CAM Coach

HOW TO ATTRACT, CONVERT AND RETAIN QUALITY CLIENTS

Gaining a sufficient number of quality clients is the life blood of any business. CAM Coach Mark Shields shares his strategy for converting enquiries into paying clients…

SOMETIMES it can take months for a client to find the right practitioner for them. Some have been on this journey for several years if not longer. It’s therefore vital that you ensure you are the right fit for the potential client and vice versa. It’s also essential to recognise the importance of building rapport quickly and confidently to create a lasting relationship between therapist and client. That’s why I advise using the Know, Like, Trust, Buy model. This three step process aims to ensure you win every client that gets into contact with you.

The CAM COACH client attraction model used when describing the ratio between client enquiries and conversions is called the proficiency model. For example, if you convert half of your enquiries into paying clients, your proficiency rate would be 50%. Once practitioners follow this model it is common to experience proficiency rates of 90% and more

For this exercise I’ll assume you already have a website for handling enquiries. If not, then creating a website should be a vital project.

Example case study highlighting the 3 step process

Richard is 27 years old and has suffered with mild stress related depression for about three months. He has reached a point where he has been advised by his family and friends to see his GP and take some professional help.

Richard has seen his GP who has suggested Richard try to adopt some lifestyle changes and possibly see a professional before trying medication. Richard goes on line and completes enquiry forms for four practitioners after looking at their websites. You are the fourth he emailed.

He emailed you all at eight o’clock on Friday night after returning home from work.

Implementing the CAM COACH 3 step process

Step 1 Acknowledge and Respond

Always carry a mobile device that has an electronic version of your diary on it and enables you to pick up emails. Assuming you check your phone for emails every hour or so, email a confirmation response immediately. In Richards’s case it would be around 9PM or 10PM on Friday night. Give your client the option to take a call from you within the next 24 hours so you can discuss through their requirements in more detail.

This lets the client know you have received their enquiry and wow you’ve responded immediately, even late on a Friday night. You really do look like a practitioner that puts their client first.

After waiting months, Richard has an appointment to speak with you in person at 11.00AM the following morning, and he can relax and talk at his own pace as it’s a Saturday morning.

Step 2 Your thirty minute free initial consultation

Call Richard promptly at 11.00AM as arranged. Ensure you book out at least thirty minutes for the call. Explain to Richard you offer a free initial thirty minute telephone consultation and would he like to conduct that now with you. Note that this conversation stage also applies to therapists offering physical modalities, not just talking therapies. In the majority of cases the client will take you up on this offer immediately, if not you simply make the appointment for a more convenient time.

In any sales or service industry rapport is key in establishing trust and relaxing your client, enabling them to make sensible decisions.

This helps you really understand their specific needs and begin to give some thought about how you might help them. Very importantly from your perspective it gives you the opportunity to build high levels of rapport and get to know your client. During this conversation you need to ensure three things happen

You are genuinely interested in Richards’s requirements.

Re assure Richard you can help and he will be fine

Explain to Richard you are running a very busy practice however due to his circumstances you will fit him in, even if it has to be over the weekend or late in the evening.

Step 3 Offer something for free

During your thirty minute consultation with Richard you will be continually building rapport and listening him. Give him some free tips as you speak on strategies to help him immediately, perhaps some recommended reading to help him understand his situation better, or something he can buy or some exercises he can do, to help him before his meeting with you.

In addition ask him to drop you an email of a full description of their situation as how he sees it, including a full time line so to show when he first started experiencing stress and depression symptoms Explain that this information will help you prepare for your session together and you can spend the full hour working on helping him rather than fact finding.

Then use what I can either an assumptive close or also sometimes referred to as an alternative close.

How urgently would you like to be seen? As it’s urgent, Richard I can fit you in next Thursday at 10.00AM or Friday evening at 7.00PM.

If it can wait and isn’t so urgent, how about a week on Wednesday at 10.00AM or a week on Thursday at 5.00PM. All you are doing is asking for the appointment.

If you follow this process exactly as I have described it and each step goes accordingly to plan you will have secured Richard as a client and have your first appointment booked.

Imagine if you used this technique with every enquiry. Once you had mastered each step you could be confident in achieving a practitioner proficiency rate of enquiry to appointment of 100%

Imagine what that would do for your practice. You would simply then need to review your strategy of getting clients to your website and the enquiry stage; because once they enquired you would be completely confident in securing an appointment. n

Mark’s best-selling CAM Coach book can be found on the “in

practice” degree syllabus at numerous colleges and universities. It is often

described as the world’s leading resource for those looking to set up in private practice and work 1-2-1 with clients. Contact mark@lifepractice.co.uk