Hi Kimberley here,
Hope you're having a great day :)
Just a quick story you may be able to relate to..
When I first started out as a practitioner, (some 28 years ago) I was so pleased to have finished all my training, all I wanted to do was just set up my practise and help make a difference.
I didn't even think about how I was actually going to get any clients, let alone manage to pay my bills so I could support myself and reach the people I could potentially help.
You see, probably like you, therapy and personal development were always and still are my passion.
Anyway, nobody in all the training I undertook had even mentioned how to let clients know I was there. In fact if I'd even thought about it at all it was almost a rude thing to actually try to as I saw it "sell myself"
The Build It & They Will Come Theory Of Gaining Clients ...
I was of the theory, like many other that the Build & They Will Come way of gaining clients worked
Myth Busting 1.... Sorry to Burst Your Bubble :)
Are You Stuck @ Stage 1? What's the old adege?? "If you build they will come" ... Its from The Field of Dreams Movie ...
Rule 1. Building things is hard work - (think of all the countless hours you've studied to become a professional maybe even all the sacrifices you've had to make) "If you build it, they will come" tells you as a practitioner that you use all of your resources and energy to get to the point where you are qualified and have actually set up your practise and thats it ... (well except of course actually seeing the clients and doing the work you studied for). and thats seems fair after all you've studied, set up your practise and are prepared to work with clients.
Rule 2. Building a sustainable practise is really tough. "If you build it, they will come" is a solace. I'm sorry to tell you but building it ( as above) is only stage 1 in a long line of stages. It’s your foundation. But it’s no good having even a strong foundation if you aren't going to build a house on it ..
But that's not sort of fair I hear you say ... look at all the work I've done already (well thats what I sort of said!!)
Lets not look at the problem of not having many clients (after all that won't help anything) .. lets look at how to change things for the better .. lets look at the solution ... >>>
Until the next post .... How To Build You're Private Practice ... Without it costing a fortune