If You Market It, They Will Come

I see it all the time. People wanting to encourage each other in the FB Groups saying things like “Yes! If you build it, they will come!” My consulting clients say it to me with a hopeful voice, “If I build it, they will come, right?”

Well… not if they can’t find you. Not to be a downer, or to betray my woo-woo side, but your intention to be a private practice therapist is not actually enough to have a successful business. You can manifest like a mofo, but if you have no way of letting potential clients know you exist then your phone isn’t going to ring just because you’re a good person.

I know, marketing sounds like selling which sounds like being sleazy and inauthentic. And you pride yourself on your relationships with clients, not tricking them into therapy with you. I don’t want you to be a sleazoid either!

Here are some marketing reframes for you:

Marketing is letting people know who you are and what you do.

Marketing is about building relationships.

Effective marketing involves your true self, not some persona.

Marketing is giving people the opportunity to see if you’re what they’re looking for.

If your ideal client can’t find you, you both lose out.

I know the many different options out there are totally overwhelming. It’s hard to know what will work and what won’t and since most of it is “seed planting” you won’t get an immediate “YOU’RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK HERE ARE ALL YOUR CLIENTS” or a “NOPE! TRY AGAIN!” response. Ugh! It’s so hard.

Here’s the trick: your marketing strategy needs to make sense for you and your clientele. There’s no one size fits all.

I first mentioned this in the FB Group back in January and it’s finally coming together: My new Marketing Fundamentals eCourse is going to be available very soon. And I’m packaging it with several other things AND keeping the price super-low. In fact, I have a bit of an announcement as a result.

I’m starting a membership site. A what? A membership site is a place online that houses multiple courses, trainings, Mastermind Q&A’s, Mastermind help, and a community all for one very low monthly price.

How low? Folks who join the waiting list will get early entry and can join for $29/month during the launch period. After the launch period, it’ll be $39/month. There’s a 6 month minimum and you can cancel anytime after that.

Here’s what you’ll get:

The Marketing Fundamentals eCourse gives you the rundown on marketing best practices, tons of options, AND helps you determine which marketing strategies YOU should engage in.

The What to Say When: Scripts & Templates for Counselors in Private Practice eCourse will be a part of the Membership site, too. Over 500 of you guys are already using it to get clients in the door and navigate those awkward conversations that arise in private practice.

A Chance for one of 8 Monthly 1:1's with me. Four will be devoted to those in the “Zero to Sixty” for those in the 0-60% full phase. And four for the “Sixty and Beyond” for those whose practices are chugging along well and negotiating the new problems that arise with fullness or are wanting to branch into multiple income streams. You can tune in to the recordings from each but the questions I answer in each will be specific to their appropriate phase of business. (This is where the podcast's Consult Mondays will come from.) Aside from the Abundance Practice-Building Group, this is the only way to get an individual consultation with me.

Monthly Training Sessions from me or one of my consultant friends. The members will help determine what to learn next so you always have a voice in getting what you need.

A Smaller, Even More Engaged Facebook Group. I’ll be in there 3x more than the big group. With fewer people, you’ll get more individual attention.

Y’into it? If so, hop on the waiting list for early access & a lower rate!

See! Marketing! Those of you wishing there was a more affordable opportunity for practice-building help are really glad I let you know, right? :)

 

Allison Puryear is an LCSW with a nearly diagnosable obsession with business development. She has started practices in three different states and wants you to know that building a private practice is shockingly doable when you have a plan and support. After retiring her individual consultation services, she opened the Abundance Party, where you can get practice-building help for the cost of a copay. You can download a free private practice checklist to make sure you have your ducks in a row, get weekly private practice tips, listen to the podcast, hop into the free Facebook Group, and get help from Allison and a small group of new, close friends in Abundance Practice-Building Group. Allison is all about helping you gain the confidence and tools you need to succeed.