Tip #3 -- Eat and Sleep Marketing

How does one EAT marketing?

Well, what I mean is, borrow from the corporate world and do some marketing outreach over coffee or a meal. Here are some possibilities:

• join a business networking group -- they usually meet at a meal time
• ask a potential referral source to lunch or coffee
• take an afternoon snack in to referral source's place of business
• offer a brown bag workshop at someone's workplace
• host a happy hour support group with appetizers

Okay, but how do you SLEEP marketing?

Ideally, when we sleep, we dream. (not all of us do, of course, but hang in here with me in this metaphor) In the broad sense, dreams are just conversations with your subconscious mind. In daytime you can access your subconscious by:

• engaging in meditation
• doing a guided visualization
• drawing a tarot or angel card
• allowing your own intuition to bubble up into consciousness

Bonus coaching questions: What 2 ways of eating marketing will you do for yourself this month? Which way of sleeping marketing will you incorporate into your daily habits this month?

As always, trust your mindbodyspirit to resonate with what's right for you.

No Hype Tip #2 for Marketing Your Practice in 2009

Tip #2 -- Diversify Your Delivery

What I mean is: Start thinking outside the box. You have a rich skill set. How many different ways can you use it?

For example for those of you who are therapists -- your skills in diagnosis lend to more than just assigning a DSM code to a superbill. With knowledge of diagnoses, you can:

• write a tip sheet to give to a referral source to help their clients contact you
• write a 2 page special report to offer free in exchange for email addresses
• write a self-help ebook to sell on your website
• develop an audio to post on your website
• organize a support group around a specific diagnosis
• develop a signature talk to offer to groups
  

Your knowledge of diagnoses can be delivered in at least these 6 ways.

For those of you who are naturopathic doctors or coaches -- what skills do you have that you can package and deliver in a different way than one on one work with patients / clients?

Bonus coaching suggestion: List your skill set. Then pick one topic from it and brainstorm as many ideas as possible to diversify the delivery of your knowledge.

As always, trust your mindbodyspirit to resonate with what's right for you.

No Hype Tip #1 for Marketing Your Practice in 2009

Tip #1 -- Do What Fits Your Personality

A lot of marketing advice takes a shotgun / shoehorn approach. That is, it pretends that you have to manically do everything even when many things don't fit your personality.

Don't do that.

Instead, take the time today to brainstorm a list of marketing activities that you'd have fun doing, that fuel your creativity and feed your spirit. If your true personality shines through in these ideas, your ideal clients will feel that energy and be attracted to it.

• So, are you an introvert or an extrovert?
• Are you a morning person or more of a lunch / afternoon individual?
• Do you express yourself best in writing or speaking? Take these features and more into account when you brainstorm your list.

Bonus coaching tip: Think you don't have time to do this exercise today? Try this:
Brainstorm only while drinking a cup of tea or coffee.
Or, brainstorm only for 10 minutes.

That's enough. Really. Trust your mindbodyspirit to resonate with what's right for you.

What We Need To Keep in Mind to Survive the Recession

I'm having these thoughts this New Year morning:

~ Being in private practice is being in business. If we don't attend to the business aspects like business people, we won't survive.

~ Being in business as a one person show is actually being in two businesses: the business of conducting counseling or coaching or medicine, and the business of having a business.

~ Any sole proprietor is working more than double a full time job if we are being successful. Marketing alone is a full time job.

~ The conventional wisdom that most small businesses (including one person shows) fail in the first 3-5 years is true for therapists, coaches, and NDs especially because as a profession we don't put enough attention on the business aspects, don't adopt a business mindset, and above all, don't do smart marketing.

~ Any profit at all is good. Some loss may be a tax advantage, depending on your filing status.

~ Some keys to business survival in a recession are:

diversifying your income streams

diversifying your modes of service delivery

innovating new business models

really listening to what your clients want, and providing as much as you can

outsource the business tasks that suck your life-force dry

use that time to create new streams, modes, & models

prioritize your own self-care

Need more? Get free tips at The No Hype Marketing Mentor, and look for low cost self-paced self-help products and teleclasses.