I recently had a few hours of informal Question and Answer time with 12 practitioners in Montreal. The range of experience in the group was “graduating next month” to “graduated long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away.”
One of the things I asked them to do was form a clear picture of their ideal practice. Even the most experienced practitioners discovered they didn’t have what they really wanted!
The next day, I got this email from an excited practitioner — “Allison, I just received a message for my new practice in somatic education… [the woman] wants to try Feldenkrais in June, in the place were I really want to be and work, my ‘not so far away’ paradise. Wow!!!!”
And another one said that he had 18 clients in the week after our talk — more than he could remember in a long time… wasn’t quite sure why 😉 but was pleasantly surprised by it.
I know these practitioners were more surprised than I was… in fact, I wasn’t really surprised at all, because this happens so often that I’ve come to expect it. I can no longer remember how many practitioners have told me they got a new inquiry, a new client, a request for a talk — right after talking with me, coming to a free talk, or registering for a program with me.
When I tell people this, it looks like most of them are internally rolling their eyes, and thinking “Ha-ha. Yeah, right. What a sales pitch.” But the truth is that it happens, and these practitioners are living proof of it.
What’s going on here?
One of the things I love to do with practitioners is help them get clear about what they want. It’s funny, but some people haven’t ever really considered that! When you actually take the time to figure out what it would look like if you had the practice you wanted, you have a much better chance of getting it, and you’ve certainly increased your chance of recognizing it when you see it!
Another thing to consider is that your brain is working all the time to give you what you want, and that must be what you’re thinking about — right? Why would it pick anything else? So it stands to reason that getting clear about what you want and thinking about that is putting you on track to getting it, just the way focusing on what you don’t want will make it more likely that you’ll get exactly what you’re trying to avoid!
The bottom line is that if you aren’t clear about what you want, you don’t send a clear signal to the people who are looking for you. As a self-employed practitioner, you need to attract your own clients, and that means letting them know you’re there and can help them. Getting clear is like cleaning the windows so your beacon can be seen by the people who most need to find you
Taking the time to get clear about the practice you want is not a luxury. Don’t put it off until you “have more clients” — it’s how you get more clients!
Start with this simple question —
What would it look like, if you had the practice you really want?
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