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Why Choose In-Person Appointments?

Maybe you’ve chosen in-person appointments because you have a well-equipped space and enjoy offering clients a cup of tea upon arrival. Perhaps your home now serves as the perfect setting for your clinic. Or maybe you just miss the genuine interaction of face-to-face consultations.

Strategies for Spreading Awareness

To spread awareness, many practitioners use:

  • Signage
  • Posting in local community groups
  • Letterbox drops
  • Visiting local yoga studios, physiotherapists, chiropractors, and osteopaths

Some practitioners also focus on mindset work through:

  • EFT
  • Kinesiology
  • Therapy

When Social Media Isn’t Enough

While starting a social media account is common, what if these efforts aren’t bringing in clients, and you still want to make money and attract more people to your practice?

Understanding the Numbers Game

Running an in-person clinic is a numbers game. You need to reach as many people as possible to let them know you exist, what you offer, and how you can help them or someone they care about.

Building Your Audience

If you don’t have your own audience – an email list, a group of social media followers, or regular viewers of your signage – you need to borrow someone else’s audience and provide value to them.

  • Introduce yourself to local businesses
  • Show how you can complement their services without competing

Crafting Your Pitch

For example, you might say: “Hi, I love your work, especially what you do with XYZ. I’m running a few group education nights on ‘The Top 7 Hidden Reasons Women Plateau in Their Health Goals’ and believe it would complement your services well. I approach it from a nutritional and functional medicine perspective, along with some mindset work.”

You could ask: “Would you consider hosting a small education night at your clinic, or perhaps putting up a flyer in your waiting room for the event?”

Creating Opportunities

Create a top ten hit list of places you’d like to collaborate with or speak at. Expect that eight of them may say no, but don’t be discouraged. Each no brings you closer to a yes, which can lead to referrals, work friends, and more opportunities.

Engaging with the Community

Other ways to engage with your local community include:

  • Market stalls (offering iridology or diet audits)
  • Speaking at community halls
  • Joining business networking groups
  • Sponsoring charity events
  • Offering gift vouchers
  • Speaking to local mothers’ groups
  • Giving lunchtime talks at your kids’ school
  • Being active in community Facebook groups by providing helpful health advice without directly selling. You may consider selecting three groups where you can answer health-related questions three times a week. For example, you might share insights like: “When working with my clients, I often find vitamin C helpful and recommend checking if B12 levels might be low. You can find B12 in meat, eggs, dairy, and green leafy vegetables.” Providing general advice like this encourages viewers to visit your profile and potentially book an appointment.

Adapting to Financial Constraints

In a time of financial tightness, offering options that meet people where they are can be very effective. Consider an acute consult if you have your own dispensary. This allows for quick consultations on specific issues while ensuring clients receive quality medicine and advice. I’ve written a detailed article on this with a checklist, which you can find here.

Take Action

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