on Dec 12th, 2009The Business of Healing
Guest Blog Post: Carole Batchelor from Healthy Results in Bedford offers up some great advice for those running a health and wellbeing business…
With the amount of people suffering from stress, and the myriad of related health issues it’s not surprising that the business of health is big business indeed. As a nation we have a split personality – record levels of obesity and diabetes but also massive spend on health.
It could be you’re reading this site because you work in the health field as a personal trainer, a nutritional therapist or you offer one of the many hundreds of complementary therapies out there, if so then you’ll know it’s true that even more people need your help than ever before.
But you’re not doing as well as you’d like financially.
Am I right?
I’m not psychic I’m a Nutritional Therapist so why am I talking to you?
Until 3 years ago I worked very successfully in marketing, for 20 years I made sure that the right people heard the right message at the right time. Then everything changed. My wonderful husband Kevin died of skin cancer. As I began the process of picking up the pieces I realised that I was no longer interested in marketing, I decided to retrain.
After a while I had to acknowledge I wasn’t making enough to sustain myself. Then I realised I’d fallen into the trap of thinking like a therapist not a marketer. I took a hard look at what I was doing then put it right. The fact is I hadn’t left business I’d simply changed business. Now my practice is thriving.
The good news is you don’t need years of experience to market yourself. A few fundamental changes will make all the difference. I was so disturbed when I heard about the number of healers having to give in and get jobs I needed to do something. I’ve put together a 1 day seminar that will run in Milton Keynes, January 23rd 2010 aimed specifically at personal trainers, healers and therapists who want to increase their business. I’ve kept the ticket price as low as possible, to make the event accessible. But I thought I’d give you three ideas now. If as a result you get a client or more then you’ve already got your seminar ticket money! To make it even more accessible I’ve agreed to give EverythingZing readers £30 off the ticket price – simply quote ZING at checkout.
1) Accept the money – literally and spiritually.
Many of us have limiting beliefs around accepting payment for the work that we do. To be successful we need to address those feelings and realise that if we are telling the universe we don’t want the money, it will oblige by keeping it away. When we offer anyone anything no matter how small, it is ingrained in us to want to repay that gift. So much so that it becomes very uncomfortable if we’re denied that opportunity. When we work with someone and they get better they have a deep need to repay us with something of equal value. Denying them the opportunity by saying “oh pay me later” or not being comfortable with accepting their gift (money) in return is disrespectful to them and works against what you’ve just achieved with your healing. Asking for payment at the start of the session rather than the end, switches the reciprocity so you’re thanking them by providing healing in return for their gift and results in the final memory of the session being your positive work.
2) Get listed!
There are lots of free listing web sites out there. You already know about www.EverythingZing.com another is www.freeindex.com which brings me a customer every month – completely free! Think laterally – get your listing in as many categories as possible. For example top of the list of Spiritual healers in Bedford is a Reiki practitioner. If I was looking for Reiki I wouldn’t have looked there but if I was looking for healing I might now consider her.
3) Get noticed!
Have a sign on your door or gate announcing how you can help. Professional signage lets customers know they’ve found the right place and reassures them you’re professional. It lets people walking past know you’re there. I work from home, in a cul-de-sac yet my sign brings me 12 -15 people a year. It’s not just my neighbours, it’s their cleaners, their friends, dog walkers and so on. 70% houses are sold from the estate agents board alone. I’m not saying you need a huge brightly coloured board, you might choose a discrete brass plaque but if you don’t have anything you will miss out. For most residential situations as long as you don’t exceed 1 metre square you shouldn’t need planning permission. If you’re unsure a make quick call to your local planning office. All sign companies are happy to give you ideas on how to use even a tiny budget but I’ve persuaded Jonathan Ward of Metrosigns in Bedford (01234 351207) to give you a great deal when you mention this article.
If you’d like more information about the seminar and details on how to implement these and dozens more ideas then follow this link to request a FREE report with 25 ideas to grow your business. Don’t forget to quote ZING at checkout to get £30 off the ticket price.
Carole Batchelor – Healthy Results
