I want to wish all you a Happy New Year. May it be prosperous, peaceful and deeply fulfilling!

I wish you the best in your personal and professional lives.

- AnaMaria
Director

F*ree Teleclass: Let this Be the Year for You and Your Practice to Grow!
 
Jan 14 Thurs 5pm PDT/8pm EDT
 
Do you feel that you're procrastinating when it comes to growing your Practice?

Do you have inner blocks that hold you back but not sure how to get beyond them?

Is there a part of you that really wants THIS YEAR to be the year you get out in a bigger way, but not sure how?

This f*ree call will give you both inspiration and instruction on how to gain more clients and get beyond the fears and insecurities that hold you back.

Whether you're working full time and want to gradually attract clients, or you have a Practice that isn't exactly where you want it to be, this call is for you. I promise you'll leave motivated knowing you can bring YOU and your Practice to a whole new level.
 
Yes, we'll send you an audio but you must register. C^lick here for details: http://snipurl.com/pmdnx
 

Some years ago I read a book that highlighted influential persons and their lives. What made this book especially different was the author noticed characteristics that were similar in these powerful people, even though their background, cultures, ages and professions differed greatly.

Being around successful Holistic Practitioners for many years, I've noticed similar traits in each of them. They might practice in different countries, or different modalities but there are common characteristics that stand out and seem congruent with each.

As we enter the new year, and I'm encouraging Practitioners to become more bold, I thought it would be helpful to highlight the characteristics so you too can emulate them.

1. Passionate
This is a hallmark: Passion. Passion for their modality/modalities they offer, passion for assisting others in their healing process. And passion for alternative methods.

2. On Purpose
All know they are here for a greater purpose, and that they feel called or compelled to share what they have with the world. Many have come to their Practice as a second career. They have shared with me that they feel "on purpose" when they are treating their patients and clients.

3. Great Communicators
I've noticed that Holistic Practitioners are incredible listeners and communicators. They seek to understand their client and their challenges and offer solutions to serve.

4. Desires Excellence
Many Holistic Practitioners have come to their modality after struggling with a chronic challenge themselves.

They know what it is like to suffer and perhaps are better Practitioners for it. With this, comes the desire for excellence. Don't mistake this for perfectionism. I'm speaking here of someone who hones their craft and is dedicated to being an exceptional Practitioner.

5. Steps Out of their Comfort Zone
This is especially true when it comes to not only seeing patients and clients, but with marketing themselves. Practitioners know: "No marketing, no clients." I've noticed that Powerful Practitioners put themselves out there because they are driven to serve more people. To do so, they get out of their comfort zone and promote themselves and their service.

6. Connection driven
Holistic Practitioners seem to thrive on connection. They love connecting with their clients, and also others in their field. Some Practitioners. I've observed if Practitioners do not regularly connect with others in their field, they can take on "Lone Ranger" Syndrome. Knowing this, they create space and community with other Holistic Practitioners for the support and community., such as through a community of like minded Practitioners.

I invite you to reflect on these characteristics and notice which ones you can foster. You might recognize that you are indeed passionate but need to work on stepping out of your comfort zone. What can you do this coming season to step out of your level of comfort and become more powerful?

Or you are already passionate about what you do, but are realizing you need to foster connection with other Holistic Practitioners, how can you do this now?

Know that you can develop these 6 traits and become a Powerful Practitioner. The world and your community needs you. And you'll be amazed at who you become in the process.

(c) 2009 AnaMaria Herrera, EFT Practitioner, Classical Homeopath and Expert Marketer

AnaMaria Herrera, director of Practice Building Institute.com, is devoted to teaching Holistic Practitioners how to consistently attract clients, build a thriving practice and make more money doing what they love.

Through her workshops, coaching programs, and products, AnaMaria shows her participants and clients how to create an ideal practice that gives them fulfillment and freedom.

If you enjoyed this post, you'll love AnaMaria's down-to-earth, highly effective marketing and mindset products to help you consistently attract clients and develop unstoppable confidence while building your practice and living your passion. To get a F.R.E.E. Audio and receive weekly tips on marketing strategies that draw ideal clients to you, visit: http://www.PracticeBuildingInstitute.com

I love surprise visits.

Especially when it's in the form of a superhero disgused as a mere mortal. The superwoman I'm talking about is Joanne, my colleague I met when I attended Homeopathic school almost 10 years ago.

I so admire her. Joanne is one of the most accomplished women I know: she is a naturopathic doctor, fencer and pilot. She also was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of breast cancer some years ago. 
 
Being the superwoman she is, she cured herself with all natural means.

She called me last week because she and her husband (who is a pilot as well) flew near Santa Barbara and I had a lovely afternoon with her. Here we are eating at the Santa Barbara Museum cafe: enjoying great food, reminiscing and talking about our Practices and our personal lives.

Joanne has so inspired me in my own life, and I'll write a post soon of the traits that I've notice superwomen like Joanne possess and how we can foster them to take to new heights. Stay tuned!

Are you wanting more clients? 

When I ask Practitioners this question most say an emphatic 'Yes!" but most aren't  being diligent in tracking where their exsisting clients are coming from. Whether you currently have 5 clients or a database of 500, taking note of how clients are finding out about you is vitally important for growing your exsisting Practice.

You see, I often tell the Practitioners I coach: you don't need droves of new clients, but a steady group of satisfied clients who remain loyal to your Practice and refer others to you. And one procedure that is absolutely essential for a thriving Practice is to start tracking where your clients are coming from.

In that way you'll be able to assess what marketing strategies are working to attract clients to you and which methods are not working at all.  Here are two opportunities to find out from your clients how they heard about you:
 
1. During the f*ree consultation  

If you aren't already, I highly recommending offering a powerful complementary phone consultation.
You'll find more clients will book sessions, and I cover exactly what to say in my class:
The Power of the Free Consultation. During this brief call you can ask your potential client:

"Who referred you?" or "How did you get to know about me?"  

2. On the intake form

On your intake form or questionaire have a space for them to fill out: "How did you hear about me?"

I then encourage you to create a New Client Tracking sheet to keep a list of all new clients on one list.
Mark down the date, their full name and how they heard about you.

It would look something like this:  

Date:                           Name:                          How did she/he hear about me:    
12/02/09                     Jane Smith                  My client Susan Tailor
12/15/09                     Joesph Gonzales        My Pracitioner listing on (name website)
12/18/09                     Dory Pivo                    Attended my workshop (title of class)  
12/20/09                     Catherine Abazzi        Chiropractor (name)
12/23/09                     Thomas Pope              Facebook 

I keep them on an excel sheet, but any method is fine. Just keep it simple and make sure and ask each and every new client how they heard about you and start tracking it.  

The information you've gleaned on this tracking sheet is gold! On the last week of the month, take some time to review this document. Note what's working to draw in your clients. Here's some pointers:  

• What marketing strategies are working well to bring in clients?
• Your newsletter, writing articles, f*ree 1 hr. workshops in your city?
• Do you notice that clients are coming to you because you're active on forums?
• Is there a certain person referring clients and patients to you? Acknowledge them! (In a
  future article I'll be addressing how to acknowlege these referral sources)

Keeping a log of your new clients and EXACTLY how they are learning about you is vital. It only takes a few minutes to set up and maintain. Review the information and notice what is working. Oh and don't forget to pat yourself on the back for putting yourself out there and marketing your Practice!   You deserve it.   

If you'e feeling overwhelmed or not sure where to start when it comes to attracting clients, I'd love to assist, it's my passion! Join our Success Circle where I'll show you exactly how to build your Practice in an authentic way.. Visit this site for more info.

Three Chocolate Bark with Spiced Pecans and Dried Cherries

Recipe Courtesy of Emeril Lagasse
Prep Time: 45 min Inactive Prep Time: -- Cook Time: 2 hr 0 min Level:
-- Serves:
4 pounds of bark Ingredients
7 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups pecan pieces
Salt
Cayenne
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of cinnamon
1 pound semisweet chocolate, cut into pieces
1 pound milk chocolate, cut into pieces
1 pound white chocolate, cut into pieces
2 cups dried cherries, rehydrated and chopped
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large saute pan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter.

Add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves and is bubbly. Add the pecans.

Season the pecans with salt, cayenne, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar starts to caramelize and coat the pecans evenly. Cook for about 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and spread the pecans over a parchment lined baking sheet. Place the pan in the oven and roast the pecans for about 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and cool completely. Break the pecans into small pieces. Fill three small saucepans half way up the pan with water. Place the pans over medium heat and bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. In three separate mixing bowls, add each type of chips into the individual bowls. Place the bowls over the saucepans. After about 2 minutes over the heat the chocolate will start to melt. Stir each chocolate until totally melted. Remove the chocolate from heat and stir 1 tablespoon of butter into each bowl of chocolate. Pour each type of chocolate over the marble or a large parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the pecans and cherries over the chocolates. Using a metal spatula, spread the mixture out evenly back and forth to about 1/4-inch thick. Either place the marble in the refrigerator or allow to sit out until set, about a couple of hours. Break the bark into medium pieces and serve.

AnaMaria's Tips:
Get the best quality chocolate you can.
Make sure and spread quickly.
Make the bark THIN.. if it's too thick it's hard to break.

In this teleseminar, you'll get the tips to set you apart by using online video that attracts media attention, free publicity, new clients, and a whole new level of credibility. 

We'll be covering everything from the easiest camera to use (that non-techies will love!) to how to create videos that are simple and highly effective to bring you clients now.

You'll learn how to:

Dramatically increase your visibility of your practice through video
Learn why clients aren't calling you after they see your videos
Avoid the 3 biggest mistakes most of your peers are making with online video (we call these the "credibility crushers")
As always, you'll receive the audio to download and notes from the call.

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: http://snipurl.com/lh0ly

I've been asked this question by many Holistic Practitioners.

"What is the right way (best way, perfect way, easiest way, etc.) to gain clients now?"

Well, here's my answer:

There's no right way to market your practice that will fit everyone. It's not a 'one size fits all' approach! And that's good news.

Besides gaining clients, marketing is a way for you to express yourself. Your unique gifts, skills and talents. It's specific to you.

I want to encourage you to develop and discover marketing strategies that fit your personality, schedule and communication style. it doesn't have to be complicated, just consistent!

Here are some tips to creating marketing that is best/works for you:

1. Choose one method
It can be writing articles. Blogging or a newsletter. Free teleclasses or workshops once a month. Are you active on forums? This can be an excellent form of getting yourself out there (just make sure you're offering a free taste so you don't get in the trap of offering f*ree advice!).

2. Schedule it
Mark it on your calender.  Treat it like a client that booked an appointment and it can't be moved or changed. Foster discipline, it will pay off I promise you! The main reason that people don't follow through with their marketing is because it's not a habit. When you were a child you had to be told to brush your teeth, now it's a habit. It can be the same with Practice building, but you have to schedule it or it will just be a wish.

3. Get a buddy
One of the main ways I've built my client base it by having partners or 'buddies' that kept me accountable. We would share our desires, struggles and challenges. It made a HUGE difference. I can't recommend enough having a Practitioner who you can 'pitch and catch' with. I still have marketing buddies that connect with regularly to get their feedback, insight and encouragement.

While attracting clients does take consistency and action, you don't have to feel you're climbing to your goal alone. By choosing a method that feels natural, making it a priority and getting support, you'll steadily attracting clients.

Take these three principles and apply it.

You'll soon see the flowers of your labor and become a more empowered Practitioner in the process.

Years ago I took a class of Ikebana: the art of flower arranging. Specifically, the "Sogetsu" school which says that Ikebana can be done anywhere, by anyone and with any materials.

You might ask what's the big deal with that? Well, hundreds of years ago in Japan where Ikebana originated, flower arranging was only deemed worthy to be done by the noble and monks with very rigid and strict rules.

I love Ikebana. It actually reminds me of marketing. I'll be blogging on the connection between Ikebana and marketing in a future post. Stay tuned.

You see, there are principles to assist in structuring the arrangement but there is flexibility. What I especially appreciate is it requires very little materials: a branch or two, a few stems of flowers and a simple vase.

The long branch is Shin which represents heaven, the middle branch is Soe which is earth and the flowers are Hikae: man.

Here's the final piece. What do you think?

I'm pretty domestic and  love creating things with my hands.

In fact if my high school St. Bonaventure had offered a 'home economics' class,  those years might have been a lot less boring. Sssh.. don't tell Brother Paul, the principle, I said that! ;)

So when my good chico-amigo (boy-friend) Aaron posted on his Facebook wall, "Who wants to join me for holiday crafting??? " I was clapping my hands like a trained seal. Me, me, me!

Didn't these chilly friends come out cute? They look so whimsical and cozy in their scarves and hats, and guess what? They are easy to make. Don't be daunted by the list of items you need.

What You Need:

White ankle socks

• Set of measuring cups
• Plastic pellets
• Polyester fiberfill
• Rubber bands
• Needle and matching threads
• Red or blue infant sock
• Pom-poms: medium white for the hat and small red for the nose
• Scissors
• Buttons: 2-1/4-inch for the eyes, 4-1/4-inch for the mouth, and 3-5/8-inch for the body
• Ruler
• 1/2 yard of 1-inch-wide ribbon

Instructions: 1. Turn the white sock inside out. Pour 1 cup of plastic pellets into the toe of the sock for the snowman base.

2. Use polyester fiberfill to stuff the sock up to the heel for the snowman's body. For the neck, wrap a rubber band several times around the sock at the top of the fiberfill.

3. Pour 1/3 cup of plastic pellets into the sock for the bottom of the snowman head. Add enough fiberfill to the sock to stuff the rest of the head. Wrap a second rubber band around the sock at the top of the fiberfill.

4. For the hat, thread the needle with a double strand of thread that matches the color of the infant sock. Pinch the toe of the sock around the white pom-pom; then insert the needle through the pinched portion and the pom-pom. Take the needle back through, and pull tightly on the thread ends. Tie the thread ends into a knot, and clip the thread.

5. Pull the cuff end of the hat over the top of the snowman's head to cover the rubber band. Use a matching color of thread to sew the hat in place.

6. Thread the needle with a double strand of white thread. For the nose, sew the small red pom-pom at the center of the face. Sew on two buttons for the eyes and four buttons for the mouth. Sew three buttons down the center front of the body, and tie the ribbon around the neck.