We recently spoke to students at The Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine on the theme of “Your First Ten Patients”. A good time as always, but we were nicely upstaged by superstar Mary Caracoglia, ND, who told the story of her remarkable first year in practice.

Mary received her license to practice and opened her doors in October. Twelve months later she had taken home over $80,000.

This is the how she did it.

What You Need to Know First

I want you to see this through the right lens. It’d be easy to dismiss this as good luck, the result of some special skill, or setting up in an area with no competition. None of that is true.

• Mary’s area is “saturated”. The only naturopathic college in Ontario is in Toronto, and many practitioners stay there after graduation. While I don’t buy the competition excuse, really–and Mary is proof that it’s not a big factor–you should know that Mary accomplished what she did in a market that was by no means free of competition.

• Mary’s not “special“. (No offense, Mary ) She’s wonderful, positive, bright and energetic, but most practitioners I meet have those traits in abundance. Like you, though, she has moments of uncertainty, fear, and disillusionment, too. In her words:

“I want to start off by saying that something most grads don’t talk about is the feeling that just after all of this school, all of these tests, all of this clinical experience…you can feel completely INCOMPETENT and scared out of your mind.” - Mary Caracoglia, ND

Mary’s just like you, folks. The difference is not in her personality. It’s in her behavior. Here’s my distillation of how Mary did what she did.

Strategy 1: Start Early

“Most grads from my class didn’t look for space during the summer… instead of starting work in October which was the earliest you could start once getting your NPLEX results, they had to wait until January.” – Mary Caracoglia, ND

Mary graduated in April, but had to study all summer and write board exams in August in order to finally get a license to practice by mid-autumn. Most practitioners simply wait until then to start the process of opening their practice. Not Mary. By June she was spending a day a week working on her practice–a practice that wouldn’t start until October.

Why it worked:

Starting early gave her several advantages:

• Study breaks
• A jump on the rest of her graduating colleagues
• Time to form relationships
• Time to pick the right location

The first two are nice, but not earth-shattering. The last two are game-changers, as we’ll see.

Strategy 2: Choose Your Location Wisely

“You need to spend a lot of time thinking about what you want…keep in mind that what you think you want will change the more offices you see and people you meet. I literally cold-called as many places as possible.” - Mary Caracoglia, ND

The last benefit of starting early–time to find the right location–was one Mary put to great use. She called over 40 offices inquiring if they were interested in renting space, and then gradually booked meetings to see the space, meet the players, and get more details.

Why it worked:

I don’t know of anyone who’s looked at that many spaces, but the logic here is pretty clear:

• Other than buying a practice, your single biggest opportunity for new clients when you start your practice is referrals from other health care professionals…
• …The easiest way to do get those referrals is to set up shop with someone busy who will refer to you like crazy…
• …The easiest way to do that is to look around. A lot.

That’s what Mary did. She found two places with the right fit, that would benefit her the most. And by “benefit the most” I mean deliver referrals. A ten percent better split and a nice waiting room don’t mean anything if you’re not seeing any patients. You need the referral traffic.

If you’re starting out, or thinking of moving your practice, do some speed dating. Get on the phone. Visit as many practices as you can. And if you’re not thinking of moving? Maybe you should be…:)

Strategy 3: Focus Your Marketing on Personal Connection

“I met a great number of other health care professionals and created a referral network.

I literally stood at the front desk or hung around the waiting room in the offices introducing myself to patients checking in and out with reception. I told them who I was, and offered them a free consultation on the spot. Most people were willing and interested.” - Mary Caracoglia, ND

Why it worked:

Health care is a business that delivers very personal services to people. It’s no surprise, then, that the best way to grow that business is by forming personal relationships with people.

Mary did the usual marketing stuff. She’s online, but not in a big way. She wrote articles. She has a website and blog. But her most of her marketing was about creating relationships with people. Meeting local practitioners and business owners. Talking to prospective patients. Mary’s job is to treat people, in person. So she went out there and met people, in person.

Sound squishy? Hard? Not your bag, baby? It wasn’t entirely easy for Mary, either….which leads to the next strategy.

Strategy 4: Stretch Yourself

“That’s something [lack of confidence] you need to get over very quickly. There’s nothing special about me. I’m not shy, but it’s uncomfortable to go to a networking party by yourself. I was terrified. But you do it. And it gets easier.”

“You will have days where you question your decisions and question the path you chose…days where you need to push through because you are completely out of your comfort zone “- Mary Caracoglia, ND

The Mary that graduated in April, and the one that had a successful practice a year later were the same person, personality-wise. But they’re world’s apart in terms of their skills, experience and wisdom. Mary succeeded because she learned. And not just any old learning. She learned to connect with people. To market herself. To talk about what she does and why it works. She learned things that are scary to think about, but that deliver results.

Why it worked:

What Mary grasped intuitively is something we can all take to heart: The skills that got you to graduation aren’t the same ones you need to successfully grow your practice.

To grow a successful practice you need to continue to learn. It’s the way out of the Cave, as we call it in The Practitioner’s Journey. The good news is that you’ve already proven you can learn. Now, though, you’re going to have to do it in a new way: without a net. Far fewer lectures and textbooks, far more being scared out of your pants. You need to take some risks. Emotional ones, just like Mary.

Strategy 5: Decide to be Busy

“I was sick of hearing that it takes three years. You can’t expect people to just find you…be proactive and find them….Other practitioners are sitting in their offices. I’m parking myself in the waiting room. I’m talking to people.” - Mary Caracoglia, ND

Mary said one phrase to the students, and then later to me, many times:

“I just wanted to be busy.”

Seem simple? Don’t blow this off. This philosophy is what drove Mary’s actions.

• She started right away, staying busy during her study summer schedule.
• She decided to start two locations, instead of one, knowing that she wasn’t likely to stay busy full-time in one office right away.
• Rather than sit in her office and hope, she stayed busy hanging around the waiting room, meeting new patients as they arrived to see other professionals.

Why it worked:

1. Practice success is directly related to practice activity. Note that Mary didn’t say, “I just wanted to have a lot of patients.” She said she wanted to be busy. And that was 100% within her control–she could be as active as she decided to be.

2. She was busy with the right stuff (see strategies 1 through 4). It’s easy to be “busy” hiding in your office, updating your FB status and checking email. Wrong kind of busy.

Can You Copy Mary?

Can anyone do this? I think so. Your mileage will vary, based on billing rates and practice models and a hundred other things, but the blueprint is there:

1. Don’t wait
2. Find a productive place to grow
3. Get out there in the world
4. Do what you’re afraid of
5. Stay busy and focused

It’s not rocket science. Just that age old recipe of elbow grease, focus, courage, persistence and all the other good stuff that makes practices–and the world–go ’round.

And for you veterans: Your first day of practice might have been long ago. But you can have another first day tomorrow, right?

Related posts:

1. 4 Ways to Start Next Year Right
2. A Simple Way to Offer Incredible Client Service This Year
3. How To Use a Waiting List in Your Practice – No Matter How Busy You Are

Randi Drinkwater is the president of Alternative Growth Streams (AGS), a company whose mission is to help alternative health care professionals grow their patient base. She’s also a colleague of ours from IntegrativePractitioner.com, where we both contribute to the growing community of practitioners.

We asked Randi for a case study from AGS’s work with CAM practitioners, and she was kind enough to share this story. Enjoy! -Dan & Tara

Maggie’s story

Six years ago Maggie started her alternative medicine practice in therapeutic massage in an affluent suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. Things were slow at first, but that didn’t dent Maggie’s spirit. She sent out postcards. She ran an ad in the phone book. She passed out flyers. Everyone she talked to she asked for their name, address and email. She recorded those names in her practice “database.”

Yes, her efforts yielded a handful of customers. However, Maggie estimated she was spending about $2000.00/month in marketing. At this rate it was costing Maggie about $1000.00 to acquire each new client.

Eighteen months later, there weren’t enough clients to cover the rent and the light bill. Maggie dusted off the list of names and addresses she had collected and decided to send out a postcard.

What Maggie never knew was that she had committed multiple marketing taboos. It wasn’t really her fault – her forté is healing not marketing.

Let’s take a look at a few of those marketing faux pas:

1. Never mail only one piece when doing direct mail (i.e., sending a postcard or a flyer to someone via US mail). Studies show it takes a minimum of two, more realistically, three times, before the person you mail to even remotely begins to remember who you are and what you have to offer.
2. Lists should be updated regularly (at minimum every 5-6 months) to ensure contact information is accurate and up-to-date (people move quite a bit in today’s economic climate). Sixty percent of the success of your mail program is tied to how up-to-date your list is and if they fit the profile of what your best client/patient looks like.

Maggie’s marketing efforts were not well-rewarded. She spent quite a bit of money and attracted few new clients. She called AGS in a panic. She needed new clients – and quickly – but didn’t have much money to make that happen.

What AGS & Maggie Did

The first thing we did was assure Maggie that she is not alone. Many of her peer practitioners have tried marketing only to be disappointed with high costs and low returns.

We asked some very specific questions about her practice to ensure that her marketing outreach had all the right components for success.

It boiled down to this …start with the basics:

1. Strategy first (what exactly are you trying to accomplish?)
2. Know thy customer (what does your best patient/client look like?)
3. Know what keeps them awake at night (What is their pressing issue or need?)
4. Show them you have what they need (your message of benefits offered)
5. Give them a reason to call you NOW (your offer)
6. Make it easy for them to learn more about you (without obligation)
7. Choose appropriate marketing tools (a way to package your story, so that you can deliver it to your prospects).

• We suggested Maggie establish a website where potential clients could come to learn about her services. She used an AGS professionally-designed website template which came with instructions for custom tailoring it to her business.

• With her website in place, serving as an online brochure, Maggie could now focus on getting new clients with AGS professionally-designed and written three-piece direct mail program.

• Critical to Maggie’s success, she took full advantage of AGS list service to ensure that she had up-to-date and accurate names and addresses. From there Maggie went to work with her newly found marketing tools.

The Results

Did Maggie’s marketing effort deliver results? You bet. Maggie has a new website and 10 new clients as a direct result of her marketing efforts with AGS. It only cost her $1.30 for each person that she marketed to.

Maggie used the AGS 3-piece direct mail campaign and mailed to 1000 people that fit the profile of her best customer. She also used the telemarketing guidelines and script from AGS to call those people as well. Her website got 300 hits (people who went to her website) – 100 of which actually spent time reviewing her practice information in detail.

She picked up 10 new clients within two months of doing her mail campaign. Maggie figures each client is worth about $1200 (in a one year period). Maggie will make $11,000 (after she deducts that $1200.00 she spent on marketing). Her return: Maggie will make $10 for every one dollar she invested in marketing. Not bad!

Next Steps for Maggie

Maggie is already preparing to mail again to 1000 new people on her list. She is also working with AGS public relations tools to help get “free exposure” for her practice with local magazines and newspapers. She is constantly adding new content (AGS research articles) to her website to keep it fresh so her clients will keep coming back to visit

Some final words from Randi:

• Being a gifted healer is table stakes when it comes to building your patient/client base. People need to know you are out there. How you optimize your outreach so that you can be found could very well mean the difference between thriving or simply surviving.
• Right Now, somebody out there is waiting to use your services… the question you must ask yourself, do YOU know who they are? And more importantly, do THEY know who you are?
• If you are not identifying your key and most profitable customers, AND getting your message out to them, you are missing the opportunity to find new and ultimately long-term clients. An opportunity lost that will go straight to your competitor’s practice.

Never lose site of your overall responsibility. The onus lies with each and every practitioner to take an active role in educating consumers on their wellness options. Then and only then can they make informed decisions.

Note: AGS is no longer around, but the case is still a valid one. If you need help finding similar resource, just let us know.

Related posts:

1. The Practitioner’s Journey: The Path to Practice Success
2. The Gift: A Free Practice Success Book

Jenn Givler, is an Intuitive Business Coach. She teach healers, alternative therapists, coaches, and spiritual teachers how to effectively market their practice using her Mindful Marketing Process. For more information about the process, her background, and informative marketing articles, check out her web site and blog at http://www.CreateAThrivingBusiness.com

We asked Jenn for a case study from her client work, and she readily agreed. When I suggested “something different”, she definitely delivered. Enjoy! -Dan

The Client

Mandy Miller has an affinity for animals. She provides animal healing and communication services and is particularly drawn to working with rescue animals and helping assimilate them in new, adoptive homes.

She’s great with the animals – her clients repeatedly tell her so. But her practice was growing at a slow, frustrating pace. She wanted to have enough clients to pay the bills and live feeling supported. But, despite her efforts to get her name out there, and her love of the work, she just couldn’t seem to get the client flow moving.

The Process
When Mandy and I started working together, she had been officially in business for 6 months. The first thing we did together was look at what she was currently doing to market and promote her practice.

Her strategy consisted of posting fliers in various places around town, telling “certain” people about her business, creating a web site, attending a few networking events, hoping, and praying.

I told her that she had a good start, but she needed a couple of foundational pieces, and that she needed to add some active marketing activities in order to balance the more passive things she was doing.

When clients first meet your business, they need to feel a connection to you. The way to do that is to speak their language. In other words, find out how your clients talk about your work, and then talk to others using those same words. So, Mandy surveyed her current clients to find out how they thought of her business. She was surprised because her clients talked about her work quite differently than she did. And she realized that the language she was using in her marketing materials wasn’t making a true connection with other people that needed her.

The next thing that Mandy needed was a way for people to stay in touch with her – such as a newsletter or blog. This way, if she met someone who felt connected to her, she could ask them to become part of her subscriber base, and could continue to stay in touch with them, and they could get to know her and her work.

Mandy and I then talked about active marketing activities. Active marketing activities include things like writing articles, and attending events. Active marketing activities are those activities that put you actively in front of people.

Mandy immediately thought of two publications that she could submit articles to, and a couple of holistic fairs, and a pet event that were coming up.

Mandy was able to easily set up the foundational pieces – changing the language in her marketing materials and on her web site, and she was excited about starting a newsletter. But when it came to the more active marketing pieces, we bumped up against some resistance.

Mandy procrastinated contacting the editors of the publications. And at her first event, she sat behind her table and when someone approached, she didn’t really say a whole lot.

This is not uncommon. When we think about our practice in the energetic sense, we get excited. We see possibilities, we’re open to opportunities. But sometimes, when we’re ready to take our efforts from the energetic, to the physical, we get stalled. Fear comes up, and we sabotage our efforts.

For Mandy, the articles and the events were scary because if those efforts brought her clients, she would have to take responsibility for someone and some other being’s healing. Not only that, but putting herself out there made her an “official animal communicator” as she called it. She would be facing her family, her friends, and anyone she met with that new title and she was afraid of what that might mean – rejection, abandonment. And what if she really couldn’t do this work? What if she failed?

Mandy and I had a few healing sessions together to work through these fears. Along with being a business coach, I’m a Reiki Master and an Intuitive Healer. We got to the root of the fear, we were able to see how it was operating in her life and keeping her stuck, and I was able to support her as she moved forward through the fear and out the other side.

The Results

Once Mandy took charge of her fear, got to the root of it and could see how it was operating for her, she was able to move forward with some of the more active marketing strategies. She was able to fully step into the responsibility of being a healer and an animal communicator.

At the events, she began talking to people when they approached her table. She changed her signage so that it was easier to read from a distance. And she actively asked people to subscribe to her newsletter.

She wrote her first article and submitted it for publication. Not only was it accepted, but she has gotten clients from it as well.

Mandy is starting to see steadier stream of clients building in her business. She has increased her weekly client load by 50% and that continues to improve as she actively gets herself out in front of new people.

Jenn’s Best Advice

One of the best things you can do in your promotional efforts is to develop and maintain a marketing strategy that contains a balance of active and passive marketing activities. The passive strategies become much more effective when you partner them with active activities.

For example, if you post a flier in a health food store, that flier will work much better if you also do talks at that store, or regularly attend events at the store.

Remember, we’re healing arts practitioners, but if we treat our practice like a business, it will be so much easier for our practice to support us, as much as we support it.

Thanks Jenn!

If you’d like to learn more about Jenn’s services or subscribe to her blog, be sure to visit Create a Thriving Business.

Coaches and practitioners: We’ll be featuring a series of case studies over the coming weeks. If you’ve got a practice growth story you’d like to share here on AHP, let us know!

Related posts:

1. The Gift: A Free Practice Success Book
2. The Practitioner’s Journey: The Path to Practice Success
3. 4 Questions That Will Help Get Your Marketing Done