Many holistic practitioners who need more clients think they’ve already tried everything possible to get them.
The problem is that when you’ve tried everything you can think of and nothing works, you can begin to lose hope in your dream.
You lose passion.
And in the end, both you and your clients lose out, because if you lose your passion, you’ll find some other way to pay your bills.
So it’s time to start thinking some impossible things! Not necessarily 6, and you don’t have to do them all before breakfast, like the White Queen told Alice she did!
Start with 3 fundamental things that can get you more clients — and that many holistic practitioners find impossible to think! Thinking them at any time of day will help you get more clients!
Impossible Thing#1: There’s value in the uncomfortable.
Most holistic practitioners of every kind help their clients live with less discomfort. Comfort is highly valued by most people … and it’s where holistic practitioners are heading.
It’s almost as if we think that anything that’s uncomfortable should be avoided at all costs. But even Moshe Feldenkrais, who advised us to “Make the uncomfortable comfortable” didn’t think we should or could avoid every uncomfortable thing in life.
Why is this important when you’re trying to build a practice?
Because if you could get a great practice without ever doing anything outside your comfort zone, you’d probably already have the practice you want.
I’m not talking about getting more clients by living your life outside in misery.
But I am saying that if you aren’t willing to push your boundaries, if you can’t imagine you can do something you haven’t yet learned, and if you don’t embrace the change you want to be — it’s not likely you’ll find very many clients of any kind. And it will be even harder to find clients who are willing to push their own boundaries because like tends to attract like.
Here are 5 things you could do to get more clients —
- Raise your rates.
- Learn to give an effective talk.
- Stop trying to get clients and work on getting consultations.
- Offer packages and charge more for single sessions.
- Limit your marketing to ideal clients.
Some of these — maybe all of them — may seem impossible today because they are outside your comfort zone. I can guarantee that every one of these is not only possible, but a sure-fire way to get yourself on the road to getting the practice you want.
The question is — which is more outside your real comfort zone — not having enough clients, or doing what it takes to get them?
Impossible Thing #2: Your Clients Can Afford to Work with You
It used to be that when a new client said they couldn’t afford to work with me, I would do everything I could to make it possible for them to work with me.
I would lower my rate.
Or step back from what I knew they really needed and offer them something less.
Or sigh internally — knowing that this person’s life would change if only he or she would step up to an expanded version of who they were.
Then I began to see what those same people were able to find the money … for other things.
I was perplexed.
Here I was, not earning my full fee, or watching them not get as much as they could because they didn’t do what I knew they needed to do for the maximum benefit — and there they were —
- Taking a trip abroad.
- Buying a new car… almost always a nicer one than I was driving.
- Putting in an in-ground swimming pool (and not even invite me to the “pool-warming” party).
- Wearing designer clothes.
- Getting regular manicures, pedicures, facials, massages, or spending a day at the spa.
By watching closely, I discovered that people always seem to find the money to do what they want to do, what they are excited about, what stirs their passion. What I know now is that if investing in their own well-being isn’t one of those things, they’re probably not ideal clients for you... because more than anything, most holistic practitioners fuel their passion by seeing their clients transform their lives.
A person who’s not invested in himself can’t transform his life.
What will it take for you to believe the impossible — that people really can afford you, if they want to work with you?
What will it take for you to be able hold the space in which people can step into their higher vision of themselves?
Impossible Thing #3: Where You’re Going is More Important than Where You Are
The thinking that got you here won’t get you there. Not only that, if you really believe it, it will stop you from getting there.
Making decisions about the future based on your current situation means that you limit your potential by your present circumstances. You can’t get to the future of your dreams that way.
To get where you really want to go, you have to think as if you were already there.
What does that take? What shift in perspective would you make if you already had what you want? Who would you be and how would that be different from how it is right now?
When you know what you really want your practice to look like, all you have to do is become the practitioner who has it!
Sounds impossible? Here are some things that have helped other people — not just to think, but to do — this seemingly impossible thing —
- Support from a mentor who’s already done what you want to do.
- A structure to help you get clear on what you want.
- Someone to stand in the fire with you when things get difficult.
- An accountability partner who’s committed to growing alongside you.
- A community that will celebrate every step you take toward your dream.
All these are part of every program I offer. All these are yours, just by deciding you’re ready to do what it takes!
Are you ready?
Conventional wisdom says that the most important step on any journey is the first one… If you’re ready to take the first step, let’s talk about it and find out how I can help you get the practice you want! Email me at allison.rapp at gmail dot com and we’ll make a time to talk.
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