Marketing Sadhana

A successful practice is built by consistently using a variety of methods to attract your target clients. The marketing methods you choose should reflect your personality and skills.  A practitioner should choose anywhere from 3-7 strategies to be used daily, weekly, and monthly.

Here are 10 tools you can use right now to build your practice:

1. Wellness Talks
2. Teleclasses
3. Blogging/Newsletters
4. Free Consultations
5. Demonstrations
6. Tabling at Health Fairs
7. Article Submission
8. Podcasts
9. Cross-promoting/Collaborating with other Practitioners
10. Networking

by C.J. Hayden, MCC

I often suggest public speaking as a powerful way to show prospective clients what you can do. Many professionals and consultants have built successful practices by giving free presentations to associations, businesses, and educational institutions. But what about producing your own seminar, where you arrange the logistics and invite the guests? Does this work as a strategy for landing clients?

Offering a seminar can be an effective means to become more visible to your target market. If you are a good (or even fair) presenter, and the right people come to your seminar, you will definitely get new customers. But to use seminar marketing successfully, you need to be very clear on your goals, and plan each seminar carefully.

If the purpose of your seminar is primarily to get clients, you shouldn’t be expecting to make money on the seminar itself. You may wish merely to cover your expenses, or maybe even spend a little extra. For this type of seminar, the key to making it pay off is to attract people who are good prospects for your business in the first place, rather than just filling the room.

Instead of making your seminar free, it’s a good idea to charge a small fee. That way, your prospective clients will perceive you as offering something of value. The fee will also discourage attendance by people who can’t afford your product or service. It’s the quality of the participants that matters, not the quantity.

If what you really want is for your seminar to turn a profit, you must recognize that by offering full-fee seminars, you are adding another line of business to your company. Operating as a seminar producer will require the same kind of planning and ongoing management as your existing business does.

It can be as difficult to make a profit on your first seminar as it was to originally launch your business. Many people won’t sign up for a seminar the first time they see it; others would like to come but can’t make the date. You’ll have a better chance of making money if you plan at the outset to offer your seminar on a regular basis. You may find, though, that this takes away too much time from your core business.

Whether the seminar you are planning is promotional or for profit, estimate your projected income and expenses before making a commitment to proceed. Base the income you project solely on the fee you will charge per person multiplied by the number of attendees you expect. Don’t include any projected spinoff business in your income estimate. If you land new business, you will still have to work additional hours to earn that compensation.

Typical expenses include design and printing of a flyer or brochure, postage, posting a notice on your website, purchase of mailing lists (if you don’t have your own), print and Internet media ads (including calendar listings), facility rent, audiovisuals, handouts, and refreshments. You should also consider the cost of your own time to design promotional materials, compile lists, compose e-mails, and make phone calls, as noted below.

In designing a snail mail or e-mail campaign for your seminar, keep in mind that it is quite typical to get only one registration for every 100 pieces you mail, even with a pre-qualified list.

Subtract your projected expenses from your income, then make a rational decision on whether to proceed. If the purpose of your seminar is to get business, estimate how much spinoff business is likely. Before going ahead, ask yourself if there might be an easier or cheaper way to get that many new clients or contracts.

If your purpose is to make money, divide your expected profit by the number of hours it will take you to design, market, and deliver your seminar. Is that amount a reasonable level of compensation for you?

If your best guess at the numbers tells you that producing a seminar makes good business sense for you, go for it! Because people do business with those they know, like, and trust, seminars can help you build a solid client base. And because repeat contacts raise awareness, mailings and ads about your seminar will generate more visibility for your core business.

Copyright © 2001, C.J. Hayden

Marketing Coaches and Consultants hear this from clients quite regularly. It’s a very curious statement, because it implies that marketing has nothing to do with spending time with clients.

It couldn’t be further from the truth.

If marketing is everything you do to build awareness of who you are and how your offering benefits your target market, then it follows that you’re spending time with clients. Okay, potential clients. But nonetheless, you are cultivating a relationship with the very individuals you’ll be relating to more closely once they become your clients.

Sure, you can hire someone to craft your marketing message and get clients for you, but what is the value in that if you are not a part of the process? You’re a practitioner - a hands-on provider whose practice revolves around regular human to human contact.  If the clients you are trying to attract never see you or hear from you personally, what would be the incentive for them to sign on with you?

We’ve all encounterd a person who was so excited about something in their life that they went on and on and on about it, until you weren’t quite sure if it was a pitch or over-enthusiasm. Whether they tried a new diet, bought the latest widget, or wanted you to relive their kid’s first time at T-ball, you just weren’t that interested. Happy for them, sure, but you really could have cared less.

Do you find that this happens to you when describing your services to people? Do you find yourself going on and on while the person who you’re talking to is fidgeting or getting that glazed look in their eyes?

Passion is essential to staying motivated and happy with your work. If you’re not passionate about what you do, it can affect your ability to attract clients. No one wants to work with a dud, so what do you do?

Stop talking about yourself.

Just stop.

A potential client doesn’t want to hear how great you are or how great your services are. They want to hear how you can solve their problem(s).

Try this little experiment: The next time someone asks you what you do, don’t tell them about your service. Instead, tell them who you work with and what problem you solve.

For example, if you’re a Massage Therapist, instead of saying, ”I’m an Orthopedic Massage Therapist and I can do all these things (which you list in detail)” try, “I help dancers who have difficulty with certain movements identify and remove the underlying causes” Now, an answer like this is bound to be followed up with a “how” question, because how can a Massage Therapist do that? As an Orthopedic Massage Therapist, you have training in posture/alignment and soft tissue dysfunction that result in repetitive strain and traumatic injuries.

But you’re not going to say all of that. What you might say, is something like, “When a dancer comes to see me, I have her demonstrate a movement she has not been able to execute properly. By watching her, I can immediately determine wherein the problem lies. Once I’ve discovered the problem, she and I will work together to remedy the situation.” Since I’m not an OTM, I’m know there are other ways this could have been said, but you get the picture.

In those four sentences, not only have you identified your target client, you’ve also identified the problem and the solution, all the time never mentioning yourself, your practice, or how great you are.

Having passion is important, but it’s more important to be passionate about the other person - the what’s in it for them aspect.

Think of it as an altruistic expression of yourself.

Sat Nam.

There is a lifestyle series on TLC called “10 Years Younger“. It’s a makeover show that helps very real people (read: beyond needing a new haircut, wardrobe and makeup tips, some participants require minor cosmetic work and major dentristy ) take at least 10 years off their age.

Before and after the makeover, the participants are required to stand in a clear soundproof box in a public space, where 100 people each are asked to scrutinize their appearance and guess their age.

It is a very humbling experience, to say the least. Oftentimes, the participants are perceived to be much, much older then they are in the before phase. And that does nothing for one’s self-esteem, especially when you already feel poorly about yourself.

This show made me consider my own image - not just my physical appearance, but my overall image. I wondered: if I asked just 10 people I knew to tell me, in their own words, what I do for a living, would it be accurate, or way off the mark?  Could friends, relatives, colleagues, and even potential clients accurately describe my business offering? What were the first words that came to mind when they thought about me and my work?

Over the years, I have received some very interesting responses regarding the nature of my work, from people confused about what I do to suggesting that I don’t “work” at all. I ask pretty regularly, because I understand that maintaining my personal brand is what will set me apart from others in my field.

Over the next few days or weeks, ask those you trust to give you an assessment of your image. And I emphasize those you trust, because you need honest answers, not the answer you want to hear or negative, unconstructive feedback. 

Ask them if they feel your delivery - everything from your business etiquette to your physical appearance - corresponds or conflicts with what you want potential clients to think about you.  If you have an existing client base, send them a survey that includes questions about their comfort in working with you. Questions such as, do they like your phone manner, is your workspace inviting, do you dress appropriately for the work you do, do they feel a deep connection to you or are they just client 0038?

This experience is bound to increase your awareness of the work that is necesary to maintain a clear and truthful projection of who you are.

It’s a way to gauge what works in your marketing and delivery, and what needs improvement.

Sat Nam.

In honor of Earth Day, I want to propose a way for all of us to consider and utilize eco-friendly marketing strategies.

Here are some of the ways we can reduce our consumption and create sustainable marketing plans.

1. Instead of printing an email to read later, save it to your hard drive.
2. When possible, switch to recycled paper for your business cards and printed materials.
3. Choose a higher percentage of web-based methods of marketing over print.
4. Collaborate with other practitioners whose services are comparable to yours when developing print materials.
5. Minimize direct mail marketing campaigns to 3 times a year or less.
6. Educate yourself and your clients about sustainability and your contribution.

An earlier post touched on the mistake that is often made when first starting out, believing that “everyone” is your client.

Today we’ll explore that a little further.

Whatever your service offering, it’s important to keep in mind that there are hundreds, if not thousands of practitioners who are doing the exact same thing as you. They may or may not have attended the same schools, they may or may not have more or less education or experience than you. But, they’re out there, competing for the same attention, the same potential clients, the same money.

How do you, with the same credentials, experienced or not, separate yourself from every other practitioner in your field?

You position yourself as the practitioner for a unique group of people.

Why is this important?

By positioning yourself as the practitioner for a special group of people, or target market, you have the opportunity to build your client base around a message that speaks clearly and personally to this group. By doing so, you project yourself as a specialist for this group, directly attuned to their needs.

By serving as a specialist, you become an “expert” in your field, simply because you’ve reached out to this unique group.

Let’s say for example, that you’re a massage therapist who loves to bowl. Let’s take it further and say you’re in a league, which means you bowl regularly enough to know what kind of repetitive strain and injury bowlers are at risk for.

As a massage therapist, you work with clients whose muscles are overworked, tight, and strained. Because of this, you’re in a unique position to market to bowlers, because you have a personal experience with their type of complaints.

Armed with an action plan, you can tailor your marketing strategy around league and professional bowlers. By focusing solely on the bowlers, you create trust and loyalty in you and your offering.

With this kind of positioning, everyone is not your client, but everyone who bowls, is.

Once you’ve decided to be in business for yourself, you have to get it in your head that promoting your practice is a daily, ongoing activity. Everyday, your potential clients absorb marketing messages to choose someone else’s products and services. If you’re not a  part of the daily marketing cycle, then you lose out on keeping a spot in your potential client’s mind.  

Spending at least an hour everyday marketing your practice keeps you in sight, and in mind.

In exchange for paying your bills on time, you have electricity, heat, gas, internet, phone service. 

As long as you pay your bills on time, you don’t have to worry about whether or not these things will be available when you need them.

But miss a payment and watch how quickly all those things turn off.

Think of your potential clients like utitlities.

When you take consistent action and implement your marketing strategies on time, you’ll have a constant flow of potential clients with whom you’ll build a relationship.

Marketing is not a one-time event.

Marketing is an ongoing, series of experiences that work with one another to create awareness of your offer.

There is no on/off switch when it comes to Marketing.