My e-friend, David P. Diana, was kind enough to send a copy of his new book to me. I’ve only read one hundred pages into Marketing for the Mental Health Professional but already I can tell you that it is an excellentaddition to your practice-building library.
As David notes in the preface, this is a book full of ” innovation, opportunity, and abundance.” He is quick to remind you of what you already know . . . understanding human behavior . . . while teaching you what you may not know as well . . . the tools of marketing, business, and sales.
Here are some of the nuggets that I have already gleaned from David to help you grow your business:
On making mental health relevant – Become “part of the conversation people are having both online and offline. Offer helpful information. Build awareness by sharing your expertise. Reach out to others in ways that show you genuinely care about them.”
When you are doing something right – ” . . . you are highly visible within the marketplace . . . ” and ” . . . you are viewed as a valuable resource and partner, people begin to seek you out without any soliciting on your part.”
To gain power and influence when networking – “Take some time to notice when you are rushing your speech and begin making an effort to slow down, relax, and confidently present your point.”
Concerning the need to establish credibility – If you (or any other mental health professional) do not have “distinguishing characteristics or credentials, then why would someone choose that person when so many options are available?”
About strategic use of your time and energy – “. . . shifting your time and energy in new and more productive ways can have such a powerful impact.”
On the art of public speaking – “Try to identify two to three new concepts and ideas that you will feature in your presentation. Your audience will buy you and your message if you are able to do so.”
And, here’s a tip that I didn’t know – “When customers consider a particular set of choices (services or products), they tend to favor alternatives that are so-called compromise choices. These are choices that fall between what a person needs at a minimum, and what they could possibly spend and fully desire at a maximum.”(Thanks to David, I’m actively re-thinking my menu of services and ways to include more-than-the-minimum compromise choices.)
So have I peaked your interest in Marketing for the Mental Health Professional? If I’m learning from it, I’m betting you have some things to learn, too. Run out and get the book. Read it. Apply it. And, let me and David P. Diana know what is changing because of it!
I just realized that many of you are asking about what’s happening in the 2009 Annual Series of Private Practice from the Inside Out and I haven’t been very good about letting you know. Here’s what they’re saying after our last session . . . .
It was really good for me to look at my low confidenceand speak it out loud.”
“Direct feedback on my business cards and brochures was the best part about our class today. It took the concepts we had talked about and it made them practical, usable and real.”
“My energy and excitement continues to grow as we talk about (and as I write / journal about) building our practices.”
“I am encouraged and motivated to do get my business cards made . . . and to create the language I want to use for my business.”
If you are interested in joining me for the 2010 Annual Series of Private Practice from the Inside Out, drop me an email back channel and I’ll put you on my tickler list!
Your marketing kit needs a single sheet of paper listing a menu, description of services, and fees so that potential referral sources can easily see the many ways in which you are available to serve their clientele. Here is an example of a psychotherapist’s menu of services:
Childhood Sexual Abuse Group
12 x 90 minutes
$720 / series
Couples Communication Group
6 x 120 minutes
$720 / series
Take a few minutes right now to jot down what services you provide and a brief description of each one.By listing each one, you may discover that you have often forgotten to mention to a potential referral source all that you have to offer!
Take a few minutes right now to gather the items that you already have from the list above. For now, just take an inventory to see which ones are missing from your marketing kit. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be talking to you in detail about the specifics of these 10 essential items – helping you create the ones you don’t have and, hopefully, helping you improve on the ones that are not presenting the professional image that you desire.
I hope you will drop me a note (by adding a comment below) to let me know if you have your marketing kit in order.
Tamara G. Suttle, M.Ed., LPC has maintained a private clinical practice since 1991 and founded Private Practice from the Inside Out in 2003. She has spent almost 20 years consulting and teaching marketing strategies to health care professionals like you. You can learn more about her clinical practice at her website.
Email Tamara
Build awareness by sharing your expertise. Reach out to others in ways that show you genuinely care about them.”
