This document outlines a presentation on running a therapy business. It discusses the importance of having basic business skills like accounting, financial management, and marketing. It focuses on developing an elevator pitch and using the marketing mix of product, promotion, price, and place. Promotional strategies covered include branding, websites, blogs, social media, and networking. It also provides examples of a marketing plan and tracking return on investment. The goal is to help therapists understand how to operate successfully as small business owners.

1. The Business of Therapy
Alison Moore
Registered MBACP (Acc) MNCS (Acc)
PC Cert Counselling Supervision
DorMen Mentor
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2. Session Outline
• Why me
• Business Basics
• Marketing your business
• Q&A
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3. Who am I
• Accredited Counsellor
• DorMen Mentor
• Registered Supervisor
• Dorchester Chamber of
Commerce President
• Trainer
• DACAP chair
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• Dorset LEP Board
Member

4. Is Therapy a Business?
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5. Key Business Skills
• Strategic Management. Creating a business and strategic
plan for your business and making sure you keep to it.
• Basic Accounting. Which records to keep, how to keep them
and how to file them.
• Financial Management. Where to find financing and how to
manage it once you’ve sourced it.
• People Management. Hiring your first employee and how to
manage them.
• Marketing. How to market your business through traditional
channels, web and social media.
• Sales. How to complete a sale and look after your customers.
• Operations Management. Choosing and managing your
suppliers.
•
http://www.smallbusinessbc.ca/starting-a-business/understanding-basics-business
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6. Business Basics
• Data Protection – use of Cloud – online
Calendars – passwords on phones –
servers outside EU – mobile phone pin
numbers
• Consider VOIP voice over IP - Vonage
• Business Resilience – if you can’t who
can?
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7. Marketing
• 4 (5) Ps
– Product/Service
– Promotion
– Price
– Place
– People
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8. Product/Service
• What is your product/service?
• Your elevator speech –
– What problem do you solve for your
customers?
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9. What I do
• I’m therapist Alison Moore. I help
overwhelmed women find a healthy
balance between caring for themselves
and their family relationships so they can
live fulfilling and meaningful lives.
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10. What I do . . . 2
• I’m a therapist turned business consultant.
I inspire therapists to build successful
practices by helping them identify their
passions and develop basic business skills
so they can make a good living doing what
they love.
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11. Promotion
•
•
•
•
•
•
Branding- More than a Logo
Website
Blog
Social Media
Business Networking
AIDA
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12. Promotion
• Branding - More than a Logo
– Branding is what you are
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13. Promotion
• Website
What is the purpose of your website?
– Sell products and services
– Generate leads
– Establish credentials
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14. Promotion
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15. Promotion - Blog
• Short for ‘web log’
• To share your knowledge with the world –
a diary, perhaps?
• Wordpress is a common platform and free
to start with
• Updating your blog keeps your website
current, which Google likes
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16. Promotion - Social Media
• Twitter
– 140 characters; Follow; # hashtag
• Facebook
– Have a ‘page’ for your business
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17. Promotion - Social Media
• LinkedIn
– A professional network – peer support
• Google places
– Your location on Google maps, better search
results
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18. Promotion - Social Media
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19. Promotion – Business Networking
• Benefits of business networking include
– Generation of referrals/increase business
– Opportunities
– Connections
– Advice
– Raising profile
– Positive Influence
– Friendship
Don’t forget your business cards!
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20. Promotion – AIDA
Attention
Interest
Desire
Don’t forget the
Call to ACTION!
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Action

21. Price
• How much & what for?
• Payment types
– Card payment – World Pay Zinc
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22. Place
• What does you location say to your
clients?
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23. People
• Staff
• Affinity Partnerships
– example: a Telephone Reception service
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24. Marketing Plan
Marketing Plan
2014
Month
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September October
November December
Total
Activity
Online directory
10
Top listing
50
Attend network meeting
10
10
10
10
10
10
50
10
10
10
50
10
Leaflets
10
£ 20.00
45
5
5
45
5
5
5
5
5
£ 120.00
£ 200.00
10
DACAP
Website
10
50
5
5
5
55
£ 45.00
5
45
£ 110.00
£ 90.00
£
-
£
-
£
-
£
-
£
-
£
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-
£
Total Marketing Spend
-
£
-
£ 585.00

25. Return on Investment
• ROI is how we know if the activity was
worth it
• If it is time rather than £, use an hourly
rate – minimum wage is currently £6.31
• Need to know how clients find us
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26. Next time . . .
Friday 13th June 2014
We are hoping to have Linda ParkinsonHardman, the CEO of The Hysterectomy
Association, a trained Counsellor and a
recognised authority on the many implications
of Hysterectomy.
The talk will include what, as Therapists, we
need to know to work effectively with this client
group.
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27. Therapy is a Business
Running our own business may not be our
skills set . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . Perhaps consider outsourcing?
Please leave your email on the sheet and I will
send these slides to you
Thank you 
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