In my 20 years of private practice I have found an audio CD to be the single most effective marketing tool for generating prospects and getting clients.

Why? You conduct a very personal, intimate service that requires prospects to know, like, and trust you before they consider becoming clients. In addition, they typically experience some feelings of fear and vulnerability at the idea of engaging your service, which results in resistance and inertia holding them back.

Though YOU know your service is effective, your skills are competent, and you are a safe, caring human being, your prospects don't know that yet. A CD will help your prospects get an experience of you that can motivate them to hire you.

THE COMPLIMENTARY SESSION

Many private practice professionals rely upon the "free initial consultation" or "complimentary session" to get clients. In my experience, from the prospect's point of view, they must ALREADY know, like, and trust you to book this appointment. Being free doesn't erase the fear and trepidation that holds many potential clients back from getting the support they need. An audio CD can be very useful to motivate prospects to contact you for that important initial consultation.

MARKETING VS. ENROLLMENT

One of the biggest revelations I've had about private practice is this-

You can market til the cows come home and not get any clients!

I learned that there is a HUGE difference between marketing and enrollment.

MARKETING is communicating what you do. The primary purpose/outcome is to generate prospects.

ENROLLMENT is the process of building your relationship with your prospects so they hire you or refer to you.

An audio CD helps motivate the people you reach through your marketing to become prospects (to get your valuable CD), and helps prospects make the wise decision to hire you.

SIXTEEEN SPECIFIC WAYS TO USE AN AUDIO CD TO FILL YOUR PRACTICE

A. ATTRACT PROSPECTS

1. Website- opt-in offer

2. Presentations- hand out in exchange for contact info

3. Referral Sources- give them some to build referral relationship, educate about your services, and to pass along (and they will)

4. Stimulating Referrals- give to clients and prospects to pass along to friends and family

5. Viral Marketing- high perceived value that gets passed around

B. CONVERT PROSPECTS TO CLIENTS

6. Give to prospects as follow up to initial contact

7. Ask prospects if they know anyone who wants one

8. Invoke Law of Reciprocity (more inclined to hire you if you provide value first)

C. BOOST YOUR PUBLIC RELATIONS EFFORTS

9. Print Media- send to editors and reporters who cover your area of expertise

10. Radio- send to radio hosts and show producers likely to be interested in featuring you as a guest on their show

11. Television- send to news and talk show producers likely to be interested in featuring you as a guest on their show

D. PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND SALES

12. Easily transform your expertise into product sales

13. Passive income for website

14. Back of room sales for seminars and presentations

15. Develop Self-Study Programs- multiple CD set with manual (see here for an example)

16. Placement in catalogues and Amazon.com (see here for an example)

Private practice professionals are very special people. Most are unique, talented, passionate, knowledgable professionals who love their work and area of expertise, care deeply about their clients, and sincerely want to make a positive difference in the world. An audio CD can be very effective at communicating your uniqueness, passion, and caring to people that don't know you yet to help them like and trust you. In my 20 years of private practice I've found an audio CD to be the single most effective marketing tool for generating prospects and converting them to clients.

Copyright 2006 David Steele