Your Verbal Business Card

Counsellors, therapists, and mental health care professionals are often trained not to talk about themselves (especially in a therapy session) yet in the social and business sphere talking about ourselves, as in talking about what we do, is not only required, it is necessary for private practice success. When someone asks you “What do you do?” you are being asked to present your verbal business card.

What is a verbal business card?
Your verbal business card is a mini explanation of who you are and the work that you do. (Read more about relationship marketing ).Talking about what you do is the most basic and important word of mouth marketing tool you have. Your verbal business card helps you to create relationships with people by sharing information with them.

Benefits of having a clear verbal marketing message:
A clear verbal marketing message attracts clients by creating an important first impression and underlines the value that your service provides. It helps your colleagues will understand what you do and will be better able to refer clients to you. Your verbal business card provides your social network will have a clear understanding of your work and will be enable them to refer clients through word of mouth.

Overcome your fear of marketing with your verbal business card:

A compelling verbal marketing message will help to increase your confidence in your marketing abilities. When you speak about what you do you are providing a service by educating people and providing an important health care resource, about the benefits your services provide. If your verbal business card is presented in the right way what you are doing is reaching out to others in a helping manner and providing them with an important resource. Read Let’s Not Call it Marketing to help you re-frame your ideas about marketing.

What makes a great verbal business card?

A great verbal business card is a word of art (sorry – couldn’t resist the punJ) that describes in a memorable way, what you do and the problems your service solves. It is clear and concise; long enough to provide good solid information, but short enough to keep their interest.

You know you don’t have a great verbal business card when:

People ask you the same question over and over again – like “what kind of counsellor?” or “what does that mean?”. If you are stumbling over your words or your verbal business card is mostly profession-related jargon it will not be very effective in attracting clients or generating referrals.

Create a great verbal business card

Ask yourself these three questions: What expertise do I have? Who do I help with that expertise? What benefits do my clients experience when they use my services? Write down your responses to these questions It is important to prepare two verbal business cards – one for social situations and one for colleagues – as the language our use will be different. Try out your verbal business card on family, friends, colleagues. Ask them what they hear and understand and make the necessary adjustments. Get out there and use your message so that you can turn the question “What do you do?” into a golden marketing opportunity.

This article can be found here: http://marketingyourprivatepractice.com/?p=61