Do you know what I love most about therapists?
You don’t hold your punches when calling me out on my BS.
This truth was recently reinforced by a therapist’s response to a marketing email I sent. The question she posed shook me to my core – and gave me plenty to think (and write) about.
Here’s the story.
Getting new clients is one of the biggest challenges for any service industry. Not just therapists.
I spend half of my week trying to come up with new ways to reach out to therapists and inspire you to reach out for help.
One technique I use is Googling “therapist in [city name]” to find clinicians who might need my services. Then, I email them out of the blue to say hi.
Yeah, that’s right … I’m that guy.
The stranger who emails you asking if you want to become a client. You know the emails I’m talking about. The ones we all look at, roll our eyes, and immediately click delete.
So, if you don’t like them, and I don’t like them … why the heck am I sending them?
That’s a question I’ve been meditating on a lot recently.
In a moment of clarity, I realized that I need to offer them something with no strings attached. A gift from the heart, which I give freely with no expectations.
My Therapist Newsletter is My Gift
What I came up with is that my therapist newsletter is my way of saying, “thank you for the amazing work you do.”
Sure, I would love to collaborate with everyone reading this. And yes, my newsletter sometimes has info about my services. But above all else, I share these resources because I want you to succeed … for the betterment of the world.
At least, that’s what I told myself.
My feelings of authenticity lasted about 1 day – until a therapist from Minnesota responded to the email and shattered my self-delusion. She said,
“What’s in it for you? No one helps others for free, my friend. So I sign up for your newsletter and then you offer fee for service experiences? Please be authentic with me.”
I thought I was being transparent and authentic in my email – but clearly, she disagreed. Was she right? Was my entire approach a lie?
“If my business is built around helping therapists, how can any gift truly be selfless,” I pondered?
Is it possible for me to practice the Buddhist act of dana and cultivate generosity when there will always be an ulterior motive (no matter how small it may be)?
I wrestled with these questions all day, as I mulled over how to respond.
A Journey of Self-Reflection
My self-reflection helped me realize that she is partially correct.
I do send these emails as a marketing tool. I spend hours a week crafting them, writing these blog posts, and coming up with ways to inspire you to grow your practice.
I also share these resources as a way to give you all the tools you need to succeed on your own. As I mentioned earlier, it’s my way of giving back.
In the days since I got that email, I have modified my initial outreach email to include this sentence:
** and yes, my emails sometimes include info on how I help therapists get more clients all year round – but if you’re not interested, you can feel free to ignore them.
I’ve always said, “when I win the lottery, I’m going to take every single sales pitch out of my newsletter — and invest millions making sure therapists have easy access to them.”
In the meantime, I will continue to create blog posts and send newsletters with the hope that they help you grow your therapy practice.
There is no obligation to reach out, use my services, or do anything else. But, if you ever have ANY questions, please do reach out. No strings attached.
Thanks for being on this journey with me and have a beautiful day.
P.S. You can sign up for my newsletter here.
