Networking

NETWORKING

Have you tried networking as a method of getting more clients? Networking is becoming an increasingly popular way of obtaining clients in the business community as a whole. Many therapists may think of networking as a very corporate activity and not something that would be right for them, but there are now many friendly and approachable networking groups. It’s a great way to meet new people and spread the word about your therapy. It may be that someone you meet has a health problem, or that someone they know needs some help. Or it could be months or even years later that they need help and think of you. People are generally more comfortable approaching and recomending someone that they've actually met than a complete stranger.

Face to Face Networking

Some networking groups require that you pay a fee, but others don’t. Its worth looking around and finding out what networking groups are available near you. If the joining fee is too high then you may not generate enough clients to make it worth your while. For those living in Wokingham we are lucky to have a free networking group that meets once a month on a Thursday evening in the New Rose. So far I’ve attended two meetings, both of which were great fun. At the second we watched part of ‘The Secret’ and discussed it afterwards. (Email me to find out more.) Plus, of course, coming along to Inspirational Friends events is a great way to network with other therapists and non therapists interested in complementary therapies. Maybe there is a great networking group in your area, if so let me know and I'll add it to this site. If there isn't a group locally then why not start one yourself? It doesn't have to be anything fancy, you can meet in a pub, or cafe, or in your home; you can have a formal structure with presntations if you like, or a totally informal meeting where people are free to chat.

There are a number of national networking groups that run local groups all over the country. Most of these do have some sort of joining fee and for most therapists the fee may not justify the return. However, if you run workshops as well, then the economics may work for you. One way to find out about groups in your area is to look on the internet, you could also try local libraries, chamber of commerce, etc.

Online Networking

As well as face-to-face networking, online networking is really taking off. Apparently there are now over 500 Networking websites. Many of these do charge and some are more expensive than others, so you may need to think about your budget and what you hope to get in return. The best are reasonably priced and allow you to post a full profile, including contact details and a web link (always useful for improving the Page Rank of your website.) Plus you could even use your profile as a web presence if you haven’t yet got a website. Once registered you can view other people’s profiles, send and receive emails, join online communities to exchange ideas, post advertisements, blogs, polls, etc. Some allow you to register free first to try out the service. If you are interested then I’d suggest checking out the following:

Ecademy This is my personal favourite, not cheap, but you can do a month’s free trial. I find this site easy to use and I've made lots of contacts through it. If you can’t work out how to sign up then let me know and I’ll send you an invitation.
LinkedIn I’ve only recently joined this one. A basic entry is free, but you need to pay if you want to take full advantage of everything they offer. The weblinks on this site seem to be set up to make it difficult for the search engines, so they may not actual help your ranking. I've not found this as friendly as Ecadamy so far and I haven't made any contacts yet.
Xing Again, I’ve only recently joined. The basic entry is free and the upgrade fee is one of the lowest I’ve come across. I'm not keen on the lay out for this one either, compared to Ecadamy. The weblinks are unhelpful again, but you can enter your website adress in the general text boxes and that will generate a genuine link. So far I've made one contact through this site.
Facebook I only joined this one this week, so its early days. I was invited to join by a friend. This is free, but I think access to profiles etc. is restricted to your 'friends'. I'm still learning how the site works, but I get the feeling its more of a social site, it could still be useful for making contacts though.

If you’ve tried networking then I’d be interested to know what worked for you and what didn’t. Also please let me know of any recommended networking groups so that we can compile a list on the website. Email me.

Read more on networking here