Client Communications – to do or not to do?

Recently I have been blessed with approximately 20 new clients or potential clients as I offered 25 time slots for people to experience the amazing healing effects of Craniosacral for free. I did this for a few good reasons. One was to practice what I had just finished learning at a recent training; two was to offer a gift to women who truly offered me an amazing amount of support through my pregnancy and post-partum; and three to begin the first of three marketing steps of getting the word out about what I do and how it can positively affect those who are open to receiving it. My ultimate goal was to have individuals begin to talk about my practice and as we know word of mouth is the strongest form of marketing we can engage in.

This has been an amazing experience both for me personally and professionally. Personally I have grown a tremendous amount by making a connection with each of these women and feel I have made a positive impact on their lives and those they interact with.

Professionally I have learned quite a bit. People when they get something for free can sometimes not see the true value behind it and somehow feel it is okay to not communicate their change of schedules. This definitely has a ripple effect for everyone. Example, if a client is running late for a free session they seem not to feel inclined to call and let me know not realizing that I have hired a woman who does administrative support to come in and assume the role of ‘housekeeper/nanny’ during the sessions. Whether or not a person shows up on time, late or does a no show I still keep my obligation to pay this woman her appropriate hours plus whatever time overage occurs. As business professionals I believe it is important no matter what ‘fees’ we might be paying for a service to communicate a change in our arrival time even if we think we’ll get there exactly at the time of the appointment. If there is even a hint of being a few minutes late it is important to communicate the possibility of a change of arrival.

Part of what I have learned is the importance to take the initiative of communicating with my clients prior to their sessions; to remind them first of the appointment and second to remind them of the policy regarding no shows and lateness. The other part is when having the desire to give the gift of my time to instead ask for a nominal fee which I will then donate to a charity. Then the client feels they are paying for not just a worthwhile service but supporting a good cause as a result.
The ultimate question regarding to communicate or not is definitely answered with a loud resounding “YES”.

Thanks for reading. Until next time … Embrace Your Inner Wisdom.

Namaste,
Karen

--

Karen Kleinwort
Therapy in Transition LLC
www.therapyintransition.org

Is there such a thing as too much social networking?

This is a question I ask myself every time I read an article or see a posting about yet another social network which has been established.

From a business perspective I see the value behind social networking ... there are benefits regarding marketing and public relations contacts and introductions to prospective new clients, it allows for those who may be interested to learn about who you are as a person, you can begin to establish yourself as a professional or expert in your field etc. But how many of these is too many for one business/individual to join?

Currently I belong to the following ... Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Ladies Who Launch, Blogger. They are all wonderful and fortunately I am able to 'update' and cross connect but through these connections I am learning about more social networks which are available. I question how much time in a day must I really dedicate to 'updating' all of these social networks I belong to and how much exposure needs to occur before beginning to see the rewards of these efforts?

Right now I spend about 15 minutes on each at least four days a week. We all know time is money so I am expending 5 hours a week on keeping these updated and still I feel I am not updating them enough for a real benefit to occur but knowing my personal situation of finding balance with my new son and rebuilding my clientele I feel this is all I am able to handle. I have seen an increased traffic to my blogger account over the last three weeks since becoming more active and have gotten some good feedback from my twittering but is this still enough? When does the time invested begin to return a monetary return? All these questions are churning in my mind on a daily basis.

I realize these social networks will take time for each to be established in their own way and I need to be patient and enjoy the ride - right? Well, patience is something else I am working on too but then isn't everyone?

For now I am sticking with it and have decided not to add any new one social networks until I see that I am able to be more effective with the ones I am currently using.

Each of us I believe needs to make the same decision based on our own situations. My best advise to myself and others is "it is better to do a great job on a few than a piss poor job a many."

Thanks for reading and until next time ... Embrace your inner wisdom!

Namaste,
Karen

Priorities ... Hard to Discern Sometimes

This morning I am sitting here trying to drink a cup of coffee to give me an energy boost while my son is napping; living on 2 hours of sleep I feel my priorities for the day begin to shift - and shift dramatically. My husband tells me to put everything on hold and go take a nap while Caden is sleeping. This is all and well but my two dogs are requiring some attention too as well I promised an associate I would get to the work requested today. So go figure the day I really want to spend my time completing a project is the day I am more exhausted than I have been since he arrived. Strange how the universe gives us cues and clues as to what is not resonating with our true purpose in life.

I have been trying to cut ties with this organization for sometime now but finding I am sticking it out to ensure I get paid my outstanding balance. I know continuing this 'old' type of work focus is not supporting my higher purpose nor my passion for life. It drains my energy and I see this seeping into other areas as well.

I had my first client yesterday post-baby and it was terrific. It gave me energy to get a lot completed in the last few days. I now realize how much I have really put on the back burner over the last three months and it is overwhelming to think of getting caught up.

My priority for business needs to be marketing - attracting new business to me; I also need to be developing a few new products. I made the decision that I am going to expand the Tito's Touch product line by the fall and to include a few infant/baby products as well. But how do I research and develop the new products while I am pulling the rest of the marketing together. Ah ... deligate!

I made a new 'friend' through LWL and her business is in offering virtual adminstration support - Jackie Nees - Integrity Office Solutions. I feel there is definitely a match here. I need to deligate more and in one area I need to make sure I am staying compliant is with my finances - monthly, quarterly and annual reports and filings. Outsourcing this I believe will be my first priority as it ultimately can give me the largest liability exposure.

Lot's to think about and now I am off to see the wizard - about prioritizing that is.

Until next time, thanks for reading and embrace your inner wisdom.

Namaste,
Karen