Private Practice Success Newsletter

March 2008, by Lynn Grodzki, LCSW, MCC (Master Certified Coach)
www.privatepracticesuccess.com

Margaret Wheatley, expert in organizational systems and author of "A Simpler Way," writes, “There is a new way of being in the world. It requires being in the world without fear, with play and creativity.” Adopting this expansive approach of being in the world gives us an opportunity to become our own fearless marketers. Let me show you how.

Fearless Marketing

If you are in private practice, marketing in some form or fashion is probably an ongoing reality of building your business. But when healing and helping professionals talk to me about marketing their practices, they say they are stopped by their fear.

This makes sense, because so many of us are introverts, modest, are prefer not to have to sell ourselves or our services. But if marketing is simply a reality for you, I’d like to show you how to approach this task without the anxiety.

Being in business takes courage. To help you act fearlessly when marketing, adopt these two steps:

1) Be willing to get in the game
2) Detach from the results

"Don't be afraid to go out on a limb. That's where the fruit is." Jackson Browne

As some readers know, I have been in (successful) recovery the past 2 years from breast cancer and as part of my weekly exercise program, I work out with Andrew -- a young, passionate personal trainer who is teaching me to play basketball. I am new to this sport and although I like the drills of learning to shoot and dribble, at some point during our workout he always looks me in the eye and says, “Lynn, I challenge you.” This means it’s time to play one-on-one.

My unfailing reaction is fear: My mind literally goes blank. This is frustrating, to say the least. Everything we have done in our drills is lost. To help me shake the fear, Andrew is now adding one caveat: “You just need to be willing to play.”

I can always make that commitment. Once Andrew told me that he is happy to lose, because he learns the most when he is bested by a stronger player. I like this reframing. I can play as long as I don’t have to perform or have any expectations of myself other than agreeing to be in the game. I, too, am learning to be a cheerful loser! (To read more about what I have learned from Andrew, go to: www.psychotherapynetworker.com )

What do you need in order to be willing to get in the game and “just play” in regards to your marketing? What if you took all the expectations away and simply allowed yourself to start? Could you take the next step, make the next call, write the website, finish the brochure. Just play!

"In skating over thin ice our safety is in our speed." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Marketing is like play, in that it is basically an experiment, a form of market research. It offers feedback and a willingness to stay in the game and continually market will help you figure out, over time, what works and what doesn't. With marketing there are no guarantees -- its your best guess.

And no one marketing strategy works for everyone. Variables such as situation, timing, location, and a host of intangibles affect the outcome of any marketing action. Since marketing may be part of your ongoing business plan, you have to focus on the process instead of the outcome. Detach from the results. Find another place to put your attention when you are marketing.

Here is one colleague's experience:

Alicia is a therapist and life coach who asked me to help her create a marketing campaign to promote the life coaching end of her practice. Although we set up monthly action steps, I knew that to find the motivation to overcome her resistance to marketing, she would need to stay focused on the process of marketing instead of the results.

Each month I asked her to send me a short list of what she was learning from her marketing efforts. The first month she emailed me: “Set up 4 professional lunches this month with potential referrals sources. Learned that when I take the role of the host it is easy to extend an invitation. Carried this over to my desire to have a better social life. Learned how nice it can be to initiate contact with old friends.”

Another email: “Finished my brochure. It is only good enough, not perfect. Mailed it out anyway. Learning that good enough gets the job done. Important for me to remember this in both life and work.”

By focusing on the process, she became a robust marketer. She saw the process as one of experimentation and learning. Of course, over time, it also yielded results of more clients. But Alicia says that the best results were the way she learned to overcome her nervousness and fear by using the campaign as a journey of personal discovery.

Lynn's Upcoming Presentations

Friday & Saturday, March 14 & 15, 2008: Washington, DC

Friday, March 28, 2008: Albany, NY

Friday, April 18, 2008: Waterbury, Conn.

Upcoming Teleclasses

My next signature “Basic Strong Start” Teleclass starts the first week of April. Please join me to get energized and achieve your goals for 2008. We use my Workbook as our text and the professional support on our classes weaves its own magic, helping people to shift, change, and grow as entrepreneurs.

Tuesdays April 8, 2008 at 2:00 PM EST

April 8, 15, 22
May 6, 13, 20
June 3, 10, 17
July 1, 8, 15

Can't make a class? We tape all classes, you can listen to any missed classes at your convenience! This teleclass led by Lynn Grodzki.

To register and see all the information and logistics, go to: www.strongstartclasses.com

What Others Say About The Teleclass:

“Taking this class was one of the best things I have ever done for myself, professionally, THANK YOU. I was able to get unstuck and make several important decisions. My income is up, I made several new colleagues/friends on the calls, and am on my way to a very good year financially.” (Social Worker in practice 5 years)

“Even though I called in at an ungodly hour of the night, since I am half a world away, I wouldn’t have missed this for anything. I got great coaching, loved the group input, and was able to meet the personal goals I had outlined for the 4 months and more. Thank you again!”(Psychologist from Sydney, Australia)

LYNN'S NEW eBOOK is on sale now! Only $19.95! Order at the website or click on the book:

Private Practice SOS: Solutions and Strategies for an Up and Down Market. An eBook By Lynn Grodzki It's a tough market out there! You don't need to face the future of private practice alone. Here is a lifeline -- my solutions to the difficult economic challenges we all must respond to today. This eBook is my newest thinking and offers you specific tips and ideas to help you create demand for your services while you minimize your costs in today's recessionary market. Click on the eBook, to order it and get an immediate download to read on your computer or print out.

Books by Lynn Grodzki, published by WW Norton. To order, click on each book.

	The Business and Practice of Coaching By Lynn Grodzki and Wendy Allen (2005) Reviewed by author Richard Leider as "Nothing less than a radical rethinking of the essentials of building a coaching practice. A must read for all coaches, master and novice alike."
	Building Your Ideal Private Practice By Lynn Grodzki (2000) The best-selling guide to what you need to do and who you need to be in order to have a highly profitable, personally satisfying private practice. Often called the "private practice bible" this book has become a resource for tens of thousands of your colleagues.
	The New Private Practice:Therapist-Coaches Share Stories, Strategies and Advice Edited by Lynn Grodzki (2002) A groundbreaking look at the profession of coaching through the eyes of 16 successful therapist-coaches who tell you how to become a coach, what to charge, and show you how they coach their clients.
	12 Months to Your Ideal Private Practice: A Workbook By Lynn Grodzki (2003) This planned, motivational workbook will help you build the practice you desire. The workbook incorporates fresh ideas, new exercises, further skill sets and much more to give you a direct experience of being carefully coached by Lynn, month-by-month, for a full year.

More next time,

lynn@privatepracticesuccess.com
See the website for additional articles, information about individual coaching, and upcoming classes.