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As health and well-being practitioners establishing, growing and sustaining your business is challenging. Finding new clients, keeping them and generating more clients takes time, expertise and energy, and can take lots of effort without the right kind of support. We all want the ideal situation where a new client comes to see you, they are very happy with your service, they keep coming back and they tell their friends about you. This is the gold standard of building a large client base and growing your business. But how do you do it?
How to build a large client base?
Firstly there are five things you need to know
1. Know how to establish yourself in the market
When you are new in business this can be tough as no-one knows you and you are yet to establish a professional reputation. Even if you’ve been in business a while the market may not know who you are if you’ve kept a low profile, work from home and are difficult to find or your image is likely to be ‘you do this as a hobby for pin money’ rather than a professional business.
This is where establishing a professional image, having a visible profile in the community and networking can help. Aligning your business with an established successful business gives you a leg up in the beginning and supports you with minimal effort as you grow. Try presenting yourself and your work through community talks and workshops, written articles and networking with like-minded business.
2. Know your business
A SWOT analysis is a simple but powerful tool for identifying your strengths, (What do you do well? Unique skills, specialist training?) weaknesses (Where do you lack resources, visibility, education or experience? What area’s /clients to avoid? What factors lose you customers?) and the opportunities (Business location, cross referrals, local events, access to larger customer base, networking opportunities) and threats (obstacles, who are your biggest competitors?). This exercise will give you a clear picture of how well your business is doing in the local market you are operating in.
3. Know your clients and where to find them
Knowledge is everything when it comes to identifying which groups of customers you should be targeting. Ask yourself are your clients asking for most? Who is your ideal client? What is different or unique about you or your services?
Then determine what helps your clients to find you? Where do you get referrals from? What makes clients remember you and your location? Look at ways to tap into an established client database with a similar target audience to promote your business.
4. Know how to keep and grow your client base
Why are they happy to continue with your services?
Its obvious that visibility, and professional image give clients the feeling of confidence in you as a practitioner. Whilst stability, location and convenience makes it easy for clients to return and let their friends know where to find you.
Marketing analysis shows that referrals from professional colleagues have more impact than word of mouth from the general public, so being part of a team and networking are important factors. Offering incentives to existing clients and discounts on future purchases or a free add on gift, if your existing customers introduce new customers to you can help.
5. Know how to grow efficiently
Look at ways to expand your business by tapping into an established customer base, or finding new areas of your business to add on. Can you expand from part-time to full time without compromising your service? What assistance or technology will you need in order to grow? Setting up these things at the start of your business will help you effortlessly expand. The Lotus Centre has tried and tested technology services to assist practitioners to grow.
Often practitioners need help with booking in clients as their phone is off when they are with clients. Look at cost effective ways to establish a customer service line and booking service. Practitioners complain they have no time for marketing so finding a support with your online profile, assistance with professional visibility and marketing is cost effective.
If you want to discuss your plans to expand your business through the Lotus Centre we are happy to support you. if you’re thinking about joining out team contact Heather on 0405 821 880.
Heather is the owner and director of the Lotus Centre established in the Northern Beaches for more than 15 years. Heather’s background in nursing helped her establish a thriving Australia wide health business online TENS Pain Relief / Labour TENS and the Lotus Centre a well-being centre locally in the Northern Beaches of Sydney.