Turn Your Client Inquiries Into Clients!

Greetings!

Wow, it's been a long long time since I've posted here. I've been focusing on the counselling side of my services lately and am currently, in the middle of all sorts of 'business refurbishments'. If you want to check out what I've been up to visit the sites below:

www.lifechoices.net.au <-- Business Website

And here

www.shrinkthink.net <--- Blog Website

-- You can also add me here -- www.facebook.com/kyliejcoulter or subscribe to my FB pages

www.facebook.com/shrinkthink

www.facebook.com/lifechoicesonlinecounselling

Now that my shameless self-promotion is over, I have some awesome tips for you to turn your client inquiries into actual paying clients.

So, what have I found lately? Well, I have some good news andddd some bad news. The good news is that there's a whole bunch of ways to attract clients, but the bad news is that, unfortuantely, for the modern online therapist, we can't do things the old way. What do I mean? Well, we can't sit by and passively wait for clients to come to us anymore. Sure, we can advertise on Google, Yahoo, Facebook and use social media, but that still doesn't guarantee sign-ups. We need to use our smarts and hook our clients. This isn't manipulative, they want your help and you can help them. But the internet is full of ambiguity.

So how do you clarify the ambiguity?


1. Engage, Engage, Engage

I used to make the error of sending potential clients a whole bunch of information. They'd contact me by Skype, MSN, Email FB and what would I do? I'd respond to their personal contact by giving them links and documents. I should have just talked to them, right?
The last thing they wanted was to go to my website and read everything I had up there. Furthermore, it's the internet, long-winded informed consent documents and long client-cards will put your potential client off. You need to engage them. And how do you do this? Read on.

2. Use A Free Consultation Session

Pre-Consultation Session

As soon as any client shows interest in therapy with you, you need to book them in for a time to chat there and then. That's the first thing you do. No, don't say 'go to my website for more information'. You give them the information in the email/text-chat window/voice conversation. You don't add a document as an attachment to a long winded email and send it to them. If you're using email to reply, intially, make sure your email is formatted and everything is short and succinct. If you can, get them to chat for a very short time in text-chat or skype. They want to know they're talking to a person. They want to know you care. And they want to talk about what's bothering them get straight to the point with them, okay? Make sure it's not all business. Be empathic, compassionate, but you need them to commit to that first free consultation session (I recommend 15 - 30 mins). When you give them that free time of yours to listen to what they need, they will feel that sense that someone cares. And you do care, so show them that by giving them some of your time.

Consultation Session

FYI, consultation sessions are not a first session. This is purely a meet and greet where you discuss times, fees, and how you can help them. You can, if you want, administer a risk assessment and gather enough information on whether you can help them. But find ways to do this as quickly as possible. While you want to show them you're commited to helping them, you don't want to work for free. You deserve monetary rewards for your time. This consultation session is purely to encourage the client to committ to regular sessions.

Once you've secured your client for counselling, gather their client-card details.

3. Take Payment Beforehand to Secure Sessions

When I first started counselling online, my trust in my fellow human being had me making all sorts of mistakes. And I know this is phrased poorly, it’s not that we can’t trust our fellow human beings, it’s that sometimes ‘things happen’.One of the things that would happen is that clients would avoid paying me for a completed session long after that session had ended. Sometimes three weeks would go by and I would continue the sessions with clients, and they still hadn't paid. This is not a good situation for you or them. Clients need boundaries and you need reimbursement for your time. The solution is simple. You take payment upfront. If a client is a no show and has given you ample notice, you can reimburse them or forward that payment to the next session. But take payment upfront, it commits the client, it resolves any possible problems that can arise from lack of payment, and it makes the whole process smoother.