Podcast 103 | Post Vacation Thoughts and ROI

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I took 12 days off in October and I’m just getting back in the swing of things. It’s been great to focus on what I need and what’s best for my family. In this podcast, I discuss what I discovered and reveal some changes coming up.

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Podcast Transcription

Podcast 103 | Post Vacation Thoughts And Roi

[0:00] Music.

[0:28] I am so glad to be back talking with you here on the practice of the practice podcast got my big ol cup of coffee here.

[0:41] I’m still really hot but hey i am back from taking some time off think so much for sticking with me.
I’m sure that i’ll see a little bit of a dropping numbers from october but it was really needed i just can’t get enough podcast done and schedule before i left so fast.
Feeling like we under the weather but.
You know how you can get that like post nasal drip of it’s that time of year here in northern michigan so anyway he ran him back and this.
Episode is being sponsored by brighter vision website solutions.
Brighter vision dot com for slash go head on over there i actually recently had i think three of my consulting clients did web sites through them and they got them up so quickly and took the feedback that we gave.
Just in my head so quickly and it’s just amazing to see how he think quickly how quickly i got up how quickly people start getting.
Referrals how often like people are just commenting on the website is just,
awesome it’s such a great alternative there fifty nine bucks a month and you get a month for free if you let him know that i sent you sell brightervision.com/joe,
the rocket over there and perry just had a baby so congratulations to perry the owner i haven’t been i’m just taking grafts plate,
having kids is amazing slash tiring last night oh my gosh like middle of the night.
My four year old like starts screaming daddy daddy and you think something’s wrong and she had a dream about thunder.

[2:18] And she wanted to cuddle with the rich you woke up the one year old and so the four year old she fell back asleep like right away.
But the one year old on my gosh.
She was up for like two hours just like crying when go back to sleep in finally and go sleep in another room some like i gotta go work tomorrow.
And my wife took the brunt of it and this is one of those things of parenting that happens it is what it is but.

[2:46] Here i am with my coffee i’m gonna be on some podcasts is getting interviewed later today.
Do some consulting calls counseling and go see my acupuncturist been doing that for my back and it’s been going well so i was just out in seattle and oregon.

[3:08] And holy cow was so much fun so much i wanna tell you about but in the coming weeks.
I have some killer interviews coming up cam from the got man institute in you interviewed her all about like gotten institute all about just the type of work that they’re doing their and can her own private practice journey,
amazing interview also dr katz who she.
Yeah i love the show doctor cats from comedy central years ago those of you that remember that is about this therapist that like kinda in a,
this is a real doctor cats she is one of the lead researchers that dr john got an.
And she just on my gosh she’s did breakthrough research and we just talk about that and then.
The number one coach in india for bollywood stars interviewed him as well and he is coming up in the coming weeks as well.
So crazy awesome interviews got a ton of great interviews coming up but today just in canada jumping back into the pool.
Were just talk a little bit about just maybe some of the post vacation thoughts that i have things that maybe i realized my going on vacation little just stories about vacation encouraging you to take time away.
So those of you that don’t know i from the.
Fourteen to the twenty sixth of october i took off and was the governor instituted wasn’t really checking e-mails that my.

[4:42] When i was posting to social media cuz you know it’s fine you’re using hashtags credit conference and engaging with people that i had met at the conference but afterward.

[4:52] Man i just like made sure that i did not do anything work.
Set up an auto responder so that was a fun accounting appointment contact zoe my assistant all of the e-mails coming through our website we’re going to zoe to handle.
Which is greater the infrastructure set up to be able to take a full week completely off and i just have to be a voicemail that said i’ll be back at a certain do it people can actually take action.
Also in the calendar when people email me,
if they want to start consulting with me they can schedule their pri consulting interview through that email and so i tried automate as much as i could.
And i came home to three hundred plus e-mails but you know what like as far as i can tell the ball was not dropped at all that we had to call me on one thing that about ten minutes during the whole week of.
I’m saying it is really put a big star next to.
Setting up the systems on to keep your business going while i was gone one of my counselors had is best two weeks ever and so like you as that happens i’m so excited for him.
But also like that’s great that we set up a system where i can be on vacation and i made some money off.
So i think that that that’s something to look at also was gone i met a ton of cool people so many cool people and the saturday of the got man institute.
Conference was called summit.
Hosted a happy hour party with kelly maranda from the mean and from use and then perry from brighter vision we got a whole bunch of drinks and food and we rented this week in the hotel.

[6:30] And let me just tell you a thing about this hotel we did not get the room number until the.
Seventy five minutes probably before we are supposed to start so like three forty five so we’re like on loading our wine and food,
and we’re writing all these postcards that which we the should come to but then we found out that the elevator you had to have a card to get up there something,
brianna and i had soon lobby and like talk to random people that are you here for the happy hour party people you know but.
It was packed the half the people work from a conference with people driving from portland and take home and sleep all the int hoover,
all over the place just to come hang out and talk private practice and it was amazing i have a podcast interview where it was a group of people in stock right after the party,
we’re getting a podcast and i just set the podcast having a listen through how good the audio is i hope it’s great because it was for people there can early in their career that were asking me questions,
an interview and your just having this round table discussion and that’s coming up to you and it’s gonna be killer it’s gonna be so color.
So it’s not like gotten institute was so much fun i would highly encourage you to go to conferences especially when they’re applicable to what you’re trying to do in your private practice.

[7:55] Sounds that and then we went down to newport oregon.
And why is my brother he lives down there he has a company called specifically pacific where they have the federal trademark for the one on one logo which is the road that goes up the whole west coast.
I’m so super cool getting all these wineries and makes the surf shops and we’d see all this one a one year sweatshirts sunglasses just so much cool stuff.
The pizza been doing and we want to road brewer brewing both of their locations and you pour and it just hurts so much fun.
While traveling the one in a four year old.
Their sleep was so messed up and bedtime was quite the struggle and.
It’s been wild since i got back but we actually decided to do a little sleep intervention,
we are one year old little cry it out and the one she cried for forty you know thirty seven minutes switch on my gosh all you attachment counselors like we read the research,
there’s a great book called healthy sleep habits happy child or something like that and he is talking about how like the biology of crying.
And so first night thirty seven minutes second night forty one minutes next night nineteen minutes and last night was three minutes of crying of course you got them all night.
That’s due to other reasons so for getting back to schedule getting back you know it’s funny how when you go on vacation and using hand.

[9:28] Just some things their marriage and i want to share with you a couple things that emerge now i intentionally didn’t work on the stuff i was on vacation but when i got back it was just like the floodgates are open.
So the very first thing i did is i got a sheet of paper out and at the top and upper left after a smiley face in the upper right upper frown face.
And then it right below that smile face in the upper left of the money sign in the very bottom on the bottom left a put a dollar sign with no through.
So basically we have a four-part a piece of paper with two spectrum so when spectrum is how happy something makes me and the other spectrum is how much money and how much will it impact it makes on my bottom line.

[10:11] And so i started thinking about the different things that i do or that i want to do.
And deciding where i would put an inspector that doesn’t mean if it’s in the bottom right where would make me like least happy you are i’m least excited about it and it makes me the money them to stop,
doing it just saying where am i spending my time.
And should i be spending it there and so.
For example in the podcast like i love i realize i love talking like my wife tell you that for sure like i just like talking i’ll and i’m in the room by myself right now and i’m talking.

[10:45] I love it i think so much fun when i’m on the phone with my consulting clients when i am doing webinar rs those are things i just love the things i love speaking engagements it’s just so much fun for me.
But when i don’t like is typing i realized that you know returning e-mails and connect with people that way although effective i would say that that’s probably the.
Upper right so it makes money convert to help people to stay connected is good to engage with people faith taking the time to email you.
It’s not necessary as fun for me as doing weapon hours videos podcast things like that.

[11:23] So as i’m going to exercise i’m looking at okay will what is it that i like and what is it that i don’t like it was making an impact and what’s not.
And so i value it how much time i put into the how to become a consultant podcast and knowing that.
You know what the numbers are what i want them to be and a lot of you like you’re not to the point the rate you consulting and i need to really zero and what is it that this are you for rd have all of you eleven thousand plus people a month.
What is it that you want and so as i have been doing these exercises can looking myself is all of my consulting client.
Let’s hope mr to say okay these are things that i may not stop doing facebook coming to stop doing twitter instagram app interest,
but i need to evaluate which one of those and a couple more effort into which one so i just do more just on the side here and there.
I’m okay with the other people at kelly marie and or ernesto or julie hangs of these people that in social media at the just rock it out.
And you’re there on there a lot the then teaching a lot and they have really good systems down and.
For me and like i wanna spend my time there or do i have a different unique selling point and i think that what i found is that i really like making things that are content so like videos for you guys.
Podcast for you i’d rather put in extra time to have a second podcast here and there and the week rather than you know.
No spent an hour doing social media.

[12:53] So as i am evaluating all these different things has really helped me get a window down to what is it that i want to spend my time on.
And that’s where jennifer the internet comes and so rare.
No reply left fair state university approached me about and in turn that her place and phone through no fault of her own and was wondering if mental illness counseling practice of the practice to take her on as an intern.

[13:22] I told them but how like.
Yeah we’d probably don’t have a whole lot of clients coming in cuz we’re private pay and you want those clients to go to my counselors that she could do a little job shattering she could do like maybe three people that need to bill the insurance that.
Instead of advocacy in turn that also she’s helping with the most awesome conferences help with the number of other things well.
One assignment that she has is she needs to do a survey or some sort of research project and i.
Was already planning to do a survey two guys to say hey,
like what is it as i move for that you want me to spend more time and what is it that you get the most value from what are some maybe really low cost products that,
you’d be totally into like with that the weather nice with that short course of how launch of my private pay part-time practice.
Are there so many different ideas that i have but i wanna.
Survey use in the coming weeks your gonna be getting an email of and the newsletter is make sure you subscribe i either.
You’re packs of factors that come ford slash start that’s for people starting a private practice and you get the twenty eight step checklist to download for free there.
Or practiceofthepractice.com/grow and then you jump on the email list this and more people growing a private practice so,
great either of those less you will get a email,
with a link to a survey and then i’m gonna be telling you guys what you the audience thinks like what you want me to do because i think that with high how to become a consultant podcast was super fun of canned tomatoes and when new markets.

[14:59] A lot of people jumped over there but like i said earlier,
a lot of you are just like starting and growing a practice and you like that’s just so far beyond anything i wanna do and i wanna take some time here to really just invest in the community and have.

[15:13] Got my coffee here.

[15:21] Sending all this really comes back to evaluating your own are why so your return on investment of money and your return on investment of your time.

[15:32] When i was a full-time job i had to ask myself more than the money side the time side so what is the best return on investment of my time right now.
Because you knew work forty hours for the who encourage him to read.
That ya just came out of nowhere does on our room.
Sorry about that i’m not sorry about that because people you on it is what it is there anyway.

[16:01] So when i was my full-time job a counseling and ask myself.
How am i using time because every hour that i was working on that forty hours at my full-time job.
Which has taken from my family that wasn’t evening away from my wife and kids when i had money into,
thirty nine i didn’t get to talk mike into bed but i need to make sure i was using my time efficiently and has been paid for that.
And so when i work with my consulting clients it’s awesome to work with them on how they spend their time and their money whenever i decide how i’m this.
I look it has to say the local newspaper has some the only reach out to me and say after three hundred bucks and get a full page ad.
Yeah i’m gonna look at it for three hundred dollars like what needs to happen okay well.
If i get one client the pay is your two hundred bucks for an intake and then comes one time once twenty five.
Like that’s paid for itself they’re probably gonna come for more than once i would probably jump on that,
because even though i don’t love print advertising is going to reach a certain market and it’s worth testing and so i might put three hundred dollars and that also runs club tb test where,
the day would be the record the local newspaper on the b might be a facebook at maybe i do three hundred dollars on facebook ads and see which one,
returns the most on that investment in so whenever and putting money into something weather it’s that or consulting or other things.
I’m gonna look at what can be the are all in this to some other ways that you can really identify your are a lie within your private practice.

[17:35] Is star was serving your clients in the same when sending you a survey you can use google forms you can use survey monkey can use all sorts of things to do an annual survey,
every january seventh annual survey to all of our clients and the number one thing that i like to see in there is,
would you recommend a friend or family member to come to my thomas causing thus far we’ve been at a hundred percent since two thousand nine was served in the service hundred percent of people that responded said yes i would refer a friend or family member.
To mental illness counseling.
To serving eclipse finding out they need putting in there some kind of vision things and so would your divorce clients want an e course with they want to do something in person with they want to do something that’s virtual,
starting to look it will crank spin this be on just the walls of my counseling practice.
Second i think making sure your tracking where people are coming from how do they find out about you and your first session you should,
always be asking what you hear about me all my friends on so are my doctor or you know i’ve been reading your blog for a while,
where on your email list all those things then tell you okay so,
over and over and the people have been reading my blog none of them so skip the email list maybe i should put more time into the blog been in the email list.

[18:52] Also you’re look at your website analytics your website analytics gonna tell you how many people are coming to website,
i’ll be coming through pinterest or facebook or organic searches or paid advertising the more the you know where they’re coming from the more that you can identify where to spend your money and spend your time.

[19:09] Another thing i really enjoy using to figure out how i’m ranking for things this use crohn’s incognito feature and so the way to,
can a look like you’re on searching that is just out in the universe,
so often or searches are based on what we searched in the past like i was just reading a blog and all of the ads on their blog,
where things i know my wife just search for some recently moved and looking getting like one of high-powered leaf blowers renovating our basement so we’ve been looking at like bathroom,
sync tops all the ads are crap but i know that she’s been searching for.
And so those ads are popping up so they know that it’s of use incognito it’s nice is going to google you type and.
Counseling traverse city you can see my actually number one and my number fifty like where my showing up so.
I typed in i that just yesterday private practice resources because i was looking for some private practice resources for sponsors for the most awesome conference but.
I know its like i’m one house likely crap next the practice number one look at that.
So that’s a great feature to have to figure out how your ranking and then i would say that you biggest mindset shifts the ice and people that i work with in consulting is in regards to money and in reverse and not working.
Allison careers interview i think it was session ninety one i wanna say where she did ninety days of networking with ninety different people.
I highly recommend going back to if you have a tough time not working but the biggest thing to remember is not working is that is just having conversations with.

[20:44] It’s letting them know you exist is talking about when you are the like to talk about so frequently enough for people say i just don’t want to be on the community selling like someone literally just email me that.
And that you shouldn’t yeah i don’t you shouldn’t be out there selling you should be.
Let them decide if you’re a good fit for the clients for their referrals and then get to know them spend eighty percent of the time they’re talking.
Getting to know what they do in there will no attorney practice and there’s a doctors practice as a pastor whatever it is that is their main thing be listening to them.

[21:17] The other side is in regards to money-making sure they are charging for no shows your articulating that to people.
That time you’re sitting in the office and you should get paid for so make sure that your,
allowing yourself to raise your rates every year right now with open enrollments a great time to email your clients and,
set your raising your rates i think it’s important to do cuz you’re costs are gonna go up whether it’s with rent or insurance or marketing or whatever.
Those are all costs that need to be factored into what your bottom line is who.

[21:50] Lights off couple things there is one in note before i sign off on the most awesome conference which if you haven’t heard about that.
It says conference that kelly and random from zen me,
myself and julie hank’s put in in southern california where california’s give me the nineteenth through the twenty second of may that’s can be a full thursday friday saturday last year we did two days and then like it evening,
okay kickoff doing three full days a lot more individual consulting really to sit down with us you’ll poolside just really hash out,
can a laser focus caraway what you need to be focusing in on.
So we’re gonna have that we’re gonna and also the other surprises we have food trucks pull in for our lunches we have you know this mind kick off thing that we did me is.
We really pull out all the stops we want this to be the most fun event that anyone goes to in the entire year.
And so many of the past alumni just seeing if that was the thing this from them can into that next level of success,
i’m a new we’ve got people there now and each one as a therapist you got people that have at it three or four clinicians to the practice and i’m in the last conference was just back in may so not even a year ago.
So if you’re interested in that head over to mostawesomeconference.com you can get more details there you sign up for the email list of interest list and then you’ll get an email to.
Be able to come and hang out in california in this amazing house that overlooks the mountains of california and.

[23:25] And thanks again to brighter vision preservation offers amazing websites for fifty nine bucks a month for therapists the only work with their purpose they are super niche in to that specific area,
so i highly recommend them so check them out if you go to practice of that no-no go to brightervision.com/joe.
And you’ll get your first month for free to check that out and get everything set up and decide if you want to stick with that and with the cost of hosting and,
as ceo and all that they do it easily add up to more than fifteen bucks a month so check that out.
Thanks for letting me in two years and into your brain you guys are amazing i’m so glad to be back i just punched my hand into the thing on my computer sometimes starts.
Boom you just heard this rosa can apologize like a man starts that it wasn’t intentional.
Fight intentionally tried to disrupt your podcast extra.

[24:20] Anyway this thing so that means for years and eat your brains have a great week go get some things done and i will talk to you soon.

[24:28] Music.

[24:40] Special placement of hands sound sexy and general partly music in this podcast designed by after thirty depreciation that subject-matter covered is given with the understanding that the host for the publisher rendering legal counting clinical.
What other profession information special edition final.

[24:58] Music.