Why holistic therapists need to network

The saying that "It's not what you know, but WHO you know" rings so true in business.

Getting out, meeting and connecting with people is a critical business skill - networking is widely practiced in the business world, and this brief video talks about the value of networking for holistic therapists.

It points out why, if you're not currently doing any form of regular networking, it may be worth considering doing so as a way of growing your holistic therapies business.

The video mentions some of Revive's networking events and our online networking forum, http://thetherapyexchange.ning.com/, as well providing a number of other suggestions for finding networking events near you.



Networking has worked for me - it has generated corporate and private massage work, writing and marketing work. I'm sure that if you begin to expand your network, and are out there talking about what you do with enthusiasm and passion, you'll reap the rewards too.

I'd love to hear any of your networking success stories. Please feel free to reply to this post.

New networking events for complementary therapists on the Gold Coast

As the dust from our first Brisbane networking event settles, I'm thrilled to announce that our networking events for complementary therapists will run each month on the Gold Coast from August 2009.

Revive launched The Therapy Exchange networking events in Brisbane in May 2009. Since the first event in early July, additional sessions of each event have been scheduled to cater for the growing interest in the opportunity to network with fellow therapists.

The Gold Coast events will be held in the Board Room of the Nerang RSL and Memorial Club on the second Tuesday evening of each month. Each event will focus on an aspect of marketing or business development related to the holistic therapies industry. The theme of the first Gold Coast event on 11 August 2009 is The Value of Marketing for Holistic Therapists.

Subsequent events will feature expert speakers and group discussions, and will showcase new products and services related to the holistic therapies industry.

The Brisbane networking events have demonstrated a strong desire by therapists of all modalities to connect with other practitioners and discuss the business challenges they face.

Therapists typically work in isolation, and these events provide a forum to discuss issues such as marketing, business development, practice administration and management, customer service, industry trends and developments, and many other issues that can determine their success.

Date & Time:
11th August 2009
6.45pm for a 7.00pm start – finishes at 9pm.

Cost: $20 per person

Venue:
The Board Room, Nerang RSL and Memorial Club
69 Nerang Street, Nerang QLD 4211

CPE Points:
AAMT members earn 5 CPE per networking event.
Other associations may recognise the events for CPE purposes.

Upcoming Events
8 September - Promoting Your Holistic Therapies Business Online
13 October - Expanding Your Business: How to Find New Clients
10 November - Love Thy Client: Keep Them Coming Back for More

We welcome the complementary therapists of the Gold Coast region to our upcoming events. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any queries about our networking events.

We came, we saw, we networked!

The first of The Therapy Exchange networking events ran in Teneriffe this week, themed: The Value of Marketing for Holistic Therapists.

Such a diverse group of people brought an exceptionally diverse a range of skills - massage therapists, reiki practitioners, counsellors and beauticians. The range of business experience in the group ranged from people just starting out in their own business to those who had been running their business for a few years.

Some of the common business challenges the group members currently face, include branching out from a full time job to grow a business from scratch, understanding how to get the best “bang for buck” from limited marketing dollars, how to find new clients and how to retain existing clients.

Throughout the explanation of some of the key elements of marketing – product, place, price and promotion – a lively discussion ensued. Group members were happy to share what had and had not worked for them, and everyone agreed that it was valuable to mingle with other therapists and learn from each other.

Discussion moved onto a common desire for the various holistic therapies association to do more for their members – provide more business-based advice; more lobbying to raise the awareness of certain modalities and to gain Government recognition for particular modalities. It was valuable to hear of everyone’s experience with their respective associations.

It felt like the discussion could have kept going all evening! It was very much my intention in running these monthly networking events, to inspire discussion and sharing amongst therapists across all modalities. There is some reassurance in knowing that although we may work mainly in isolation, we have many colleagues in the same boat. I would like to thank everyone for participating with such enthusiasm. I can’t wait for the next event!

The theme proved to be so popular that we’ve scheduled a second event on 15 July. This session is filling up quickly - please register quickly if you’d like to attend. Bookings are essential. August’s event is themed Promoting Your Holistic Therapies Business Online. The 5 August session is booked out, but there are still a few vacancies for the session on 20 August.

Members of the AAMT can earn 5 CPE points by attending Revive Holistic Marketing’s networking events. Members of other associations may also be eligible to earn CPE or CPD points by attending networking events. Please feel free to contact me if you have any queries about our networking events.

Don't forget that we also offer online networking opportunities for complementary therapists at http://thetherapyexchange.ning.com/. Check it out today. It's free to join!

The inspirational women of Brisbane

I attended a great networking event this week, run by Brisbane Women.

Founded by writer, Kylie Welsh, Brisbane Women now has over 400 members. 30 women attended Tuesday's event, and after Kylie's introduction, business coach Lisa Murray took the stand.

She asked us "what would it take to make our businesses phenomenal?" She first linked this to having a personal vision - which is more than just a list of goals. Lisa's take was that a vision was about asking the questions "what would satisfy me?" and "what do I need to do to make my heart and soul happy?".

Lisa discussed how our fears of success can hold us from achieving our personal vision, and reminded us of one of Marianne Williamson's beautiful quotes;

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Lisa then called on psychic intuitive, Shauna Teaken, who took us on a quick guided visualisation about our vision for our business. Shauna was about the most down-to-earth psychic intuitive I've ever met, and had us in stitches.

It was then time to write down our vision and break into groups of three to brainstorm it further. I teamed up with two fascinating women, Nirala Jacobi, a naturopathic physician, and Susan Living, director of the Clean Living Clinic. It was probably not coincidental that we all seemed to share a common interest in raising the awareness of holistic therapies, and helping therapists across all modalities to achieve this. How quickly that 15 minutes went! It felt like we only just touched the tip of the iceberg in terms of the possibilities for working towards a common objective.

Lisa then conducted a general question and answer session, the main focus of which turned to making money. Several of the women spoke of their reluctance to charge a full and fair fee for their services. We concluded that if we didn't value our own services, our potential clients would not do so either.

It was then time for a speed networking session, where we had about two minutes to chat to more women in the room, explain what we did and exchange cards. Phew! Exhausting but interesting stuff. There's so many interesting women in Brisbane carving out niche businesses for themselves - and everyone seemed willing to support each other where they could.

The Brisbane Women networking event was really worthwhile, and allows women to continue to network in an online community at http://brisbanewoman.ning.com/. On this site, users can create profiles and list any upcoming events or workshops, and simply connect with other inspiring, entrepreneurial business women in Brisbane.

I'm very much looking forward to the next Brisbane Woman event on 7 July!

Launching The Therapy Exchange - Networking Events for Brisbane's Holistic Therapists

It's all go at Revive Holistic Marketing! We've just launched The Therapy Exchange - a series of networking events for holistic therapists in Brisbane.























The Therapy Exchange aims to help therapists network with like-minded people, and to keep abreast of industry developments and the issues that impact their business.

Held on the first Wednesday (or Thursday) of the month, each event will focus on a particular theme related to the holistic therapies industry. As well as networking with fellow practitioners, we'll:

- Learn from an expert presenter and each other
- Participate in a group discussion related to the theme
- Discover new holistic therapies products

Above all, we'll have a great time and meet some fabulous people over drinks and nibblies!

All events are run at Revive's premises at Teneriffe from 7.00pm - 9.00pm and cost $20 per person. Check our networking calendar for dates and to book your place at our next event.

The series kicks off on 1 July 2009 with an event themed The Value of Marketing for Holistic Therapists.

"The Australian natural (complementary) healthcare industry has domestic sales of over $1 billion per year...the popularity of natural healthcare products is increasing with a growth rate of 7% year on year."

Even in today's economic climate, there are huge opportunities for holistic therapists - so why is it that the average weekly earnings before tax of massage therapists is $600, compared with the average weekly earnings of all occupations of $940?

Marketing is critical for any business - and holistic therapists are no different! Effective marketing can not only help to improve this large discrepancy in earnings, but can help therapists to create and grow successful businesses.

This event will focus on the value of, and need for, effective marketing in the holistic therapies industry. As well networking with fellow therapists, you'll receive valuable tips for your business and loads of information about the range of marketing resources available. Click here for more information or to download the flyer.

Places are limited - book online or call us to secure your place!