Marketing Review: Marketing Tips for Career Professionals
Marketing from the Inside Out
Summary of Wendy Davis Larkin's workshop, held at JFK in spring 2002 (summary here prepared by Michelle Beese). Wendy can be contacted directly at 415-454-2911
if you are interested in contacting her for
her services.
Wendy's approach was certainly from a counselors perspective; the first
thing she told us was to "Know Yourself". Wendy shared the
importance of doing your best work, from the first client of the day
to the last client of the day, because word of mouth is the best form
of marketing. If people like something they tell four people;
if they dislike something they tell 11.
Wendy stressed that all marketing takes time to do, and it takes time
to get results! If you are in business for yourself, you need to spend
three to five hours a week on marketing after you are established,
and more time than that when you are starting out.
Elements of Successful Marketing:
- Always do your
best work with your clients.
(see above).
- Define your services.
Who are you as a counselor? How
do your experiences, values,
purpose, and passion for
your work help define
who you are as a counselor?
What do you actually DO? What is your process? How
do you evaluate when someone is ready to move on?
- Know your Ideal Client.
Be specific! Who do you want to
invite into your life
right now? Your "Ideal
Client" changes
as YOU grow and change.
The more specific you are, the more you will be remembered.
- Position yourself in the marketplace.
Who is your competition realistically (It's not Freud!)
- How are you different?
- Never bash - always educate
- Applaud the fact that your potential clients
are shopping, and be able to articulate
what you do differently
- MUST
be able to articulate
your strengths
- Define
your geographical area
What are your fees? Your expenses and
what you need to make a good living.
- Develop a clear message
describing you as a practitioner and
your professional services.
- Develop a focused marketing
plan with strategies based on your skills,
strengths, values, the work you do, your Ideal Client, and
your market position.
- Follow through with your
plan and strategies, applying the principles
of Focus, Visibility, Frequency, and Time to all your marketing
efforts.
- Be patient.
Remember the learning curve when ever you do something new and
be patient and gentle with yourself.
Have faith in your efforts!
- Celebrate your accomplishments
all along the way.
When ever you set a goal for yourself, set a celebration
too!
So much of this workshop was experiential
and hands on, and what I have shared here is a brief summary. The
wonderful energy in the room from that day is impossible
to capture and pass on to you! Hopefully
this can be of some use to you, even if it only
sparks you interest enough to call Wendy and work
directly with her!
Warmest regards to all!
Michelle Beese
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