How do you feel when you notice your colleagues (and friends) getting those referrals?
Do you get nervous when you see someone else in town doing what you are doing in your practice?
Do you cringe when you see another local therapist featured as an expert in print or in the local news?
You can spend your time looking over your shoulder, worrying that others are eating your lunch. Or, you can put on some blinders and stay on your charted course.
No matter what, there are always going to be (lots) of others who are targeting your referral sources and working to earn the trust of your potential clients. That’s what the business world is all about. You’ve got the same opportunities as the next person.
The problem is, if you are focusing on (what you consider to be ) your “competition”, you ARE NOT focusing on your clients and customers; your energy shifts from positive to negative; and your business no longer feels like fun — it feels like a competition!
Take that energy to: send a flyer; develop a newsletter; or write a thank you to a referral source. Use that time to hone your skills and come up with an ingenious idea for a niche product that will help your clients.
Don’t get worried if you think others are eating your lunch — just work harder!
