When you randomly do things to build your practice, you get some results.  However, if you have an overall strategy, where everything joins up, then the effort you put in will be leveraged through the work you have already done.  You’ll get greater results for the effort you put in.

Designing your practice and setting it up carefully will create a solid foundation that you can build on later.  When you have many structures in place, e.g. a website, then later activity can link into and enhance this so it becomes far more effective.

This is the strategy I will help you work through:-

Stage one – Research.  Okay this sounds boring but it is essential; it may only take a few hours to do, or sometimes it can take a few weeks if you need to talk to many people.  The design of your practice relies on this stage being done properly.

You could probably work with just about anybody; however you can’t work with everyone.  There has to be some filtering.  The clients you work with are somehow selected, is it done by random chance or by design?

As you become clear as to who you serve, then your message will become far more focused to speak specifically to that group.  As a result they will understand your service better, resulting in you finding it easier to attract good clients.

Stage two – Testing.  Once you’ve identified a potential group you can serve well, the next big question is “Are they willing to pay you the money you are looking for?” And then “Are there enough of them?”

Depending on the group you’re targeting, you may have to do some initial setup, such as flyers, business cards or even a mini website.  The activities you need to complete will be dependent on the methods you intend to use to build your practice.

You may have to go back to stage one if you find that the target market is not right for you and your practice.

Depending how you connect with your target audience, this stage could take anything from a few days to a month or two.  For example, if you’re going to use the Internet to attract clients, the testing phase will take a little time.

Stage three – Setting up. During this stage you will be committing a lot of time and effort, and potentially some money.  Depending on what you need you may have to set up websites, produce documentation and so forth.

Also during the setup stage you’ll be getting clearer on what you need to say to people.  So for example if you intend to use business networking events, it’s important to know what sort of conversations you’ll have.  Preparing adequately for them means you will get better results.

There may be numerous resources and skills you’ll want to develop to give you the tools to easily attract the people you are looking for.

You’ll find that there are many mini projects in this stage.  You won’t have to complete all of them before you can start bringing in new clients.  One of the most time consuming activities is practising conversations so that you sound professional and clear.

You’re likely to be getting you first new clients at this stage.

Stage four – The initial practice building.   Now you’ll be starting to fill your practice.  You’ll set up the first part of your practice and then get it working.  Then you’ll build the next essential part, and so on.

One of the major objectives of this stage is developing the systems and routines you’ll be using in the future.

You’ll also be developing the language you need for high-quality conversations.  You’ll also start to become familiar with the procedures you are developing.

This stage can be very confusing and frustrating; partly because things have not yet become a habit for you.

During this stage you’ll be appreciating the support.  Previously you were probably looking for ideas, skills and information.  Now you’ll need the support and vision to keep going.

How long it takes is directly proportional to the number people you are willing and able to talk with.  You’ll become more effective as time goes on, and you’ll slowly move into the next stage without noticing it.  This could take anything from a few weeks to several months.

During this stage you will steadily be attracting new clients to your practice

Stage five – Routine.  This is a stage in its own right.  It’s where you need to keep repeating the activities you’ve learned to fill your practice.  You’re not designing new ways of doing things; you’re not looking for a different target audience.  You just keep doing what is working.

Perhaps the major challenge here is getting bored.  Some people like to wing it all the time.  They like the ducking and diving.  So finding ways of making the routine enjoyable to you can be a major challenge.

You will be in this stage until you change your practice, move location, sell your business or retire. You can however use stage six to add variety and interest.

Stage six – developing the business.  Once you’ve mastered the routines that are bringing in the clients you want to work with, who are happily paying your fees, you can then move forward. Now you’ll have an income base to build on.

Where and how you develop is going to be much more driven by your interests and desires.  You’re unlikely to be developing an entirely new market, which is a new group of people you are targeting.  However you will be finding better ways to communicate with the people you are currently working with.

Once you have a client base, then you are in a position to start building referral systems and reaching out through them.

It will be during this stage that you start to raise your fees.

The challenge of mini projects.

Many of the above stages will consist of many mini projects.  Many of which will follow the same steps.  The biggest challenge you may face is identifying which mini projects to focus on now and which to delay.

It is far too easy to think that everything has to be done before you can start reaching out to connect with clients.  This is probably one of the easiest ways to completely fail.  You could spend months developing documentation, conversations and websites only to find the market does not want you!  This is why the testing stages so important.

Preventing stall-out.

Hopefully you’ll already know and recognise the value of the stages in this process to building a practice.

So why don’t you already have a vibrant full practice?

The most common answer is you’ve stalled out, don’t know where to start, can’t really see where you’re heading or you felt overwhelmed with the mount of tasks you have to do.

This is where I can help you. My job is to help you see the way, guide you through the steps, stop you when you’re off-track and keep you moving forward. With my help you can build a solid practice with clients you enjoy working with, who pay the fees you require to live a good quality life.

If you are ready to grow your practice then look at my free session called “Your next steps to a full and vibrant practice”.