Over the past few weeks, we’ve heard from three therapists who successfully built their practices by focusing on a narrow niche.
Jessica Engle, MFT shared with us how she built up an uber successful group practice by tailoring her practice to professional singles who wanted to find love.
Deidre Prewitt, LPC showed us that by ignoring the negative nellies and following her passion, she was able to really provide value for the community she was the most passionate about serving.
Robyn D’Angelo, MFT disproved the fear that niching will dry up other kinds of referrals and, in fact, got the opposite response!
You now understand that starting with a narrow client focus helps you charge higher fees, attract clients who are excited to see you and use your time more effectively. You’ll be able to build up your client base within three to six months, gain consistent referral streams and then expand out from a place of financial security.
You’re all ready to ride the niche train (whoo-whoo), but you’re wondering, “Where do I start?”
Hey-oh! It just so happens I have some tips that will guide you in the first steps of the niching process.
3 Steps to CREATE Your Niche in Private Practice
Step One: Start with your WHY.
Choosing your niche is both an act of love and strategy – with a heavy emphasis on strategy. In order to know who you will serve, you must know some foundational things about what you want for your business. You must be clear about how you want to spend your time, how much money you want to make and, perhaps most importantly, a clear sense of your overall intention.
Knowing these things will help you choose a client population that you not only love working with, but who will also afford you the income and flexibility that you need to create a thriving practice.
Step Two: Don’t look for your niche – Create it!
I talk to many clinicians who struggle with building their practice. When I talk about focusing on a specific population, they cry out, “I just haven’t found my niche. I don’t know what my passion is!”
Passion – BAH!
(Here’s a grain of salt to sprinkle on that last statement.)
I didn’t call this section “3 Steps to Find Your niche” or “3 Steps to Discover Your Niche.” That was intentional.
There is undoubtedly room for creativity, passion and inspiration in business. You’re a therapist, so I know you’re already filled to the brim with those qualities. What you struggle with is strategy. Many therapists are sitting around, maybe going on a coffee date or two, waiting for motivation to strike. When it comes to selecting a niche, they hop from idea to idea, following their interests as they wax and wain.
While this ability to follow our associations is an essential quality of great therapy, it can be deadly for our business. When it comes to deciding upon a niche, we need to balance our passions with reality based limitations. It takes time to develop a niche and build up a community around that niche.
If you continue to start anew each time you get invigorated by a different idea, you are essentially creating a private practice sand castle in the tide’s wake.
Who do you work with if passion doesn’t dictate?
There are two questions that you must answer when figuring out your niche.
- Can they pay my full fee in an ongoing way?
- Do they want therapy?!
If the answer is yes to both, then narrow Narrow NARROW from there.
Step Three: Get so specific it makes your teeth hurt.
I cannot tell you how many times I hear therapists get super excited to finally decide on a niche and when the moment comes to reveal, they proudly announce, “Anxiety and depression!”
Face palm.
In the most recent episode of Ask Tiffany: A Video Series for Therapreneurs, I give you three questions that you can ask yourself to help you know if your niche is narrow enough OR if you need to reign it in a little bit further. You can check out that video here!
Creating a niche is a creative endeavor that will open up many doors for you and your practice. You’ll meet new and motivated people. You’ll have tons of opportunities to write for major publications. You’ll be able to charge premiums fees, which will ultimately allow you to have an impact on the lives of more people, not less.
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