The Business of Therapy

www.agoodplace.co

The Business of Therapy

Alison Moore

Registered MBACP (Acc) MNCS (Acc)

PC Cert Counselling Supervision

DorMen Mentor

www.agoodplace.co

Session Outline

• Why me

• Business Basics

• Marketing your business

• Q & A

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Who am I

• Accredited Counsellor

• Registered Supervisor

• Trainer

• DACAP chair

• DorMen Mentor

• Dorchester Chamber of

Commerce President

• Dorset LEP Board

Member

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Is Therapy a Business?

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Key Business Skills

• Strategic Management. Creating a business and strategic plan for your business and making sure you keep to it.

• Basic Accounting. Which records to keep, how to keep them and how to file them.

• Financial Management. Where to find financing and how to manage it once you’ve sourced it.

• People Management. Hiring your first employee and how to manage them.

• Marketing. How to market your business through traditional channels, web and social media.

• Sales. How to complete a sale and look after your customers.

• Operations Management. Choosing and managing your suppliers.

• http://www.smallbusinessbc.ca/starting-a-business/understanding-basics-business

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Business Basics

• Data Protection – use of Cloud – online Calendars – passwords on phones –servers outside EU – mobile phone pin numbers

• Consider VOIP voice over IP - Vonage

• Business Resilience – if you can’t who can?

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Marketing

• 4 (5) Ps

– Product/Service

– Promotion

– Price

– Place

– People

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Product/Service

• What is your product/service?

• Your elevator speech –

– What problem do you solve for your

customers?

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What I do

• I’m therapist Alison Moore. I help

overwhelmed women find a healthy

balance between caring for themselves

and their family relationships so they can

live fulfilling and meaningful lives.

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What I do . . . 2

• I’m a therapist turned business consultant.

I inspire therapists to build successful

practices by helping them identify their

passions and develop basic business skills

so they can make a good living doing what

they love.

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Promotion

• Branding- More than a Logo

• Website

• Blog

• Social Media

• Business Networking

• AIDA

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Promotion

• Branding - More than a Logo

– Branding is what you are

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Promotion

• Website

What is the purpose of your website?

– Sell products and services

– Generate leads

– Establish credentials

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Promotion

www.agoodplace.co

Promotion - Blog

• Short for ‘web log’

• To share your knowledge with the world –

a diary, perhaps?

• Wordpress is a common platform and free

to start with

• Updating your blog keeps your website

current, which Google likes

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Promotion - Social Media

• Twitter

– 140 characters; Follow; # hashtag

• Facebook

– Have a ‘page’ for your business

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Promotion - Social Media

• LinkedIn

– A professional network – peer support

• Google places

– Your location on Google maps, better search

results

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Promotion - Social Media

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Promotion – Business Networking

• Benefits of business networking include

– Generation of referrals/increase business

– Opportunities

– Connections

– Advice

– Raising profile

– Positive Influence

– Friendship

Don’t forget your business cards!

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Promotion – AIDA

Attention

Interest

Desire

ActionDon’t forget theCall to ACTION!

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Price

• How much & what for?

• Payment types

– Card payment – World Pay Zinc

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Place

• What does you location say to your

clients?

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People

• Staff

• Affinity Partnerships

– example: a Telephone Reception service

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Marketing Plan

Marketing Plan 2014

Month January February March April May June July August September October November December Total

Activity

Online directory 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 £ 120.00

Top listing 50 50 50 50 £ 200.00

Attend network meeting 10 10 £ 20.00

DACAP 45 £ 45.00

Website 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 55 5 £ 110.00

Leaflets 45 45 £ 90.00

£ -

£ -

£ -

£ -

£ -

£ -

£ -

£ -

Total Marketing Spend £ 585.00

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Return on Investment

• ROI is how we know if the activity was

worth it

• If it is time rather than £, use an hourly

rate – minimum wage is currently £6.31

• Need to know how clients find us

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Next time . . .

Friday 13th June 2014

We are hoping to have Linda Parkinson-Hardman, the CEO of The Hysterectomy Association, a trained Counsellor and a recognised authority on the many implications of Hysterectomy.

The talk will include what, as Therapists, we need to know to work effectively with this client group.

www.agoodplace.co

Therapy is a Business

Running our own business may not be our skills set . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . Perhaps consider outsourcing?

Please leave your email on the sheet and I will send these slides to you

Thank you