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This weekend I had a special house guest... my mom came up to stay with me. Here we're eating lunch on the patio in this unsually warm weather. I assure you that wine glass was a normal size, although it looks huge in this picture!
 
My mom is an avid photographer and I enjoyed looking at the pictures of her 'kids.' No, not of my siblings, but her daycare kids. She has been a day care provider for 20 years! Although her clients are very different in terms of their finances, backgrounds and cultures one thing I've always admired is how my mom attracts her 'ideal' clients.

It reminded me of a class I taught last year. I was teaching a group of Practitioners  that came from a variety of backgrounds- hypnotherapy, EFT and conventional medicine to name a few. Apparently I said something during the class that offended one of the participants. About an hour after the teleclass I received an email.
 
"AnaMaria, you said on the teleclass that you only serve 'ideal' clients. It bothered me to hear you say that. Aren't we in the helping profession? Shouldn't we be open to assist whomever comes to us, even if they are less than 'ideal'?
 
Boy, was I glad this participant shared his concern! Firstly, because I always welcome feedback from my clients and participants so I can learn from their comments. But also so I could clarify what I mean when I say 'ideal,' in terms of our clients.
 
Often when we hear the word ideal we think perfect. Unblemished. Without problems or challenges. I know that is what I originally thought when I took a class from Michael Losier, the Law of Attraction guy, and he challenged the participants to only have 'ideal' clients.
 
"If I say I only want 'ideal' clients doesn't that mean I only take 'perfect' clients?" You might be wondering this, like I did. Hold that thought, I'll come back to it in a minute.
 
Most Holistic Practitioners have what I call a 'huge heart.' A desire to serve, to assist and to empower others in their healing and growing process. It doesn't matter what modality you're trained with, I've found that this desire to serve and connect is often a common factor in our field.
 
But with this passion to help can be the desire to serve whomever comes across our path, without discretion.  Here is what I often hear:
 
'She/he could so use my sessions'
'I know I could help them, if they would just come to me!'
'I love doing what I do, I'm happy to treat anyone'
 
The challenge with this willingness to 'serve anyone and everyone' is that Practitoners have not FIRST specified what inner qualities they require their clients to have BEFORE working with them. By inner qualities, I mean traits such as:

Being respectful (IE: by being on time for each session)

Honoring my policies (for example, if they need to re-schedule they give plenty of notice)

Valuing what I offer by paying me fees

Following through with any recommendations I've given

Open to refer other clients

Commit to a session package, rather than expect to solve all their problems in one session

Do you see how these inner qualities are describing a certain standard, no matter what the issue or challenge they are coming to you for? Wouldn't you be so excited to work with your client if they had the above 'ideal' traits? Of course you would!

Yes, they still have their problem or challenge that they are seeking our professional help for (food cravings, need nutritional guidance, back pain, phobias, unresolved grief, anxiety, etc.) but they also have ideal traits that make working with them a pleasure.
 
Here is your Success Assignment: Get Clear on the Traits of Your Ideal Client 
Write down all inner qualities that you desire your clients to have, see my list above to get ideas. You can also do a "Clarity through Contrast" exercise that I learned from Michael Losier. Write down all the traits you DON'T want in your clients and turn it into what you DO want. For example:

Don't Want/ Do Want                            
Clients that Quibble about my fees             Gladly pay my fees     
Patients or Clients that Blame Others         Takes responsibly      
Ungrateful and Complaining Clients           Appreciative and respecful
            
You CAN attract ideal clients, but you first have to get clear on the traits of these clients. When you do get clear you activate Law of Attraction to bring these clients to you. You also begin to place a higher value on yourself and what you offer and you become very 'client attractive.'
 
If you need assistance to getting clear on your ideal clients and attracting them consistently, join our Success Circle where I'll show you exactly how. Visit this site for more info: http://www.practicebuildinginstitute.com/successcircle.html 
  
 (c) 2009 AnaMaria Herrera, EFT Practitioner, Classical Homeopath and Expert Marketer
 
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: AnaMaria Herrera, Online Marketer and Director of Practice Building Institute publishes 'Practice Building Success' teaching Holistic Practitioners how to get clients and build their practice. For a f*ree audio and resources go to: www.PracticeBuildingInstitute.com
 
 
So I've been telling you for the last few weeks that an international speaker of Law of Attraction is coming...
 
Well, he's almost here! And I'm still pinching myself that this sought-after speaker is going to be teaching a private teleclass for my group.
 
Why am I so excited?
 
Because I heard him years ago at a conference that you had to pay oodles of m*oney to attend.
 
He was one of several speakers I heard. He stunned me with his easy-to-understand, no-nonsense approach to show us how to attract what you want in your life.
 
I heard him years ago, but I still use the simple tools I learned from him daily. 
  
Here's just a few things I've attracted using the effective techniques he taught me:
 
---> The beautiful home in an ideal neighborhood 

---> A career that I love and making a great income (for years I struggled not knowing what my life's purpose or passion was) 

---> Wonderful, appreciative clients and participants of my programs
 
---> Vibrant health and plenty of energy (yes, I used Law of Attraction to heal a painful condition I had this year)
 
And now you can learn the same methods he teaches to thousands around the world to attract more of what you want and less of what you don't!
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On Wednesday, Oct 7th Michael Losier, a best selling author, is teaching a dynamic teleclass to the members of my Success Circle and I'm extending the invitation for you to join us. 

You can go here to get all the details: http://www.practicebuildinginstitute.com/events.html
  
I know you'll be amazed like I was with how much easier it is to attract what you want into your life, once you are shown exactly how.
 
But the class starts soon, here's that link:
http://www.practicebuildinginstitute.com/events.html"See" you in class!
 
- AnaMaria Herrera
Director of the Practice Building Institute
 
PS: Oh, in case you wondered why I'm calling him a 'friend of O*prah,' in 2007 Michael caught the attention of O*prah Winfrey and was subsequently interviewed 4 times on her radio show. Michael then hosted his own weekly radio show for a year on the O*prah & Friends called: The Law of Attraction Radio Show with Michael Losier.
 
You don't have to be O*prah to have access to this expert, here's
the link to join us: http://www.practicebuildinginstitute.com/events.html
 
 
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I can't remember the last time I had a weekend getaway. In fact this summer I was busy with Practice Building Success Circle and other projects.

So when my good friend Jobie said she was doing a 'house swap' and was staying in a Spanish style villa in Santa Monica. I jumped at the chance to have a short vacation.

Here was the garden. Isn't it gorgeous?  
 
Facebook 101 09/17/2009
 
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Facebook is an incredible resource to build your credibility, gain clients and create profitable alliances with other professionals. This call is designed for newcomers to Facebook, as well as experienced users. In this in-depth call we’ll cover:

•How Facebook can propel you and your practice forward
•Why your profile page is your business card how to make it work for you
•Managing your Facebook account to make your life easy
•The “KLT factor” and Why Holistic Practitioners Need it
•Using Facebook to reach more of your ideal clients

This call is FREE for Members of Practice Building Success Circle. You can get this audio, past calls and 1 full month in the membership for only $9.95, just CLICK HERE
 
 
"I'm so passionate about what I offer and love to share about what I do.  But sometimes I feel I'm giving away a lot.  How can I tell if I'm giving away too much?" This question came up last week during a teleclass in the Success Circle. This question comes up often. In fact, I asked myself that same question last year to one of my marketing mentors.
 
When giving away 'f*ree tastes' or what we do, whether in a form of a workshop or a special report from our website, there is a balance of offering enough information so clients get good value but not give away 'the whole farm,' as the saying goes.

When we offer samples of what we do, such as a demonstration of acupuncture or EFT during a presentation or passing on a special report about having more energy through proper nutrition, we want our potential clients to say to themselves:
 
"Wow, this demonstration/special report/audio is good... I bet their paid sessions and services are Really Good!"
 
This is not a self-serving approach to marketing yourself. It's serving others by educating them that you have a solution to their problem. We haven't served our clients if they think they have everything they need to resolve their challenge or complaint, when really they were just given an introduction to how you can help them.
 
So I thought I would jot down here a few questions to ask yourself so you can see if you are "giving away too much" or if your f*ree offerings are drawing in paid clients. Questions to ponder:
 
If you offer a complementary consultation, are you assessing their challenge and how you/your modality can help? Or do you offer your professional recommendations and the client never ends up booking a session?
 
In your f*ree workshops and talks, do you give them a sample of what your modality can do or do you give whole treatments and sessions to volunteers?
 
Do you visit online forums or groups on Facebook where people ask questions about their condition or problem? If so, are your responses concise and do you confidently direct them to more information about what you offer?  Or are you getting into lengthy discussions that never end and do not lead to paying clients?
 
Does the ''f*ree taste' that you offer through your website (special report, an audio, etc.) give great information while clearly sharing the benefits of working with you directly? 
 
Your Success Assisgnment:
 
What I want to suggest is to choose one area where you are giving away too much and "sharpen it up." Continue to give great content and information, but make sure you are communicating clearly the benefits of your private sessions, products or your classes.
 
Sharing valuable information that your client is looking for, while sharing how you can assist them with your paid sessions and services is serving both you and your client. And they will thank you for it!
 
If you wondering why clients aren't booking sessions there's a good chance you're giving too much of your expertise freely or maybe you aren't offering a 'f*ree taste' of your services at all. I'd be happy to show you how you can give clients a sample of what you offer that has them booking paid sessions and treatments, simply visit this site for information

(c) 2009 AnaMaria Herrera, EFT Practitioner, Classical Homeopath and Expert Marketer 
 
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: AnaMaria Herrera, Online Marketer and Director of Practice Building Institute publishes 'Practice Building Success' teaching Holistic Practitioners how to get clients and build their practice. For a f*ree audio and resources go to: www.PracticeBuildingInstitute.com
 
 
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Fall is the perfect time to boost your client attraction strategies.

I’ve observed in my own practice and assisting other Practitioners with marketing that September is the month that people decide to reach out and get professional help from Practitioners with their challenges and issues. Will these folks be contacting you?

In this class I’ll show you 3 easy, effective strategies to get new clients and gain referrals now. These easy, effective methods are perfect to draw clients to you,  because they work quickly and can be done on a shoestring budget.

If you don't have enough clients and are still giving your sessions away for free (it's okay, we've all been there!) this class is a must.

As always, you'll get the audio and detailed notes to refer to over and over again!

This call is FREE for Members of Practice Building Success Circle. You can get this audio, past calls and 1 full month in the membership for only $9.95, just CLICK HERE
 
 
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I've been getting more questions about the Practice Building Success Circle. I thought I would answer them on the blog.

Q: What exactly is the Practice Building Success Circle and how will it help me attract clients?
A: The Practice Building Success Circle is an online membership to show you how to:
 - Attract clients consistently
 - Market your Practice in a way that feels authentic and natural to you
 - Build your practice steadily 
 - Make a great income serving others
 
The membership is designed to give you the resources, tools and strategies that I've used in my practices and in coaching other Practitioners to gain clients and create a practice you love.
 
This is not a hodge podge of marketing tips! I lay out the essential steps required to build a practice that gives you joy, fulfillment and the income you desire to have.
 
Are you wanting to attract clients consistently? Go to: http://snipurl.com/lh0ly   
 
Q: How is your coaching different than other marketers?
 
 A: I've been in the Holistic field for well over 15 years. 
Marketing modalities such as EFT, acupuncture, Classical Homeopathy or nutrition requires a unique approach to be effective. I've seen and experienced marketing strategies that totally flop and turn away your clients because they don't work for alternative modalities.
 
I know what works and what doesn't. I'm a very practical person. I won't recommend or teach anything that doesn't draw clients to you or build your practice. Period. 
 
Also, my private clients and the members in the Success Circle tell me I have a no-nonsense, down-to-earth style of teaching that makes applying the strategies easy and fun. 
 
Q: What if I can't make the live training calls... will a recording be made available?
 
A: Yes. You'll receive Digital Recordings and Detailed Notes of each call.

With our busy lives, I know it can be challenging to attend live calls. Each and every teleseminar will be recorded so you can listen to it at a time that's more convenient to you - and as many times as you'd like.
 
Also I'm known for my detailed notes of each teleseminar I do. So if you prefer to read,  you can print out the notes from the class and refer to them over and over.
 
Are you wanting a practical approach in easy steps to build your practice? I'd love to show you how, just go to http://snipurl.com/lh0ly   
 
Q: What if the membership is not for me?
A: Right now I'm offering a F*ree 30 day trial of the membership.
You can join,  check everything out and leave within 30 days with no charge to you. I only want happy members. :) 
 
This is a limited time offer, soon I'll remove the f*ree trial. I highly encourage you to take advantage of this offer. Visit: http://snipurl.com/lh0ly    
 
Q: Are you really offering private coaching?

A: If you are referring to the special bonuses if you sign up in September, yes! But the bonuses are going fast. You can check them out here:http://snipurl.com/lh0ly 

To Your Continued Success-
 
AnaMaria Herrera
Director of Practice Building Institute
http://www.practicebuildinginstitute.com
 
 PS:  I'd love you to join me and the other wonderful Practitioners that are learning how to create a thriving Practice! If you want more clients and a great income, I highly recommend you to get on board now... simply visit this site for more details:http://snipurl.com/lh0ly

PSS: If there is a question I have not answered, let me know in the COMMENTS SECTION.
 
 
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Even though fall is approaching, the weather is glorious now. Lately I've been eating outside on my patio as much as I can. Sometimes in the late afternoon I'll make a small plate of 'tapas' which means appetizers in Spanish. Here's a plate of figs, some nice Dutch cheese and a glass of local wine. Later in the evening, I'll enjoy a more substantial meal.
 
Speaking of appetizers vs. full meals, I've noticed that Practitioners will offer potential clients a whole meal (ie: full sessions/treatments)  instead of enticing them with a 'taste' of what they offer. Then they wonder why clients don't book paid sessions. This week I'm leading a teleclass in the Practice Building Success Circle on how to create a 'f*ree taste' that has clients booking sessions with you. Details are here: 
http://www.practicebuildinginstitute.com/events.html 
I always get excited when I coach Holistic Practitioners on how to attract their ideal clients. Whether they're just starting out or they have been in practice for years, I especially love when we conduct an "inventory check'" of what they're currently offering their patients and clients. Before we start this simple evaluation, I ask them:
 
"What services do you provide for your clients?" Often Practitioners will answer in one sentence:
 
"Acupuncture treatments"
"Nutritional counseling"
"EFT Sessions"
"Hypnotherapy Sessions"
"Herbal consultation"
 
I then have them list on a sheet of paper and write out everything they currently do and offer. Knowing the Holistic field so well, I often mention benefits they are doing automatically for clients but not realizing it. 
 
Many items on the list appear as 'little things' that don't seem so important or significant, yet these benefits offer a lot of value to their clients. Here are a few samples of some benefits: 

Phone sessions for clients that live in other cities or states
Evening or weekend office hours on request  
Offering skype (sessions via the internet) for clients who live abroad  
For Herbalists, Classical Homeopaths and Naturopaths: offering to send the prescription to them directly
Offering quick phone or email check-ins in between treatments or sessions
Giving a recording of the sessions to the client to listen to  
A f*ree subscription to your newsletter or blog for additional support
An e-book or meditation audio to assist in their healing process
Tailored menu plan for their special dietary needs

The Practitioners always have a few 'lighbulb moments' when we do this evaluation. You see, they are often pleasantly surprised and get very excited when we uncover how many benefits they are currently offering but they just didn't realize it.

They get even more excited when I share with them some simple suggestions of what they can offer (that are either inexpensive or free) that really has them stand out as a professional, experienced Practitioner. 
 
Practitioners always leave this 'inventory evaluation' feeling inspired, empowered and much more confident in what they charge. Many realize they have been undercharging and now have the confidence to increase their fees.
 
Getting clear on everything you do and offer your clients is essential. You'll feel more empowered as a Practitioner and confident with charging for your services. Your clients will feel they are in capable, professional hands to assist them in their healing process and will be more inclined to refer others to you and your Practice. 
 
(c) 2009 AnaMaria Herrera, EFT Practitioner, Classical Homeopath and Expert Marketer
 
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: AnaMaria Herrera, Online Marketer and Director of Practice Building Institute publishes 'Practice Building Success' teaching Holistic Practitioners how to get clients and build their practice. For a f*ree audio and resources go to: www.PracticeBuildingInstitute.com 
 
 
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It’s crucial that clients ‘taste’ or experience a bit of your sessions so they can get to know, like and trust you. Because when they do, they will book sessions and refer others. But most Practitioners are not offering what is known as a ‘free taste’… but giving away the whole enchilada (such as free sessions) and wonder why people don’t book sessions.

In this call, I’ll show you exactly how to create a ‘free taste’ of your sessions and hasyour potential clients saying, ‘this is great, I want to work with you!”

Whether you’re just starting out or have been in practice, this call will teach you one of the most powerful marketing strategies: leveraging your ‘free taste’ to reach more people and get more clients without giving away your time or money.

This call is FREE for Members of Practice Building Success Circle. You can get this audio, past calls and 1 full month in the membership for only $9.95, just CLICK HERE
It’s crucial that clients ‘taste’ or experience a bit of your sessions so they can get to know, like and trust you. Because when they do, they will book sessions and refer others. But most Practitioners are not offering what is known as a ‘free taste’… but giving away the whole enchilada (such as free sessions) and wonder why people don’t book sessions.

In this call, I’ll show you exactly how to create a ‘free taste’ of your sessions and has your potential clients saying, ‘this is great, I want to work with you!”

Whether you’re just starting out or have been in practice, this call will teach you one of the most powerful marketing strategies: leveraging your ‘free taste’ to reach more people and get more clients without giving away your time or money.

This call is FREE for Members of Practice Building Success Circle. You can get this audio, past calls and 1 full month in the membership for only $9.95, just CLICK HERE