Value Added: Voice Mail and Phone Callsby Sandra Bradshaw

Image by silas216 via Flickr

We're pleased to share this article from guest contributor Sandra Bradshaw. Sandra is a former special-education teacher, and has been a Feldenkrais practitioner since 1999. Located in Kelowna, BC, Sandra has a successful home-based practice. Click here to visit her website.

In an economic climate where people are counting their pennies, they want the best value for their money. An FI is expensive and in most cases can’t be claimed on medical insurance, so what are you going to do to help your clients get their money’s worth? The most obvious answer is to meet their needs. Of course this is simply good business practice and in hard economic times it is the businesses that meet people’s needs that survive.

A buzz phrase that comes up frequently in our present economic reality is “value added”. This means, the more I can anticipate and meet my clients’ needs, the more likely that we will have a lasting relationship. I am not talking about what you do on the table, but all of the other extras that add up to quality service.

As a Feldenkrais practitioner more often than not your first contact with a prospective client is a phone call. If you have a low budget operation like I have, that first contact will probably be a voice mail message. It is said that in the first 3 seconds of connecting with a new person you are evaluated and judged, and that first impression is virtually irreversible. When your voice message is their first connection with you it has to have a positive impact on the caller that will carry through to your return phone call.

Voice mail greeting

Make it short and to the point asking for a call back time when they will most likely be available so that you don’t have to play phone tag. Include something in the message that gives the caller a sense of who you are and how you view life. My “value added” phrase is, “And have a glorious day.” It might sound a little hokey, but people appreciate a warm fuzzy and it gives them a sense of me as an approachable positive person. I’m always surprised at how many people reciprocate the sentiment at the end of their message.

If you are going away and the office will be closed for a period of time, make sure that you have an absent voice mail message. Include the reopening date of the office so that they know when their call will be returned.

Answer voice mail within 12 to 24 hours

When you answer voice mail promptly you are sending a message that you value the caller and that s/he is important to you. This is already a “value added” tactic because it is adding to that first impression the person is getting of you.

A few years ago I was receiving treatments from an alternative health care practitioner who was slow to answer my phone calls. It would often be 2 to 3 days, or a sometimes even longer before I heard from her. Not only was she slow to answer my calls, she also had a long list of reasons for the delay when she finally did connect with me. It wasn’t long before I started looking for someone else who was more receptive to my needs as a client.

Make your phone calls when you have lots of time

When you are speaking to clients make sure you have lots of time so that the call is not rushed. Of course there are always people that will chew your ear off if you let them, so give them a 15 or 20 minute limit up front. That way they know that you are willing to spend a “value added” amount of time with them.

Listen, listen, listen

The experts will tell you that any time you are out networking 90% of your time should be spent listening and gathering information and 10% sharing your information. A phone call is no different. Be prepared to listen to the caller and if necessary make a few notes as s/he talks so that you can refer back to the conversation at the first appointment.

Have a list of questions

When you ask the right questions you can find out the callers needs quickly and efficiently. The caller will feel valued when you show an interest in their story.

Position yourself as a community resource

If you have your listing under massage, yoga or fitness the caller may be looking for one of those modalities. You quickly determine that they know what they want, and it is not a Feldenkrais session. Give them your 30 second elevator speech so that they know what you do and how it connects with the modality they are looking for, then give them some names of practitioners that are good in their field. Position yourself as a community resource that can give them “value added” information so that they will remember your name as someone that could potentially help them in the future. Make it your business to know who are the best Pilates, Yoga, Massage, Chiro practitioners, etc. in your community, and get to know these people so that they will also refer people to you.

Give the caller “value added” information

Once you have asked your questions and listened to your caller’s needs you are now in a position to give them some value added information. Most of the time a brief explanation of the Feldenkrais Method as it would apply to them is enough. However, from time to time you will have someone who wants more than that before they commit to an appointment. If the caller indicated that they would like more information get their email address so that you can send them additional information.

Last week I had a phone call from a woman whose son has ADHD. I quickly determined that this mother was looking for information, and that she was frustrated with the help or lack of it that her son was receiving through the school system. As a former education teacher, I have a lot of background in this area. I asked her questions about her son, about the school situation, and his program. I listened to her concerns. During the 15 minutes I spent talking to her, I outlined some of the things that I thought would be beneficial for her son, including but not exclusively the FM. I gave her names of other professionals in our community whom I have worked with that are not feldies, but their work philosophically aligns with the Method. I suggested a few strategies that could be implemented immediately into her son’s program without extra effort on the part of the classroom teacher. I got her email address so that I could send her some links to Feldenkrais sites that included information for ADHD and info on a seminar that will be taking place in town next week that has relevant information on ADHD. She phoned me three days later to make an appointment for her son. She said that she had been impressed by the depth of my knowledge, and was confident that what I had to offer would benefit her son.

Value added strategies are not rocket science, but they do take some thought to implement. Next time I will talk about some value added newsletters. See you then!

The Internet is for Sharing

Image by mSkeet via Flickr

Recently, a colleague, Robert Burgess, published a book: A Guide to Body Sense.

It contains 50 Awareness Through Movement lessons with excellent, clear drawings to accompany the instructions. The book is designed so that you could photocopy lessons and instructions f or clients after an ATM class orFunctional Integration lesson. I read about the book when he announced it on FeldyForum.

In the past, this information might have stopped with me, and with whoever happened to be reading the forum the day he announced it. However, social media allows me to share information, easily, about Robert's book with all my friends and clients, and potentially with all their friends as well.

This is the magic of sharing. Sharing is what makes a video or website or any other cool thing "go viral," that is, to spread across the Internet and be viewed millions of times. Social media sites make it easy to spread the word about t hings you love -- and the things you hate!

Take this blog post, for example. At the end, you'll see the word, "Share" in a button with a little "+" sign. If you click on that, you'll see a number of different sites to choose from: Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube, Digg, and more! If you have an account on any of those sites, you can spread this blog post so that it publishes on that site as well, as in another location. That is, instead of reading this article here on my blog, and that's the only way people can read it, when you share something, others could read it on Facebook, or wherever you choose. Facebook and MySpace allow you to share articles, blogs, photos, videos-- almost anything you can think of!

Your Facebook page also has a feature up by your status statement (answer the question, "What are you doing right now?") that says, "Share a link." You can copy and paste the URL of a video, article, or blog post -- anything that has a web adress -- into that box. That's another way to share.

To get started sharing, you'll need an account with a social media site to be your virtual home-away-from home. Think of it as a place where you and your friends hang out online. I like Facebook the best. Many of my local friends as well as colleagues around the world are also there. Some people like MySpace. I also have a page on MySpace, just to have one, but I don't use it much. In my opinion, it's less useful for business, unless you are in a rock band, or would like to meet other 13-year-olds. I think Facebook is the best place to start, and you can branch out from there.

Accounts on social media sites are free. The site will ask you if you want to invite friends -- it's more fun if you do. Allow the site to tip-toe through your address book and show you which people you already know are already participating. Invite the people you like, the people you find interesting, and leave the rest. When you log in to the site, you'll be able to see what all your friends are doing, reading, thinking about, and you can select what you share with them.

Another way to share is through blogging. You'll notice that there are links in blue throughout this article. You can click on any link, and go to a website that will give you more information. You can do this manually, which takes a bit of time. I use a new tool called Zemanta, which helps me to link to images, articles, and blog posts that will enhance your learning, if you are curious to know more. Sharing things of value adds value to your presence and your reputation in social media.

The current "hot thing" in social media is Twitter. In 140-keystroke updates, or "tweets," you can update the world about what you are doing, and find out what is going on in the world! Share links that are helpful and positive and watch your followers list grow.

While it's great to use social media sites as a tool for business, to inform people about what you do, and to make contacts with potential clients, don't be tacky. If all you talk about is yourself, you'll be that creepy guy at the party that nobody wants to talk to. Share items that are interesting, that are funny, that are helpful and useful to others. You'll establish a reputation for being someone worth checking in on. So, next time you see a photo or video you like, or read an article that makes you say, "Oh, YEAH!" just click "Share." You'll be amazed at the conversations you start having -- conversations that build your business.

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Promoting Your Classes

One of the most significant benefits we receive as Guild members is our listing in the FGNA practitioner directory. It's not just something for us to use: it's also available online so that the general public can find YOU. I get at least one phone call per month from someone who found me via the FGNA website, www.feldenkrais.com.

I hadn't checked in recently with the Members' area on the website, and am pleased to see that once again, it is possible to list ATM schedules, workshops, and public events online. The requirement is to copy and paste the form provided into an email, and send it off. (In other words, follow the directions.) I'm ashamed to say I don't have my classes listed there, so it might not be a big logical leap to imagine that yours aren't either. My goal: submit my classes for publication on the website, TODAY. If you want to do it, too, here's the link: http://www.feldenkrais.com/events/promote

It's true: submitting your listings will take time. However, I remember reading in Miriam Levinson's book (You Can Make A Living As A Feldenkrais Practitioner) that you should plan for marketing activities to take up about 30% of your time. I've found that this is a totally realitic figure, even though it shocked me initially. This means that if your work week is 36 hours, you are spending 12 hours a week on developing future business. Marketing activities certainly include submissions to online directories, printing fliers for your next workshop (oh, I need to do some of that today, too), following up with students, or having coffee with someone to talk about business. When I don't invest time regularly in developing new business, my client load gets a lot thinner for awhile. It then takes 2 solid weeks of work to get things up and running again. When I DO invest the time in these activities, I am booked as tightly as I want to be. For me, that's 15-20 clients a week, steady.

Any website is valuable, or not, because of one thing: CONTENT. There has to be stuff up there, and new stuff on a regular basis, to draw visitors to it. When you post your classes on the Guild website, you make the site more valuable for the public, for all of us, and for YOU.

Your comments are welcome! What else do you do to promote your classes?

Promote your classes and events on the Guild website here:
http://www.feldenkrais.com/events/promote

Service, Part II

The idea of being in service to others is a foundational principle of my Feldenkrais practice. Being in service extends beyond volunteerism. To build your practice, have the attitude of being in service to everyone you meet -- especially in business or networking settings.

Being in service means finding out what someone wants, and helping them to get it. The first step to being in service is that you listen more than you talk. Listen to the people you meet, be curious about them. Care about them as human beings, whether or not they ever come into one of your classes or lie down on your table. As you get to know them, you'll find out what they are interested in, or working on, or care about. Most of the conversations you have with people will NEVER be about the Feldenkrais Method. How in the world will that build your practice? Who has time to waste on frivolous small talk?

Think about this: isn't it the "frivolous," silly, tiny, gentle movements of an ATM or FI which have a profound effect on someone's nervous system? Many people think you have to strain, stretch, and subject yourself to a rigorous "no pain/no gain" regime, or to the medical system, to reach their goals for physical improvement. And we know better, right? Some of those tiny movements are the equivalent of small talk with business prospects and colleagues. Small talk builds trust. When someone trusts you with small things, they will gradually trust you with bigger things -- like referring their friend to you, or giving you money to work with them.

In the course of small talk, the secret is: LISTEN. Someone will mention that they are looking for a housekeeper, or a veterinarian, hairdresser, date movie, web designer. You know one. You make a recommendation, send a link, a phone number, or any additional information. You've just been in service to another person. You found out what she wanted, and helped her to get it. She will remember you. She will return the favor.

As people get to know you as a generally helpful, cheerful, nice person (and of course they will, since you are one of the few who actually listens to them), they'll get curious about you. As they ask, you can then and only then begin to tell them a little bit about what you do. And, because now you know something about them, you can relate what you do to what THEY are interested in. It's impossible to do this if you don't know what makes them tick.

If you like the person and are ready to know them better, invite them over for a demo lesson or class. Send them a link to your website, or the Guild website, and call them a few days later to see if they have questions. Take it easy, don't panic, don't push. Keep it friendly, conversational, useful, and about them. This is "building it." They will come.

The Launch -- Welcome!

Prefer to listen, than read? Click this link to listen or download. (3:47)







Three sayings will provide the answer to the question, "WHY KWYD?"

"Find a need, and fill it."

"It's easier to obtain forgiveness than permission."

"The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The next best time is today."

That's my justification for beginning now, today, jumping in, and creating a first approximation of what I hope will be a site that you will value and visit often. I hope that KWYD will inspire you, tickle you, encourage you, and move you to take effective action to build your practice.

Doesn't our work promote the idea that individuals can be self-referenced, self-directed, and self reliant? Isn't it silly to wait for an organization or a celebrity spokesperson to do something for you, when you can quite capably do it for yourself? Perhaps you've already "planted your tree" in terms of successfully marketing your practice and being able to attract clients. If not, the best time to begin is today.

I'll be sharing what has worked for me; what hasn't worked for me, but works for other people; free online resources for study; recommended books on sales and marketing; and a forum for answering questions and giving support to Feldenkrais teachers who want to build a successful practice. Other self-identified "successful practitioners" will make regular contributions. We'll have videos, podcasts, and teleseminars. My aim is to offer you LOTS of resources to choose from, so that you can "work out for yourself what is best for you." And, YOU are also a contributor, not just a consumer. Your comments, questions, suggestions, recommendations, support, and successes will make this blog a hell of a lot more interesting than if I were just doing it all myself. So-- subscribe to the blog, be a follower, get on board. We're going to have fun with this, or die trying.

I'm partly doing this out of the goodness of my heart, because I believe in being in service to others, and because I believe that what goes around, comes around. If I help you, that will surely benefit me. As individual practitioners become effective in their own backyards, within their own circles of influence, you and I will see the Feldenkrais Method grow in recognition, in respect, in reputation, and most importantly, in REMUNERATION. We all deserve to have financially viable practices if we so choose.

I also believe that part of what creates abundance for all is the idea of a fair exchange of value for value. So, here's my proposal.Take advantage of all the resources offered here. You could choose one new idea a week to study and then take action -- follow the directions, do an experiment, implement it. Set goals and stick to them. When you find an idea valuable (i.e., you're having fun learning about it, or the idea helped you to attract a client and make money), then think about throwing a buck or two my way. (There's a PayPal button in the sidebar for your convenience.) You'll simply be contributing toward helping me with the expenses of my broadband connection, and for the investment of my time and attention. Further, you're making a tiny investment that will tell your subconscious, "It's important to invest in myself, because my work is valuable." Once again-- donations are completely voluntary.

So, I'll leave it there for now, and there will be more to come. You can expect short postings on a daily basis, once we get underway.