Grow Your Practice in Six Easy Steps

This excerpt was written by Natural Touch Marketing and published on Sohen-Moe Associates, Inc. It can be found here. Image courtesy of Ryan Hoyme at MassageNerd.com.

Growing as a practice and upgrading your skills as the practicioner is what helps practices take off in a new direction. So once you've upgraded your skills, how do you go about achieving your businesses goal?

1) Develop Excellent Skills in Your New Specialization 

♦ Becoming well-trained is the first step. Make sure you feel completely confident in the new techniques and special needs of potential target clients to whom you will introduce it.

♦ Practice, practice, practice. Have family or friends, even established clients sit in as your "test group." Have them give you feedback- remember, constrictive criticism is to only make you a better practicioner. It's better having you test group criticize your practices than your actual clients (who may not return if they are unsatisfied!) 

2) Develop Your Benefit Statement

♦ Your benefit statement is a vital piece of information that lets people know how you can help them. You should be sure to include: How you address specific problems, your specialized training, your experience, any testimonials of your work

♦ Remember to allocate the bulk of your message to how you can help. People do not particularly care that you do the latest, greatest technique. They want to know that a session with you will decrease their arthritis pain, help them recover from an injury, or benefit them in some other way that makes their lives better.

3) Invest in Marketing Tools that Support Your New Focus

♦ Utilize your benefits to write your marketing materials. It is crucial to make sure your message is received as you intend- direct, accurate, and professional

♦ Emphasize your modalities offered and/or client focus- new or re-newed!

♦ Create a brochure or newsletter that focuses on conditions or interest groups to help narrow focus

♦ It is essential you have your practice's complete contact information on all materials- ensure your clientele can get ahlold of you! 

4) Promote Your New Approach to Clients and Community

♦ Once you have your marketing materials in hand, share them with your community. Tell existing clients, friends and colleagues (maybe even offer a discount) and consider community groups that could benefit from your new technique.

♦ For example, if you're marketing to seniors, reach out to senior centers, assisted living areas or churches, or even a place where seniors don't congregate- some may see your materials and think, "Oh, my mom could benefit from this."

5) Build Your Professional Network

♦ Other providers such as MDs, support group leaders, acupuncturists, neuropaths, even yoga and meditation instructors.

♦ Some of these other professionals may technically be a competitor of yours, but use them to your advantage by initating a referral system with then. Even thought you may gain and lose some contacts, this can help you become a trusted source. 

♦ When you refer clients, tell them it is because you want them to find the best help for their particular situation- emphasize what your specialty is so they can refer you.

6) Become Known Expert Over Time

♦ As you develop contacts, you'll slowly become known as an expert. 

♦ Keep working on your elevator speech- that’s your 30-second introduction explaining what you do. Focus on how you have helped people resolve their pain, maintain their flexibility, recover from surgery, or resolve other issues.

This article, by the Sohnen-Moe blog, originally appeared here and is reprinted with permission