Think of a time you wanted to purchase something that was important to you and instead of feeling good about buying it, you felt stressed and disappointed that you could not afford it financially. Maybe it was a vacation with your family, or possibly it was a product or course to help you grow you practice. Something you really wanted, but couldn’t have because you felt you didn’t have the money.
Do you remember that feeling of disappointment and frustration that your dreams could not become reality because the “money’s just not there?”
Let’s work on making that feeling go away.
If you come from a scarcity mindset, you focus on the idea that there is “not enough” of anything.
Not enough clients.
Not enough money.
Not enough time.
But the truth is there is more than enough. The reason why some people can generate all the money they need is because they have empowering beliefs about money. The main difference between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ is not their talent, abilities, luck or opportunities, it’s their specific beliefs about the following 3 things:
- You offer something of value that people will pay for.
- There are enough people out there who will exchange money for what you offer.
- You have the ability to communicate your value to the people who need it.
Those three beliefs are what drive people who make money to success. They believe that it’s possible.
How the Red Sox changed my life
When I was just starting out in private practice, I had a scarcity mindset. It was hard for me to imagine that 20 people a week would want to pay me for my services.
Then I went to a Red Sox game. If you don’t know, the Red Sox are something of an obsession in New England and they sell out every single game every summer, and have done this for over a decade. That’s 37,000 people who schlep into Boston (no easy task) 80 times a summer to see baseball. And not only do they buy a ticket (which costs anywhere from $40 – $300), they buy all the overpriced food, hats, shirts, and programs that are hawked through Fenway Park.
I sat in that crowded park where people were spending money left and right and said to myself,
“If the Red Sox can do this, so can I. If 37,000 people will go through all the steps required to spend hundreds of dollars to take their family to a baseball game, I can find 20 families to pay me $100 an hour to help them function better. Hell, there are 20 families in my ROW right here!
There is enough.”
That evening changed my life. I knew I had something of value and after that baseball game I knew there were enough people who would pay me. I just needed to figure out how to communicate that value and I’d be all set.
That mindset shift from scarcity to abundance was the key to my success. It suddenly made total sense to spend some money on learning about business and marketing because I knew that once I could tell people about my services, there would be a line out my door as long as the beer line at Fenway. I just knew it. How did I know?
When in doubt, research your ass off
I had done my research on my specialty. I knew that 1 in 150 kids were diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. I knew that ADHD is a struggle for millions of families and a problem for schools to manage. I did my due diligence looking for statistics, talking to school administrators and teachers, questioning the families I worked with in my group practice.
You can do the research. Take some time to find out how many people need your services. How many people will be willing to pay you for your valuable expertise? It’s not hard to find out.
My guess is most of you are severely underestimating the demand for your services. Look around. Do you see others making good money offering similar services? That is a good sign because it means there is demand. Remember, each of us can only serve a limited number of clients, so even if there are a few people in your community who work within a similar specialty, chances are good there are enough clients to support you , too.
Now Communicate!
Once you believe in your value and that there are enough people who will pay you, the next step is to start communicating with them. Many health care professionals get stuck here.
No one will call you if they don’t know you exist.
Marketing is communication. So is talking to colleagues, sending out newsletters, using Twitter and other social media.
You would think that therapists would be good commuicators. It’s what we do for a living. Yet, we seem to save all that good communication mojo for our clients and don’t share too much in the greater community.
This is the disconnect
When you don’t commuicate, no one can find you. Then YOU become frustrated because you feel, “there are not enough clients,” and the public is frustrated because they feel, “there are not enough therapists.”
See how the scarcity mindset holds you back from success? And notice how it leaves the public confused, underserved and ready to find help anywhere they can (even from unlicensed providers)?
The evidence people use to support scarcity is flawed. “No one wants therapy.” “The doctors don’t even consider referring to me.” All that can be changed with a good communication strategy. When you are top-of-mind because you touch base with people frequently, clients are referred and show up in large numbers.
Abundance is the way to go.
I can tell you “there is enough,” until I am breathless, but it won’t help you until YOU believe it, too.
My request to you is to assess your beliefs about your abilities, value of your services and abundance vs scarcity. Do you think there is enough? Do you believe in your value? Do you want to communicate with those who are ready to pay you?
If you want to help more people AND make more money, sign up for email updates to get these articles sent directly to you. Or register for my free e-course: 7 Ways to Grow Your Practice this Spring!
