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TIP SHEET: Essential Elements of Powerful Alliances
Here are a few of the essentials for using Strategic Alliances to grow your practice. Obviously, we can only cover a few of the essentials of forming powerful Strategic Alliance in a mere tip sheet. The HTH Virtual U. workbook Class 4C: Strategic Alliances provides more detail and step-by-step guidelines on how to approach potential partners and how to design the alliance. We urge you to download that and start your Strategic Alliance inquiries today! They are ALL AROUND YOU!
The Best Structure for A Successful Strategic Alliance In HTH, we distinguish between 2 LEVELS of strategic alliance. The first level, outlined below, is what most wellness providers are doing, and quite frankly it does not work very well.
Therefore I challenge you to start implementing Level II, also outlined below. I guarantee you that few, if any wellness providers are performing at Level II. Once you do, it will KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF, but again, we suggest you take the HTH PracticeBuilders program to get the full details and benefits of this powerful marketing tool!
LEVEL I: Informal, No Structure In Level 1 you have a relationship where the strategic alliance (SA) partner has a basic understanding of what you do and refers people to you if he/she comes across people who may benefit from your wellness services. There is no formal relationship or incentive, other than the SA liking and wanting to help you. For example, let's say that your SA hairdresser is with her client who is venting about her neck pain. The hairdresser might say, "I know just the person for you to talk to" and give your name to her client. Great, right?
Wrong! The hairdresser and her staff are NOT trained in how exactly to talk about your work. She doesn't fully comprehend your services nor has she experienced your personal presence and helping style. There is no solid/structured relationship with you and no compelling incentive for her to refer to you. She may even worry that if her client starts spending money on YOUR services, she may not be able to afford those expensive haircuts anymore!
Here's how you fix it so that this hairdresser actually does become a regular contributor of clients to your practice. LEVEL II: Adding Structure Let's take this example to a higher level. Instead of the above loosey-goosey "arrangement", you form a somewhat formal and definitely more structured relationship with your SA hairdresser.
You want to design the relationship so that she now thinks of your services as part of her business and that she refers people to you in a structured, systematic, methodical way. Several key elements are necessary to achieve this kind of motivation on her part. We tell you all the details in the HTH Virtual U workbook on Strategic Alliances, but for now here is a short summary:
1. Let the SA experience you If you are ethically permitted to do so (some therapists are not), you can offer to give her your services for free. She now understands (first hand!) exactly what you do, how your helping system works and how clients benefit. It also adds value to her side of the "win-win-win" equation. 2. Systematize her referral process Be sure she and her team are trained in exactly how to refer people to you. Have a set of cards and flyers at her location. If appropriate, provide her with your Intro Session Sign Up sheet and ask her to offer them to her clients (again, follow the Virtual U workbook guidelines on how to do this.) 3. Show them the money If your SA and her team are dedicated enough to send you clients, you need to give them a referral fee as a reward! We suggest you offer as much as 20% of your monthly earnings for each referral. Not just as a one time deal either... make it a real business benefit for her to send you clients. Give her 20% of what you earn for the entire relationship you have with that client! It's worth it for the speed with which you will fill your practice this way.
Don't worry if she either can't or won't accept referral fees or free services, or if your own profession prevents you from offering them. You can still provide a win-win and create a successful strategic alliance by performing other services for her and/or her business, which is something we recommend you do anyway! Meaning... 4. Sweeten the pot (the "goodie bag" method) Offer some extra bits of value to sweeten the pot. Provide services or perform tasks she is dreading but that you can handle easily (or know someone who can). For example, you could:
ETC! Get the idea? You don't just have to stick with your main wellness services when creating the "win" for the SA. You can take any special knowledge you have (or that someone you know has!) and create value for the SA.
This is a good idea in any case, but especially if, for ethical reasons, you can't provide your wellness services directly to her or if referral fees are not appropriate.
(If you are so constrained, be SURE that you also give the SA a chance to experience your actual wellness work in some fashion. For example, as a therapist, you may not be able to "treat" the SA, but you can certainly give her a "divorce self-help" strategy session!)
5. Stay close to your Who/What It should already be apparent that a good SA is either in a field related to yours, or services the same market as you do. This is another reason why at Helping The Helper we constantly pound home the importance of the "who, what, and how" of your work. If you have a focused marketing message about WHO exactly you help (target market), WHAT exactly you help them with (niche) and HOW you do it (your process or program), you can seek out Strategic Alliances who match perfectly with your services. Imagine for example:
The list of potential alliance configurations is endless! Moreover, if you know your Who, What and How, you can
All this makes you more confident in approaching the SA, and makes the SA more confident in accepting the partnership.
Also, when you combine your own focused Who, What and How with an alliance in a closely related area, your marketing has extra "oomph" because:
1. More of her clients will want what you provide. In other words, with this ONE relationship, you tap into a "preselected pool" of potential clients.
2. The SA or her staff can use your Who, What and How to speak compellingly about your services. 3. Her clients are attracted to your focused message for all the reasons we've talked about here in previous issues(expertise, concreteness, a program, an intriguing "buzz", etc.)
4. The SA sees you as an attractive, professional partner with a mission and a method and feels comfortable sharing your name with clients, because you reflect well on her.
5. Finally, the SA is less likely to feel threatened or in competition with you because you are so specialized, and because referring people to YOU results in money and/or other benefits for HER and her clients! Now that's a win!
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