5 DIRT CHEAP TOOLS

ESSENTIAL TOOLS FOR GROWING YOUR PRIVATE PRACTICE

1. EMAIL LIST: Marketing and business experts continually talk about how a business grows based on
its e-mail list. Email lists are great because you can engage with people who want to hear more
from you. They are ready to buy more! You could just keep a list on your e-mail, but with some
tracking tools you can set up auto-replies, track who is opening and who is not, and see if people
click on your links. I have used Mailchimp for several years. When youre looking for a free e-
newsletter service that can track whats working and not working, it is great. If you dont mind
spending a little bit, I actually recently switched to Aweber because they have better customer
service and have a few more options, but until you are making money off your list, its really not
necessary.
2. WEBSITE DESIGN: Building a website that looks great is essential in any market. Most counselors
are not focusing on great design and easy-to-use websites, thus, the competition sparse. You dont
need to be smart enough, you just need the right tools! Heres what I use:
Design: I use Wordpress, its free and people are always developing plug-ins (like apps for a
website) that can help you have the next bug thing on your website.
Domain: For around $10/year you can buy a URL, I use Namecheap, its very easy to set up
and the customer service is really wonderful!
Hosting: I use Bluehost because they have unlimited hosting, which means you can run
multiple websites off the same account. Also, they have a live person that will walk you
through steps when you get stuck, its amazing. This is an area worth spending the
$6/month to make sure your site is secure, runs fast, and integrates well.
3. LUNCH: Yeah you read it correctly. Taking out potential referral sources for breakfast or lunch is the
#1 way I get referrals! In fact, I have only 5 or so referrals that consistently send people my way.
Having breakfast together or eating lunch is one of the best ways to get more referrals.
4. YOUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER: Writing for your local newspaper is one of the best ways to be seen as
an expert by everyone! Pick a niche and focus in on that. By becoming the expert in that area,
people will think about you before the call anyone else.
5. WRITE AN E-BOOK: People value someone more when their name is in print. Amazon makes it very
easy to launch an e-book and most are only 20-30 pages long, whats stopping you? Heres a blog
post about it: How to Write an E-book

CHECK OUT MY HIGHEST RANKING BLOG POST

HOW TO NAME A PRIVATE PRACTICE