Tim Berry, President of Palo Alto Software, wrote this blog post,  3 Marketing Truths I Wish I’d Known Sooner.  It got me to thinking about some of the marketing truths that I wish I had known sooner . . .  like these . . . .

• Don’t slack off on your marketing efforts when your client load is full.  In fact, that’s exactly when you should amp it up!
• It’s easier to market when your practice is full and you are feeling good about yourself than when you are sitting in the office with time to spare.
• Meeting a colleague’s need (or, for that matter, any other potential referral source’s need) is the best type of marketing.
• Successful marketing is determined by the quality of your relationships rather than number of your relationships.

I’m sure you’ve got your own stories and truths to tell about marketing.  Care to share them with me here?

Tags: Relationships

Earlier this month, I was asked to speak to a group of new professionals interning at Aurora Mental Health Center.  The topic was on why it’s important to join your state and national professional associations.  Just in case you are hesitating, here are 23 reasons that I believe you should join your professional associations today.

1. This is your number one career development tool.
2. This is how mental health professionals get things done.
3. Often there are special resources available to you.
4. This is where you go to learn how to be a professional.
5. This is how you stay informed about your profession’s standards of practice.
6. This is where you learn about professional trends and mandated changes in practice.
7. This is where you can build relationships and expand your network.
8. This is where you get continuing education at affordable prices via conferences, workshops, and forums.
9. Often those continuing education opportunities include a free breakfast, lunch or dinner.
10. This is how you protect and promote your own profession.
11. This is where you increase others awareness of your practice or your employer’s visibility in the community.
12. Student memberships are often reduced or no fee.
13. There are always opportunities here to give back to / build up your profession by your volunteer efforts within the organization.
14. There are often opportunities for community service.
15. This is where you go to stretch your own thinking and stay creative in your work.
16. This is where you learn what others in your profession are doing.
17. This is where you can easily establish yourself as a leader.
18. This organization may choose to sponsor your work, research, or workshop.
19. Many organizations offer members free listings and links on their websites.
20. This is who negotiates for the best and most affordable liability insurance.
21. This is where you get free advice on ethics issues.
22. Many organizations offer job placement services.
23. This will allow you to know other professionals to consult with and refer to (and vice versa) as your needs dictate.

I’m sure there are more benefits / reasons to join.  Can you tell me why you’ve joined your professional associations?

Tags: Ethics, Relationships, Workshop

Erin Blakemore of VOCO Creative wrote a great little post suggesting 10 easy ways to nurture those online relationships you are building.

Whether you call it “do unto others,” “cross-promotion,” or “backscratchin,” the results are the same.  Check out her tips and get busy building your private practice with social media!

Then, drop in here and tell us where we can find you and how it’s working for you.

Tags: Relationships, Social Media

In July, I talked with you about using professional online discussion lists to build your business.  Participating in online discussion groups that target your unique interests can also build your reputation and credibility.  Here’s an example . . . .  I am a member of a discussion list that focuses on women in Colorado who are in different aspects of the media business.  Because I responded to someone else’s inquiry about when to turn away business in this less-than-ideal economy, I ended up being quoted here in Drea Knufken’s blog, Business Pundit.  Twenty-four hours later, I was quoted here in Steve Tobak’s blog, The Corner Office.

"Smooth Peace 2" by Exper Giovanni Rubaltelli

If your marketing plan includes expanding your visibility or building your reputation in the community, here’s how to make that happen:

• Take some time to make a list of your unique interests . . . genealogy, bird watching, writing, football, etc.
• Google your interests along with the words “discussion list.”
• Check out what comes up.  If you find discussion lists that interest you, join them and share.
• If you don’t find a discussion list that fits your interests, then consider creating one of your own through Google Groups or Yahoo Groups.

Your interests do not need to be directly related to mental health (although they could be) in order to help you create greater visibility.  Once you become active in an online discussion list, your professional interests and expertise will gradually become known.  Like face-to-face networking, your online relationships will also take time and commitment from you in order to achieve the goals that you desire.

Give it a try! Then check back in here to let me know what you tried and how it’s working!

Related Post

Professional Online Discussion Lists Deserve Your Attention

Tags: Relationships, Reputation

I feel like I’m slave labor for the agency.  No one tells me how to help my clients.  I’m just left to figure it out on my own.”

My supervisor signs off on my paperwork every week but doesn’t really do anything.  We meet. I describe each one of my cases to him.  And, then we spend the remainder of the hour talking about his family.  THIS is SUPERVISION????!!!!”

How do I get the time I need to actually work with my clients?  The paperwork here is overwhelming and my supervisor is too busy to even discuss it.”

Every year the horror stories roll in . . . .  What’s a new counselor to do?  Having a great experience with clinical supervision doesn’t just happen in a vacuum.  In case your graduate program forgot to tell you, here are  nine things you can do to insure that you have the best supervisory experience possible.

1. Interview several potential supervisors even if you think you already know who you want.  Good supervisors will limit the number of counselors that they supervise so that they have ample time to spend with you.
2. Once you ask someone to supervise you, ask for a written contract with that individual that specifies details of your professional relationship.
3. Remember that supervision IS a professional and hierarchical relationship.  Don’t blur those boundaries and don’t tolerate a supervisor who blurs those boundaries.
4. Schedule regular meetings with your supervisor and make them a priority.  Treat them as you would an appointment with any other professional.  Expect your supervisor to do the same.
5. Your supervisor should make arrangements to be available to you in case of client emergencies.  If s/he is unable to do so, s/he should make arrangements for some other qualified professional to be available in her place.
6. In the event that your supervision is not going as you had envisioned it would, you need to be prepared to initiate that conversation.  Go in with an open mind, state your concerns and ask for what you need.
   

   "Perseverance" by Marcus Smith

7. If you have attempted to discuss the issue with your supervisor and are not satisfied with her response, you may seek consultations with peers.  However, until the licensing board in your state or and attorney tells you otherwise, you are required to abide by the directives of your supervisor.
8. If you are unable to satisfactorily resolve your differences with your supervisor, you may have the option to seek a new supervisor.  However, note that some states limit the number of supervisors that you may use to satisfy licensing requirements.  Check with your specific state to be sure of the rules related to this.
9. Most important of all, if you should need to leave your supervisor behind due to a conflict, take the time for self-evaluation.  Learn what you can about you and about this situation.  It is not something that you want to repeat.

How is your supervision going?

Related Posts

Clinical Supervision and Money Gouging

10 Question You Must Ask Your Potential Supervisor

Tags: Boundaries, Contract, Emergency, Relationships, Self-Evaluation

This is the fifth part of an 11 part series on How To Build A Great Marketing Kit.

Before you read further, you may want to read the introduction here.

The next items that you want to collect are reprints of any articles that have been written about you. Perhaps you wrote a great thesis in graduate school and the departmental newsletter made mention of it.

Or, perhaps you were elected to chair your local professional association and an article was written about you.

Did the local newspaper write an article about your community involvement?

Did the American Cancer Society write a booklet about your experience as a survivor or exemplary volunteer?

Any article that can reflect positively on your professional image is appropriate to include in your marketing kit. By including these items, you can increase your credibility, likability, familiarity, and common ground on which to build professional relationships with your potential referral sources.

Tags: Newspaper, Professional Image, Relationships, Reprints

Although I’ve been posting on this blog for almost two months now, I’m only now getting ready for MY BIG LAUNCH.  Yes, that’s right . . . I’ve been secretly writing away, learning, practicing, and really just figuring out how this whole blogging thing is going to work for me.

"Shortcut" by Wagman_30 / Fabio Montalto

Yesterday I met with my blogging guru (aka Social Media Specialist), Beth Hayden, for my second blogging tutorial.  She’s made this so fun!  What you may not know is that I am technophobic and oh-so-tech-challenged!  And, still . . . she has made this not only do-able but actually FUN!

Today, as I’m reflecting on this whole process, I realized that Beth Hayden is a shortcut for me! (Remember last month when I wrote about Scott G. Halford’s book, Be a Shortcut: The Secret Fast Track to Business Success here, here and here?)

Here’s my thinking . . . . Beth has repeatedly solved problems for me and answered questions for me as I zipped along my learning curve.  Obviously, she is an expert in the field of social media — but an expert who is always ready to learn something new.  She’s well connected with other professionals and recognizes that her relationships are assets that she takes care of and also benefits from.  She is generous and collaborative in her work — never hesitating to share the credit and the business.

So here’s the funny thing that I just figured out . . . . I don’t think Beth even knows that she’s a shortcut!  She gets that she is more knowledgeable than most of us about social media.  And, she believes that she is a professional woman providing good service at a fair price.  But, I’m not so sure that she knows that she’s a shortcut for me and many other professionals.

And, that’s got me wondering . . . are there shortcuts in your life who don’t even know that they make your life easier?  If so, you have a perfect opportunity for you to say “thank you” and point it out.  If you know of a shortcut that you are going to thank today, drop me a line tell us why.  A little public recognition can go a long way when giving cuddos to your shortcuts!

Tags: Relationships, Shortcuts

I’ve just finished reading Scott G. Halford’s new book, Be a Shortcut:  The Secret Fast Track to Business Success.

"Path in the Woods" by ann j p

Here are the last 5 characteristics of being a shortcut that Scott details.

1. Shortcuts help others. They don’t bother to offer excuses and explanations for not helping.
2. Shortcuts are aware of their own triggers and emotional baggage and do not allow it to contaminate their relationships.
3. Shortcuts are assertive and don’t play games.  They address potential problems early on and do not get tripped up by bad feelings.
4. Shortcuts know that they don’t know everything.  However, they do know lots of different people so that shortcuts can get their jobs done.
5. Shortcuts are aware of the negative aspects of stress on their own performance and willingly use their networks for support and assistance.

So now I’m asking you . . . . Based on these 16 identifiers, how am I and All Things Private Practice measuring up as a shortcut for you and your business today?

Tags: Relationships, Shortcuts

I’ve been reading this great little book by Scott G. Halford called Be a Shortcut: The Secret Fast Track to Business Success. I haven’t finished reading it yet but here are six nuggets that I’m already taking away:

"Still Not a Good Short Cut" by Ann E.

1. Shortcuts practice self care so that they can, in turn, take care of others.
2. Shortcuts provide added benefits; they go the extra mile.
3. Shortcuts do not engage in passive aggressive “pay backs.” Neither do they hesitate to have / initiate difficult conversations.
4. Shortcuts are problem solvers for other people.
5. Shortcuts are seen as go-to resources for others.
6. Shortcuts are known, in part, for their expertise and added value.

So far, how are you measuring up? Do your referral sources, colleagues and clients see you as a shortcut?

Tags: Relationships

After living in Colorado for 7 years, I have found the most amazing veterinarian. You might be asking what that has to do with your health care practice getting and keeping more clients. So . . . let me tell you! Dr. Wendy Hauser’s Coal Creek Animal Hospital does several things that make me feel like I belong there. Do your new clients feel the same way?

Put Your Client at Ease

At Coal Creek Animal Hospital, every employee wears a name tag. Think that’s cheesy? Think again! When they wear their name tags, I’m not embarrassed by forgetting their names.

If you are a sole practitioner with no office support, then perhaps you want to fore go the name tag. However, if your name, like mine, is often pronounced in multiple ways or is not a name that is commonly heard or easily remembered, you may want to repeat it several times over the first few sessions so that you client does not feel awkward about forgetting it or possibly mispronouncing it. The bottom line here is to put your client at ease.

Let Your Client Know that You Understand

Everyone from the office manager to the veterinarians always fusses over my dogs – Opie, Taylor, and Punky – as if they were my children! And, they do this even when they are not in tow! I’ve convinced myself that Dr. Hauser and her staff think my pups are their favorite patients – and they’ve only met two out of the three so far!

Do you do that? Do you ask about your clients’ children or dogs or significant other? If they’ve mentioned them to you in the past, you definitely should inquire about them again. It lets your clients know that you are listening, that you care, and that you get that they care about the other members of their family!

Take Your Time

Another thing that Dr. Hauser does that really works for me is that she takes time to visit with my partner and me even on her busiest days.

What does that do for me? It builds rapport. It makes me think that she actually enjoys seeing and spending time with me and my partner! I get the impression that it’s not just about the money! Can your clients say the same thing?

Keep Your Eyes Open

So here’s one of my secrets for great marketing. . . . Keep your eyes open. Don’t limit your study of marketing strategies to only your profession. Not all marketing is equal. However, there are many professions, like ours, that are built on relationships. Your financial planner, your religious community, your veterinarian, and your graphic designer all have services to sell. But, more importantly, they have relationships to sell.

Take a look to see what simple and cost-effective marketing strategies other professions are implementing that you can “borrow” for your own practice. And, drop me a line here to let me know what you are finding and experimenting with!

Tags: Relationships