If you want to own a successful private practice, you must learn to sell. Learning to sell doesn’t mean getting people to buy used cars or encyclopedias. Learning to sell means that you get good at helping your customer (referrer) understand and overcome fear.
Many therapists are very uncomfortable with the whole idea of selling. Somehow it doesn’t quite feel ethical or professional to them. I think the word “sell” seems like just another 4-letter word – something we should avoid. It’s just a word.
Think about it this way – if you believe that you are truly meant to help others, you have a responsibility to let them know that you are there for them. You might be the best therapist in the world, but if those who need you don’t know whom you are, where to find you, or how to do business with you, you can’t help them.
So, from a business perspective (acknowledging that your desire to help others is very important to you), consider the following lessons when it comes to getting more clients for your private practice.
- Most people have a fear of buying: people like to buy, but they hate to be sold! Your conversations and stories should help people to understand that you have benefits they want and need so they will want to BUY from you
- When you hear “no” from your prospective clients or prospective referrers, it is very rarely a “no” because they don’t want to do business with you. It shouldn’t end there. For both of your sakes, you need to better understand their true objections, and then help them say “yes” by telling a story that addresses and resonates with those objections
- The objection “It’s too expensive” almost always means this: “The pile of benefits as I see them are smaller than the pile of money you’re asking for; I don’t understand the benefits enough to buy from you now.” Making things cheaper is NEVER the answer. Making it cheaper will not make the client happier. The REAL objection usually has to do with the client not having a full understanding of the benefits you have to offer. They don’t need cheaper – they need to know what it’s worth to them
- If you don’t feel you’re being paid fairly, there are usually 2 reasons. Either you have the wrong customers (clients) for your business model, or you’re not doing a great job of describing your work in terms of benefits to them. If clients are paying other therapists privately, or more money for the same services, the problem isn’t that you are too expensive
- What you have to offer is valuable to those who need it most. We find money for that which is important to us
- You’ll make this whole process of “sales” a lot easier for you if you can let go of any self-limiting beliefs you may have about your worth or about money in general. The things that almost always keep us from our destiny, are the stories we tell ourselves (Tony Robbins)
- People will only do business with you to the extent they trust you. You must do what it takes to build credibility and trust. People must see you as an investible opportunity – they are more likely to do that once they know who you are and what you stand for, and believe that you “get” them and can help them move away from their pain
Private practice can be wonderfully gratifying work. However, we must never forget this is a business. You have the responsibility to run a healthy business so you will be around 3 years from now (and more) to serve all of those people who need you so much.
Helping people and making money are not mutually exclusive. Work hard and enjoy the fruits of your labor!
Deb Legge, PhD CRC LMHC
http://influentialtherapist.com/contact
Dr. Deb Legge is known internationally as the Private Practice Mentor. Over the past 21 years she has taught thousands of therapists how to build thriving practices, using the same proven strategies she uses… to attract more private pay clients. She has just released a FREE 4-Part online training called: “The Truth About Getting Paid In Private Practice. You can access this new training absolutely FREE for a limited-time, by visiting: http://rapid-referrals.com/privatepay