Helping Hands For Coaches

“Change before you have to.” Jack Welch

Over the next week, I’d like to share a 3 part e-course with you that will help you clarify what it really takes to thrive in private practice in 2012 and beyond.  In particular, this e-course is all about innovation.

Why is innovation so vitally important?  Because the practitioners who recognize and adapt to trends the fastest will generally create the most success and prosperity.

I want to make sure that you are aware of these trends so you’re not getting left behind.  I’ve had many practitioners contacting me lately saying that over the past 1-2 years, their numbers are down significantly.. and they can’t figure out why.  Sure, the economy may have something to do with it.  But they get a sense that there are much more controllable factors at play that are undermining their success.

When we normally consider what innovation means to our practice, we tend to go right into ‘clinical’ mode and invest in the latest technology, gadgets, or seminar program to take our skills to the next level.  Yes– these are certainly important aspects of your practice success, but only if they are coupled with innovative marketing.

Innovative marketing:  Combining Online Technology With Personal Creativity

Most practices continue to dwell in limitation because their marketing lacks innovation.  If you find yourself doing the same things to promote yourself as 95% of your competition, you’ll only get about 5% of the results you could have in your practice.

In 2012, it’s highly likely that your  local market has too many practitioners for you to simply throw up a basic website, get a brochure and business card, do good work, and get a ton of word of mouth referrals.

Yes, you need all of this to be successful.. but it’s a matter of HOW you use it that will make or break your practice.

For instance, how do you get referrals for your practice?  Just wait until your clients tell others about you?  Hand out business cards to them?

What would it look like to get innovative in the way you get referrals?  How about setting up a specific page on your practice website that is JUST for friends and family of current clients with a special offer to try out your services?  On that page, you can integrate video to create more professionalism and warmth, Facebook to build social proof, and instant click calls to action through online scheduling.

Can you see how this is exponentially more powerful than just using business cards?

This is but one example of how the internet has completely revolutionized how any small business attracts the right audience.

If you’re not using online technology in ways such as this, you’re already behind the game..  and– if you have been feeling more challenged to get clients in the door–  this is likely a major reason why.

What About Facebook?  Do I Really Need It to Sustain My Practice?

Well, I would say it’s not quite yet a necessity, but it certainly gives you quite an advantage over other practitioners who aren’t using Facebook.

There’s a lot of hype around social media that honestly turns me off.  I don’t look at Facebook and Twitter as the ‘magic bullet’ that will solve all of your challenges in getting clients.  What these sites CAN do effectively is help you build deeper relationships with current, past, and prospective clients.

Social media gives you yet another avenue to stay in touch with anyone and everyone who has ever expressed interest in your work.  I definitely recommend having a customized Facebook fan page that has:

• your brand/logo
• a lead capture form
• an invitation to ‘like’ your page

You can check out an example of this here:    My customized fan page

Facebook is an extremely innovative website, largely because so few other practitioners are doing much with it.  This is concerning, as the average consumer has come to expect a Facebook presence for any legitimate business.  If you get a custom fan page, build out your network of fans, and integrate Facebook into your website, email marketing, and off line practice-building methods, you’re definitely innovating in a way that few of your competitors are.

Remember– Facebook is a major asset for your practice in that it breaks the ice with prospective clients who don’t know you or your work deeply enough to make an informed decision.  By sharing great content on your fan page, you’ll build trust and good will with your fans, many of whom will be swayed in the direction of utilizing your services because they feel like they know you, even if they have never personally met you.

Read that last statement carefully-  creating this dynamic in your marketing should be one of your main goals in 2012 and beyond.  Online technology and social media allow you to build relationships with way more people than you ever could in the ‘real’ world.

By the time a client calls you, your website, articles, and social media content should have already given them a clear view of your work, values, and expertise.  This is a beautiful thing, as there’s much less selling or convincing that needs to be done if the client comes in for the first consultation already educated about the services you offer.   By utilizing online technology in this way, you’re preventing what I consider to be one of the greatest causes of burn out for holistic practitioners– having to explain over and over what we can and can’t do.. and specifically, overcoming unrealistic expectations to produce results lightning fast.

In part 2 of this e-course, I’m going to expand on some of the concepts laid out here, plus introduce a very powerful concept that I call Instant Authority.

For now, here’s what I want to make sure of:

• You have an updated website that is NOT set up as a generic template, that has lead generation, social media integration, good search engine optimization, and professional graphics.

If you don’t have this in place yet, click here to review our 2 web packages.

• You have a customized Facebook fan page where you can connect more deeply with your target market, convey expertise, and stay in touch with anyone who has ever expressed interest in your work.

If you don’t have this in place yet, click here.

Be sure to look out for the next part of this e- course in the next couple days!

all the best, Kevin Doherty

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If you’ve been following my coaching work for some time, you’re already aware that I consider your practice website to be the critical hub that your practice revolves around.  Whatever you are doing to get more patients/clients in the door centers around having a strategically designed website that positions you as an expert and builds relationships and trust with people new to your work.  Here’s an overview of 10 of the best traffic generation strategies for your website.

1.   Your Current Patients/Clients ~ This one is easy to forget, but it’s really one of the most important steps you want to take with new clients.  You should have a script in place for sending new clients directly to your website before they come in for their first visit.  When they land on your site, they should have access to educational resources that will make them a more informed (and therefore higher quality) patient and help them see how you’re an expert in your field (which will build trust before they even come in).

While you’ll never get the lion’s share of your website traffic from current clients, it’s important to remember that they are by far and away the best source of traffic you have, simply because they have already committed to working with you.

Another important point here is that your current clients should be telling others about your work, and the best way to do this is to have them send people they know directly to your practice website.  This works far better than handing out business cards.

2.   On Page SEO ~ Search engine optimization is all about making your website as friendly as possible with the major search engines.  This means showing Google, Yahoo, and Bing what you do, where you do it, what you treat, and who your ideal client is.  The reason SEO is so important is because there are likely hundreds if not thousands of people looking for your exact services every month on the search engines; SEO is how you position yourself in front of them so they end up calling you– not your competition.

This process begins with on page SEO, which mainly involves setting up the right keywords that your audience is typing into the search engines on your site.  There are actually a number of elements that go into effective on page SEO, but the keywords used on the site are the most important aspect of this process.  After reviewing hundreds of websites for holistic practitioners, the vast majority have never had the on page SEO done which is why they are not getting much traffic to their site.. and they are left completely confused about how to get clients online.

On page SEO does not guarantee high Google placement; it really depends on how competitive your local market is.  If there are lots of other practitioners competing for that online real estate, you’ll also need to do some off page SEO.

3.  Link Building/Off Page SEO ~ Once your on page SEO has been set up, the next step is to get as many links as possible coming back to your website from other, high quality websites on the internet.  While there are many ways to do this, the most effective way by far is article marketing.  When we do off page SEO for our clients (and I do this on all of my own personal sites), we use a very powerful software called Article Samurai.  With this software, we write short, original articles, spin them into infinite variations so each one looks unique, then distribute them to roughly 500 article directories and blog networks.  Each directory allows 2-3 links back to whatever website we want to link to, and each link is set up as the specific keyword we want to rank for.  The more of these links you have, the more likely you will be to beat your competition and own those coveted top spots on the major search engines.

Most practitioners are ranking high on Google because they have an old domain name, their main keyword is their domain name, or there just isn’t much competition.  In essence, they land there often due to luck or time.  Getting more links than anyone else is the secret weapon to strategically dominating online searches for your local market.

4.  Facebook ads ~ Facebook advertising is one of the most exciting forms of online marketing right now, as there is great  potential to get a lot of qualified traffic for relatively cheap.  You can go to http://facebook.com/advertising and set up ads that link directly to your practice website.  The ads can be incredibly targeted, which is why many businesses are thrilled with the results.  For instance, you can target your ad to show up for people on Facebook who:

• are female
• between the ages of 25 and 50
• have a college degree
• have expressed an interest in health, yoga, spirituality, nutrition, and personal growth
• live within a 20 mile radius of your office

Frankly, you can’t get much more targeted than that in your advertising!   If you send your traffic outside of Facebook directly to your website, expect to pay quite a bit more per click.  Keeping your traffic within Facebook will actually be quite a bit cheaper.  You can do this through your Facebook fan page.

5.  Facebook fan page ~ Having a customized fan page for your practice is one of the best strategies you can implement right now, as your fan page is a great way to build trust, share great information, and generate leads and interest.  The fastest way to get more fans to your page is through Facebook advertising.  You can set up ads that go directly to a customized landing page where you tell the visitor exactly what to do when they get there (i.e.,  ‘like’ your page and opt in for free info).

The more fans you get, the more traffic you’ll get to your practice website.  If you have 1,000 fans and you post a message to your fan page wall that links back to your website, you may get anywhere from 15-100 people going to your website from Facebook, depending on how compelling the post you made is.
You also want to set up a fan page box on your practice website, so people can ‘like’ your fan page right from your website, as long as they are logged into Facebook.  Your fan page is really a 2nd website for your practice.  It’s such a versatile marketing tool.. and it will only become more relevant to your practice success in the next couple of years.

I am in the process of creating about 6 new training videos on Facebook fan page marketing and advertising that can only be found in the Prosperous Practitioner membership, which you can learn more about by clicking here.    The first 3 in this series are just now being uploaded.

6.  Twitter ~ You can build out a large local following on Twitter, and regularly send out Tweets that link back to your practice website.  You can also link your fan page to Twitter so that each time you post to your fan page, it automatically goes to your Twitter profile.  You can do this by going to http://www.facebook.com/twitter

7.  Blogging ~ It’s often said that he/she who has the most and best content wins the game of internet marketing.  If you want to dominate your local market, getting more back links to your website is key component #1.  Having more content than anyone else is key component #2.  You want to have the most content-rich website in your local market.. and blogging is the best way to achieve this goal.  With WordPress, you can log in anytime and write keyword optimized blog posts that can potentially rank well in the search engines.  You can then syndicate that content to your fan page, Twitter,  Linked In, and to your email list.   I recommend writing 1 blog post per week for your practice and then implementing a consistent syndication strategy for this content through your entire social media network.

8.  Online Video~ Here’s an easy way to stand out from the crowd and position your practice differently than anyone else:  Have the best Youtube channel in town!  How many practices are truly leveraging this strategy?  Very few.  This is why NOW is the time to think outside the box and be creative in your marketing.  Video is the best marketing medium to solidify your reputation as a thought leader and expert.  Plus, given the fact that Google now owns Youtube, you can often get your videos ranked high on Google as long as they are keyword optimized.

The more Youtube videos you have, the more traffic you’ll get to your website.  Just be sure to include a live link to your website in the description box of your video.

9.  Classified Ads~ When it comes to traffic generation, it’s important to think off line as well.  You can set up cheap classified ads in your local paper similar to this:

Struggling with back pain?  Grab our free report and discover the 5 secrets

to healing back pain without side effects.  Go to www.backpainsecrets.com right now!

This is a classic direct response form of marketing where you get people onto your email list, then build a relationship with them through follow up email marketing.  You can also do this through display ads, but they are way more expensive, and you can often get a pretty decent result just through classified ads.

10.  email marketing~  Are you building an email list for your practice?  If not, you’re missing one of the most critical marketing systems in existence!  Your email list is a built-in network of prospects, current, and ex-clients who have all expressed interest in your work.  Whenever you write a new blog post or create a new video, your email list should know about it.   Many people get more traffic to their website from their email list than any other source.  There’s a lot I have to say about email marketing, but for now, just be sure you set up an email marketing system on your website using a service like Aweber.  You can thank me later!

I hope these 10 tips help you out!  If you need a website or you are getting the impression that your current website could use an overhaul, you can click here:   Dream Practice Websites

Now, go get some traffic!

Kevin

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After coaching several hundred health practitioners over the past few years, it has become quite clear to me what prevents them from achieving the level of success that they desire.  As with most small businesses, the odds are stacked against the average practice owner.  It is said that about 80% of small businesses fail within the first 5 years.. and 96% will perish within 10 years.

In my experience, this statistic rings true for holistic practitioners and other service-based businesses.  It’s easy to look at this number and feel discouraged about your future.  The good news is that once you identify the main obstacles to getting in that 5% that are doing very well, you’ll come to realize that there are tangible and distinct reasons why so many businesses fail.  Then, you can commit to overcoming these weak links, which will put you on the path to long-term sustainability.

Most practices never take the time to really think about these issues.  They assume that having a passion for their work and offering their best to each and every client will be all they need to rely on for their long-term success.  While these qualities can take you very far in practice, they simply aren’t enough to sustain you in a way that creates ease and freedom in your practice.

Let’s take a quick look at the 3 big blocks to your practice success.  I’ll also share some resources about how you can overcome those blocks.

1.  Being attached to limiting beliefs around money

I truly believe this issue lies at the core of so many other pitfalls in private practice.  While holistic practitioners tend to be very bright and committed people, they also tend to view money with a certain degree of pessimism, aversion, or cynicism.  In fact, I think a lot of people go into the healing arts so they can bypass all of the conventional stuff that our society has to face on a daily basis.  When I went to acupuncture school, I really think that was  a primary motivation.  I didn’t want to face financial responsibility– all I really wanted was to immerse myself in the esoteric world of energy healing and personal development.  Can you relate to this?

Well, in my own experience, I know for a fact that I NEVER could have created a full private practice while holding on to this block.  I had to let it go.. and in fact, I had to radically reverse my orientation around money so that I started to perceive it as a source of joy, freedom, and generosity in my life.  I had to energetically welcome it into my reality, instead of always pushing it away.

How about you?  Do you subconsciously push money away from your life?  Be honest.  Where and how does this show up?  Here are a few of the limiting beliefs that can easily undermine your practice potential:

• It’s unspiritual or unethical to make a lot of money
• I would be fulfilled/happy in life if it wasn’t for money                                                          
• There’s no way I can succeed in this crappy economy
• There’s too much competition
• Money is the root of all evil/doesn’t grow on trees/ is in scarce supply
• I have to give everything I have in my practice (work way too hard) to make the money I do make.. and it’s never enough
• I just wish I could heal people and not have to worry about money

I could go on, but I think you get the drift.  All of these beliefs energetically block money from showing up in your life.  They keep you stuck where you are, making as much as you make year after year.  This is why the average income does not change much for most people throughout their life.  If they make $50k per year in 2011, there’s a good chance they’ll be making a similar amount next year, and for many years to come.  We all have a financial set point or comfort zone that we fall into.  To expand this, we have to expand our belief system and be willing to let go of harmful beliefs that no longer serve us.

2.  Inconsistent front-end marketing systems

This issue really ties into the first one.  After all, how motivated are you going to be to develop your marketing skills if money isn’t a welcome force in your life?  marketing leads to money.  Many practitioners perceive marketing as a scary, inauthentic, or intimidating process that doesn’t align with their values.  If  you think about it, this is a perfect belief system to shield oneself from a lot more money showing up in life.

You see, once you start to energetically welcome money into your life, you’ll naturally want to market and promote your work.  You’ll treat it as a top priority.  Your mind will always be playing with ideas of how you can get more exposure and help more people.  As much as you focus on developing your clinical skills, you’ll want to develop your marketing skills because you see these 2 skill sets as inseparable.  After all, you can’t really refine your clinical skills if you’re not getting enough new clients in the door, right?

There are so many creative, fun, and genuine ways to market your private practice.  Most practitioners never allow themselves to tap into how fun marketing can actually be.  They perceive marketing as a burden.  This is sad, because this belief makes practice-building so much harder than it needs to be.  By letting go of the resistance to marketing, there is a sense of ease that starts to show up– both in terms of how you attract patients and in terms of the actual work you do for them.

A lot of the resistance to marketing and money comes from a place of low self-worth.  Along these lines, the more patients you get, the more drained you feel… because you are convinced that you have to give, give, give everything you have to help people.  This belief is operating from a place of never feeling like you’re enough, so you have to use tremendous will power to help people.  This can be quite an insidious and subtle issue, one that becomes more magnified the more patients you see and the longer you are in practice.  It’s a primary source of burn out and struggle for any service-based business owner.

If you want more ease in your marketing, doing this inner work is of course a key issue.  On an outer level, I have seen time and again that having a professional website that positions you as the ‘go to’ expert in your local area, then having a number of lead generation tools in place to drive traffic to that website, is the most efficient, automated, and easy way to sustain a practice.

There’s obviously a lot more I could say about this, but I just want to get you thinking in this direction:

Build a lead generation website–> Drive traffic to the site –> Generate leads –> Educate those leads using online technology

That’s pretty much the core strategy that I embrace, and it works like a charm when implemented the right way.

3.  Poor contact management and follow up

It’s amazing– I have worked with so many practices that have been established for 10-15 years and they still don’t have a system in place to stay in touch with everyone who has ever expressed interest in their work.  This is one of the biggest marketing mistakes possible!  If your practice feels like a roller coaster month in and month out, like you have to rely heavily on your front-end marketing to keep things moving, it means that you’re not staying in touch with your current database of past, current, and prospective clients well enough.

The best way to do this is to use an email marketing system — I think Aweber is the best– and create a lead generation system from your website so that you can store all contacts in a central online database.

It’s cheap to use, easy to set up, and highly effective for stabilizing a practice.                                  

How to stay in touch with people is a big subject that I have talked about in my blogging course and will be diving into in some depth in the Create Your Own Economy coaching program that just got underway.

Once again, I just want to get you thinking in this direction.. because there’s a good chance that you’re not capitalizing on the tremendous benefits an online contact management system such as Aweber can offer your practice.

We set up Aweber on almost all the websites we build.  I think it’s mandatory for any serious practice owner.  I’ll probably be doing one of my monthly webinars on the best way to use this system.  If this would be of interest to you, leave me a comment below.

I want to wrap this up by saying that even though the economy DOES stink right now.. and even though so many businesses fail and will continue to do so, building a practice can actually be effortless when you do the inner work and have the right outer systems in place.  Now, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to expend energy– of course you do.  But it does mean that there is no struggle, will power, or fighting with yourself to make it happen.  It just flows naturally because you have created the right inner and outer framework to make it so.  When you accomplish this, it’s a beautiful feeling.. and it becomes evident why so many businesses and practices struggle (and why you don’t).

If this info is helpful to you, please take a moment to click the twitter and facebook buttons at the top of the post so we can spread the word!  If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below.

all the best,

Kevin

A great article from health practice websites

hi everyone,

After reviewing hundreds  of health practice websites over the past few years, there is one important suggestion that I make to the site owner at least 90% of the time.  This one tip can increase the conversion (the % of web visitors who actually call you ) on your site tremendously.

Instead of talking about YOU on the home page, talk about THEM.

The vast majority of the sites I have reviewed spend talk a lot about the practice on the home page– the modalities, treatment philosophy, office hours, and so on.

Use your home page to talk about the pains and challenges of your web visitors.  Why are they on your website right now?  Connect with the motivation they have for seeking our your services.  Empathize with the struggles they may be experiencing.  Once you establish an emotional connection with them, point to the solutions you have to offer.  Tell them exactly what you believe are the benefits of your care.

Then, tell them what to do next.

Most practice websites simply lay out a bunch of facts and theories, then leave it up to the web visitor to figure out if their approach is right for them.  Don’t make your visitor expend too much energy thinking about it.  Make it brain dead obvious how you can help them, and avoid the technical or esoteric language that is so easy to use when explaining acupuncture, chiropractic, or other modalities.

One of my all-time favorite books to help you develop the skill of coypwriting is called Hypnotic Writing by Joe Vitale.  If you put into practice what’s in this book, it can completely transform not only your marketing approaches, but the way you interact with clients, how you educate them, and how you present yourself in public setting. <img class="alignright size-full wp-image-841" title="hypnotic-writing" src="http://dreampracticeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/hypnotic-writing.jpg" alt="hypnotic writing Copywriting 101: A Quick marketing Tip To Get More Clients From Your Practice Website” width=”171″ height=”171″ align=”right” />

As much as you develop your clinical skills, commit to developing your marketing and copywriting skills as well.  This will have a profound impact

on your ability to attract more business, help more people, and create more freedom and fulfillment through your work.

You can click here to check out one of my best resources with a TON of excellent marketing training to build your practice.

Kevin

“What Can I Do TODAY to Attract More Clients and Increase My Practice Revenue?”

This is one of the best questions you can ask yourself on a daily basis.  There are always actions you can take that directly affect your bottom line.  Most of us, however, get in the habit of putting a million things before this question– our paperwork, admin stuff, organizing our office, paying a bill, buying a new technological gadget, and so on.

We tend to avoid this question because it often puts us at the edge of our comfort zone.  It compels us to take action in a way that stretches us.  As a result, we tend to focus on tasks that keep us comfortable– but typically have NOTHING to do with increasing our revenue and seeing more patients.

When you get in the habit of asking this question on a daily basis, you’ll start to put revenue-generating activities first.. and you’ll get more comfortable stepping out of your comfort zone.  Eventually, you’ll find that the actions that directly lead to increased business are seen in a much more positive light.  They may not be comfortable, but they produce excitement in your practice.

What this boils down to is that the actions that directly build your business and generate revenue revolve around marketing your practice.

This entails getting out in your community, building relationships, networking, reactivating old patients, and sharing your message with as many people as will hear it.  Every day, you have the choice to initiate these kinds of activities– or hide in your office doing things that keep you distracted from building your business.

So, what are you going to do TODAY to build your practice?  Let me know in the comments sections below!

Kevin

Suzanne and I did a couple of content-rich teleclasses today and I wanted to share the recording for each with you here.  In this first one, Suzanne interviewed me on 3 steps to getting more clients online.  In this teleclass, I shared a ton of really important information on how to use the internet to build your business.

You can listen to it here–>  3 Steps to Get More Clients Online

In this second one, I interviewed Suzanne on how to create a lifestyle business that leverages your talents and knowledge to work on a bigger scale, help more people, and create more personal freedom.

You can listen to it here –> 7  Secrets to Creating  a Lifestyle Business

Set aside a couple hours and be sure to listen to each of these teleclasses, as Suzanne and I shared a vast array of highly useful content to help you take your business to the next level.

enjoy!

Kevin

If you see at least 20 clients per week in your private practice, you already know how frustrating it can be when people don’t show up or they cancel at the last minute.  I have worked with quite a few practitioners who see this as one of the greatest practice struggles they face.  From lost revenue to a choppy schedule, missed appointments can severely undermine the positive momentum of a practice.  Let’s talk about a couple of simple ways to prevent this from happening in your practice.

There are 5 main tips I want to share with you:

1.  Make sure that you have a set cancellation policy for your practice.  I recommend $50 for less than 24 hours notice.  I will usually be flexible for the first no show or late reschedule if I think the client had a genuine reason and they are otherwise committed to the process.

2.  Tell your client this (or have your receptionist do so) as you are checking them out for their first appointment–  “I run a really busy practice here, so if you need to reschedule or you are going to miss an appointment, please just do your best to give me 24 hours notice.  I have a cancellation policy of $50 if I don’t get 24 hours.  Is that agreeable with you?”

Get your client to nod in agreement.

Stating this directly to the client and having them agree to these terms will heighten their commitment to be responsible and respectful within your practice.  People need to hear this directly in order to take it seriously.  Plus, when they hear you state your cancellation policy, they will know that you are serious about enforcing it.

3.  Create a welcome letter to your practice that goes in your new client welcome packet for all new clients, and clearly state your cancellation policy in writing on that letter.  Refer to this letter when you are in step 1 above with the client.  Once they hear it from you and then see it in writing, it adds yet another level of formality that makes them realize that they are dealing with a professional business that has set policies.

Some practices even have the client sign a form that states their cancellation policy.   I would recommend this if this issue has been a major concern within your practice.

4.  Offer pre-pays and automated billing –  If it’s legal in your state, this is a great way to minimize the financial damage caused by no shows or last minute cancellations.  If the client pre-pays or is on an automated billing cycle, then you will be compensated automatically for a violation of your cancellation policy.  Just be sure the client is aware of this when they initially sign up for their package.

5.  Investigate any limiting beliefs about your self-worth — You may be ‘attracting’ less than ideal clients because of certain beliefs you are holding onto about the value you can offer.  If people regularly don’t show up or disrespect your policies, you want to do both an external and internal audit to assess what is causing this to happen.  This external audit has to do with ensuring that you have the right policies and systems in place to prevent potential problems.  The internal audit is all about carefully examining your own belief system to see if there are some less than helpful story lines running the show that are undermining your success.

If you follow these tips closely, you should see a dramatic reduction in no shows and last minute cancellations.  The theme that ties this all together is conveying the impression of being a highly professional business owner who deserves to be taken seriously.  Make sure that your office environment, attire, practice website, brochure, and business card all convey professionalism.

I hope this short post helps you out and enables you to run your practice with less stress than before..

keep me posted,

Kevin

We have an AMAZING group of practitioners signed up for the Create Your Own Economy coaching program! Yesterday and today, I have been offering free consults to help practitioners decide if this program is right for them at this time. We had so many requests for free consults that there was no way I could fit them all in by the end of today, so I wanted to answer a few of the main questions we are getting here.

1. When is the deadline to join?

It was going to be tonight at 9pm PST/12am EST, but I have extended that to Wednesday morning at 9am PST/12pm EST since we have had so many people requesting more info at the last minute.

2. When does it start?

Wednesday, October 5th at 11am PST/2pm EST (yes, that’s tomorrow!)

3. What are the coaching call times?

We will be doing live teleclasses and/or webinars every Wednesday at 11am PST/2pm EST for the next 2 months.

What if I can’t make the live calls? Should I still join?

Yes, for a couple reasons:

• I’m going to offer occasional ‘make up’ calls on different days to accommodate the schedules of those who can’t make Wednesday work.
• All calls/webinars will be recorded and sent to you within 48 hours.
• There will be an online forum where you can post questions and get the support you need there.

4. What is the format? What’s included?

• 2 months of live webinars or teleclasses once per week
• a LIVE EVENT in Boulder, CO. toward the end of the program
• an online forum to ask questions and connect with likeminded practitioners
• 10% off our web package if you need a new website or an overhaul of your current one

5. How can this program help me?

The beauty of this program is that I have designed it to be customized to your needs, so wherever you are at in your practice right now, our work will be to bring you to the next level.  This is true whether you’re just starting out or are seeing 100 patients per week.  There will be a lot of time for personal work together.

Most practitioners never learn how to effectively market their services.  They either have internal hang ups about promoting what they do, feel guilty about making money, or were never taught the fundamentals of client attraction, lead generation, patient retention, and effective education.

My programs are basically the most efficient, fun, and effective way to learn how to market your practice, attract more clients, boost your income, and live with balance and purpose at the same time.  In particular, this program focuses on the exact steps you need to take to protect your practice from the spiraling economy, so you don’t have to succumb to the stress and limitations that so many are suffering through right now.  This IS possible if you have the right mindset, skills, and knowledge.

My approach to coaching is meant to be fun, inspiring, engaging, and challenging (in a good way).   This program will be highly interactive, stimulating, and deeply transformative for your personal and professional growth.

Another important point:  I’m going to give you access to any online video module training that I think would be of personal help to you.  I have extensive training available on every facet of marketing and practice management that I have archived over the years.  If during our work together, I think you need to learn a certain strategy or approach, I am going to send you video training.

6. What if I have already taken another one of your programs? Will it still be beneficial?

Yes for 3 reasons:

• There will be a lot more interaction and one on one time with me in this program, so we can really focus in on where you’re at right now and what it’s going to take to move forward in your practice.

• Gaining mastery in any skill set requires ongoing dedication and repetition.  By reinforcing the trainings you received in any of my other programs, you’re moving that much closer to mastery.  When it comes to marketing and practice development, you want to develop yourself to the point of ‘unconscious competence’, where building your business becomes second nature.  This can only happen through constant reinforcement and support.

• We will be covering some new marketing information in this program that I have never covered before.  In particular, I’m going to talk quite a bit about building more referrals through webinars, teleclasses, and video marketing.  This is really advanced stuff that I think is right at the cutting edge of practice marketing.  We’re also going to go into more depth on email marketing and frequent contact and why that’s so critical for your practice.

Basically, we are going to cover the PROFIT Formula in depth, as I see this as the most directly beneficial system you can have to protect and build your practice right now.  (That video is coming down very soon so watch now if possible).

7. Is there a money back guarantee?
Yes, you have 30 days to try out the program.  If it’s not for you, then you can get a refund– no questions asked.  Just FYI– in the past 3 coaching programs I have offered, we have had only 2 refund requests (out of hundreds of people) which I think is a testament to the quality and value being offered.

8. Can I still make the live event in Boulder, Colorado?

Yes.  While priority goes to the first 10 people who signed up for the program, not all of them will be able to fly out.  I will be giving them a one day window to book their tickets, but after that it’s fair game.. and whoever signs up the fastest!

9. Why are you qualified to offer this program?

I have built my own highly successful practice in one of the most competitive markets in the country, so I know the challenges you’re facing and how to break through them.  I have also been coaching holistic practitioners since 2005 and have had the good fortune of helping over 8,000 practitioners with my programs, e-books, and free practice-building kit.
10. Is it all internet marketing?

No, not at all.  While I believe that the internet is hands down the best place to get in front of tons of new people on a regular basis, there are other aspects of building a successful practice that are just as important.  The PROFIT Formula incorporates all these aspects, and that is what we will be focusing on for the first month.  Then, we’re going to discuss how to diversify your income and create multiple income streams in the 2nd month.

11.  What if I feel stuck/unmotivated/uninspired right now and struggle to get anything done?

Well, that’s a BIG part of what coaching can do for you– get you in a much more empowered and productive mindset so you can take more effective action.  My coaching approach is always infused with a heavy dose of personal development, as I think mindset is a critical component of outer success.

12.  Why is this program different from all the others?

My approach is really about being genuine, down-to-earth, and REAL about the way you market your practice.  I have seen so many marketing consultants who use a  hype-based, over-the-top approach that I think does  not resonate well with a lot of practitioners.  I tend to attract bright, sensitive, mindful, and sincere practitioners who don’t want to use hype to build their practice or marketing strategies that feel forced or inauthentic (like knocking on the door of everyone in your neighborhood inviting them to come to your practice).

I really believe in the unity of personal growth and business growth.  In order to create the fulfillment and prosperity you want, you have to be willing to challenge limiting beliefs just as much as you have to be willing to take action on an effective marketing plan and implement practice management systems.

13.  Where do I learn more and sign up?

http://buildyourdreampractice.net/program/create-your-own-economy

Alright, I hope this helps to shed some light on the program!  Registration will be open until 9am PST/12pm EST tomorrow (Wed. Oct. 5th).

I look forward to working with you then ~

Kevin

<img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-814" title="multi-media marketing” src=”http://dreampracticeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/podcasting-icon1.jpg” alt=”multi-media marketing” width=”275″ height=”275″ align=”left” />Most practitioners are still relying heavily on their business card, brochure, and website as their primary means of attracting new patients/clients.  I think that right now you have a chance to really stand out in your local area by embracing a more innovative and creative marketing approach that utilizes a multi-media campaign.  Sure, business cards and brochures will forever be useful tools in your practice-building arsenal.  The problem is that it’s hard to establish uniqueness for your practice from a business card.  Plus it’s a rather clunky medium to rely on, and is rapidly becoming more or less outdated.

The beauty of a multi-media approach is that it enables you to do 4 very important things:

1.  Effectively educate new people to your treatment philosophy, services, and so on.

2.  Build trust, rapport, and credibility with people using online automation (you don’t have to be physically present with each and every person you are connecting with).

3.  Position yourself as an innovative expert who is at the cutting edge of your profession.

4.  Allow people to absorb your message through different senses.

A multi-media approach to practice-building would entail setting up the following on your practice website, then having a lead and referral system that draws people to these resources:

1.  Videos and webinars    <img class="alignright size-full wp-image-815" title="video marketing” src=”http://dreampracticeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/video.jpg” alt=”video marketing” width=”309″ height=”186″ align=”right” />

2.  Podcasts and audios

3.  PDF’s and special reports

Some people like to watch; others like to listen; others like to read.  Have your materials available to meet all these needs.  You can easily repurpose your content to adapt to all of these mediums.

I have found that utilizing these approaches can be a lot of fun to create and they are received very well by my the people who visit my websites.  To check out a good example of a multi-media approach, you can download my free Conscious Practitioner starter kit at http://buildyourdreampractice.net .  You’ll see that I offer a series of videos, an audio, and a PDF there for free.  While I am giving away a lot for free, I’m also connecting with people new to me in a way that is virtually impossible to do otherwise.

How about creating something similar for your practice?  Why not WOW people with how much you over-deliver?  The well-known marketer Eben Pagan coined the term ‘push the free line’, which is largely how multi-media is used on the internet.  People who are new to you and your work usually need a fair amount of exposure to you in order to feel safe and motivated to pick up the phone and call.  When they see your free education videos, audios, and reports, they will know that you take your work seriously and have a tremendous amount to offer.

This approach really is perfect for any alternative medicine practice because the truth of the matter is that most people who are introduced to your practice have a fair amount of reluctance in parting with their money for an unknown outcome.  It feels risky.  Multi-media makes it feel much less risky.  Through good education, they know what to expect, their fears are alleviated, and they feel a connection with you and your work.  One of the best things you can hear from a new patient or client is when they say, ‘I feel like I know you already.‘   This is confirmation that your marketing is effective.

This blog post is really just a primer to get you thinking in this direction.  I can guarantee you that this approach is going to become much, much more mainstream over the next few years.  Be at the cutting edge and do it NOW.. and you’ll enjoy a huge competitive advantage in your local market.  There’s a lot more I can and will say about this in the near future.  But for now, my brain is ready for a break, as we had the first Create Your Own Economy live teleclass.. and it went for 2.5 hours.  Everyone on the line had a blast and I think it created some helpful shifts for a lot of people on the line.

I’ll be in touch soon with more cool ideas and further elaboration on the ideas I shared here.

keep moving forward,

Kevin

hi everyone,

I made a quick video for you here that describes the 2 core challenges that every single entrepreneur has to face.. and what kind of thought process and strategy you need to overcome these challenges.  It’s an important subject to say the least.  Check it out here and leave a comment if you’d like to share your own experience.

all the best,

Kevin