Profitable Private Practice Marketing Tips
“Get Very Comfortable Asking for Payment”
Another episode of Private Practice Rescue
In our most recent episode of Private Practice Rescue, you discovered the power of the Million Dollar Answer. It’s still here.
In this episode, you’ll discover 3 more secrets I wish I knew when I first started out.
Here they are:
Secret 1: Get very comfortable asking for payment
One of the easiest ways to set this up is to have very clear explanations in your intake forms about how payment works.
It’s your job to train your clients on how to pay you promptly. You can adopt the saying I use:
“No session is complete without payment”
A significant part of this is having the words to say.
For example, when a client tells you they left their wallet, purse, or checkbook in the car, you can respond with
“That’s OK, I’ll wait.”
Having the words to say already prepared goes a long way in reducing the anxiety about asking for payment.
Secret 2: Eliminate too many “buying decisions”
Most private practice professionals see clients on some kind of a regular basis.
In my opinion, it’s a mistake to have a client have to make a payment at each visit, for at least two reasons:
1) Often, their last experience of you is giving you money, and
2) It turns every appointment into a buying decision. This goes something like this:
“Let’s see, how much room do I have on the credit card this week” or, “I think I would rather go to the beach than pay for a session this week.”
The solution is to get payment in advance. You can do this by charging by the month upfront, or giving a small discount for paying for multiple sessions upfront.
Proof I eat my own cooking: Most most recent new coaching client bought a 7 session package.
Secret 3: Give yourself a great birthday present
I gave up billing on insurance and all managed care and went to fee for service on my birthday in 1996.
My colleagues warned I’d go out of business. A year later those same colleagues were asking me to teach them how I did it :-)
Every year since then, I have either launched a major project or raised my fees on my birthday, or both.
Bonus Secret: No one leaves empty-handed
Create articles and columns from your expertise. I’ve made it really easy to do here, even if you can’t write with spray paint on the side of a barn.
If you see clients in person, have copies to hand out.
If you see clients online, have links to send them.
This has at least 3 great benefits:
- You provide your clients with more value
- Positions you as the “go-to” person in your niche
- When you include your contact info it’s another great source of word-of-mouth referral.
ANOTHER BONUS TIP: Want more great real-world actionable tips like this?
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