Unquestioned assumptions can kill your business. Or keep it from ever growing in the first place. Here are the top 22 myths I see holistic practitioners living under. Which ones do you still believe?
Note: I sell a 53 page exploration into these myths which is often very useful for practitioners to delve into. You can get it here.
MYTH #1: “It takes a long time to ‘get my name out there’ and once I do, the clients will just come to me. Building a successful, full practice takes years.”
MYTH #2: “If I just get more training and certificates, I’ll finally be good enough to get enough clients.”
MYTH #3: “Getting new clients is hard work…if I become too successful I’ll just feel tired and burnt out.”
MYTH #4: “I need an expensive website, a fancy logo, beautiful business cards and a snazzy brochure to get new clients”
MYTH #5: “There must be something wrong with ME if I don’t have a full practice. Maybe I’ll get a full practice once I’m more healed or more enlightened.”
MYTH #6: “I’ll just copy what other practitioners and coaches are doing to market their services and I’ll get clients.”
MYTH #7: “If I could just retain the clients I have and get them to refer people to me, I would have a full practice.”
MYTH #8: “Most people will be uncomfortable if I directly ask them to work with me.”
MYTH #9: “I’m held back by low self esteem and self worth.”
MYTH #10: “No one understands what I do! I need to get better at explaining what reiki (or whatever) is.”
MYTH #11: “So, you’re saying that business success is all about business skills. Personal growth has nothing to do with it?”
MYTH #12: “But, marketing, sales and self promotion comes from the ego.”
MYTH #13: “Offer a good session and you’ll have clients. You just need to give people a sample of what you do and, if it’s good, they’ll rebook and be clients for life.”
MYTH #14: “Marketing just doesn’t work. I mean, maybe these marketing strategies work for others, but they don’t work for me. These marketing strategies won’t work in my country.”
MYTH #15: “People in my community just don’t spend money on massage (or whatever service you offer).”
MYTH #16: “If I had more money I could market my business better.”
MYTH #17: “The recession is killing my business.”
MYTH #18: “I don’t have time.”
MYTH #19: “I’m not qualified enough or educated enough to market myself.”
MYTH #20: “I’m no good at writing and I’m terrified of public speaking – so how could I ever market myself?”
MYTH #21: “If I charge too much then I’ll lose business. Plus, only greedy people charge a lot of money.”
MYTH #22: “Secretly I’m hoping to be discovered by someone important (like Oprah!) and get my big break.”
