Are you doing odd jobs?

Are you waiting for someone you know to recommend you to someone?

You have a couple of clients that you can't let go - so that you have someone to work with!

Have you already advertised on websites or in newspapers, but the result is zero?

Have you gone back to work in the office because you couldn't start your practice?

ONLY 20-25% PSYCHOLOGISTS

WORK IN THE PROFESSION!

PRIVATE PRACTICE WITH A SATISFACTORY INCOME - have even less.

WHY?

“But who will come to me, no one knows me!”

“How can I consult when I haven’t completed my 3rd specialization/never consulted/I’m only 28 years old/I have no work experience/no senior colleagues have seen me do it…”

"Where shall I invite him? I don't have an office!

“I won’t succeed - I know little tricks and methods, I haven’t put them into practice!”

“How can I do this, some crazy, sick person will come, and what will I do ?!”

“I can’t do this - what if I do harm?”

And I went through that when I started. I clearly remember the moment when, at one of the regular training sessions, the thought came to me “Yes, I already know all this! Why don’t I still consult and conduct trainings! ”

Time has passed since then, I have regular clients on Skype, several regular reception days, an office, trainings and webinars, I am invited to master classes, festivals.

Waiting for a cat to lead you into a profession is, to put it mildly, pointless! Belief that clients will start looking for you themselves and fall on your head “after…”. I wrote about it in my last letter

AND WHAT IN THE RESULT, WHAT DO PSYCHOLOGISTS WORK FOR?

go to work social psychologist, school, social institutions? - a dead end, a complete lack of development, an absolute impossibility to get out of there into a private practice! I work at school - it can kill any initiative. And social workers and psychologists are simply drowning in a pile of papers, reports, meetings.

You teach psychology to students at a non-core institute. Most of them go to classes to "exhaust themselves, give up and forget." You lose (or don’t acquire) practical skills, start to be afraid of real clients, go into pure science, or simply become a theoretical psychologist…

Go into a profession where the result depends on the ability to work with people? - customer service, sales manager... often it is those who could be a Good Psychologist who become successful in this area. Rejection of the Vocation, the funeral of a dream ...

Another area where psychologists are always in demand is Human Resources Department(and I worked there - I understand what I'm talking about :)) Coach? Recruitment manager? Training Specialist? Yes, he will also be successful in this area - he will know what to say to someone, so that ... He will extinguish conflicts and settle situations ... conduct trainings and involve even those who never wanted to study. And spinning in this routine, from day to day, from year to year, without creativity, without the ability to turn around, periodically “I’ll leave here altogether - I can’t do it anymore” ...

“And I finished for myself! I will be at home - the children are looked after, I will work with them, develop them. And again - renunciation of Himself, of the Profession, of the Calling, of the Career ... Going into the shadows, into secondary Roles - help and support to the husband, nanny and educator, home teacher ... No provision in the World, housewife, mother, wife on the balance sheet of her husband ... Dependent. Not implemented.

DO YOU WANT WHAT?
Do what you love!

To be a professional that people talk about with a breath!

Know that you are signed up for a month and recommended to all your friends!

Work with people you enjoy working with!

Get high from Life, Profession,
customer results!

Determine your own workload!

Relax when and where you want!

Learn and develop from the best professionals!

WANT a queue of customers?

THERE ARE 3 MAJOR POINTS THAT INTERFERE THE PSYCHOLOGIST

BEGIN PRIVATE PRACTICE AND HAVE A HIGH INCOME:

1. The idea in society that the Psychologist cannot be "for sale." Heard: “If he is a good specialist, people will come to him anyway!”

2. Confidence that first you need to get a few (preferably more) educations, READ THESE BOOKS MORE. “I’ll finish these courses, get this certification, then I’ll pass those tests, and I’ll take a one-year supervision course - and then aaaa ....”.

3. Lack of skills to promote yourself in the modern market - among my acquaintances psychologists have their own website or blog, focused on professional promotion, 12% have. And this, by the way, is already a lot!

FAMILIAR?

Many colleagues have an illusion that after placing an ad (and I'm glad that at least ads are being placed) or information to everyone they know, the client will immediately come to you. And you will start working with him.

First. Don't call!
Second. If he calls, he is unlikely to come!

Why?

Because the person knows nothing about you... And he has nowhere to find out about you... He has no idea how counseling goes...

Most often, people have no idea how much the services of a psychologist cost and it is difficult to name the price ... And if they did, and the client starts to bargain "How many? 1500 rubles? What are you, maybe there is a discount? or "Why so expensive?". And I saw how psychologists who have no other clients agree to the proposed amount ..

And all your regalia and titles, Diplomas and special courses for him, for a particular person - do not matter!!!

By the way, I personally received the first calls from people who simply “saw your phone and want to sign up” began only 6-7 months after the start of active promotion!

It's me that wait for a call

"Maria Ivanovna Marinina,
PhD, associate professor of an important department of an important university
provides psychological services. Tel. 233 33 22"

not worth it.

Does not work!

HOW DO CLIENTS MAKE DECISIONS?

It is important for them to know what kind of person you are ... - will you understand his problems?

Know what you look like… Accept you by your clothes as “one of them”

What are you interested in and what do you think about this event...

Understand how you perceive his views on the world and accept yours.

How do you work - will he feel comfortable, convenient, useful with you, ...?

Find common interests with you.

Understand that you are really an Expert and help Him.

Know that there are those you have already helped.

Have the opportunity to ask you questions…

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO START EARNING INCOME TO A PSYCHOLOGIST RIGHT NOW?

We will talk about this in this webinar

How to start a private practice as a psychologist, 5 steps to get clients and increase income!

WHAT WILL BE IN THE PROGRAM?

How to learn how to promote your services, invest less money, get more customers in three weeks

How to believe in yourself, find new clients, and start earning income

Learn to sell your services at your price, name your price and get a client.

Learn about the myths and fears that prevent you from starting to earn. And what to do with them

Create your own products and a sales system for your services, and you yourself will do what you love, instead of frantically searching for the next client.

Learn to be an Expert. And present it to the world in such a way that the client does not ask you the question “Are you a good specialist? Something I have never heard of you before….”

Find out about matching options private practice with "life" - how to make time for family, children, development, recreation, health, amenities :)

You will learn how to create your own ready-made service system, and will continue to use it in any situations, with any companies and groups, for private work and for group trainings.

WANT TO BUILD A QUEUE OF CLIENTS?

ALL IN YOUR HANDS!
HOW TO GET A WEBINAR RECORDING?

Write to us [email protected]
Take the training now - stop postponing YOUR DREAM!

The responses of psychologists can be divided into several groups.

1. The state of the psychotherapy market, as a service, ways to attract clients, the level of competition.
2. Quality of the market: assessment of the professionalism of Russian psychologists, the relevance and prospects of various areas and schools of psychotherapy;
3. Clients of the psychotherapist. Who they are and what problems they come with, the dynamics of changing attitudes towards psychologists and psychotherapy.

1. Most psychologists rated the level of competition in the psychological services market as high. At the same time, the vast majority (79% of respondents!) admitted that they lack customers. Some believe that young professionals are more likely to lack clients than those who already have a lot of experience. According to our estimates (PN), this is not always the case, because often young professionals are better at promoting and attracting customers, while they are willing to spend more effort on work for less money.
Private practitioners have more difficulty finding clients than centers. commercial centers there are not enough clients, while in the state ones there is no shortage of clients. This fact, apparently, is related to the prices for services in government centers, where consultations are usually free.

Among the respondents, there is also such a point of view that clients come when the psychologist himself is internally ready to accept them into his life.

How do psychologists attract clients? What do they think works best?
Here psychologists are surprisingly unanimous. 100% of respondents to the question "Where do you find your customers?" Answered "by personal recommendation". The main way to attract customers (except for personal recommendations) is the Internet. This is a personal site or other ways of Internet promotion.

Other ways noted were:
Belonging to a professional community, participating in radio and television programs, participating in presentations, charity events, as well as conducting master classes at universities.
Respondents also noted the effectiveness of outdoor advertising for psychological centers, advertising in the subway for public psychological services, promotion of services through similar organizations and centers with related activities.

2. It seemed interesting to us to learn the opinion of fellow psychologists about themselves. Given the level of competition and fragmentation in our field, it is not surprising that only 1.75% of psychologists rated the level of professionalism of their colleagues as high. 56% of respondents gave an average score, and 20% gave a confident deuce for professionalism and quality.
It is difficult for us to evaluate this result. Is it the mistrust of colleagues towards each other or is it really a sadly unprofessional approach to psychotherapy in Russia? Is this due to the fact that psychotherapy is very young in Russia and is in its infancy? Or the fact that psychology education has been booming in the past few years and more of a challenge to bring “fast-tracked” psychologists onto the market? In any case, interest in psychological education and to psychotherapy in general, we only welcome, and we urge colleagues to be more tolerant of each other.

It is no secret that most of the psychotherapeutic schools and directions practiced in our time in Russia are a product of Western society. We thought it important to think about what distinguishes a Russian specialist - a psychologist from the rest? And you know, everything is the same - the incomprehensible Russian soul. To the question “What strengths of the work of psychologists in Russia can you point out?” we received answers: empathy (in the first place), “Russian mentality”, “our brightness and individuality”, “willingness to help”, disinterestedness (cannot but surprise, given that we are talking about professional psychological help! (PN)) , enthusiasm, the value of human relations.
In addition, among strengths the willingness to constantly learn, improve skills, develop, openness to new things, the desire for an integrated approach and the presence of professional communities were named.

Was named great amount directions and schools that psychologists use in their work. The results (in descending order) are as follows:
1. Gestalt - 30%
2. Analytical approach - 19%
3. Art therapy - 17%
4. Existential - 14%
5. Family systemic therapy - 12%
6. NLP - 12%
7.
A. Psychodrama - 11%
B. Behavioral therapy - 11%
8.
A. Body-oriented - 9%
B. Symbol drama - 9%
9.
A. Transactional analysis - 6%
B. Logotherapy - 6%
C. Erickson hypnosis - 6%
10.
A. Humanistic approach - 5%
B. Client-centered approach - 5%
11.
A. Jungian - 3%
B. Holodynamics - 3%
C. Psychocatalysis - 3%

Imago and thanatotherapy, fairy tale therapy, sand therapy, Hellinger constellations, acmeology, positive therapy, Lacanian psychoanalysis and even classical hypnosis were also noted.

Most psychologists use more than one method, but practice several directions at the same time, an integrated approach, believing that each client has his own method.

Concerning perspective directions of opinion were divided. As a rule, each specialist considers his own method to be promising. Someone believes that the popularity of Gestalt therapy is declining, others, on the contrary, that the future belongs to Gestalt, as it combines the main directions and allows you to achieve results in a shorter time.
A promising direction was called psychotherapeutic work in groups, trainings and short-term counseling and (overwhelming majority) an integrative approach. Perhaps this is due to the accelerating pace of life, when a person wants everything at once. But this does not mean that clients are not ready to go to therapy for a long time.
In our opinion (PN), it is strange that none of the respondents noted coaching as a promising direction, although many spoke about the popularity of short-term methods of psychotherapy.

3. The most ambiguous part of our research concerns the psychotherapist's clients. Here, both considerations of the confidentiality of our profession and a certain bashfulness inherent in our psychologists regarding their attitude to their profession as a service market, where there is always a client and a certain target audience for each of the services, immediately come to mind. Perhaps, to someone the information given in this section will seem as useless as the average temperature of patients in the ward, but we still decided to find out who is the most frequent client of a psychotherapist, what worries him, according to psychologists?

So, a typical client of a psychotherapist looks like this:

Women aged 25-28 to 40-45 took the first place in terms of the number of requests, with higher education usually middle managers. Active, often interested in psychology itself, many are single or divorced;

And in last place are children and adolescents - from 3 to 20 years.

Among the main problems, with which our contemporaries turn to the psychologist, the problem of relationships is in the lead, in second place are fears, anxiety and various phobias. Further in descending order - the problems of finding oneself and self-determination, self-realization, psychosomatics, depression, self-doubt, different kinds addictions, midlife crisis, stress, chronic fatigue, conflict, aggressiveness and auto-aggression.

There is a certain number of requests regarding the establishment of long-term relationships in homosexual couples, the problem of gender identity.
In children, these are the lack of friends, disciplinary problems, difficulties in adapting to kindergarten and school, children's fears, separation problems in adolescents.
If we talk about the dynamics of symptoms and conflicts, psychologists have noted that the number of depressive disorders and phobic neuroses has recently increased, as well as neuroses associated with the concept of success and narcissistic dissatisfaction. Many psychologists say that modern man more and more difficult to feel about the blockage of the sensual sphere in their clients. Parents increasingly do not know how to limit their children and simply cope with them, they place great emphasis on the intellectual development of the child, completely forgetting about the world of his feelings. Hyperactivity, neuropsychic disorders, overload with knowledge, various activities, sections, as well as sexual abuse are increasingly noted in children.

At the same time, the degree of readiness of our population to apply for psychological help many rate rather as low. Psychologists note that among the population there is no understanding that you need to pay for a conversation. That is, many still have a very vague idea of ​​psychotherapy as a profession. Many psychologists believe that major cities willingness to ask for help above. But the experience and statistics of the Psinavigator testify otherwise. In our “Submit a request for a specialist” option, many more requests come from the periphery than from capital cities.

Among the reasons for the reluctance of the population to go to psychologists were noted: in most people's heads, the psychologist is still "equal" to the psychiatrist, and if a person turns to a psychologist, then this causes him to feel his own inferiority. The corresponding attitude can often be seen in others. Men are more wary of psychologists than women. But at the same time, they have both interest and curiosity. More confidence in a psychologist arises if doctors, teachers, social workers recommend a psychologist. Educated people with high level reflections are more likely to go to a psychologist. Interestingly, some people consider psychologists to be people with unresolved problems of their own. Also noteworthy is the fact that until now people often go to a psychologist with the expectation of healing help and the hope of miraculous healing.

At the end of our study, we asked colleagues to express their wishes and comments regarding the topic of the survey. They are very interesting and we did not consider it possible to shorten them to fit into the format of this article. So read them

In today's market that is oversaturated psychological services, counseling psychologists and trainers are finding it increasingly difficult to promote their services. People are not recruited for trainings, clients in counseling are situational and chaotic.

If you experience a shortage of clients for a long enough time, it is terribly demotivating and, sooner or later, you will quit your favorite pastime, or will be interrupted from time to time. It even becomes embarrassing. You have really valuable knowledge and experience, you are ready to help people, but people, somehow, do not really need your help. What is the problem?

There are some basic mistakes that almost 90% of all counseling psychologists and coaches make that lead to few clients. And this article talks about the main mistakes and how to solve them. Marketing will help us with this!

1. Wide positioning

When a psychologist says that he is just a counseling psychologist or a training leader personal growth, this is incomprehensible to a potential client, especially if he is in psychology - “not in the tooth with a foot”. Perhaps your friends and colleagues know what you are doing.

But those with whom you have just met will definitely not understand you right away if you have such a position, because they are “out of touch”. But help is often needed by “mere mortals”, who, at most, what they read in psychology is Carnegie or something else from popular literature.

How to solve this problem of wide positioning? Just! You need to specialize. In order for your services to be used, you must be a narrow specialist in a specific topic for a specific target audience.

For example, there are trainings on time management. If you're just saying you're doing time management training, that's very broad. It's best when you specialize in some specific types of people: time management for executives, for housewives, for doctors, and so on.

That is, you specialize in a particular topic and its target audience. The same goes for counseling psychologists. For example, you work in child-parent relationships and work only with mothers who have typical problems with teenage children.

When you state in this way, the client will recognize you as an expert on their problem. Who doesn't trust experts? After all, when you have a specific problem that you cannot solve on your own, you naturally look for a specialist in this particular problem. And here, the client's brain works in exactly the same way, so he turns to you.

2. Student complex

The fact is that most psychologists are very fond of learning and are eternal students. Learning is good and wonderful, but from the point of view of attracting customers, it is almost useless thing, and even money-consuming.

Many people think that if they study, they will be able to do training and consulting. And this training can go on for months or even years.

So, for your customers it does not matter at all what certificates and papers you have. A person comes to you for a solution to a problem. If you're really knowledgeable about a topic, and understanding a topic isn't that hard once you've been trained, it's very easy to claim to be an expert on a particular topic (even if you're in the process of learning).

You may not have a certificate, but your potential customers don't care! Believe it or not, they don't care at all 99% of the time. They need to fix the problem. And if you can really help solve a problem, you don't need paperwork to do it.

Main conclusion! Your education and the number of clients in your practice are not directly correlated. They are not related at all! You can object to this topic, but it's true. And while you firmly believe that you still need to learn more and then clients will appear - this is one of the most detrimental delusions for your practice.

4. Fear of sales

The next mistake is that most psychologists are afraid to sell their services. They think that their services should be sold. It is not right. Clients will not come and offer you money. In order to earn decently in the profession of a psychologist-consultant or trainer, you need to sell your services.

If you have already established yourself, have written several books, you have publications, articles, then customers will believe you (or rather, not even you, but your brand) and break into your doors. But, if you are not yet a brand, then your services will not sell themselves. Therefore, you need to sell.

To do this, you need to learn, at least, the simplest sales mechanisms. The simplest selling mechanism that you can use immediately after reading this article is the three-step mechanism.

Your specific proposal to solve specific problems for a specific target audience

Call to action (make some order or call you right now).

Most people live with a lot of problems that they need to solve in themselves, but they put off solving them until later. Remember yourself. When do you go to the dentist? In most cases, when the tooth already hurts. But after all, it was possible to come earlier and prevent this situation. The tooth will not start to hurt for no reason. And the client needs to be reminded of this. As you know, prevention is always cheaper than cure.

Sale Mechanism- this is a mechanism that reminds a person that he has a problem, it needs to be solved, and your proposal will really help solve it. And all this must be done now, otherwise tomorrow the tooth will fall out and there will be nothing to chew on. And indeed it is. If you look deeper - a sale is, first of all, an exchange of values ​​between you and your client, which results in money. And as you know - money is ENERGY!

5. Selling one. You sell one consultation or one training.

The fact is that if you are a consultant, then it is impossible to solve the client's problem in one session, no matter how cool you are. At least, you need a month, at best, two or three, and sometimes more.

Therefore, when a psychologist offers one consultation, the client pays money for it and, often, does not come again. Even if you have agreed on a long-term job (say for a month), and there are a million reasons for this - you are not in the mood, the pipe burst, you lost your phone, you were called to work, the natural resistance to the process of change, in the end ... you can list for a long time.

Therefore, if you are a counseling psychologist, develop a program that solves the client's problem. Offer this program to the client, offer a solution to his problem according to the program. The program is perceived much better by the client than an incomprehensible one-time consultation. And it sells much easier than just a consultation.

For coaches. Perhaps you conducted a training, two-day, three-day or weekly, and the client left you. But it is impossible to solve a client's problem even in one training session; as a rule, a complex of training sessions is needed for this. To do this, come up with a line of trainings, at least three or four, where you will develop your client, help him cope with the situation comprehensively.

You should be well aware that the problem is not solved immediately and may have deep roots. Give people support if you're really interested in making the lives of the people you work with really better.

If you want to truly help your clients, you must sell programs (minimum 4-8 sessions) in counseling and training lines if you are a trainer. Otherwise, you are just doing a hack (so, then a person turned up, wandered into you for a one-time consultation or training, you got money from him, but in reality, did not help at all). Excuse me. They called themselves a psychologist, answer for it. And then, recently, hacks on the market are simply immeasurable. Even certified. Let's provide really high-quality services and take responsibility for the fact that you once decided to help people, heal their souls and hearts.

Output: Specialize in specific problems of specific people, sell them programs and complex solutions that will solve their problems.

The client came for a consultation, did a good job, left and ... did not return. Why? What can be done to attract clients to long-term therapy? Perhaps my experience and thoughts will help you.

I have been working as a psychologist for more than 10 years, of which 4 years were full of consultative and corrective work (4-6 times a week, 2-4 clients a day), in the rest of the years teaching in specialized university, conducting courses and seminars, doing business, etc. By education, I am a teacher - a psychologist, a teacher of psychology. I work in an integrative approach, and so far the only system of psychological work that I have fully mastered is work with active imagination (work with images).

The first six months - a year of my consulting practice passed in bewilderment: the consultations were successful, but most of the clients did not return, although some of them (the notorious 20%) created about 50% of the flow of clients in the future with the help of word of mouth.

It should be noted here that all this time I worked for myself, did not have a promoted name, any serious investments in advertising (creating a site and paying for its hosting were the main costs).

I recently returned fully to consulting - corrective work. Now I'm looking for new methods, reviewing the old ones.

Now I will not dwell on how to attract a client to the FIRST consultation (or the first training), I will tell you about the steps I take during the first consultations.

What have I done and am doing consciously?

1) Inform.

A) Each client at the first meeting when clarifying the request and discussing the contract. I inform about the possibilities of the system of work, about what exists (this is probably very important!) PROGRAM individual work(in the system it is called "Base" *), consisting of 15 lessons. Approximately every third client decided and decides to go through the "Basis" (note: most of the clients ended up taking no more than 10 lessons of the program, some return in a few months for 1-2 lessons to continue the "Basic"). It is these customers who create the so-called. "flow", signing up for 1-2 weeks in advance.

* The names of some trainings of the "Basics": "Birth ("reprogramming" one's life)", "Children's grievances", "Death (work with fears)", "Removal of blocks in the body", "Man and woman".

B) About your abilities/skills outside of the Base: for example, conflicts, emotional “letting go” significant person, correction of children's fears, etc.

C) About courses, seminars and trainings taking place in the Center where I work (I rent a room). I talk about the possibilities of colleagues - related specialists.

Naturally, I pronounce all this in the information mode (in no case “you need”, “you must”), I just give an information sheet about something.

2) Internally, I “let go” of the client in advance, I don’t “thirst” him back, I don’t dream that he will become a regular client, even (especially) if I understand that he really needs something. Perhaps this point should have been put first. Everyone knows this, but the issue of countertransference often comes up at meetings of our Psychological Support Group.

3) I do homework. Simple, effective, interesting exercises (often from psychosynthesis, Gestalt psychology, etc.). Probably, this part of the work is not directly related to the promotion of their services. But, it seems to me, it contributes to the fact that the client, having decided pressing question, keeps remembering joint work, advertises me as a specialist to his friends and acquaintances and / or comes himself again.

What are the new steps I am taking now?

1. Passed training on another system of work(my new “love” is an understanding of my Destiny and my innate inclinations to fulfill life tasks), I try to understand how a PROGRAM can be built on its basis, whether it is necessary to do this))), I embed (connect) both systems I have studied and “lived through” ;

2. Starting to use Skype(mainly to work with foreign clients), I make the first attempts to work in English.

3. Started teaching courses psychological counseling in the form of webinars.

4. I plan to make an audio and / or video recording of some exercises, techniques.

5. I study the experience of colleagues in modern self-promotion, I will definitely try to use the methods that interest me.

In search of an answer to the question: where and how to find clients for a psychologist or coach, thousands of young professionals spend their time every day: talented “nuggets” who have achieved success in their field, university graduates and just people who have decided to change the profile of their profession. Many of them have been trained, studied a lot of literature, made useful contacts. But they never learned how to properly present themselves and their services. Before taking and advising people, you have to go a long way, during which the problem of attracting the target audience rises to its full height.

How to start selling your services, and not just waste time looking for an audience? In fact, attracting clients by a coach or psychologist is like a tennis match, during which the serve must always be on the side of the professional. Of course, in the learning process, many beginners receive a bonus in the form of free consultations with the coach's customers. But how does this correspond to the very idea of ​​coaching or the desire to advise not just for an idea, but for real money?

Of course, the decision on how and where to take the target audience is always made by the specialist himself. If there is a narrow specialization: Gestalt therapy, if you are a psychologist or coaching in some very specific area, the solution to the problem can only be getting out of the comfort zone. Simply put: customers will not come by themselves. A coach should be able to do more than just motivate or advise. His task also includes the ability to sell his ideas.

There are a number of quite standard ways to find clients for psychologists and coaches. How and where to get an audience that will be ready to consult with a beginner or just a specialist with a little practice? Consider all the available options in more detail:

1. 1. Advertising. If the budget allows, you don’t have to think about how and where to look for potential consumers of services. It is enough to place ads or order targeting in in social networks to get everything working. For this method, you should use a business card site or easy-to-remember contact information. Attracting clients for a coach and a psychologist in this case will take some time, but will provide stable sales channels. In your city, you can additionally agree on the printing of business cards with their placement on information stands in stores, hairdressers, classrooms of educational institutions, and medical institutions.
   2. Expert status. They are supported by placed advertising. How and where can I find a platform for working with the audience? The most obvious option is social media. Here you can blog, publish notes, conduct surveys. In addition, for small towns, publishing articles in the printed press works well (in a metropolis, it is better for coaches and psychologists to choose large online information portals to search for clients). The time spent on such promotion is relatively small, and the results can be quite impressive.
   3. Active communication. If you have already prepared your own virtual platform, you can proceed to the next step: engage in direct communication with the audience. For clients of coaches and psychologists, this attraction of attention is more relevant, since there is a feedback effect. You can simply advise on small issues, express your expert opinion. Don't limit yourself to just your blog or page. The more often your opinions are expressed, the better. How and where to communicate? Choose thematic forums in the question-answer format, look for “hot” topics or comment on other people's blogs. The ability to lead a discussion will be very useful.
   4. Public performance. You can start with a video blog, where a psychologist and a coach can attract clients as part of thematic lessons and discussions. If possible, go to specialized conferences, participate as a lecturer at events. In this case, attracting the attention of the audience will be natural and unobtrusive.
   5. Teaching. At the start, when there is simply nowhere for a coach and a psychologist to take clients, you can put aside ambitious plans and go into teaching. Practical work“under the wing” of a promoted center or official educational institution will allow you to put an additional plus in the resume when it comes time to consult on your own. Finding a potential employer is easier than convincing stranger give you my money.

Three key questions

When it comes to how and where to take clients, coaches and psychologists often cannot find even a basic support in their actions. But, in order to attract attention successfully, you need to find answers to just three basic questions.

What are you willing to offer?

Clients of coaches and psychologists often do not know what they expect from a visit to a specialist. In this case, attracting targeted traffic is a serious problem. After all, a specialist cannot present himself, in the usual sense of the word. To get the attention of people, to earn their trust, you need to clearly explain the goals and objectives. For example, even a person usually knows very little about the course of a consultation with a psychologist. Moreover, he does not understand how exactly a visit to a coach or communication with him should take place.

Work on your presentation ahead of time. The client must get a comprehensive understanding of what they are trying to sell. This will save you from unnecessary doubts later, will allow you to present in detail all the benefits of cooperation to people interested in it.

Who is your client?

The main problem of novice psychologists and coaches: the willingness to advise and engage the audience in a completely different place where it is necessary to do it. How and where to get listeners? Before you find your approach, remember that a successful person in business or any other field is first and foremost a beginner in your field. To put it simply, when drawing an image of a potential consumer of services, one should rely on the real needs of society. Do you want to give advice to people after a divorce? Work as a mediator, preventing the aggravation of conflicts? Change the minds of business leaders? Implement innovative sales schemes?

Until it is clear to the clients of a coach or psychologist who he is addressing in his work, in advertisements, lectures, it will be quite difficult to find those who are ready to hear your arguments.

Why does the client need it?

Even gurus and wizards cannot take customers “out of thin air”. For a coach or a psychologist, it is very important not just to advise, but to convey their thoughts to a potential client group. Your personal motivation plays a huge role here. When it comes to the missionary approach, attraction can be led through the wording "I will help solve problems." Are you ready to give maximum freedom of action without acting as a strict mentor? This is also worth broadcasting, but as: “willingness to work for results”.

What other paths are worth trying?

Having defined goals and objectives, it is much easier to understand how and where to take clients. Since the activities of coaches and psychologists are quite close in spirit, they can also take on attracting potential customers within the same promotion channels. Among the working methods of active advertising are:

1. 1. "Word of mouth radio". Acquaintances, friends, buddies should know about the beginning of your career. Telling that you are ready to consult as a coach or psychologist, you can get your first orders. You shouldn't be shy. After all, no one has yet canceled the rule of handshakes.
   2. Distribution of flyers. If you are ready for the real work, you can take the time to make colorful brochures or flyers and distribute them by organizing a free seminar / training or offering participation at a big discount.
   3. Book creation. It will be easier to distribute it electronically. For clients of coaches and psychologists, this method of attraction works flawlessly.
   4. Start your own training. You will have to write a program for it, work on the wording. But, if everything is done correctly, very soon you will be consulting for quite good money.
   5. Participation in TV programs. For regional or district channels, inviting experts is a common practice. Why not offer yourself as such?
   6. Advertising in transport. It is always in sight, inexpensive, allows you to reach the target audience to the maximum.
   7. Placement of ads in networks of contextual or targeted advertising. Gives you the opportunity to achieve a significant audience coverage. To get traffic, you will have to take care of creating a website where clients will go to order the services of a coach or a psychologist.
   8. Delegation of powers. Even psychologists and coaches can be brilliant speakers and yet deeply introverted. If this is your situation, the search for clients should be entrusted to specialists. They will conduct a targeted search, attract customers, and take upon themselves the solution of questions: how and where to take applications for cooperation. Finding a good marketer in this case is much more economical and profitable than trying to break through the wall of lack of demand for services on your own.
   9. Create a page on VK, FB or a website with your services, portfolio, blog and just useful tips solving the problems of your potential customers. Don't be afraid to share useful information you will be more trustworthy.

How not to act?

The days of aggressive sales, funnels, and leads are over. Today, especially in the intellectual spheres of activity, consulting and attracting clients are carried out according to fundamentally different schemes. Of course, the most important task here is the desire to break the vicious circle of free counseling. Yes, it can give an influx of clients for a coach or psychologist at first. But neither real money nor practical results will bring.

If you want to be taken seriously, charge a fair price for services. Use the collection of feedback about yourself as a "portfolio". Tell us about where you studied, what regalia you have. A PhD in psychology is more trusted than a university graduate. This is fine. But, if a person who has not accumulated a sufficient knowledge base acts as a coach, he will be exposed quite easily. Do not hurry. Sometimes it is worth extending your period of apprenticeship in order to avoid dangerous and annoying mistakes.

If you want to find clients as a coach or psychologist, try to accumulate a practical base. It is not necessary to immediately rush into free swimming. Consider working for a well-established brand and, in addition, consulting privately remotely via Skype.