Unintentional Business Owner

Hi Jaime,

I checked out your website. One thing that could help is to put some descriptive title and meta tags on each page so that when people are searching for "marriage therapist, bellevue, WA" your website has a better chance of coming up in the search results.

There are lots of other SEO techniques that could help you get better rankings, but that's a fairly quick and easy way to get started.

Also, there might be some community websites that offer free listings to area businesses-- that never hurts.

Also, where do people go when they first decide they might need help with their marriage or are having family problems? It would be great if you could introduce yourself to/start building relationships with local MD's, members of the clergy, guidance counselors? You don't have to cold call them. Lately, I've been making some "introductory calls" where I simply introduce myself to people who might need my services-- and it's actually going very well.

Hope this helps.

Good luck! -Deidre

Jaime - Welcome to Biznik! Whatever your plan turns out to be, Biznik will make it work better and faster: wise move.

Here is an early move that will help. Go to your profile, at the tabs along the top. At the far right there is a "Account" tab. Click on that and then look at the "Tags" box on the right.

There are lots of marketing folks who will tell you the very "best" thing to do with that box, but one really good move for you would be to put every conceivable way of misspelling your first and last name in there. This box is where "keyword rich" thinking applies so I have all the towns and the county name there, every keyword associated with my niche. Also include anything else that would connect a person in your area looking for (or needing) your services.

That is an easy move but it makes the Biznik site all the more functional and search power is boosted greatly.

Good luck!!

DD

Hi Jaime

I used to be a therapist and was also not business minded. This was 30 years ago and now I've learned that you can learn business skills. If you get help and learn to think like a business owner it will make a huge difference and you'll be much more successful. You can learn!

HI Jaime, What a courageous request you have brought forth. And, congratulations on your new business.

Considering your field, I would offer that you connect with people in ways that builds relationships first. Perhaps a Lunch-in with doctors, pastors, community center directors - you provide the lunch and the conversation about how you make a difference. Something along those lines might work well. It builds a relationship vs. selling.

The other suggestion would be the good old referral networking. You can do that with those you know, ask them to carry your cards and share them with their friends. Note: this is never to say that anyone "needs" therapy it is to offer an invitation for someone they might know.

And perhaps lastly I would connect you with two people. Nancy Juetten is a DIY Publicity Maven in my world. She will help you learn how to get seen, heard and celebrted in your own backyard. Proven DIY Publicity help!! And Paul Anderson is a great tool in all business owners toolkits for help with learning the psychology of sales. He breaks down the process and demystifies the process for ease in having engaging conversations.

Hope that helps! Good luck. Tammy

Hi Jaime,

I hear you! As it is for many photographers, I started off my biz simply because I love photography, but soon learned that running it as a business is entirely a different story. As for now, I think myself as a business owner who uses photography as the tool. Not as romantic, but it helps me to set my mentality.

I would recommend some books that every small bz owners should read:

'How to win friends & influence people' by Dale Carnegie 'Book Yourself Solid' by Michael Port 'The 22 Immutable laws of marketing' by Al Ries & Jack Trout "Selling the invisible' by Harry Beckwith And lastly above all: "The E myth - why most small business don't work and what to do about it' by Michael Gerber

It can be learned and you will start enjoying the bz part if you love your profession and want to be successful. Biznik is a great place!

Good luck! Jack

Hi Jamie, and welcome to Biznik!

We recently did an event called SHINE, where we invited Bizniks to come sit in front of a professional cameraperson and be interviewed by a professional interviewer. The intent was to get people to tell their stories.

Small businesspeople like yourself do what you do not because it is easy... being a small business owner is hard work!... you do it because you LOVE what you do. We managed to catch this on video, and you can see some of them here on Biznik already.

Choosing a therapist is an intensely personal and emotional thing. Looking at a highly polished website with a lot of words on it is not going to help me connect with you as a person. There's just very little to "vibe" with there.

This is where online video can give you great power. For example, I see you have a comment above from Jack Young. Go to his Biznik profile and watch his video to see an example of how to use video to connect with your clients.

Yes, he is a wedding photographer. There are a gazillion wedding photogs out there, but Jack's video focuses on the experience you will have working with him. And that is what everyone else misses! "Yes, I can see you take great pictures... they are on your web site... but am I going to enjoy the experience, too?"

With Jack's video, you know you are going to have a wonderful time shooting with him.

This is where I think your video can draw people to you like a magnet! Talk about WHY you are a therapist. Talk about what you have done for people. Talk about a success. Show that your heart is invested in what you do.

And do it all in under 2 minutes.

Then post it to your Biznik profile and upgrade to Supporting membership. This will really help your results in search engines, and I expect you will see some great results.

Your video will also be something your happy clients can refer friends to. "This is the woman that helped me, and you can see how wonderful she is in this little short video she did."

Be honest. Be open. And make it easy for people to talk about you.

Best of luck with it,
- Christian

Welcome Jaime!

I'm not a therapist. I don't even play one on TV, but I do know of a great marketing coach for therapists.

Casey Truffo suffered through the same problems and anxieties you do, but found a systemic way to attract clients. You gotta love the name of her site: www.beawealthytherapist.com

Her slogan seems to suit you- make a living while making a difference.

Good luck! Love=Fun

Dina