101 tried and tested ways to attract and retain clients

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101 Tried and Tested Ways to Attract and Retain Clients

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    MarketingTips for omplementary

    Therapists

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    Marketing ip s forComplementary

    her pists101 TR IED AND

    TESTED W AYS T OATTRACT AND

    RETAIN CLIENTS

    ND EDITION

    STEVEN A HAROLDowto ooks

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    Published by How To Content,

    A division of How To Books Ltd,

    Spring Hill House, Spring Hill Road,

    Begbroke, Oxford 0X5 1RX. United Kingdom.

    Tel: (01865) 375794. Fax: (01865) 379162.

    email: [email protected]

    http://www.howtobooks.co.uk

    All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or stored in an information retrieval system

    (other than for purposes of review) without the express permission of the publisher in writing.

    The right of Steven A. Harold to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in

    accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

    Copyright 2005 Steven A. Harold

    First published in paperback 2002

    Reprinted 2003

    Second edition 2005

    First published in electronic form 2007

    ISBN: 978 1 84803 078 7

    Cover design by Baseline Arts Ltd, Oxford, UK

    Produced for How To Books by Deer Park Productions, Tavistock, Devon, UK

    Typeset by Kestrel Data, Exeter, Devon, UK

    NOTE: The material contained in this book is set out in good faith for general guidance and no liability can

    be accepted for loss or expense incurred as a result of relying in particular circumstances on statements

    made in the book. The laws and regulations are complex and liable to change, and readers should check

    the current position with the relevant authorities before making personal arrangements.

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    on t n t s

    Preface xvChoosing Practice Places

    W orking From Home 12 Wo rk in g f rom a Th erapy Cen tre 63 Rent ing a Room 114 Prov iding Mobile The rapy 135 Buyingan Existing Practice 156 Setting Up in Sports Centres 177 Servic ing Private He alth Clubs 188 W ork ing as a Corporate On Site Therapis t 199 Se t t ing Up inDoctors Surgeries 21

    Managing Your Practice 310 Deciding W hat to Charge 2311 M a k i n git Easy to Buy 2612 Con vert ing Enquiries into Clients 2813 Ta lking to Clients on the Telephone 3014 Offer ing aFree P h o n e N u m b e r 3115 R etain ing Clients 3216 Specialising 3317 Assist ing Reco m m endations 3518 Prov iding Test imonials 3619 Playingit Cool 37

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    vi M R K E T I N G T I P S FOR C O M P L E M E N T R Y T H E R P I S T S

    Creating Prom otional M aterials2 Designing a Practice Brochure21 Creating Business Cards22 Leafleting23 Selling TherapyProducts24 Publishing Yo ur OwnN ewslet ter25 Producing M ini M anua ls

    Educating the Masses26 Putting on a Fun draising Eve nt27 W orking w ith School Teachers28 W ork ing w ith School Pupils29 WorkinginColleges andUniversities3 Liaising w ith Trainin g Schools31 Lecturing32 Supervising Studen ts33 R un nin g Eve ning Classes34 Organising M onthly Groups35 Offering Corporate Workshops36 W orking w ith Local Councils

    JoiningDirectories37 Opting for Yellow ages38 Choosing O ther Directories39 Assessing Ta lking Pages

    AdvertisingPlus4 AdvertisinginNew spapers41 Investigating M agazines42 Focusing on Ne w sletters43 Rad io Broadc asting44 Appearing onTelevision

    393942434446475552545556585966162656767697

    72727778881

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    O N T N T S vi i

    45 Billboard Ad vertising 8246 Using Local A utho rity Publications 8447 Util ising Co ntinuity or Breaks 8548 W riting Articles 8649 Ru nning Com petit ions 88

    Connecting With Organisations 9050 Supporting N ational Days 9051 Assisting Ailm ent Groups 9252 Supporting a C hari ty 9453 Spe aking to Social Gr oups 9554 Helping Religious Con nections 9755 Doing Volunteer W ork 9856 Dealing wi th Telesales Callers 9957 Working wi th D riving Schools 100

    Creating Health Contacts Plus 10258 A dve rtising in Hosp itals 10259 Work ing w i th the Em ergency Services 10460 Advertising on Doctors Appointment Cards 10561 Registering with the N atio na l He alth Service 106

    Utilising Networks 10962 Creating a Board of A dvisors 10963 Form ing a Co -operative 11164 Joining an Association 11265 Bui lding Netw orks 11466 Using M ailing Lists 11567 Building a Da tabase 11668 Joining Local Trad ing Schemes 11869 Exch anging Therapies 11970 Mentoring 120

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    MARKETING TIPS FOR COMPLEMENTARY THERAPISTS

    Using Retail Outlets71 Joining Forces w ith Hairdressers72 Marketing in Shops73 Promoting onC afe M enus74 CombiningwithB eauty and Health Shops75 Campaigningat Shopping Centres76 Teaming upwith Specialist Shops77 Reaching Sup erm arket Customers78 Workingin a Cafe

    ConnectingTo TheInternet79 Creating You r Own Website80 Reg istering w ith Search Eng ines81 G etting Listed in On Line Directories82 Produ cing On Line Articles83 Participating in New sgroups84 Using Internet Chat Room s85 Advertisingon Banners86 Sw apping Links87 Using Em ail Lists88 Providing Internet Therapy

    Offering Extra Enticers89 Rewarding Recommenders90 Offering Discounts91 SellingGift Vouchers92 Offering aFree Initial Consultation93 Giving Free Talks94 Holding Open Day s

    22122 25126128129 3132 3336136139143145146146147 48150 5

    54 54155156 58159160

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    O N T N T S ix

    Adding Miscellaneous Ideas 6395 W orking a t Craf t M arke ts 16396 Taking astall at a Health Fair 16497 Pub licising yo ur Practice in Libraries 16598 Advert is ing in Sports Centres 16899 Giving Aw ay Prom otional reebies 169100 Produc ing Bookmarks 171101 Pu t t ing Flyerson Windscreens 172102 Attract ing Passing Trade 174103 Advertising on Cars 175104 Giving Them M ore 176

    A W inning Strategy 79

    Index 185

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    In Memory ofD r David Al len Page

    1942 2

    We are what we areand we do what we do.

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    k n o w l e d g em e n t sI would l ike to thank the many people who have played a part inbringing this book into existence. To erence Wa t t s for being m yunofficial m e n t o r in my early days of practice. Nicola Martin of theInst i tute of Clinical Hypnosis fo r providing the oppor tuni ty to changem y dreams into reali ty. Pauline and Dennis Yates for being my editors.M y parents Ray m ond and M avo urneen for a lways being there . Last lym y specia l thanks must go to John for his encouragement suppor t andbelief in me.

    xiii

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    r e f c e

    Today there are hundreds of alternative and complementary therapiesavailable to the general public as well as the more conventionaltherapies of psychotherapy or counselling. The vast majority of thesetherapies are not available through your doctor. They have to be soughtout. To b enefitfrom these therapies the public has to find therapists whoare in private practice.As well as the existence of m a n y different types of therapy there arealso hundreds of schools offering training on how to become a therapistin any chosen subject from acupuncture to reiki from kinesiology tonaturopathy there are many options with which to make your t radein the alternative and conventional medicine arena. You can take acorrespo nden ce course a course over a period o f years or an intensivecourse over a period of days and at the end call yourself a therapist. Acourse should not be judgedby the period of time in volve d. Some of thebest and most skilful therapists are self-taught and have never seen theinside of a classroom since leaving school.Whichever way you become competent in your skill you will have onemajor lesson to learn when you graduate: how to attract clients to yourpractice. Some schools do an excellent job of providing their graduateswiththenecessarybusinessskillstoenablethemtotastesuccessquickly.Others do not provide an adequate grounding or the type of continuedsupport necessary to help a fledgling therapist move from seeing anoccasional client to havinga full-time practice. Many therapy graduateshave expectations of becoming a full-time therapist . They may see an

    X V

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    xvi M R K E T I N G T I P S FOR C O M P L E M E N T R Y T H E R P I S T S

    opportunity ofmoving from a career that bores them to something moreexciting. Without appropriate marketing skills, they are likely to fail andwill probably return to their old career or at best have a very part-timebusiness in w hich they occasionally attrac t a client or tw o.You should not j u m p from afull-time career to self-employment in oneleap unless you have a safety net in place The safety net could be aredundancy lump sum,a supportive partne r orother funding to helpyouwhile you get your practice up and running. If you don t have any ofthese then you should consider reducing your hoursin the oldprofessionas you increase the hours in the new career. You could negotiate areduction in the hours with your current employer such asm oving froma five-day week to four days. As your therapy practice expands over aperiod of t ime, you can reduce the hours you spend in the old career,eventually making a complete career change. This approach brings thecomfort of knowing you have another source of income and takes awaysome of the financial pressure from your therapy practice.Being a successful therapist, particularly in private practice, requiresgood marketing skills. It is no good being th e most effective therapist inthe world if you don't tell th e world that you exist. Your practice will bea success or failure depending on your therapy and marketing skills.Most therapists have to find out the hard w ay w hat w orks for them andw h a t doesn't.Some new therapists fall into the trapofattempting to 'buy' their clients,in effect throwing away their hard earned funds (usually saved fromtheir previous career) into advertising. Any form of prom otion shouldbe researched and approached in the same manner you would usew ithyour therapy clients.

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    P R E F A C E x v

    Ad vertising is not m ark etin g but is ju st one part of the process. M ark et-ing involves the four Ps: Product or service), Promotion, Price andPlace. Each has an important role to play. Get any one of them wrongand you will lose business. To the four Ps we should add a fifth P:Persistence. Persistence p ays div iden ds .The purpose of this book is to giveyou som any waysofm arke t ing yourpractice th at i t wo uld be virtua lly impossible to fail. Yet , even armedwith this book some will still not see the light.A his tory teacher whosestudents were worried about a forthcoming exam was heard to say thateven if she gave them all the questions, there would be some studentsw ho would st i l l fail. H er message w as simple: having the informat ion tosucceed is one thin g, using it isanother . If you w a n t to succeed you needto tak e act ion again and again.If yo u use this book as i t is inten ded you shou ld be able to create a t idalwave of enquir ies from potential cl ients.Take the ideas detailed hereand not only use them as they s tand but a lso adapt them to yourci rcumstances . W h e n you have unde r t aken all the marke t ing me thods inthis book you will be ready to s tar t from the beginning aga in .There arem a n y more than 101ways to marke t your prac t ice . Y ou will know tha tyou are successful wh en you s tar t to c rea te your ow n ideas. ook at it this way:if youjus t manage to a t t ract one extra client throughreading this book, itw ill hav e pa id for itself. In reali ty this book has thepotent ia l to pay for itself over and over again.

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    C h o o s i n g P r a c t i c e P laces

    wINBiiIPm jB^H^^Bp^^ 0^f ^j^^M^p^pypp:~ BBB|RpBffipi fppttJBg JEplB^^I ' < * N^BpH^Pn Wv^iWH 'Spi ^PK^r^Ww^,^WW^^pNliBI|W'^^W^WP^^^*^|1^W9* w|r ^HW|P|HP fwP^P ^^^ llw*l p l ww, ^^W^PsR PP'^nyi P^I^ I^^^ ^P^ ^^^^^P^-lflp^P^ ^j^^^P i^-ip*^R^WlWwl^w^^^^ J^^P^ ^^WP^fnfly 3fw81pMnW- Bwp |l.flpMu

    The location that you decide to practise your therapy at can enhanceor detract from you r ability to attract clients Fo rtu na tely the re are anum ber ofoptions available tochoose f romA great way of helpingyou m a k e th e right decision is to wri te downallthe aspects that are important toyou. Grading these aspects in order ofimportance helps you to identify those that are essential and those thatyoucan be m ore flexible about

    1 WORK ING FROM HOMEM a ny therapists start a practice from their hom e The hom e provides anumbe r of advantages for the new or experienced therapist as long asyou live in a convenient location for your clients There are alsodisadvantages

    A d v a n t a g e s Noe x tra renta l costs are involvedfor the use of a room at home

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    M RKE TIN G TIPS F OR C O M P L E M E N T R Y T H E R P I S T S

    4 No long-term contract commitments. The home offers a degreeof anonym ity to your client. It s m ore com fortableandrelaxed inyourownhome.4 More flexibility about when you see yo ur clients. No time lost travelling and no transport costs. i s ad van t a ge s Disruptionto the restofyour family. Clients m ay query yo ur professionalism. Maintenance of par ts of your home to clinical standard s.4 Inconvenience o f having a room that m ay need to be rearranged

    every day be tween family and therapy use. You m ay not be able to offer a separate w aiting room .Your local councilwill not have any objections to you runn ing a therap ybusiness from home as long as the external appearance of your residenceis not altered and the running of the business does not upset neighbours.A mortgage lender m ay wan t you to take out a different insurancepolicy if they become aware that you work from home.Essent ia lh om e p repa ra t i o n sFrom th e first m o m en t a new client sees your home they are going to bejudging you. They will be looking a t your privet hedge or the lawn ofyour f ront garden. If they are neat and tidy, they will start to piecetogether a favourable impression of your home and you. If the garden i sa complete eyesore, they will start to have second thoughts. Oncesomeone starts to formulate an opinion they look for more evidence to

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    C H O O S I N G P R A C T I C E P L A C E S 3

    support that opinion. If they then spot yellowish net curtains and awindow tha t has been patched up with cardboard, don ' t expect them tocome backWe are all gui l ty of gett ing used to how our home looks, good or bad .W e have seen that bare patch of wal l so many t imes that our mind nolonger registers its significance. A great way of f inding out how y o u rproperty is viewed through the eyes of a client is to get a friend topre tend to be aclient. G et them to approach your home as though theywere seeing it for the first t ime. Encourage them to be honest . Onceyouhave a list of areas that could be improved, it isd o w n to you w he ther tochange them or not .

    The survey by your fr iend should continue past the f ront oor and youshou ld greet them like a prospective client. Gu ide th em all the wa yth rough the hal lway into your t rea tment room and talk to them asthough they have arr ived for their first therapy session. Your friendshould not only keep their eyes peeled for mat te rs tha t are not sopleas ant b ut in doing so uti lise the o ther four senses: sm ell , taste, hearin gand touch.

    het r eatm en t r o omN ot everyone will have the lux ury of ow ning a room who se sole pu rposewill be for the rapy. From a tax (capi ta l gains) perspect ive it is be t te r ifthe room has a dual purpose . You may have to opt to use one of thebusiest rooms in the house , such as the living room. This will restrictm e m b e r s of the family to certain areas of the h o m e w h e n you aret reat ing a c l ient . Your family will have to be discreet , curta i l some oftheir usual ac t ivi t ies and keep noise to a m i n i m u m . Doors to o therrooms will need to be closed fo r privacy and y o u r family will need toavoid meeting your client in the ha l lway or on the way to the toilet . Alsobe aware of any cooking odours .

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    M RKETING T IPS FOR C O M P L E M E N T R Y T H E R P I S T S

    Clients will probably be happy about seeing personal items in a roombecause this helps them to formulate an idea of your personality andinterests. If youhave aclient seeking help with problems intheir familythey will feel that you are likely to be more empathetic if they see afamily photograph in the room. Alternatively, this might work againstyou ifyour client issingle and has aperception that you do notview theworld asthey do.These indications ofyour personal life can be helpfulunhelpful or neutral, so look around your room and imagine how yourclients will react to it.You mayhave to go to the inconvenience ofconstantly rearranging thepractice room for your first client and then when you are finished forthe dayhaving to put theroom back to itsoriginal order. You willneedto consider where will you store therapy items couches, towels, oils,electronic equipment, etc.) in between practice times and you willrequire a secure filing system fo r your client records. Your clientswillwant to beassured that their details willremain confidential.If youmaintainclient records you willneed to comply withtheData ProtectionAct detailsof the regulationscan be found atyour local library).If you areunable to use aroom on the ground floor then youhave theconcern that a particular client m ay have great difficulty negotiatingstairs. ground floor treatment room and upstairs toilet present asimilar problem. uildingrappor tBuildrapport quickly. Your client iscoming to astrange building yourhome)tomeetaperson they have only ever spokento on the telephone.The first few moments of meeting someone are very significant if therelationship isgoingtowork.

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    C H O O S I N G P R A C T I C E P L A C E S 5

    When they knock at the door, unless you have a receptionist, it shouldbe you, the therapist who greets them. Do not send one of your childrento answer the door as your professional status will p lummet .Your first words should be precise, clear and yet friendly. Repeatthe c lient s nam e and introd uce yourself with a firm handshake. Forexample, Hello David, m y name is Susan Blake. I am the kinesiologisf.In the space of a few seconds you have achieved a number of importantthings. Y ou have confirmed to the client that they were expected andhave come to the right address. You have co nfirmed your nam e an d thatyou are the therapist . Y ou have assured them that you are in control.Clients want to feel that you know what you are doing. This positivewelcome gets you off to a great start.When they get to the t reatment room make sure that they have a goodlook around before you close the door to the room. Do not be in anyhurry to shut the m in. Building rappo rt varies from person to person andtherapy to therapy. Some practitioners will offer the client a cup ofcoffee or tea or a glass of water at this point. If they accept, from apsychological point of view it can be quite significant. It shows theyare willing to accept something from you and can also help them torelax more in your company. The subconscious mind will r emember anassociation between tea or coffee and a nice comfortable chat withfriends or family.Some therapists do not offer refreshments but prefer to keep matters ona business-like level. There are pros and cons with either approach. Youshould decide which one you are happy with. Of course the drink maydelay matters or may not be appropriate prior to the therapy you offer.Time may also be a factor. If you have to wai t 15 minutes fo r your clientto finish their herbal tea before you can m assage them , you r next sessionwill be delayed.

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    M R K E T I N G T I P S F OR C O M P L E M E N T R Y T H E R P I S T S

    Safe ty ath o m eThere are security risks posed by havinga stranger inyour home: risksto your personal safety and to your property.Ifyou have other family mem bers in the hom e w hen clients call then youwill feel a lot safer. All new clients are strangers until you get to knowthem and form that professional relationship. Your clients will wan t tofeel safe and secure with you and the building they are visiting fortreatment. If they know or sense that they are not alone with you in thehome, theywillgen erallyfeel safer andm ore relaxed. Thisispa rticularlytrue of a male therapist and female client and vice versa, but notexclusively.

    Keep a mobile telephone handy with a telephone number pre-programmed. This can be a useful way of letting a relative, friend orneighbour know you need help. After some experience most therapistsare able to tell from th e first telephone call whether they should agreeto see a new client or not. If you are not sure and do agree to see aclient it would be wise to let someone know that you may need theirintervention. Knowing you have this arrangement can help you to relaxmore. There is nothing worse than the therapist being more nervousthanthe clientWorking from home can be just assuccessful as from a clinicas longasyou ha ve take n into accoun t all the factorsinvolved.

    W O R K I N G FR O M A T H E R A P Y C E N TR EFor many reasons you may decide that to practise from home is notappropriate. You mayconclude tha t itwouldbebest towork some daysfrom home and others from a therap y centre or clinic. For the therap ist,thisis apopular option

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    C H O O S I N G P R A C T I C E P L A C E S 7

    d v a n t a g es You l l havea room specifical ly for t herapy . There is no inconvenience to you r family. Thereis arecep tionist to t ake your bookings . There is a w ai t ing room fo r clients w ho arrive early. Clientsmay be able to pay for t reatm ent us ing credi t cards . Networking wi th o ther therapis ts working there wi l l reduce your

    feel ing of i solat ion.4 Work ing at the clinic gives a greater sense o f p rofess ional ism . Y o u m a y receive referrals from o ther fellow t herap i s t s who use thecent re . You canshar e adv ert ising costs . Personal safety m ay be improved .4 A qu ie t env i ronm ent . i s a d v a n t a g e s There a re extra costs involved in p ay ing for the room.4 You can only see c lients w hen the room is avai lable . Travell ing t ime to the therapy centre and t ransport costs . The env i ronmentmay be too c l inicalands tark for thec l ient . The clinic s loca tion on a busy high street m ay reduce anonymi ty .

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    M R K E T I N G TIPS FOR C O M P L E M E NT RY T H E R P I S T S

    ecid ingw h e reto p rac t i seTo help you decide whether a particular therapy centre is appropriate,take a friend or relative with you when you visit for the first t ime to actas an extra pair of eyes. It is amazing what you, the therapist, canoverlook when getting caught up in the excitement of visualising yo ur-self in full practice. A level-headed friend can point this out to you.

    Take into account accessibility for certain types of clients. Not all clientswill have their own means of transport and may rely on trains or busesto get about. Check how frequently they run and how close thesefacilities are to your intended practice. Find out about the train and bustimetables because your clients will expect you to have this inform ationandyou will want to make it easy f or them to see you. Also locate wh ereth e nearest car parks or restriction-free streets are. oor t ransportcommunications can hamper th e growth of you r practice. You also needto check that th e building has adequate facilities for a person with adisability.Generally, a room in a therapy health centre will come ready for yourimmediate use.You pay for a room that is pleasant, clean and fresh. Theadjacent rooms will be used by other therapists who respect th e need forconfidentiality and control of noise.You won t have to concern yourself with family members trudgingaround the house or the sound of stereos, televisions or radios being ontoo loud.There will be no pets to control or cooking smells to mask.Access for people with a disability should also be be tter.Usually, the clinic will have a central reception and waiting area, alladding to the air of professionalism. The receptionist will take bookingsfor you and greet yo ur clients w hen th ey arrive for their appointment tosee you. The clinic will have (by law) asuitable number oftoilets that

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    C H O O S I N G P R C T I C E P L C E S 9

    will be cleaned and freshened on a regular basis. Some clinics alsoprovide showers for clients.Good clinics also consider the smal ler touches which make a real differ-ence. They may provide boxes of tissues in each room, fresh f lowers,water coolers and coffee and tea m akin g facil it ies. The receptionist m ayeven offer to m a k e coffee or tea for your cl ient before the appointmentstarts. All of these extras add an air of welcome to your clients and wi l lhelp wi th w o rd -o f -mouth m arke ting . o s t s an dpa ym en tsThe clinic m ay offer an a r rangement for the cl ient to pay the clinicdirectly. You get re imbursed for your client fees (less the room rent) atthe end of the w eek. This can be useful w hen your cl ient wa nts to pay bycredit card. It is far more economical and logical for the clinic to dealwi th credit card transactions rather than an individual therapist.Y ou will be expected to hire a room in blocks of four or five hours eachweek. Whether you have cl ients during al l , part of or none of thesehours, you wi l l sti l l be charged for the room The best times are fromfive o clock in the evening on weekdays. This is the t ime that mostpeople wil l have f inished w o r k and be available for the rapy. Saturdaysare also popular w i th cl ients for the sam e reason.If you are unable to secure these times then think twice about operatingfrom that clinic or negotiate a better deal for the less popular times. Youm ay even be able to persuade the clinic to give you f loat ing t imes thatyou use on an hour by hour basis and pay for on ly when you have aclient.

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    10 M R K E T I N G T I P S FOR COMPLEMENT ARY T H E R P I S T S

    Th et reatm en t ro omNo room is ever ideal and so you will need to be able to see thepotential. You can add to a room s feel and ambience but you should nothave to bring in large items of furni ture. You can add a cushion, pillowor throw if you want to add to the cosiness or you may decide thatsimple and clinical isbetter. Either way, you can completely change thefeel of a place by using your creativity and moving furniture around oradding little extras. You need to be as comf ortable in you r surrounding sasyou r client is going to be.You can enhance the room by adding some personal touch of your own.This can be something as simple as a favourite essential oil in an oilburner or fresh flowers. uilding rapp o r tWhen your new client comes for their first appointment this is mostlikely the first t ime that they will have had any contact with you. Theywill generally only have had con tact with the recep tionist and so willonly know your name and some of your details. If you practise fromhome, you would have spoken to the new client on the telephone andth e important factor of building a working relationship would alreadyhave begun.They say first impressions count, so here is your chance to makeor break the relationship in the first minutes. Consciously or sub-consciously, you are being assessed by your client from the very firstpoint of contact. So be confident, be focussed and know what you aredoing. Make some small talk with the client as you guide them to thetreatment room.Once the client is in the room be concerned about their comfort and givean outline of the immediate session. If this is an assessment session, tell

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    them this again and the choices that they wi l l have at the end of i t . Them ore you keep y our c l ient info rm ed , the more co m fortable they wi l lfeel , and no th ing wi l l surprise them.

    Safety at theclinicY o u r o w n safety should be enhanced at a cl inic for the simple reasonthat there are a lways people coming and going. Even if you are the onlytherapis t working in the evening, there should a lways be another personin the building such as the receptionist or the person responsible forclosing up atn ight .

    Fel low the rap is t sY ou wi l l gr ad ua l ly m eet the other therapis ts w orking a t the c l inic. Thisis a g rea t oppor tuni ty for ga ining referra ls and exchanging therapies .W o r k i n g at the centre can help to reduce the isolation often felt bypeople w ho have changed from an employed s ta tus and w o r k in g w i thothers , to se l f-emp loyed and w ork ing a lone. The cost of advert is ing canalso be sha red among the therapis ts and the t he rapy cent re .

    RENTING A R O O MPractising from a ren ted room in a building that is not a d e s igna tedclinic o r t he rapy cent re has the po tent ia l to be as successful as any o theropt ion. M any aspects are s im ilar to rent ing a room in a c l inic . Ho w ever,the re a re other issues that need to be taken into account .A d v a n t a g e s Renta l costs (pro ra ta) a re significantly less than in a therapy centre

    orc l inic. Y ou l l have soleuse of the room.

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    27 M R K E T I N G T IPS FOR COM PL EME NTA RY T H E R P I S T S

    There are more options w ith regard to the location of yo ur practice. You will enjoy networking opportunities with neighbouring busi-

    nesses. i s a d v a n t a g e s Youwillincur costsofbringingthe roomto an acceptable standard. Thereislackofcontrolovernoisefrom neighbouring businesses. Thebuildingm aylack recep tion fac ilities.4 Y ouw ill need totak e into ac count travelling timeto thebuildingan d

    transport costs.

    S u r v e y in g t h e r o o man dbui ld ingAssuming you are renting the room for a minimum of sixmonths andthat you are the only userof the room,you may get acompletely em ptyroom,inw hich caseyou canfurnishitexactlythe way youw ant. Usu allyyou will not find any objection from the owners if you want to improvethe decoration of the room. It can be quite a bonus to have a blankcanvasand be abletocreate aroom with yourownpersonal touches.Unfortunately, there is a possibility that this room ma y have n eighbou rswhose businesses can be noisy or, through the nature of their businessreflect badly on you. It is imperative that you find out who yourneighbours are. You willnot want to achieve complete silence but willneed a room that is not going to be disturbed by excessive noise, smellsor other environmental factors.As the sole occupant of the room you willbe responsible for keeping itin a usable and acceptable condition toyour clients. Therefore youw illneed to clean and maintain th e facilities within th e room. Thehallway

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    C H O O S I N G P R C T I C E P L C E S 13

    leading to the rooms will generally be the responsibility of the buildingmanagement and you should be aware of their arrangements regardingth e maintenance of thisareaYou may also find it necessary to provide refreshments fo r your clientssuch as water from a dispenser or hot drinks. The provision of this andother minor details is down to your own personal taste. It is worthnoting that paying attention to small details like this can really make adifference to how your clients feel about the quality of service youprovide.The building may still have a receptionist or security guard but they willnot be as w elcoming as a receptionist in a clinic. You may w ish to m ak ean arrangement with the recep tionist tha t your clients are either directedto your room or asked to wait in the reception area for you to meet andgreet them. Trial and error will as always teach you the best way tooperate

    Once you have committed yourself to renting or leasing a room in amulti-purpose building it is a good idea to get to know your neighbours .Make fr iends with them and they will be more likely to co-operateshould you need to ask for any thing . This is an opportunity to ne tworkand you may be surprised how m an y clients are referred to you from thebusinesses in the same building if you take the trouble to build goodrelationships with them.

    PROVIDING MOBILETHERAPYThe more options you can offer a client the more you are likely tosatisfy their needs and circumvent any objections. Objections are rea-sons that potential customers have for not making a buying decision.

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    14 M R K E T I N G T I P S FOR C O M P L E M E N T R Y T H E R P I S T S

    Offer ing a mobile form of your therapy can be a way of reaching thoseclients who for various reasons cannot get to you. These might bemothers who cannot leave their home because of their children; it couldbe older people w ho have n o t ransport and cannot negotia te publictransport ; it could be someone w ho suffers from a phobia about cars,tubes and t ra ins or even agoraphobia ( fear of open spaces).

    d v a n t a g e s4 Thereare nore n tal costs.4 There i s no d isruption to the family home.4 You will n ot have any lease o r rent contract commitments.4 The client will be more re laxed in their ow n home.D i sadvan t ages4 You will be practising in a st range env i ronmen t .* There is the uncer ta in ty of available facilities. You will incur extra transport costs an d lose t ime travelling to andfrom appointments .4 Y ou will have to transport your therapy equipmen t.St ruc tu r i ng y o u r feesAs a mobile therapist, what you save on room rent costs, you loseon transport costs and your t ime in travelling to the client s home . Allthese factors should be taken into account when deciding your feestructure.People a re willing to pay a h igher price for the convenience ofhaving the service come to them. Include an additional amount for thetravell ing t ime and costs in your ther apy fees.

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    M a n y n ewly qual i f ied therapists, w ho in i t ia l ly hav e no place f rom whichto practise, start off their business by visi t ing cl ients in their homes.Once they a re established they tend to d rop the mobi le opt ion f romtheir service, yet it can be a useful extra , part icularly if no-one else isoffer ing i t.

    Tak ing c o n t r o lo fy o u r p rac t i c eThe d rawback of offer ing a mobile service is tha t you are not in as m u chcontrol as you would l ike to be. You are re l iant on your c l ient be ingable to p rovide some of the facilities needed for you r t he rapy aspectslike a qu ie t and pr ivate room, a com fortable arm chair and washfacili t ies. There may be an occasion when your cl ient is not at homew h e n you a r r ive fo r the ap po in tm ent . There i s no th ing m ore annoy ingthen t ravel l ing to see som eone who is not in wh en you arr ive .G iven enough thou gh t , m any o f these si tuations can be eased o r avo idedaltogether. Emphasise with any client the min imum fac i l i t ies that youmust have at the i r home. You might ask them to pay for the i r sess ion inadvance to cover for the possibi l i ty of them not keeping the appoint-m e n t .Mobi le therapy can work very wel l for any therapis t as long as youconsider all the d i f ferentdimensionso f operating th is way .

    BUYINGA N EXISTING PRACT ICEJust l ike any o ther commercial concern , you can get the oppo r tun i ty tobu y an oth er p erson s pract ice . T he word p rac t ice can m e a n m a n ythings. I t could mean the whole bui ld ing, exis t ing c l ients (pr ivate andcorporate) and past cl ients and any current employees plus ongoinga r rangemen t s and agreements ( including advert i s ing). I t could also

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    67 M R K E T I N G T I P S F O R C O M P L E M E N T A R Y T H E R P I S T S

    simply m ean the existing clients. It is not the purpose of this chapter togointo all the intricacies of purchasing an existing business but to pointout some of the advantagesand disadvantages.You should always seekprofessional adviceon any m ajor purchase ofthis na ture.d van t ages Youwillhaveanim m ediate client base.4 You aretakin g overan established business. Setprocedures andsystems willbe inplace.4 Goodwillcanhelpyou to getoffto aflying start.

    i sdavan t ages Youwill havetheinitial purchase expense.4 Existing clientsmaychangeto another therapist.If everything goes well purchasing an existing practice means that youare up and runn ing im m ediately. W ith goodwill included the vendorshouldhave m ade clear th e strategies that work fo rthis practice so youhave systems andproceduresinplaceand an existingclientbase.If thebusiness has been successful and you repeat those past strategies thenlogically you should be able to continue that success. One of the biggestassets should be that the practice is w ell kno w n because it has been inbusiness forsome time.On the other hand how successfulis the practice really? Why is the person sellingthebusiness? Willall the clientsbe happyto see a newtherapist orwill they take

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    C H O O S I N G P R C T I C E P L C E S 17

    this opportunity to s top their therapy or seek out a d i f ferenttherapis t?

    + W ill past clients object to you contacting them ?+ If the practice is known by the (selling) thera pist s na m e, will you be

    able to t rade using that nam e even though they no longer work at thepract ice?

    As long as you hav e weighed u p al lthese considerations, then there is noreason wh y purch asing an existing practice at the right price canno t b e asuccess and get you over th e hurdles of starting a brand new practice.

    SETTING UP IN SP OR TS CEN TR ESMajor sports centres provide additional services often under theumbrel la of the Beauty and H eal th Suite . These regular services can befacials, manicures and pedicures and hair styling. The facilities in thesesuites may be appropr ia te for your type of therapy.

    Very few health suites will be fully booked throughout the week . Themanagement of the suite will be interested in offering o ther complemen-tary services to the public to fill those empty slots. If you can offer aservice which is not currently being provided and the facilities they have(massage couch, private cubicle, washing facilities, etc.) are appropriatefor your therapy, you may f ind an additional place to ply your t rade .A convenient arrangement is to agree a set t ime and day that you wouldsee your clients at the centre. The centre will normally take responsi-bility for attracting clients and giving them app ointm ent times. Theirgeneral market ing programme can now include the service you offer.The responsibility for getting clients wo uld b e the centre s and not

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    yours. For this reason it is im portan t to ob tain an und erstan ding that youonly pay for rental of the space or room when you have a client booked.If you d on t have a client then y ou don t pay for the time and the roomcanbe used by another therapist.The usefulness of this idea is that you do not have to concern yourselfwith marketing your services because the centre will have its ownblanket advertising strategy. Successful therapists assist this b y providingleaflets and posters.

    SERVICING PRIVATE HEALTH C L U B SIn an effort to attract as many clients as possible, private health clubsand health farms are offering as many therapies as possible. In the olddays it used to be a gym, with a fitness regime, maybe a diet to followand a sauna and steam room. Today, any process or service that canenhance a customer s feel good factor will be added to the range onoffer. The larger the range of services, the more likely that a customer isgoing to find w hat they like and w hat works for them.Complementary and alternative therapies are being added to manyhealth resorts men us. A m assage service h as nearly alw ays been avail-able but now you can get aromatherapy, osteopathy, Alexandertechnique, yoga and much more. With this in mind, you can form anagreement with these places and enjoy a steady flow of clients.Some health clubs will take responsibility for marketing your therapyand book in clients for you on a set day and at a set time. Others willtake more of a back seat and expect you to provide leaflets and postersand make yourself available to promote your service.

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    Costs to th erapists v ary . Some places will charg e ren t for a room andothers will take a percentage o f your fee. Make sure you know inadvance which system is going to operate as you may need to increaseyour usual fees. Generally, you will be allocated a set number of hourson an agreed day each week. This makes matters easier, as knowingwhen you will offer your therapy at the club will enable you to arrangeyour priv ate clients at other times.Your initial approach to health clubs or resorts is best done by tele-pho ne. The re is no point in writing a letter to a place tha t doesn t hav ethe room or has someone else offering your therapy already. Phoningalso gives you the opp ortun ity to find out the name of the person tocontact . You m ig h t be invited to have a look around immediately but ifnot, follow up your telephone call with a le t ter . Include the benef i ts ofyour t he rapy to their clients and how well i t has been received in o therplaces (if you can, give examples). State the b a re min imum of facilitiesyou would require . Af ter a week follow the le t ter up with anotherte lephone call to the n am ed contact whi le the mat ter is still fresh in the i rmind. You can approach a p r ivate gymnas ium in a s imilar w ay .

    8 W O R K I N G A S A C O R P O R A T E O N S IT E T H E R A P IS TLarge corporat ions have many facilities which a re of ten under-uti l ised.Instead of offering a g roup workshop o r course to a l a rge com pany youcould try offering to be an on-site therapist. This type of employeebenefi t is becoming m ore and more popular .A d v a n t a g e s+ There are no m arke ting costs.+ T he company informs a ll employees about your services.

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    20 M R K E T I N G TIPS FOR COMPLEMENTARY T H E R P I S T S

    There is the possible provision of a room without costs.Yourreputation can spread like wild fire, particularly in anoffice or

    factory environment . Employees m ay also want to see you at your own private practice. Clients m ay recommend your therapy to friends, relatives and

    acquaintances. i s dv n t ges Clientsmay not feelsocom fortable seeking treatm ent whileatwork. Clients may be concerned abou t confiden tiality.Generally, th e company provides private rooms and the necessaryequipment in the room and then invites therapists to provide servicessuch as autogenic training, homeopathy, reflexology and Indian headmassage to name a few. Under the rules of the benefit, the employeesmay ei ther make a contribution towards the service or the company m aypay all of the individual fees. Usually, the company just provides thefacilities and the employee pays for the therapy that they undergo.The benefitsfor the therapist are thatyouhave a captive audience. Youwill have n o m arke ting costs, as the co m pany inform s all employees th atth e service exists. Y ou normally won t have any rent costs because th ecompany provides the rooms. Your reputation can spread throu gh word-of-mouth recommendations. You may also get employees preferring tosee you in your own private practice away from prying eyes.

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    CHOOSING P R C T I C E PLACES 21

    9 SETTING UP IN D O C T O R S S U R G E R IE SA great place to base your practice, even if it is only part time, is at adoctor s surge ry. M any surgeries hav e spare room s and it is a way forthem to gain extra funds. Not all doctors will agree to this. It reallycomes down to how informed your local doctoris and their opinion onyour therapy .A d v a n t a g e s Youwill receive referrals f rom the GPs in the practice. There is an increased public perception o f qual i ty and pro-

    fessionalism. Your therapy moves closer to being more widely accepted by the

    orthodox medical profession. Youwill have reduced marketing costs.D i s a d v a n t a g e s Y ou will incur the ex tra costs invo lved in pa ying for the room . You can only see clients within the su rgery opening t imes.* You will h ave to take into account travell ing t ime to the surgery and

    transport costs.4- The e nv iron m en t may be too clinical and stark for the client. T he su rgery management m ay restrict the ai lments you can t reat .More and more therapists are securing rooms at surgeries. It is a greatway to build a bridge between conventional and complementarymedicine. In building better relations and because of the closeproximity, you will start to receive referrals from the doctors who

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    22 M A R K E T I N G T I P S FOR COMPLEMENTARY T H E R A P I S T S

    practise there. They will mostly be private patients but they will bereferrals none-the-less.In the waiting area you have a captive audience and practice managerswill be more receptive to you leaving your leaflets in this area. Sometherap ists w ho secure a place a t a doctor s surgery find that they canreally cut down o n their other marketing strategies.Whether you practise full or part time from a doctor s surgery it w ill addan important dimensiontoyour service: quality. lients will assume thatyou mustbe good inorderto be able to base yourself there. Perceptionscount for a lot in any business.

    Many suc ces sfu l thera pis ts have a po rtfol io o f p laces to pract ise f rom They m ayspend a d i ffe rent day o f the we ek a t d i ffe rent venues in d i ffe rent tow ns a nd c i ties

    CKOOSING PR CTICE PL CES

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    Manag ing Y o u r P r a c t i c e

    Every business ororganisation needs to have astructured approach tohandling the interaction betweencustomers and the business. Thisisoftenreferred to as CRM - C ustomer Relationship M anagement.Although mostof it is common-sense thischapterwillhelp youshape your customer serv ice policyno matter how informal

    Pay attention to the small det ils of running a practice and you increaseyour chances of growing and maintaining a smooth and professionaloperation.N e v e r become complacent in your work appearance o r a t t i tude o ryourpractice will becom e shoddy seco nd-rate and thiswillbe ev ident to yourclients. You maylose them if this happens.

    1 DECIDING WHAT TO C H A R G EM a n y new therapists stumble over how much to charge clients. Theanswer is to charge what you are wor th . If you va lue wha t you providethe clientwill value it too.Deciding y o u r v a l ueTelephone the competition in your area to find out what their fees arefo r the service they provide. It is impo r tant to find out this informationfrom a therapist who provides the same therapy as you. You need tocom pare l ike w ith l ike.

    23

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    24 M R K E T I N G T IPS FOR COM PLE MEN TARY T H E R P I S T S

    You will get a mix of prices and services. One therapist may charge 45for an hour s therapy and give a free 15-minute consultation. Anotherwill charge 75 for the first session, give a free 30-minute consultation,and then charge 55 for subsequent sessions. T he idea of doing a surveyof the competition is to gauge th e range of fees that are appropriate toyourlocation and therapy .

    You do not have to keep within the range of fees you discover from yourresearch, it is merely for you to make an informed decision about whereto setyour fees. The cost of therapy is a big part of the decision makingprocess for any potential client. Set your fees too low and they will thinkthat your service lacks quality, that youdon t have much experience oryou are d esperate for their business. You may start to beg rudge the timeyou give your client and this is not a resourceful state to be in. Set yourfees too high and you will be outside m any clients affordability range. Itis fa r better to find a fee that respects your value, is affordable tothe majority of enquirers and has taken into account your expenses.Rem em ber that yo ur expenses m ight include:+ heat+ light rent+ travel4 products equipment+ insurance+ professional fees.

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    o n c e s s i o n sSome therapists offer a sliding scale of fees and a reduced fee to thosew ho are unemployed, on low incomes or, for acceptable reasons, areunable to afford your full fee. Others believe that they should not reducetheir fees. Indeed some wouldsay that clientswho are not punctual donot carryout agreed tasks between sessions, or who simplydo notkeeptheir appointments of ten seem to be those w ho have been granteda reduced fee. I t could be argued that a reduced fee brings with it aperception oflower value and alack ofm otivation from the client.If you give a reduction in your fees get the client to agree to see youduring less popular times during the day. Prime times such as eveningsand weekends should be the preserve ofthose w ho will pay yourfull fee.You r prac t i ce ru l esClearly explain your practice rules to your clients. If you require 24hours ' notice of a cancellation, tell them. Let them know in advancew h a t would be the forfeit ifthey do not follow this rule.Ifthey giveyouless than 24 hours ' notice the charge would be 50 of your fee , forexample. Less than 12hou rs ' no tice and the full fee may be due.If you accept telephone bookings you can state your fees and cancella-tion policy and follow this up in writ ing as a way of conf i rming theappointment. Some therapis ts charge for one session in advance. Thisencouragesthe client toattend theappointment or togiveyou adequatenotice that they can' t make the t ime and date.Your fee s tructure and rules of business should be made known to yourclient as soon as possible and then the chance of misunders tandingsoccurringwill be reduced.

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    26 MARKETING TIPS FOR COMPLEMENTARY T H E R P I S T S

    Lastly you should review yourfees at least ann ually to take into accountchanging circumstances and inflation.

    MA K I N G IT E A S YT O B U YIt would be a pity if having ttended many different therapy coursesread num erous therapy books undergone examinations and joinedappropriate associations you fell at the final hurdle. Once a customerhas m ade a decision to buy your service you should m ak e it as easy aspossibleforthemto achieve that purchase.O p e n i n g h o u r sAre your hours flexible enough for your clients? You will lose a poten-tial client if you cannot find a convenient time. Most people will have adaytime occupation and will not be able to accept a daytime appoint-ment. Your evening appointments will be very popular and at timesthese ma y be booked two or three weeks ahead even thou gh you stillhave plenty ofdaytime slots left.

    If this pattern continues you may lose people who want to see you ina re son ble amount of time but re unable to because the ne restappointment you can give them is a month away. You should thenconsider whether to be available for some hours at the weekend. Manytherapists have a Saturday morning clinic that takes the pressure offtheir evening times. Other therapists pick one day in the week whenthey will not see clients and then make themselves available for thewhole of Saturday. The appointment times on Saturday should be thepreserve of those who cannot make any other time. Use it as a fall backposition only if you are unable to agree a convenient appointment timeduring the weekdays with a client.

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    M A N A G I N G Y O U R P R A C T I C E 2 7

    At the c o m m e n c e m e n t of any new practice you may need to acceptbookings at odd and of ten inconvenient t imes. When you get busier, youcan s tart to be more selective about the hours that you make yourse l favailable.

    ymentThe client has had their therapy session and now the t ime has come fo rthem to pay your fee. The e siest payment method for the ther pist iscash. A f t e r t h a t the next easiest payment method is a cheque with aban ker s gua rantee card . H ow will you handle the s i tuat ion if the c l ientis expecting to be able to pay by credit card? If you c an t accept creditcards and the c l ient does not have enough cash or a cheque book witht hem, wha twill you do?To avoid the above embarrassing s i tuat ion you have tw o options. Y oucan e i ther tell the cl ient in advance that you c an t ex cept credit cardpayments (and risk the loss of business) or you can take s teps to a r rangeto accept credit cards. The cost of accept ing payment th is w ay will be apercentage o f your fee to the credit card company. Some companiesrequire you to make a payment for any equipment needed to process acredit card transaction. New therapists can oper te quite successfullywithou t accep t ing credi t card paym ents . As you become busier and yourfee increases you may find that a credit card facility is a necessity. Infact some clients may not t a k e you seriously if you do n t accept c reditcards.

    oc t ionIf you are not sure of how to get to your practice from other locations,how do you expect your clients to arrive there on t ime? Acquain tyourself with all the forms of transport that can help someone to findyour practice easily and effortlessly. Memorise bus numbers and traint imetab les . Famil iar ise yourself wi th d ifferent routes so t h a t you can

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    28 M R K E T I N G T I P S FOR C OMPLEMENTARY T H E R P I S T S

    give directions to anyone travelling by car. Go over the directions yougiveout and make them as idiot proof as you can.If at all possible try to send directions by email, fax or letter. The moreyou assist yo ur client s j ou rn ey the greater their chances of arriving ontime, and in a good state of m ind. Just try having a therapy session withsomeone who is 30 m inutes late and flustered - and you can only givethem 45 minutes because of your next appointment. Help your clientsand you will help you r practice to run smoothly.

    2CONVERTING ENQUIRIES INTOCLIENTSGetting the client to telephone, write to or email you is the first step inthe marketing process. The subsequent steps of responding to theircommunication must be good enough to convert them into a payingclient.Some enquirers have made up their mind and will simply want to booka session without needing to ask questions. Others will ask from one to adozen questions before they will make a decision. Remember that aslong as they ask questions, they are interested. Answer their questionsand reassure them and you will get another ap pointm ent time filled.Answe r i n gques t i onssu ccess fu l lyMost of the questions asked by enquirers you will have heard before,and you should have tried and tested answers. On a website there willoften be a page dedicated to FAQs or Frequently Asked Questions forthis very reason. Some questions may surprise you. If this happens don tblurt out some waffle. Take your time in responding. Use the old tacticof repeating the question back to the caller, which will give you moretime to think about th e answer. Never lie or make promises that you

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    cannot deliver. If you genuinely cannot answer a question say so. Theywill have more belief in you because of yo ur hon esty.Organisationsoften usetelesales teams who are given a script to read tocustomers. This provides a uniform standard of customer communica-tion across the company. Although your response should not be rigid,memorising a standard response will be helpful . It gives you moreconfidence and it sounds to the client you know what you are talkingabout . om m u n i cat ing t h e sess ionfeesIf a client asks you how much a session costs, do not blurt out the pricest ra ightaway.S ay to t hem, Can I tell you wha t is involved in a session sothat you know what you are pay ing fo r? This gives you control: you canoutline the benefi ts o f your service before mentioning your charges. Tellthem w h a t a session involves and include any extras such as a freeconsultation. At the end say something like and y our investment in yourhealth is 50 . But do not let the 50 f loat around in their mind. Afterinforming them of the cost, immediately ask them Do you have anyother questions I can help you w i th? If you do this they are not leftwith 50 stuck in their mind but are thinking if they need any otherinformation.

    Prepa re se t r e s p o n s e sIf you get an enquiry by email, have some prepared responses ready.This saves a lot of time and also ensures you do n t forg et any im portan tdetails . Yo u ca n alw ays personalise you r response by including theirname and answering specific questions not covered in your standardreply. The same procedure is applicable to writing letters to potentialclients. Always enclose your practice brochure when corresponding bylet ter .

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    30 M R K E T I N G T IPS FOR COM PLE MEN TA RY T H E R P I S T S

    3 TALK INGTOCL IENTS ON THE TELEPHONEYour marketing effort continues with th e telephone. If you can have adedicated telephone line just for your therapy practice, so much thebetter. This way you will always know that when th e telephone rings itwill be a business call and you can answer it in a professional manner.Other members of the family will also know to leave the telephone foryou to answer or to take a message in an appropriate way.Hand l ing ca l l s w h e ny o u a re b u s yPotential clients may telephone you when you are in a therapy session,are out elsewhere or when you are using the telephone. To cover for thiseventuality some therapists use a te lephone bureau. The bureau takesyour calls for you in a professional manner. The potential client alwaysgets to talk to a person as opposed to a machine. The bureau will alsobook clients for you if you provide them with the information abouthow to handle your calls. There is a charge for this service that onaverage is about50 per month. If your fees are 50 and you receive oneextra booking a month through using this service (that you may haveotherwise lost it will pay for itself.If you decide that th e telephone bureau is not appropriate, for whateverreason, invest in an answering machine or service. Many telephonecom panies provide an answ ering service and will record a message (evenif you are using the telephone at the tim e) rath er th an just give the calleran engaged tone. If the caller cannot contact you, then the next bestoption is an answering machine or service. If they just get no answer,they may give up and seek out another therapist.When you pick up your telephone messages, you must telephone theclient back as soon as you can. Even though they have left you amessage and contact num ber, that doesn t m ean that they are going to

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    wai t for you to te lephone back. Some cl ients r ing around a number oftherapis ts and will book an appoin tment wi th the first therapis t theyspeak to .Not all clients will wa nt to leave a message and another useful facility isa redirection service. A ll calls f rom your business te lephone can bere - routed through to your mobile o r o ther te lephone by punching in aspecial code. If you are available to take those calls this is an excellentw ay of not missing any potential cl ients.

    Eas y to r emembe rYour te lephone number can a l so he lp your marke t ing . You canpurchase persona l numbers tha t equa te to w o r d s o r form memorab lenumbers. It ismuch easier for a client to remember 07777 29 29 29 than060 7967 29783. M em orab le n um bers are part icu lar ly useful with a radiom a r k e t i n gc a m p a i g n .

    4 O F F R I N G A F R PHONE NUMBERYou can encourage potent ia l c l ients to contact you by making a freete lephone service avai lable . This can somet imes make the differencebe tween someone tak ing ac t ion or not . It gives the added incent ive thatby t e l ephon ing you for more informat ion they are not los ing any th ingbecause the te lephone cal l is f ree.A d v a n t a g e sIf you are able to boast a free phone number i tdoes enhance your publ icpersona. I t gives the impression that this business takes itself seriously isprofessional and will be around for sometime. A free phone number a lsodeals w i tha small objection that some people mayhave i.e.the costofthe call .

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    32 MAR KET ING TIPS FOR CO MP LE ME NT AR Y T H E R P I S T S

    You can enhance your pulling power even fur ther i f you manage toobtain a free phone number that is memorable .I nc reased c o s t sThe negative side of a free phone number is that y our business pays forthe custo m er s call and there is an ad ditional service charge on top ofthis. You might also wonder, if a person is unwilling to spend a fewpennies on a telephone call, how will they cope when you tell themyour therapy fees? Some exist ing customers may take advantage of thefree phone by using it for purposes such as cancelling appointments,rearrangements and general queries.In order to keep your costs under control you will need to make it clearthat existing customers must use a different t e lephone number. You canachieve this by calling the free phone number an information line andemphasizing t ha t its use is only for new clients who are consideringtherapy.

    5 RETAINING CLIENTSHaving at tracted a client to your practice through one of your manymarketing ideas, now is not the t ime to lose the plot. Everything you dowith this client from the first telephone call to the last goodbye, mustooze quality and professionalism.Help cl ients re lax qu ick lyYou can help clients to relax by building rapport quickly, but don t getover friendly. There is a fine line between keeping the interaction jovialand w arm and stepping over the line into treating the client like a buddy .They are the cus tomer and you are the provider of a service. Theywant the best for their money. If you let your professional persona drop

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    during the session there is the possibility that you wil l lose your con-centrat ion and become sloppy.Listen to you rcl ien tsIf you have an unhappy client do not reach for the book of excuses justl is ten to them. They w ant to kno w that you have understood w hy theyare unhappy . If you feel th e client has a genuine complaint then takeaction to make amends. If they don t have a good reason for a com plaintthen youneed to be f i rm inexplaining your point ofv iew .For every single unhappy client who expresses their disappointmentresearch has show n that there are at least ano ther six in existencew ho have been unhappy but have not said anything to you.These clientswill never come back to you but they m ay tell others about theirdissatisfaction. T he one client wh o has com plained has actually don e youa favour .T hey hav e pointed out aproblem and if you correct it this c ansave you losing many more clients. When you look at it th is way youcan see tha t it is we l l w or th your w hi le making the ef fort and meet ingthe expense of regaining the good will of that u nh app y cl ient .Often i f you make amends the clientw ho com plained can become yourbest ref erra l source. You h ave made them feel valued and cared abouttheir issues and this can rea l ly t ransfo rm h ow someone feels abou t youand your therapy .

    6 SPECIALISINGIf you had a par t icular ai lment and you w a n t e d to see a therapist forhelp you would want to know that the therapist had expert ise or atleast some experience in that area. I t really can pay huge d iv idends for

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    47 MARKETI NG TIPS FOR COM PLE ME NTA RY THERAPISTS

    you to have a more in-depth knowledge of a particular ailment and thetechniques to help.Often an re ofspeci lis tionselects you. For some re son therapistsseem to attract certain clients and certain ailments. Sometimes you mayfind a niche thrust upon you. How ever you can also decide that youwould like to focus on people who have eczema for examp le. The m oreyou s tudy and make this ailment your own special area the more yourtherapy skillswillbe refinedand the more people you canhelp.After a timeyou will find thatyou become knownas the person to see ifyou have eczema. This reputation not only builds amongst potentialclients but also with your fellow therapists. You may even find yourcolleagues in the same field referring their clients with eczema toyou.Specialising does not stop you from helping the usual collection ofproblems but adds a new dimension to your marketing. Clients whoknow you have good results with one ailment will assume th t youare jus t as successful in other areas. There is nothing quite like th ereputation of an expert to help you r practice keep busy through personalrecommendations.Becoming a perceived expert in a certain ailment can also help you toincrease your income in other areas. You can give lectures to existingtherapy schools as master classes for their therapists. You can alsoprovide y our own independen tly run workshops.With more experience you will start to use the language that medicalexperts use to describe aspects of the ailment. In any communicationwith these experts or other bodies it can reassure them that you doknow what you are talking about and will give you abetter chance of

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    ge t t ing the message across that you do have someth ing wor thwhi le tocon t r ibu te .

    7 A S S I S T I N G R E C O M M E N D A T I O N SW h e n you hav e your c l ient s a t ten t ion , and the opportuni ty ar ises ,include in the conversa t ion examples of how you have helped otherpeople. The best t ime is w h e n you are cha t t ing at the ou tse t to a newcl ient . In o rder to he lp them know tha t you ge t resul ts , you cangive anecdotal examples of your success. Also do this when they havef inished their session and you are back to smal l t a lk before they leaveyour pract ice. Rather than ta lking about the w e a t h e r o r how bad thetraffic is , why n ot talk about a success story.When the c l ient says a t the end of their therapy, T h an k s I reallyenjoyed t h a t , you can say, Good, but you k n o w , N LP never ceases toamaze me . W hy on ly rece n t ly I he lped someone who lacked conf idencefor years to get their life back toge ther . They a re now run n in g the i row n successful business . A hypnotherapis t might say , Qu i t e recent ly Ihelped someone overcome the i r need le phobia which used to p r e v e n tthem f rom go ing to the den t i s t .These anecdotes plant a seed in the c l ien t s m ind . The c l i en t might n othave come for conf idence or a phobia but they will even tua l ly mee tsomeone who has got one of these issues and they may say I k n o wsomeone who can he lp you wi th t h a t .B y taking the t ime to ment ion other a i lments you have successful lyt r ea t ed , you ga in the assistance of your curren t c l ien t w i th your m arke t -ing effort . Everyone loves to feel knowledgeab le and to g ive advice.Your c l ient gets to fee l good by i n fo r ming someone of a therapis t whom ay be able to h e lp them .

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    67 MARKETING TIPS FOR COMPLEM ENTARY THER PISTS

    8 PROVIDING TESTIMONIALSPeople feelmore secure knowing that they are not the first person youhave seen for a particular problem. They want to know that youhaveexpertise and have had success in the areas wi thwhich they need help.Nothing helps with this more than having some testimonials ready toshow your clients. For those clients who are undecided at the initialconsultation,the production of a few testimonials canwork wonders.If you are going to show any correspondence you have receivedfrom happy clients you must have their permission, otherwise yourconfidentiality guarantee will be compromised. If youstill want to showtestimonialsbutdon t have permission from theclient, than cover up thename and address details. The easiest way to do this is to photocopythe testimonials and black out the identifying details. The reader canthenseethat thetestimonial isreal but cannot see whosent it.Quot ing tes t im on ialsOn your leaflet include a few quotes from those letters and cards, butagain keep it anonymous. If you want to refer to the person, do so bytheir ailment.

    Iwas sorelaxed travelling toSydney, Australia . . .lyin phobi

    I feelsomuch more incontrol of mylife . . .exe utive stress

    The pain has gone completely . . . joint p inYou can also show these quotes from satisfied clients on your web-site posters, brochures, leaflets, mini-manualsand advertisements (seeChapter3 formore onthese).

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    9 PLAY ING IT C O O LI f you are not getting enough clients and are desperate for the telephoneto ring, m ake sure that this does not become appa rent in your man ner orvoice. Nothing will drive a client away faster than the impression thatyou don t have many clients and will do anything to encourage someoneto come along. A ny thing , does not mean marketing. Doing anythingcan mean promising the client the earth when you know tha t youcannot or are not sure that you can help them. Another mistake is togive the impression that you have plenty of appointments available. Theclient will conclude th at if you are available to see them at any t ime, youdon t hav e m any clients and must therefore be a poor therapist .Clients gain confidence in your skills if they get the impression that youare very busy. Busy equates to being successful and having a goodreputation. Always talk as if you have a full practice, even if you onlysee three people a week .Your fees should be set and you should not be too willing to com-promise on price.There will a lwa ys be exceptions b ut you should try tostick to your f ee structure. I f you reluctantly allow yourself to benegot iated to lower fees by a client they will have the impression thatyour services are not valu able and theref ore not the best quality and youwill feel resent ful towards the client because you are not get t ing yourfull f e e .Be willing to let clients go, and recommend other forms of help ifthey show any do ubt about visiting you. The more you show that youare will ing to let them ma ke up their ow n mind the m ore they willbelieve that you are the person they should see. Just as with parents ofteenagers, if you try to hold on to them, they will push you away , but ifyou let them go, they will come back of their own accord.

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    38 M A R K E T I N G T I P S F OR CO M P L E M E NT A R Y T H E R A P I S T S

    The impression you aim to give to everyone is of a practice that issuccessful and busy You w elcome new clients but you are not desper tefo r their business

    v e r y 3 mo nths take som e tim e out to rev iew your prac tice m anagem enta k e changes and ad d it ions as your expe r ience con t inue s to grow to re fine

    your customer interact ion into a sm ooth and easy op erat ion

    M N GING YOUR PR CTICE

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    C r e a t i n g P r o m o t i o n a lM a t e r i a ls

    It is essential to spend some time getting your promotional materialsdesigned and produced to the highest quality your budget can afford.These materials are your shop w indow to the world.

    h r are some information media that are essential to ge t t ing yourn a m e k n o w n and creating the r ight impression.All organisat ions, whether a business , chari ty , government body orother, uses paper based materials to p rovide informat ion . T he materia lsin the form of posters, leaflets, booklets or f lyers convey impor tantinformat ion to the users and potential users of the services available.Your business and your therapy practice needs to provide the same.

    2 D E S IG N IN G A P R A C T IC E B R O C H U R EA b rochure is an important aspect of your marke t ing . In fact it isprobably the number one i tem in your market ing armoury. I t conveysso m uch ab ou t you . A business card displays a small am ou nt o f inf orm a-t ion whereas a therapis t s broch ure includes so much more and couldpersuade a client to see you.

    39

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    4 7 M R K E T I N G T I P S F O R C O M P L E M E N T A R Y T H E R P I S T S

    ssen t ial detai lsfo r y o u r b r o c h u r e Your name Your contact detailsTelephone number- Email address- Website address

    Your practice address in full or jus t the area you are located in Yo ur qualifications Detailsof training schools (if appropriate) Membershipof anyrelevan t organisations Type(s)of therapy you offer Benef its of your therapy Ailmentsandproblemsyou canhelp with* Answers to frequently asked questions4 DetailsofsessionsPutt ing y o u r b r o c h u r etog e the rIf you are noi sure about style and layout, go to your local library andobtain other therapists brochures. They will give you some ideas. Mostsuch brochures are m ade up of three parts, although some therapists usetw o parts. A three-part brochure is simply an A4 sheet of paper, turnedon its side (landscape) and f olded into thirds.The front of your leaflet needs to communicate an immediate point ofinterest to a potential client. Ask questions and highlight benefits. Donot splash your name in the biggest typeface. Potential clients are not

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    Fig. 1. Three-Part Brochure Fig. 2. Tw o-Part Broc hure

    interes ted in you r nam e or at least not initially. They will want to knowthat you can help them . Use som ething l ike Figure 3. hese examples are quite specific and offer help for stress or a lack ofconfidence. Do not overcrowd the f ront page; keep it snappy and to thepoint. Your contact telephone number should be on the f ront andrepeated elsewhere in the brochure. Use at least lOOgsm quali ty paper.You may want tokeep your multi-coloured brochures for this purpose.However if you are going to distribute hundreds of brochures then th equality candrop to SOgsm and black print on coloured paper will suffice.It can be useful to have your ma rke ting leaflets checked by the N ationalAdvert is ing Standards Authori ty to make sure you are not breakingadvert isingguidelines.

    ShyNervous

    Lack ConfidenceStressedIrritableTense

    Fig. 3.Front Page.

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    42 M R K E T I N G T IPS FOR COM PL EM EN TA RY T H E R P I S T S

    2 1 C R E A T IN G B U S IN E S S C A R D SWell-designed business cards indicate that you are serious about whatyou do and convey an air of respectability and professionalism. Do notgo anywhere without them. Y ou will be surprised how often you willfind yourself in a situation where there is an opportunity to secure aclient. Scraps of paper with your details scrawled on them will more thanlikely end up lost or discarded. A business card in a customer s wallet orpursewill be a constant reminder of your service.Essen t ia l de ta i l s fo r y o u r b u s i n es s c a r d Your name Anydesignations+ Y our profession

    Telephone num bers+ Em ail address* Web site address4 Postal addressE x t r a de ta i l s o n t h e b a c k )4 Amini appointment schedule Rulesof the practice 24hou r noticeofcancellation, etc.) ListofailmentsyoutreatQ u a l i t y c ou n t sYour business card must be a high-quality product. The weight of thecard should be no less than 120gsm. The layout of the information must

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    be neat, consistent and pleasant to look at. Your name, profession andte lephone number will need to be in a larger typeface compared to otherinformation.

    Marketing wi thy o u r bus inesscardsConsider all the op portu nities you hav e to offer your business card toothers:* Dropping the chi ldren off at school Doingthew eek ly grocery shop At afootbal l m a t ch Attend ingar eunion of oldschools chum s At afamily ga ther ingKeep a supply in y ou r w alle t , purse o r handbag , in a ny j acke ts and in theglove compar tment of the car. Give your spouse o r p a r t n e r a supplybecause they may be asked for one. In o ther words, never miss anoppor tun i ty to distribute your business cards.

    LEAFLET I NGThis is an area that seems so obvious, yet many people don t evenconsider it. One of the reasons is t h a t the major i ty of leaflets pushedthrough letter boxes get t h rown away . Y ou have only a few seconds tograb someone s attention, as per the AIDA principles referred to inChap te r 6 und e r New spape rs .Numbe r s c o un tTo be successful w i th th is marke t ing tool you need to deliver severalthousand leaflets as a m in im u m . It can work for you, but you need to

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    44 MARKET ING TIPS FOR COMPLEMENTARY T H E R P I S T S

    consider whether this is an appropriate medium for the image you aretrying to project. It will not appeal to all types of therapy. A counsellormay decide that this type of promotion does not reflect well on theirservice but a chiropractor may find it appropriate and effective.Des ign ing y o u r leafletAn A5 size leaflet is big enough to be noticed and include all therelevant details and is less expensive tha n an A 4 leaflet. Choose a colourof paper that you feel reflects the message you are trying to get across.Do not choose bright pinks or florescent colours. Black or dark blue inkmakes the typeface easy to read. Emphasise the benefits and considerincluding a discount coupon with a useby date. M ake i t easy for clientsto contactyou.Now add up the total costs of producing and distributing the leaflets. Ifyou divide this total cost figure by you r client fee, you get an idea o f howmany clients you need to attract in order to break even. Generally, youcould expect a response of about a quarter to a half of one percent. Forevery thousand leaflets delivered, you could expect between two andfive clients.O f course, those tw o clients might attend for three sessions and recom-mend you to their friends. These are other va riables to take into accountwhen deciding if this m arketing method is a winner for you or not.

    3 S E L L I N G T H E R A P Y P R O D U C T SMost therapies will use items that can be supportive of the therapy.These items can be sold to the general public to increase your revenuebut they can also be another w ay of m arketing yourself.

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    Wri teab o o kThey say that everyone has a book inside them and this is no d i f ferentfor the therapist. The subject of the book could be anonymous casehistories, or a H ow to do it in three easy s teps manual, or your ownmethods of enhancing an existing therapy. Having a book publishedelevates your standing in the eyes of the public. here is a perceptionthat you must be an expert in your field i f you have writte n a book aboutthe subject. This perception can help attract clients to your door as wellas the book earning you income in its own r ight . ther s idep r o d u c tsYou can also sell other products. A hypnotherapist could sell self-hypnosis tapes. An aromatherapist might sell essential oils and oilburne