Creating value is important if you want to build a successful practice. Value is the thing that will keep clients coming back time and time again. We all feel good when we believe that we have received value from a transaction. Be it a commercial transaction when we buy into something, a personal transaction when we speak to a friend, or a healing transaction when we see a practitioner.
If we are left feeling like we did not receive adequate value for the time and money that we have spent then we are less likely to go back or to refer that practitioner to our friends. So how do we create massive value?
There are three parts to creating massive value for all stakeholders. In a practice there are often three stakeholders, you, the client and the clinic. As the practitioner we need to become responsible for providing value to all three stakeholders. We can do this using the Value Matrix, which has three primary facets to it.
1.
Manage expectations
2.
Provide confidence
3.
Create accountability
We must first manage the expectations of our stakeholders; in the case of our clients there are certain expectations that we must meet. These expectations include, time, money, treatment and in the case of building a value driven practice the healing plan.
We must make sure that we are keeping to the expected time that has been predetermined either by the clinic, the external world or ourselves. If your sessions run for an hour then they should finish on the hour not over and not under. If they run over because, for example, your client loves to talk, then we must manage the expectation by setting up the session right from the start. In some cases where I know my client loves to talk I let them know that we must finish at a certain time. This is an example of managing the time of a consult.
Next we must manage the money, in a lot of cases this is taken care of by the clinic however the practitioner often determines the establishment of fees. Managing the money starts with your charge rate. Where do you want to sit in the market? Are you charging above the market rate, same as the market rate or below the market rate? Realising that often our charge out rate is directly linked to our self worth may help you to set your fees.
Finally your treatments, including your treatment plan, needs to be managed. Discussing how you work with clients upfront can assist in meeting their expectations. What is it they want from you, how long do they expect to be seeing you and what plans do you have for future sessions are all things to consider? I find that it is extremely beneficial to establish a clear treatment protocol and plan as quickly as possible into my sessions.
When then want to provide confidence. The underlying and most powerful thing you can do is to provide the client with confidence. This is especially important when guiding a client, asking for a re-booking and asking for money. Any hesitation at this point will have the client feel that there is a lack of confidence. As many cases of dis-ease include a lack of self worth and self-confidence it is important that the practitioner does not play into this as well. Sometimes it is a process of faking it until you make it, either way it is important to be confident.
The skills of self-confidence at the deepest level may lead us to seek professional assistance to clear blocks or issues that have contributed to our lack of confidence, however there are some traits that a confident person will show that we can copy so as to begin to build our own confidence. Confidence is just a series of positive events that build on themselves to provide the person with a feeling that the next event they face will go well and therefore the confidence to do it again. So what are the traits of a confident person?
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Speak with authority
A confident person speaks with authority as if they know exactly what they are doing, which may or may not be the case. It is not about lying but rather believing in what you are saying.
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Speak without hesitation
A confident person does not hesitate when they speak especially when they get to those issues that are a little uncomfortable, like asking for money or re-booking.
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Clear and precises direction
A confident person will give clear and precises direction and actions as to what they want the other person to do. In this case the client for example:
“In my experience these things take time to clear therefore I would suggest that I see you every week for at least a month or two then we can cut it down to fortnightly, then monthly and until you feel it is cleared”
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Just do it!
At the end of the day a confident person will just do it without thinking to much about it, as they say ‘face the fear and do it anyway’.
Understand the power of confidence in the healing process.
Create Accountability
Make sure that you make your clients accountable for their own healing, do not take it on! When we help our clients to become accountable often they will heal without us touching them. Most of the time I have found that people don’t really want to heal, there is just too much invested in them being ill. So this is the most important thing we can do, how?
Step 1: Give them home play
Step 2: Get them to do something that they have to bring back to you for the next session
Step 3: Make sure you follow it up
Have a great week and remember to provide value, your clients will thank you in referrals.
Cheers Marcus
