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Do you have a clear idea of who your core customers are? What are the words that you have successfully “owned” to market your unique skill set and brand promises? How can you structure your work so that it works for you?
In this podcast episode, Joe Sanok speaks about the new year, new habits, and strategies for scaling up with Herb Cogliano.
Podcast Sponsor: Therapy Notes
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Meet Herb Cogliano
In this Podcast
- Who is your core customer?
- “The words you own”
- The guarantee
- Your profit per “X”
- Herb’s advice to private practitioners
Who is your core customer?
Who is your core customer, the one who is:
- The most profitable for your practice
- The one that you enjoy working with the most
- The most valued customer for your service
- Paying you on time
- Gladly refers you to other people
When you identify that segment, then you want to ask yourself; “What promises do you deliver that they value and that makes you different or distinct [from] other practitioners like yourself? (Herb Cogliano)
A lot of people – especially therapists in private practice – may at first feel overwhelmed because they don’t know their core customers. Once you have identified them, you can set the correct strategy to follow to market your business around their needs and your skill set.
“The words you own”
If you’re committed to growing your practice right now, and I’ve never heard of you, but I’m looking for therapy … I don’t know you, and I would be overwhelmed by the choices. But you know what I do know? I know what I want. So, the words you own are [about] understanding how prospects search for things and then surrounding the search words with the brand promises that are magnetic for your ideal prospect. (Herb Cogliano)
The words that you use are important because they are what will set you apart from the rest – both on Google and in how your ideal client understands your promise. You need to set yourself apart by putting into words what your unique brand promise is and how you can help them move their life forward.
Publish books, podcasts, blogs, or other media that resonate with your specific magnetic words to draw the right people in.
The guarantee
If a prospect doesn’t know your business but they are looking for a service that you provide, they fear two things:
- Wasting their time with an ill-fit person
- Wasting their money with a bad decision
What guarantee can you give prospective clients up front that they feel more comfortable putting their time and money on the line to work with you? For Herb, he has put a disclaimer in place with his consulting clients so that they feel like he and the clients have a way out.
You [then] feel very comfortable that you’re committing for a year and if I didn’t do a good job in the initial assessment of either your needs or us as a fit, then we have the first 90 days to find out together and you can stop, no questions asked. (Herb Cogliano)
He was nervous in the beginning, however, in the five years that he has done this, no one has opted for this disclaimer. It offers a sense of safety and trust for the client and creates excellence in the name of the business.
Think about that guarantee [because] it drives a level of excellence in your service delivery to really bring it to life, and … it lessens the friction for a prospect being able to make a quicker decision on whether to try you. (Herb Cogliano)
Your profit per “X”
What are the economics of your business model? Think of the way you invoice and how you make money, is it:
- Profit per client
- Profit per program
Take a look at the way you make money and then you can take a step on how to optimize it. This is again where it is important to use the right words to proactively bring more of your core prospective clients in.
Look at your price per scheduled hour and optimize serving more of them to increase your profits.
Herb’s advice for private practitioners
Create a business that works for you, not a business that you have to work in. Be the architect of your ideal practice instead of a victim of circumstance due to a lack of action. You deserve to enjoy your work!
Sponsors Mentioned in this episode:
- Trust me, don’t waste any more of your time, and try TherapyNotes.
- Find out more about the Seven Figure Club!
Books mentioned in this episode:
Verne Harnish – Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It…and Why the Rest Don’t
Useful links mentioned in this episode:
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Visit Aspire Growth Advisors and connect on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
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Email Joe at [email protected] to suggest guests for the show
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Meet Joe Sanok
Joe Sanok helps counselors to create thriving practices that are the envy of other counselors. He has helped counselors to grow their businesses by 50-500% and is proud of all the private practice owners who are growing their income, influence, and impact on the world. Click here to explore consulting with Joe.
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