How many times have you met someone and you wanted to know more about their background? If you are an alternative therapist, you can use this basic human response to your advantage to build trust.

 

This is especially the case because you spend so much time with clients, one on one. In the last ten appointments with your general practitioner, how much time have you actually spent with them? Most people would admit they spend very little time with their doctor. A common doctor’s visit for most people is having the nurse check their vitals and the doctor comes in for a few minutes to talk and then writes a prescription or two.

 

With alternative therapy, the client spends much more time with you. They work with you and even though you need to keep the appointments professional, you learn about one another. This is especially true with massage therapists. A masseuse spends thirty minutes or an hour with the client and it’s a wonderful time to get to know one another. When the masseuse talks with the client, they can use the time to find ways to offer helpful suggestions to the client.

 

Trust is Important

 

Alternative therapy requires a certain amount of trust and especially for people who are new to therapy. So, the more these people understand about you and the therapy you offer, the smoother their treatment can be.

 

Many forms of alternative medicine are “hands on”. This is one reason a client needs to feel they can trust you. How many new people do you let rub your naked body? Massage therapists need to build this trust and work to maintain trust with their clients.

 

What elements of your practice require that your clients put their trust in you? It could be a concerned parent who needs you to treat their child. Another example is a client who has seen many doctors and spent a lot of money with mainstream doctors, but they didn’t get any relief or results. These people may be unfamiliar with the sort of work you do and some additional information would be helpful in making them more comfortable and positive about the experience.

 

Your Decision to Enter Alternative Medicine

 

How did you decide to get into the field of alternative medicine? Why did you pick that over the more “acceptable” mainstream medicine? What drew you to alternative medicine? There are many interesting answers to those questions.

 

A large number of alternative therapists got into the field because of a personal experience or an experience of a friend of loved one. Do you know why some of your fellow therapists got into their speciality? It can be

very interesting to ask this question when you’re with a group of practitioners.

 

It’s beneficial if you can find a way to share your motivation for becoming a therapist with your clients. Some examples are:

 

• Suffering a sports injury
• Being in a severe car accident
• Having a habit that you couldn’t kick by yourself
• Extreme pain and not finding relief with mainstream medicine
• Looking for an alternative to prescription drugs for many conditions

 

These are just a few reasons. What other examples can you name? All of them are the sort of situations that your potential clients could be dealing with each day. It’s always beneficial to consider the problem or situation that prompts a client to approach you about care.

 

Is there anything in particular that intrigues you about alternative medicine? The fact that therapists don’t use drugs is a positive to many people. The ability to tap into ways to allow the body to heal itself naturally is also attractive to many people.

 

Make a Connection With Potential Clients

 

Can you use your personal discovery of alternative therapy to help others learn more about the services you offer? This can be very powerful when you discuss possible benefits and treatment with potential clients. It is also very powerful when you speak with a person with the same problem or similar ideas. You will connect with them on a much deeper level.

 

We are all people with problems and challenges that are searching to find a solution to make our lives better. There are many ways that alternative therapy can make the client’s life better, but you need to help them open their eyes and the minds in order to see the possibilities.

 

Share Your Story With the Media

 

The media loves a good human interest story. If you have a personal story that shows how alternative medicine made a radical difference in the quality of your life, you should speak with the local lifestyle or health editor for your newspaper. The story will have a broad appeal if it shows the problem and how you were able to overcome the problem by using alternative medicine. It’s great to include the fact that you are a local practitioner, but you will get better results if that isn’t the major focus of the article. Remember, your advertising will have a bigger impact when its shows people what’s in it for them.

Kim Richardson - the therapists' coach - helps you make a success of your therapy business. To download your FREE 7 Part mini course please see his small business coaching website.