?

When you're building your business, there are 2 major steps, one focused inward, the other focused out. The first step clarifying your vision. Before you act, you have to know who you are as a therapist, and who you most want to serve. Getting clear on this vision and purpose will help you with every business decision you'll have to make. With a clear vision, you can create a great strategy and then...The next major step is about taking action. With your clear vision, you get out there and start sharing your message, letting your potential clients and referral sources know who you are and what you have to offer. This includes creating or revamping your website, building relationships with colleagues, public speaking, and all of the other potential marketing activities you might choose. 

But these two steps are not only linear, rather they are a dance, a back and forth. Let's say your vision is clear, so you go into action mode: building your reputation, bringing in more clients, marketing yourself, revamping your website, going and going and going. At some point, after months or years of success with this, you start to feel less inspired. You're trying and trying with diminishing results and diminishing satisfaction. That just means it is time to go back to step one!

As soon as you start to feel burned out or uninspired, take a step back and reset your vision. You are always changing as a therapist. You're learning new skills, getting wiser and more seasoned. Every now and then you need to slow down and think about what inspires you NOW. Maybe you've learned a new method recently. Maybe a new set of issues feels compelling to you now. Develop a new vision based on all of your growth and new interests. 

Once you integrate all the ways you've changed as a therapist into your vision, your step two efforts will feel less effortful, and those marketing activities will once again be a natural outgrowth of the work you're here to do.  

How To Make a Good Decision

You're stuck on a business decision. You may be deciding whether to invest in additional training, pay for a service, raise your fees, move your office...There are so many decisions you may get stuck on. Maybe you are able to decide and then a day later you doubt yourself. Here's a way to get grounded and clear. Think about your bigger purpose. Think about why you are doing the work you do. Remember what your message is and what your unique gift is.

Now with all of that in mind, look at the decision again.

Will this choice bring you closer to your bigger purpose, or will it be a distraction? For example, if you move your office, will you be better able to serve those who need you? If you purchase that training, will it help you get even better at what you're here to do? Now you're asking the more important questions. And you'll know the right answer. 

What I Learned In a Tourist Trap

Whenever I have passed through pier 39 or walked past the line for the cable cars at Powell Street here in San Francisco, I have thought, “these tourists need to know about the more interesting parts of San Francisco. I should really tell them about my neighborhood and all of the other interesting spots they should visit instead of these tourist traps.” I’m an introvert, so I’ve never actually offered this unsolicited information. Today I walked by pier 39 on the way to a Ferry, and I looked up at the people’s faces. They were having a wonderful time! Almost to a person, they were smiling, chatting with their companions, and appeared to be enjoying the moment.

Not everyone is craving what I have to offer. That’s true about my advice to tourists, and as a business owner it is true about what I offer my clients. For my ideal clients, my services and my message are spot on. And there are people looking for something else. Not everyone is craving what YOU have to offer either.

Every customer or client or consumer is driven to get what he or she likes and need right now. It is your job to offer your unique gift to the people you understand best, and who are hungry for what you have to offer.  Let’s pretend you’re a spot in San Francisco. If you’re still reading this, you are probably not pier 39. You are more likely a small quirky café or bookstore frequented by locals as well as some tourists. What you offer isn’t appealing to everyone, but YOUR people love you. So don’t waste any energy conforming to what you think most people need, or trying to reach out to people who aren't looking for YOU. Focus your message towards the people walking around looking for you.

What Will Be Different When You Make It?

If you were as successful as you want to be, what would be different? Would you spend more time with your family? Would you feel more confident? Would setbacks feel less painful? Would you buy a nicer sweater?

I challenge myself to always think about what I fantasize will be different at the next level of success.

I’ll give you a small example. One thing I used to think was that once I “made it” I would have fresh flowers in my office. Flowers are a luxury, and I tend to be frugal. For me, fresh flowers are a symbol of frivolity but also of beauty and celebration. When I look at flowers I like, I feel joy. A while back my business coach challenged me to go ahead and get flowers now, and to replenish them every week for a month. I never stopped. I have a different arrangement every week, and the ritual of buying them and bringing them to my office makes me happy. Some of my clients love to look at them during sessions.

I challenge you to choose something that you fantasize you will have AFTER you get to the next level of success and give it to yourself NOW. I’m not suggesting doing things you can’t afford, but rather opening yourself up to what is possible right now.

Who Do You Listen To In Your Business?

I’ve never met a satisfied and successful business owner without a successful leader or mentor. I spoke with a colleague about this yesterday, and we were both trying to identify a single colleague who had become successful without a leader who was also successful. We are social creatures, and the input of those around us defines what we see as possible for ourselves. When you’re surrounded by people who are struggling, you can’t see another path.

This is the biggest reason I’m never without a coach. We each have self-limiting beliefs, and sometimes we don’t even see them. My coach helps me distinguish between valid concerns we should pay attention to and self-limiting beliefs that are really useless. She’s made her own dreams come true and she’s been successful in her businesses for longer than I have, so she can easily see my self-limiting beliefs and bat them away. My coach is also never without a coach. My coach has her own self-limiting beliefs, and she knows she’s got to be led in order to keep growing.

Any time you are going to do something new with your business, something that will bring you closer to being your full and bold self, expect some backlash. This backlash may be criticism from your peers who have not felt entitled to make their own bold moves, or it may come from inside. The bigger the move, the louder your inner saboteurs will become. These inner voices will shout out with fears and anxiety, reasons you can’t do it, and reasons you really shouldn’t try. At this time you need a leader. You’ve got to have someone ahead of you who can help you quiet those voices, someone who doesn’t take them seriously. You can do it, but no one can do it alone. 

What If Everyone Doesn't Like Me?

Marketing can feel exposing. I define marketing as creating and nurturing relationships to let the people who need you know that you're here to help them. To market effectively, you've got to be genuine, and allow people to see who you really are. It's hard to let go of wanting everyone to like you. I encourage my coaching clients to let go of the fear of repelling people. You've got to let the people who will love you know who you are. When you boldly step in to being you, YOUR people find you, and the people who don't love you walk away. When the people who aren't meant to work with you walk away, that's just making more room for your people.

Imagine you're going to a party, and you're planning to try to make everyone like you. Maybe you will do this by anticipating what every person would like you to say or how every person wants you to act. You'll have to wear something you think everyone will approve of. If there's a quality about you that stands out, you'll have to be careful to make sure everyone likes that quality or you'll have to tone it down. If you have a loud laugh, for example, you'll need to lower it a bit in case it bothers someone. If you love video games, you'll have to make sure every person approves of that before you mention it. Doesn't this sound like an awful way to spend your time? And if anyone at that party would have really liked YOU, they won't even know it. 

That is how most people approach marketing. So no wonder so many of you hate it. ​What if you were to step into every aspect of marketing with the faith that your people will recognize and love you? What if you knew that when you repelled people, they weren't meant to work with you? I encourage you to try these ideas on. From the moment you get dressed in the morning, to when you are talking to potential clients, to when you are talking to colleagues, to when you are writing copy for your website, look for every opportunity to be your unique self. I'd love to know how it goes.