The heart of this article is a chart which describes, for a full working week in August, 1992, each action I took that week to build my practice. By actual count, there were 24 such activities. This number does not include calls I made that did not result in a direct conversation with someone, scheduling calls to clients who had left a previous session without a next appointment time, or thoughts I had or questions I asked myself about approaching people about Rolfing, which happened twice that week at the health club where I work out. I will describe ways in which this week was atypical, but for the most part this is representative of what I do most of the time.

The reason I present a recording of this process is to emphasize the fact that for many Rolfers, myself included, having the size practice we want requires ongoing attention to practice building, integrated into our daily work. The approach described here, put simply, is to look for and pursue the practice building potential of each encounter we have with each client each day. This is the heart of my own practice building strategy, and it works to keep my practice where I want it to be, most of the time. From time to time I do other things to practice build and you will see some of that reflected in this chart. From time to time the phone rings bringing me someone to be Rolfed through a set of circumstances that I had nothing to do with directly. But most of my practice comes to me as a result of actions I initiate and most of that initiation happens in a thirty second to two minute conversation with my client, usually before or after a session and occasionally, when initiated by a client, during a session.

Some Rolfers do not have to pay much attention to practice building to have the number of clients they want. There are a number of reasons for this. They may be exceptionally brilliant in the work or be located in a community or situation that is very ripe for Rolfing. They may have paid their dues in one community for a long time and now have enough tenure so that their practice is self-generating. Their desired weekly caseload may not be very large and so be easier to maintain, or they may have, over the years, redefined downward that full means to them, as a response to not being able to have a full practice by their initial standards.

What Rolfers typically want is to handle practice building from a distance, that is, from a hands off perspective. This is a “Level 1” intervention. For example, we all want to have our clients refer their friends to us just because we are good at our work, we helped our client, they care about their friends and they recognize their friends would get a lot from being Rolfed. But frequently Rolfers do not say anything to their clients about this and simply hope or possibly intend that it will happen. And it will happen to a certain degree, but usually not enough to sustain a practice. After all, your clients have considerations about suggesting Rolfing to their friends just as you have considerations about suggesting to your clients that they suggest Rolfing to their friends. And they have less motivation to get through those considerations than you do. Like you, they don’t think of it at the right time, they don’t want to seem immodest by mentioning the gains they have made, they don’t feel comfortable intervening with someone else to suggest a change strategy and so on. So you say nothing to your client and your client says nothing to others.

At a second level of intervention, staying with the example of referrals from clients, you tell a client that most of your new clients come through existing or previous clients and let them know you would appreciate referrals. At this level you are planting an idea and sharing your reality. However, you are not yet making any specific requests of your clients.

A third level might include the first two and extend to giving a client a gift certificate and explaining how it works. Here you give your client a specific mechanism for helping you and that potential new client to connect. At a fourth level you follow up the presentation of the gift certificate with the question, “Do you have anyone in mind to give this to?” You follow that up a week or two later with a question as to whether or not the gift certificate was given to someone, you request the name and number of the person who took it, and so on. It is easy to specify such levels of involvement in every area of practice building. I encourage you to assume, as a working hypothesis, that there is always an appropriate and useful next practice building step you can take to further an action you have already taken, or to carve out a new area, and that your job is to discover that step and take it.

The amount of activity that is outlined in the chart is somewhat greater than is usual for a typical week, for two reasons. First, I gave 28 sessions this week, my upper limit, which means I was in contact with more people than usual through the practice and therefore had more opportunity to pursue these hands on strategies.

Second, and more significant than the extra few clients I saw over my usual weekly average, is that the process of charting and preparing this article had me particularly attuned to practice building. I was more active than usual in looking for opportunities. But not by much. I no longer keep statistics of these activities on an ongoing basis, so I have no precise numbers to compare this week to other recent weeks. Earlier in my practice did keep an ongoing record of my activities for an extended period of time, primarily to help me keep the possibilities in the forefront of my thinking.

I recommend that strategy to you because it can hell to keep you moving. Keep a weekly tally. Start be categorizing the various practice building activities you pursue and the ones you would like to pursue, including those that involve current clients and those that don’t Make a check next to a category each time you do al activity in that area, sum up your checks for the week and compare your activities week to week to monitor ant motivate yourself. Categories might include, at a minimum:

1. Promote your post-10 practice.

2. Activities related to the gift certificate program.

3. Brochure distribution.

4. Steps toward creating a demonstration.

5. Professional networking to generate referrals, including acknowledging referrals already made.

6. Steps toward generating public relations exposure.

7. Conversations about Rolfing with someone outside the confines of your office.

This week is not completely representative of my usual activity in several ways other than the somewhat higher volume of activity. In this week I took a number of steps to promote my post- 10 practice. However, I did not do as much direct calling of former clients as I usually do because I had fewer people scheduled for a follow up call this week than usual. Because I have been pursuing this strategy for a number of years, I typically will be calling six to eight people each week for whom that week is a one year anniversary of previous work or is an already agreed on time for me to contact them, or is a time I had noted for myself to reach someone. Also in this week I had no activities related to creating or planning demonstrations, in part because I have planned to do fewer demonstrations lately and in part because nothing came up that week as a possibility or strong intention. Also, I am pursuing an article on Rolfing in a local paper that looks as though it will happen. So it is in the works, but nothing new happened on it that week to record. Given that, here is the way the week looked.

MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 1992

ACTION: Conversation after a final Advanced Series session with client about subsequent uses of Rolfing, i.e., touch-up sessions, 3 session series in a year. Recorded my follow-up date with him in my long term calendar.
RESULT: Client pre-disposed to do additional work over time and expressed appreciation of my keeping track of him.
DISCUSSION: My post-10 practice is generally about 40-50% of my weekly caseload. My systematic conversations with clients about that and my follow up calls on it are key ingredients in keeping that percent where it is.

ACTION: Asked client if he could think of places in his town, 10 miles from my office, where my practice brochure could be displayed.
RESULT: He thought about it a minute and could not think of any places.
DISCUSSION: Mostly, these conversations result in a client having a place in mind and agreeing to leave some brochures in that place.

ACTION: I made a chiropractic appointment for myself and while on the phone asked if their office could use a new supply of my brochures.
RESULT: They said that all the brochures I had brought earlier had been distributed and they would be pleased to have another pile of them. I put some aside to bring with me at my appointment.
DISCUSSION: I have had a very good relationship with this chiropractor. I introduced him to Rolfing with a complimentary first hour and he went on to do the series. He has handed out my brochures and sent one client to me thus far. In turn, I have used him myself and have referred two patients to him.

ACTION: Received a call from the graphic artist who is doing some detail work for me on an ad I will be running in a local weekly paper, as a trade for Rolfing with the editor.
RESULT: Ad will be ready in a few days.
DISCUSSION: I have done no paid advertising for well over a year. However, two trades, in two papers, came up as possibilities recently. From mid-August through the rest of 1992 I will have some print advertising in the community.

ACTION: Received a call from a former client who is in town for a short while, and wants one session.
RESULT: Scheduled the session
DISCUSSION: I keep a running tally of new enrollments through the week. My target is to enroll enough people each week to account for 25-30 sessions of new enrollment I deliver that many sessions weekly, so enrolling this number keeps my schedule full and steady. If a new person calls to schedule a first hour, I count that as 10 sessions, an Advanced Series as 5 sessions, a maintenance series as 3, and so on. This call accounts for 1 session, a small start on the week’s total, but a start.

ACTION: Client told me she has a friend she thinks would value Rolfing. I gave her two gift certificates and two brochures. I also made a note on her file that I had given them to her, and a notation in my appointment book next to her appointment time so I can follow up with a thank you if her friend has called and a question if the friend has not.
RESULT: Client left the office telling me she was sure her friend would call me soon, and was quite pleased to have the gift certificate for her.
DISCUSSION: The gift certificate, worth one-half off a first session, which I give out to current clients, continues to prove to be a very effective practice building tool.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 1992

ACTION: Gave a cranio-sacral therapy session, at no charge, to a client who recently finished the basic series, as a thank you for five referrals he has made to me.
RESULT: He was delighted with the session and with the fact that it was a gift. I felt very good about both as well.
DISCUSSION: I make it a point to thank people who make referrals, in person, by phone or in a note. It is not usual for me to give a session as a thank you, but this seemed right.

ACTION: Did two tenth hours today. Each time I had my standard post-10 conversation about follow up uses of Rolfing over time. Made a follow up notation for one year in my long term calendar.
RESULT: Both clients seem pro disposed to further work. One requested afollow up session in one month and we scheduled n. I recorded d as one session of enrollment for this week.
DISCUSSION: See my article ‘Building a Post-10 Practice’. Confines, May/June 1990.

ACTION: Made a third call trying to reach a client on one year follow up. I left a message, for the second time, for her to call me. If she does not get back, I will call her again in two months, and made a not to myself on that.
RESULT: She did call back, later the same day. She does want more work in the fall and requested I call her then. I made notes on that. She also gave me the name and number of a friend who has been considering Rolfing and asked me to call that person.
DISCUSSION: This client had come to me off and on for five years and referred a number of people to me. I am sure I will see her again in the fall or soon after.

ACTION: Gave brochures to a chiropractor to take to her office. She is doing the Advanced Series, and had taken brochures a year ago during her basic series. She has sent a couple of clients and this time mentioned a cousin who is interested. I gave her a gilt certificate for her cousin.
RESULT: Brochures will get out to more people with a positive word from the chiropractor.
DISCUSSION: I have Rolfed a lot of chiropractors in this area. When a new chiropractor moves in, I generally call, introduce myself and offer a free first hour. This has proven to be very productive both in having many of them go on to become clients and in having their subsequent support for Rolfing.

ACTION: Received a call from a person who had received a gift certificate from a client to schedule an appointment.
RESULT: I scheduled a first hour and recorded in my weekly enrollment tally an additional 10 session.
DISCUSSION: Now this is the way I like it to work. Note that even when someone calls all set to start, I still take a reasonable amount of time to find out why they want to be Rolfed and begin on the phone to establish a relationship with them.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12,1992

ACTION: Had a conversation with a client who is a serious triathlete about whether I have Rolfed many triathletes and suggesting that Rolfing some key people in that sport would lead to others coming in.
RESULT: I will pursue that idea by developing a list of three or four of the top local athletes in triathalon, biking, and running, contacting them and offering them a nostrings introductory session.
DISCUSSION: I have pursued strategies like this before, but not in a systematic way. A fair number of people who received a free first hour went on to do the series, but there was not a big trickle down effect. Still, it is worth a try.

ACTION: Called the person whose name and number were given to me yesterday by the former client I had called on the one year follow up.
RESULT: I reached that person easily and she was interested in talking. I gave her information on Rolfing, helped her to resolve several concerns she had, and asked her if she wanted to schedule an appointment. She did, and I recorded ten sessions on my weekly tally.
DISCUSSION: Every referral calls for an acknowledgment of the referral source. In this case, a note is appropriate.

ACTION: Finished the third session of a three session tune-up with a client. He raised doing one more focused on a specific issue in his body in a month. We agreed to talk then, and I noted that in his file and on my calendar.
RESULT: When I call in a month he will probably be ready to schedule that session.

ACTION: Gave a client a brochure on post-10 work, ?After The Basic-10: A Lifetime of Support? and asked her to read it by the next session, her number 1 0, so we could discuss possible next steps for her down the road.
RESULT: She took it with interest and said she would read it.
DISCUSSION: This is an early step in building a healthy post 10 practice.

ACTION: I asked a client if he had given out the gift certificate I had given him a few weeks ago.
RESULT: He had not, though he had asked someone if she wanted it. I thanked him for asking.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 1992

ACTION: A post-10 client, originally planning a three session series, of which we had done two sessions, requested a couple of additional sessions to pursue a specific issue
RESULT: Recorded two additional sessions.
DISCUSSION: This person has done about 20 sessions over five years, values Rolfing and know show to use it. It is one of the ways that building a post-10 practice is both good service and good business.

ACTION: Called a former client who is a top runner in the area to begin generating a list of top local athletes to offer a free first session, as per the idea that came from my client this week.
RESULT: He readily had five names of top runners he was glad to share with me, plus a few bits of information on each, and he volunteered to have me mention his name as a referral source and as a person who had found Rolfing very useful, when I called.

ACTION: One year follow up to former client to discuss post-10 work.
RESULT: Is very interested and had been thinking of Rolfing recently. Money issues now with divorce going on. Said yes to my suggestion that I call back in a few months. I made a note to do that.
DISCUSSION: I offered her the option of paying for her sessions overtime on a budget. That interested her, but she was still not ready to commit now.

FRIDAY, AUGUST14, 1992

ACTION: Follow up call to former client who did Advanced Series a year ago and the basic series a year before that.
RESULT: Scheduled an appointment as the start of a three session series.
DISCUSSION: He was immediately interested when I called but was going to postpone a month or so until an injury was resolved. We discussed the injury and it seemed to me Rolfing might facilitate recovery. He appreciated my point and decided to schedule now. I recorded three sessions on my weekly enrollment.

ACTION: Former client, now living out of town, was in for one session. We discussed, for the second time, his mother being Rolfed. He thought it would be a good idea for me to call her, which I will do next week. He will tell her that I will be calling. Also discussed with him doing the Advanced Series if he is in town this fall for a longer period of time.
RESULT: He was very positive about the Advanced Series if it is logistically possible. Also, he is going to encourage his mother strongly to be Rolfed.

ACTION: Client in session told me he would like his wife to be Rolfed when he has completed his series. Reason for waiting is to avoid paying for two series at one time. I told him she could start now and not start paying until he was finished with his sessions. He responded well to the possibility of a delayed payment for her. I gave him a brochure for her. Later in the session he asked if he could bring her to watch his next session. I said yes
RESULT: We’ll see.

ACTION: Did a tenth hour with a client. Discussed follow up options over time and told her I would call in a year if we had not had contact otherwise. Recorded one year follow up date in my long term calendar.
RESULT: She was open to additional work.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 16, 1992

ACTION: Went to a small social gathering late afternoon. Three people I have Rolfed were there. They know each other and were visiting with each other. They actually started a conversation with two other people, new to me, about Rolfing, and interested them in it. They asked me to give the new people my card, which I did. Later I spoke with each of the new people just to ask them if they wanted me to mail them more information on Rolfing. They did, so I took their names, addresses, and phone numbers, and will mail material from work in the next few days and follow up with a phone call in a week.
RESULT: Two new potential clients, both already inspired by three strong endorsements.
DISCUSSION: I normally do no Rolfing related work on the weekend (except to write for Rolf Lines), but when I am socializing with new people I do at times (usually without a lot of intention behind me) have Rolfing come up as a topic of conversation. This was even better as someone else did the first pan of my job for me.

The result of this activity, in terms of enrollment, was okay. Not great, but okay. I enrolled people for 27 sessions of Rolfing. I delivered 28 sessions, so it was just about a break even week from the point of view of enrolling people for new sessions at the rate that I completed sessions. This was not a great week because I target 35 session enrollments a week which allows for the inevitability of people not completing the series. No one I Rolfed during the week reported chose, in that week to discontinue their work short of the agreed on plan. That happens, of course, and 35 enrollments a week as an average has kept my practice at the 25-28 session per week level during most of my Rolfing years.

For those of you not accustomed to working in his way, I am concerned that all this can seem overwhelming and can look as though practice building will dominate your professional life if you go at it this way. However, once this way of working becomes more familiar, it is not tiring and is often fun and satisfying and, further, it needs to occupy only a quite minor portion of your time and energy in a given working day. To some degree, this is a learned skill. Some of it is a function of personality and inherent style but a lot of it responds quite well to practice.

You can learn to be increasingly emotionally neutral about each encounter as you practice. This does not mean you lack enthusiasm when talking with people. It does mean that you can soften the inner conversation going on about each encounter, for example, ” If I ask her if she has anyone to refer she will think I’m pushy and she will be angry with me and judge me poorly.” “If I call this person and he says no, I’ll feel terrible,” and so on. As a result, you can approach each encounter in a matter of fact way which makes it easier for you and fine with the people you contact, 99 per cent of the time. The fact that a “no” does not register as an invalidation of you and everything you hold dear makes your outreach okay with the people you contact.

Most of each of my working day is spent with clients, thinking about them and their needs, and Rolfing them. Practice building activity is rarely more than a minute’s worth of activity per session. I make calls in the ten to fifteen minutes I have free between sessions and I make calls in the evening infrequently. In this sample week I made two enrollment related evening calls. I plan and generally do no Rolfing related work at all on the weekends and I incorporate my Rolfing practice into an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. day, five days a week, with an average of 15 minutes at my desk each evening to do paperwork. It’s a full week, I work hard and sometimes I complain about it. But it is quite manageable and, most of the time, it produces the desired result with a lot of satisfaction for me.A Hands On Strategy

 

Fonte: Rolf Lines 1992