The 3 biggest mistakes helping professionals make that are costing them money, by Melanie Yost

In my conversations with helping professionals who are struggling to bring in more clients and make more money, I have noticed some common belief systems and behaviors that are sabotaging their success and actually costing them clients and money. See if you are making these same mistakes.

1. Assuming people can't afford your services.

So many well-intentioned healers and helping professionals enter into conversation with people assuming they can't afford their services. Because of this belief, you either don't ask the person to work with you or you end up offering a discounted rate for your service without ever discussing the full rate.

This assumption hurts you and it hurts the other person. It hurts you because every time you don't ask someone to work with you or you reduce your rates, you are giving yourself a pay cut. If you worked for an employer who regularly cut your salary or didn't pay you would you keep working there? I know I wouldn't. So why do you regularly make decisions that reduce and limit your income as an entrepreneur?

Assuming someone can't afford your services also hurts the other person for many reasons. First, it's just plain disrespectful. You don't know their complete financial situation and what they actually can and can't afford. You are making judgments about them that may or may not be correct.

Second, you are taking away their right to choose what is best for them. They may have been looking for someone who offers your services to relieve a pain that they have been struggling with and are ready to invest any price to get the relief. If you don't talk about what you do or ask them to work with you, they will have to continue struggling with the pain longer than they would if you had shared your services with them.

Third, your comfort in talking about money with people is not about them, it's about you. As soon as you assume that someone can't afford your services, you are automatically in your own money story and poverty consciousness. The truth is (get ready, this is a hard one to swallow) ... you are thinking more about yourself, your fears of what they will think about you, your own struggles with money or your own comfort than you are of them, their needs, their pain and how you can truly help them.

And finally, when you make assumptions about people's ability to afford you, you are robbing them of the ability to be creative and resourceful and to invest in themselves and their well-being. You have heard me say many times that people afford what they want to afford. When you really want something and you don't know where the money will come from to pay for it, you get really creative and resourceful and you always find it. And when you have to get creative about finding the money to invest, you appreciate and value the thing you invested in so much more.

2. Trying to serve everyone

I wish I had a dollar for every time I have asked a healer or helping professional who they consider to be a good referral and they respond, "Everyone". If I did, I would be independently wealthy and relaxing on a beach somewhere waiting on a cabana boy to bring me a fruity drink with a pretty umbrella.

I know that your modalities and techniques can probably improve the quality of life for everyone from age 5 to 85 regardless of nationality, gender or health condition. That's not really the point. The point is that when you try to serve everyone, your message gets diluted and you come across as a jack-of-all-trades and a master-of-none.

We live in a culture that loves experts and specialists. Not only do we love them, we expect to pay more for them. Be honest. If you had a serious medical condition and were looking for a helping professional, would you go to a generalist who sees everyone or would you go to someone who specializes in working with people diagnosed with your medical condition? We assume the specialist knows more regardless of whether or not it is actually true AND we are willing to pay more for that knowledge and experience.

Many people fear that specializing will reduce their client base and, therefore, their income. The opposite is actually true. Specializing makes you an expert with authority and people are willing to pay more for expert advice for their specific issue. Authority sells.

3. Believe that investing in new healing modalities and certification programs is what will bring in more clients.

The logic behind this thinking is that the more training I have, the more issues I can treat and the more people I can help. All of that equals more clients, right? Wrong. First, see above for comments on helping everyone. Second, because healers are in love with their modalities, that's what they talk to people about. Here is another hard truth ... ready? ... people don't care what modalities you use. Conversations about healing modalities and how they work usually end up confusing potential clients, and a confused mind always says "no". What people really care about is whether or not you have experience with their issue and if you can alleviate their pain. Benefits and results are what people will pay for and clearly communicating them in your marketing is what will bring in more clients.

If you really want more clients and to make more money, stop going to trainings and certification programs to learn more healing modalities. You already know enough. Where you need to invest your resources is in learning how to run your healing work like a business. That means learning basic skills like setting up policies and procedures, creating systems and setting up business finances, to more advanced skills like networking, off-line and on-line marketing and creating multiple streams of income.

If you found yourself making any or all of these mistakes and you serious about getting more clients and making more money, then download the application for a 20 minute strategy session and be one of the first 10 to turn it in to me by the deadline. Download the strategy session application form  http://www.awakenyourentrepreneur.com/StrategySessionApplication.pdf

 Action Steps:

1. Create clear policies around offering reduced fee or pro bono sessions that are based on your financial health, not what you think someone can afford. Once you create them, stick to them. If you need help with this, listen to my fr.ee audio again Energy of Money: Create a Mindset for making Money While Making a Difference in the World. I give specific examples of things to consider.

2. Become a specialist. Make a list of the problems/pains you have specialized training in or significant experience with that you like to address. Also make a list of what issues you don't know much about, don't enjoy or don't want to work with. Get clear on who you do and don't serve and how you can help. Begin looking at the "gurus" to see if you can tell by their marketing who they do and don't serve.

3. List all of the benefits people receive and the results they can expect when they work with you. The more specialized and specific you are, the better and more compelling it will be and the more money people will be willing to pay for it.

Take action on your assignment - it will help! If you do nothing, nothing will ever change. Let me know how you did! Email me at melanie@melanieyost.com. Melanie Yost, LCSW Business Mentor for Helping Professionals

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