It’s December. I know you’re busy, and you’re not looking for one more thing to do. But you still want to grow your practice. That’s why my recommendation during this time of year is to grab the low hanging fruit. Think about what opportunities are right in front of you that you are not taking advantage of to bring in more clients. When you think about marketing your practice, you might think about getting your name out there and getting known by people who don’t know you yet. Yes, that’s one important part of marketing, but what often gets overlooked is nurturing the relationships and opportunities you already have. I’ll give you an example:
Recently I had a first coaching session with a wonderful therapist I’ll call Brenda. As part of our networking strategy, we were creating a list of people she could reach out to. Brenda was thinking hard about all of the therapists and other professionals she could get to know. I asked her what her relationships are like with the therapists in her office suite, and she said she hadn’t met some of them, and hadn’t gotten to know any of them very well. We laughed about this as she realized these were some key relationships she could easily nurture. Brenda had discovered some low hanging fruit.
Now look around your practice for the low hanging fruit.
Are there any professionals who have contacted you and who you haven’t gotten back to? Contact them right away.
Are there any marketing projects you have almost completed, but then abandoned? Take advantage of your clients’ cancelations this month and finish them up.
Is there a part of your intake process you could easily improve so that clients have an easier time entering your practice? Make those changes now.
Is there an organization you’ve done a speaking engagement for in the past? Email the contact person and let them know you’ll be available in the New Year.
You don’t have to push yourself to start something new in the middle of the holiday season. Instead, focus on following through with what’s right in front of you. When January comes, you’ll be ready to hit the ground running.