Do you feel like you're spinning your wheels? You're not alone! Many Feldenkrais® practitioners face the same problems in building their practices. The first step in overcoming them is figuring out what they REALLY are... and often they are not what we think! Not only that, we already have many of the skills we need... we just need to use them differently to get the results we want!
Unfortunately, becoming really successful as a Feldenkrais® Practitioner is not built into our genetic code… at least not for most of us. In fact, most of us are programmed at a fairly early age to be repelled by what we think it must take to build a practice that actually earns enough money to live on.
So we spin our wheels instead of getting the help we need. The ruts get deeper and the problem gets worse.
Just about everyone faces challenges in getting their Feldenkrais® practice off the ground and tweaking it until it’s just what we want. In conversations with practitioners over the last few years, I”ve identified 7 common challenges Feldies face… see if any of these resonate with you:
- You’re having a conversation wtih someone who seems interested, but when it comes to talking about your fee, she says she can’t afford it.You’re disheartened, but being pushy doesn’t feel right, so you just back off and “Well, if things change, give me a call…”
- You feel further from success every time you give a “first lesson” to someone who doesn’t become a client. You’ve done everything you know, and it just wasn’t enough.
- You see the difference you’re making, and it breaks your heart that your clients just don’t get it. And the ones who do, don’t refer people, so your self-esteem is waning.
- Networking gives you the heebee jeebees, and you can’t make yourself do it. Then if you let yourself think about it, you feel bad about it.
- You’re exhausted from working so hard and yet satisfaction is a dim hope.
- You’ve run the numbers and know that your ATM classes could pay your mortgage … if only you could fill the room 2 or 3 times a week!
- You know that talking about Feldenkrais® isn’t bringing in enough clients to pay the bills. But it’s what you do, so what else should you talk about?
Honestly, most of these challenges can be solved by learning and using just a few things that are not in your repertoire at the moment!
I found the key and you can, too!
The key to success as a Feldenkrais® practitioner is to use what you already know to build your practice, and add what you need
Just because you may not feel like you have what it takes right now doesn’t mean you’ll never have it. I’ve found that most of the skills are really easy to learn. The key was figuring out what they are and making the commitment to learn and use them. The really incredible thing is that they helped me in every part of my life, not just in my practice!
I don’t know exactly the difficulties you’re dealing with in building your Feldenkrais® practice, but I do know theyare not your fault — but they ARE your PROBLEM. What will it cost to do nothing about it?
For example, one of the biggest skills many of us are missing – and lacking it means that we fail to get new clients, don’t get referrals, can’t fill our classes and avoid networking like the plague is really engaging the people we’re talking with.
This is one of the most important skills I used to build my practice and it’s definitely the most important skill I’m teaching practitioners who want to get more clients, get the right clients, and learn how to keep people interested as they talk themselves into becoming clients! Not only that, it’s definitely more effective than filling the awkward silence by talking about the benefits of Feldenkrais® work!
