Mastering Authentic Networking and Marketing in Mental Health Practice

Have you ever felt the nagging discomfort of marketing yourself as a mental health professional? You're not alone. In our enlightening chat with producer Aaron, we tackle the essential yet often daunting task of networking and marketing for those embarking on private practice. Our candid discussion peels back the layers of apprehension that many clinicians face when promoting their services, revealing instead the art of authentic storytelling as a potent tool for growth. We'll show you how to reframe self-promotion into something that feels natural and true to your mission, all while Aaron shares the secret sauce behind Biz Radio's successful, cost-effective community-centric growth model.

Networking isn't just about handing out business cards; it's about building meaningful connections that last. I'll take you through my personal experiences with Biz Radio to demonstrate that it's not just who you know, but how you engage with them that matters. We'll dissect the importance of being prepared and doing your homework before you step into any professional interaction, illustrating how a well-researched dossier can be your golden ticket in the world of networking. Plus, we'll explore the impactful stories of individuals who've transformed opportunities, from social media exchanges to industry events, into cornerstones of their careers. So, tune in and get ready to elevate your practice with strategies that foster genuine, lasting professional relationships.

Be sure to visit BizRadio.US to discover hundreds more engaging conversations, local events and more.

Transcript

Aubrey : 0:06

Welcome to Kindred Conversations, the show where we shine a light on local mental health professionals, who are the unsung heroes of our community. Join us as we delve into their journey, strategies and the art of healing minds. Together, we'll break down stigmas and celebrate resilience. So today I wanted to talk with the producer of this show, who's Erin Matan, and mostly just want to talk about like business related stuff for mental health professionals. So a lot of the people who are in the audience of this show are mental health professionals and want to specifically talk about my journey in the space of building my business and basically like how I went about networking and marketing before and my thought process before coming into mental health, and like private practice and versus, now that I've been in this world, what I've learned, how I've grown and action steps that I'm still growing into. So I have Aaron here. We're going to talk about it today. Welcome, aaron.

Aaron: 1:14

Hello, hello, thanks for having me back.

Aubrey : 1:17

Yeah, so I actually met Aaron through Matt and Matt is Aaron's dad and Matt goes or at least when I had come into biz radio, matt goes to a lot of different networking events that are happening in this local area. So the way that I got involved with biz radio was through local networking and that's a key strategy to the way that biz radio grows right.

Aaron: 1:43

Yeah, absolutely. You know, we, we have a a total marketing budget of $0. And that's mostly because we, we feel that, you know, empowering the voices of the community is just about the best advertising or just about the best marketing that you can get. And a majority of our efforts and what we're recognized for, for those efforts you know, through the voices of you and other hosts on Biz Radio, is, you know, subsequent, of of our, our involvement in the community. We don't, you know, we'll, we'll post on on social media, we'll do all the normal, normal stuff, but, um, you know, that's not the, that's not the driving force for visibility and I, I think, um, I think some of the, some of the same principles apply in your industry as well.

Aubrey : 2:48

Yeah. So I mean, I think I'm not the only clinician who, prior to coming into private practice, thought like, oh, I don't want to deal with the business aspects, I don't want to have to market. I think that marketing it almost is like said or regarded in a way that is like kind of sleazy or schemey, something that feels like a little bit dirty or something that people just don't want to sell people or undercut people or make money off of people. Those are all things that just create a lot of like tension for clinicians, because that just goes right against the grain of what it is that they're trying to do or what it is that they want to do, and so marketing and networking can be just a task that feels insurmountable for a lot of clinicians who are new coming into private practice.

Aaron: 3:52

Do you think that's kind of the primary reason why it's become a bit of a dirty word in the not in all industries but, you know, in entrepreneurship kind of as a whole?

Aubrey : 4:05

industries. But you know, in entrepreneurship kind of as a whole I don't know about entrepreneurship as a whole, but I think about where our society is at in terms of like there's a lot of people who are frustrated and angry at large scale corporations that they feel like are taking way too much of the cut of the everyday person's dollars, and I think that anything that is representative of like large scale corporations can be aversive to like, the average person, I think. So that can be a barrier for people coming into the business world.

Aaron: 4:44

you know, feeling like, you know I'm just a single person going up against some of these really large scale corporations and that can feel really daunting when you see some of these large scale corporations having thousands of dollars of marketing budget and putting their dollars out there and you know it's like if you're a small business owner trying to pay for advertising you're, you're going to be out competed every single time yeah, and I think I think, for you know, for organizations like biz radio and for people like yourself, um switching the mentality of at least this is, you know what is what has worked for me and some of the some of the people I'm um engaged with, uh, through both this, this business and my other businesses, but, um, you know, kind of restructuring the, the mental framework of recognizing that you're basically optimizing opportunities to tell your story versus, you know, trying to drive leads or drive sales or whatnot. That is a not just a benefit, but a necessity that comes from it, because you know at the end of the day, it is a business you do need to.

Aaron: 6:04

you know you do need to have inlays so that you can pay other people to do other things and grow and service more clients. I think, kind of on the flip side, we have seen growth in our society as well, with people the general consumer being more finding the storytelling approach to marketing, advertising, networking, more attractive, and I see that shift. I mean podcasting and radio shows and everything available online. That's a perfect example of that.

Aubrey : 6:56

Well, yeah, so you have a great point that you're talking about storytelling as a marketing approach, and I think to talk about storytelling as a marketing approach is sort of like starting in the middle, and so I wanted to share a little bit about like, what it was like for me coming into the world of like. Okay, well, it's important that we market our business. It actually started before I was in private practice. It's important that we market our business. It actually started before I was in private practice and it started when I was working for a therapeutic boarding school where the way that they market is that they are involved in a bunch of different conferences that all sort of overlay with one another to build this sort of network of educational professionals who help connect one another to these types of schools as well as like the schools themselves. So they have like the NATSAP conference is a good example so National Therapeutic Schools and Programs, and so all of the schools are involved in this and then they go there, they give presentations, they talk to one another, they share resources for the families with one another and it becomes sort of like a melting pot of resources and collaboration and because I was not in a position of leadership within that sort of like area of working sort of like area of working and because I had grown up with more of like a different type of mentality coming into that workspace.

Aubrey : 8:51

It wasn't until actually becoming an entrepreneur that I learned more about like how I can contribute value in spaces like that and how I can make a name for myself in spaces like that. So when I was operating in those spaces I was more like oh my employer is making me be here. They just want to have numbers here so that they can show off who their people are. It's more of like a sort of just like a formality that I have to be here and I'm going to be here so that I can show my employer that I am to be here. And I'm going to be here so that I can show my employer that I am here. But I'm not really going to show up in a way that's going to contribute value to my employer. I'm more just going to show up just to have another number here and to have a free lunch or a free dinner and get to enjoy this night out with my coworkers, right.

Aubrey : 9:40

So that was sort of how I had regarded networking before I was an entrepreneur and I feel like if everybody, if they approach networking in that way, especially clinicians then you know it creates a lot of anxiety. You don't really know anybody, you're walking into a room where you don't really feel like you know what your purpose is, and being in that room separate from what's actually happening there, with the mix and mingle and people getting to see other people from other organizations and the things that they're doing. Like that's really the point of a conference is to be able to mix and mingle and learn from people who are operating in different spheres than you are, but like I wasn't operating from that place. So this is like what you were just saying how like mindset is so important?

Aubrey : 10:38

Like when you come into working in your own private practice, in your own business, your mindset then shifts to like how can I not only build value in within my business, right? So how can I drive leads and make connections and affiliates and things like that? But how can I also be contributing to people and finding out who are the people within my community that I feel like I need to connect with in order to like rise my business up right Like who's gonna, who's gonna grab a hold of my hands and like pull me up, you know, and that's really like where the mindset shift is at when you get into networking. It's like you could go into any of the rooms that you're invited into, but if you don't know what your purpose is and being in that room, then like you're not really going to leverage it to the optimal value that it could provide for your business.

Aaron: 11:40

Yeah, I think, I think, especially kind of in the introductory phase, um, that's really good advice, um, looking more inward instead of looking for um. You know, uh, producing, producing some type of material or specific connections. You know, going in there with a okay, I need to give out this many business cards and I need to collect this many that are. You know, I can produce warm leads, whatever it may be. Having that is kind of setting yourself up for failure, especially in the um, when you first get started and what you're describing is, um, you know, is is very important to realize that, uh, when you walk into a conference is really good example. Whenever you walk into a conference, um, you're very quickly subjected to a lot of positional leadership and a lot of people that have been in the industry longer, that are in larger groups or corporations, and that's daunting. But understanding that through exposure and continuously having a presence in that community, you now realize that it is an even playing field for influence and everybody has the same opportunity per event to have different degrees of influence. And to kind of break it down simply you know, think, think about is.

Aaron: 13:17

Nine times out of ten you go to a house party, a barbecue or something like that is the host, the most memorable person at that event? Most most likely not, um, and so, unless it's a biz radio event no, I'm just kidding, actually, that's. That's the opposite of what we want to do. We want to highlight whoever we invite, but, um, yeah, it's uh, typically it's, it's one of the guests, it's the, it's, you know crazy uncle tom, or it's, uh, you know, one of one of your, one of your friends that, uh, you know, has new, exciting things going on and and his excitement or her excitement is infectious. And you know, you, you have just as much of an opportunity to be that person in these networking events. So, understanding the difference between positional leadership and what you were talking about, leveraging those relationships, making a good connection with those industry leaders, um, and those people that are active in the field, because is wide open for you and the best way to get stronger in that is more exposure and doing it more and more.

Aubrey : 14:42

Well, and I want to really make it clear, and even clip this right, that the most important, most valuable lesson that I have learned in terms of business networking is finding the people that inspire you, that you want to be where they're at, you want to learn what they know and you want to emulate and copy the things that they've been able to do so that you can have a piece of that success yourself. That's like step one. Number one is like identifying who those players are and then finding ways to contribute value to their causes. Right, so that's when people ask me like, how did I get involved in biz radio? It was like it was kind of a no brainer for me, right? So like the person that I was really attracted to in the business world you know, you know who that is, that's Alex.

Aubrey : 15:36

So I was really attracted to in the business world. You know, you know who that is, that's Alex. So I was really attracted to him and his energy and his like go get them, ness. Right, like he just like went out and got it and he had a show on Biz Radio and he like lit up a room. So I went to this room and he was there and then he introduced me to Matt and then Matt was like, hey, you can do a spotlight.

Aubrey : 15:59

And I was like, oh, okay, that's awesome, right? Like yeah, it's gonna cost me a little bit of money, but like that's no big deal, that's an easy value that I can provide to biz radio and exchange, like they're gonna provide this value to me. This value it's like our growth together, right, like my ability to grow and to learn, and then my ability to like contribute value in terms of like my voice and the perspectives that I bring to the show, like those are all things that I'm contributing, that like biz radio is also contributing, and like our collaboration is then going to have like exponential effects on our marketing.

Aaron: 16:38

Yeah, and that's. That's the beauty of uh organically developed symbiotic relationships. Uh, I'm pretty impressed with clip that one sentence.

Aaron: 16:52

Um yeah, that's, that's the beauty of it is, um, you know it, it it inherently and naturally progresses, all parties involved, and that is kind of the end goal. But it's a tricky thing because you can't force it, you have to. I think what it boils down to and I think we've talked about this before is, you know, being being prepared to optimize opportunity, uh, conversationally, contractually, whatever, whatever it may be, just kind of living in that, in that mindset. Um, when you're at these type of events, or even if it's not events, it's um, you know people messaging you a comment on on a video or a show. Um, you know people messaging you a comment on on a video or a show. You know, knowing that that there is opportunity all around you and being mentally prepared to to act on that, or not just act on it, but to explore it and see if, see if there's something Start with. Do I have something of value to contribute?

Aaron: 17:58

this person that I look up to exactly what you're saying um you know and and take it from there and that, uh, I heard a story. There was this kid who, um, he was a photographer, he was a really good photographer but um, he couldn't, uh, he couldn't really break the break, break the seal in getting getting the type of work he wanted. And he was, you know, he didn't want to do weddings, he didn't want to do portraits, stuff like that. He wanted to take exotic photos and so not like the like those kinds of exotic, but like of exotic things in nature or in social settings.

Aubrey : 18:39

But it's funny, my mind didn't even go there. I totally was just thinking of like toucans yeah, exactly, I was too.

Aaron: 18:46

And then, and then my producer hat came back on and I'm like wait, um. And so what he would do is, uh, he was, he really wanted to photograph nightlife and life of luxury, and so he would take pictures of millionaires' cars, like the Lamborghinis, the Bugattis, stuff like that, and let them know, like, hey, if you want this picture, I can email it to you free, you don't have to worry about it. And they're like yeah, sure, or I can send it to you on Instagram. Well, he did this for so many years and at the end of it, he has the contact information of all these, all these millionaires. And so from that he just says, hey, if you liked what I did, uh, you know, I got a little, I got a business now, um, and he was able to get contracts from that, and he was able to, you know.

Aaron: 19:39

So putting yourself in the room is the first step, you know. That's, that's where the discipline comes from. And then, and then you know being able to to have the right mentality when you're there and and you know you don't have to have it figured out at first It'll you, you know it'll organically grow and you'll you'll learn to live in this space and to be present with it, and there's a lot of little nuggets of life lessons in there.

Aubrey : 20:09

But yeah, and there's one more thing that I want to add before we we wrap up. I know that we're at the end of our time, which is, you know, to right To like spend some time in advance If you know that you're going to a big event, regardless of what that event is right. Like I'm going to a big event this week and some of the one of the things that I'm doing is I got, so I bought a VIP ticket, so I got like the ticket that is going to get me into the rooms with the people having the conversations. That, like makes it worth my time of being there, and so one of the things that I got with that was a list of all of the people who are going to be giving these short little speeches.

Aubrey : 20:56

And on that list. It has a list of times of when all of those people are going to be there. So my plan is and what I did is I printed out that list. I wrote next to every single individual's name what they do, what they're known for. I looked up to see if they have a book. I bought their book. If they have a book. I'm planning to read all of those books before the conference this week so that by the time that I'm there, that, like anybody who's there, I know what they do, I know who they are, I know what they said in their book, so that I can go up to them and I can say, like hey, so and so, like it's amazing that you wrote this book. Like, can you tell me more about what this was like, so that we can actually have a conversation about something that is interesting and intriguing and important to them?

Aaron: 21:44

the power of a dossier it's. It's a real thing, yeah yeah, exactly.

Aubrey : 21:50

So that's like. That's what it means to like. Level up your networking right is like really do your research show, show up in a way that is contributing value to the people who are further ahead than where you're at and where you see yourself being so anyway, if anyone really liked this topic today, go ahead and bizradious.

Aubrey : 22:13

You can like and subscribe to the show from there. You can also check me out on arttherapynccom there. You can also check me out on arttherapynccom. Find out more information about this podcast, both on bizradious or on arttherapynccom. Slash podcast.