Your Client’s Have Problems…
I want you to picture this with me, a new client referral calls you and they say, “Hey, I'm looking for a therapist”.
Would the first thing that you say be, “Okay, great. Thanks for calling. My name is Mary and, you know, uh, I am passionate about serving people, uh, who are looking for help. And this is where I went to school. And, um, I have these sorts of credentials and I would hope that, uh, you would trust me in your journey because I know that this step takes courage.”?
Would that be the first thing that you talked about? Probably not. Right.
What would you talk about? You would ask them, “Hey, you know, what's going on? What brings you in today?” You would talk about what kind of problem they are dealing with. That's the first thing you talk about, but for many therapists, it's not what we talk about on our website. And that's a huge mistake.
So, how do we bridge the gap with how you would engage with a client about their problems on a phone call in the context of your website?
Well, there are 2 core things you need to do:
1. Talk Specifically About The Problems Your Clients Experience
One of the key ingredients that I often see missing on a private practice website is any language talking about the problems that your clients are dealing with, specifically.
Often for a lot of private practices, they will say I specialize in trauma and anxiety, and anger, and depression, and the list goes on and on and on.
The reality is when you talk about all of those problems it ends up resonating with no one and it makes it extremely difficult for someone to justify paying for that service.
Why would I pay you a premium rate to work with you when you're a sort of generalist that works with everything and everyone?
I'm not given any reason to do that or to pick you among the ocean of other therapists that I could work with.
So, what we want to do is get really clear on the problem that you solve. Who is your ideal client and what are the problems that you solve for them?
Here’s an example of what talking about your clients’ problems could look like on a website:
2. Explain Your 3-Part Secret Sauce Plan With Them
Now talking about the problem alone isn't enough to fully convince your ideal client that you are the right fit.
And that's why we're gonna talk about the secret sauce plan you offer. And you'll see we've got a panel on the website that says, “Three reasons couple enjoy doing therapy with me”:
This section of the website is giving clients a reason to choose you among the ocean of therapists.
So, what are a couple of things that are unique that clients appreciate, or you're really proud of, or intentionally implement in how you do therapy?
In the example above we see there's a clear plan that, “I ask the hard questions” and that clients are, “welcome to stop any time”. Now, I know what you're thinking, you're like of course, of course, clients can stop any time, I'm not gonna force them to stay. That doesn't matter to your clients because clients aren't thinking that way. And, when you articulate that concept you begin to foster an open relationship where clients lead the way and they can stop whenever they need and alleviate their fear of feeling boxed in.
You're gonna do more business.
So, this is another extremely helpful ingredient to engage with your client's problems, but also make them feel like, okay, this therapist knows how to deal with my problems. And, they actually have a way of doing things that is extremely beneficial.
So, these are two important ingredients to have on your website.
Talk Specifically About The Problems Your Client’s Experience
Explain Your 3-Part Secret Sauce Plan With Them
If you add these to your website;
You will see better results from it.
You will see more leads come in.
You will be able to charge and command higher rates because you are known for solving a specific problem.
You are a specialist in the problem that your clients are dealing with. And for so many therapists who are struggling with getting paid low rates from insurance, or a group practice, or an online platform, this is the road forward to beginning to charge better rates and make a fair wage for what you offer so that you can be a life-changing therapist to more clients.
