Here are a few letters from therapists who use Inter<>Dependence newsletters as a primary marketing tool. No one was compensated for saying what they said.
A NEW USER…
This social worker is a therapist and program administrator at a counseling center in suburban Chicago. This is one of a few letters we exchanged as we were getting to know each other, finding out how the newsletter would fit his needs, etc.
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Dear Tony:
Thanks again for offering to send me the newsletter articles in advance. I’m eager to begin the process of revitalizing the small group practice I direct. We have become way too dependent on managed care, and if the winds were to suddenly shift in that world (which they surely can), we’d be “out in the cold.”
My intention is to look back at managed care as having been a “marketing opportunity” – i.e.: they referred lots of clients to us, and we saved their addresses and marketed them with our newsletter to become future self-paying clients — along with their friends and relatives. I’ll let you know how this metamorphosis works out.
In the meantime, thanks for all your help.
Sincerely,
A THERAPIST’S EXPERIENCE
The following letter is from a therapist at a family mediation center in California.
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Hi Tony!
Thank you so much for the printer-ready copies of your newsletter. I have already sent out the first topic to a mailing list of approximately 140 people with very positive results! One very distant acquaintance of mine happened to be in the middle of a grief situation, and she has called to begin counseling. She readily admitted she would not have thought of my name had it not been for the newsletter!
Several people have called and either spoken to me directly or left messages on my machine, giving very positive responses. Many of these people have Xeroxed off copies of the newsletter to distribute to either other teachers in their school, other clients, or people in groups to which they belong. I am assuming that this will eventually yield positive results!
Thanks again for your words of encouragement and positive attitude. I will close hoping that this endeavor will be a positive one for both of us for many moons to come.
Professionally yours,
The next letter is from a therapist in Texas. This is a short excerpt:
Feedback from mailings has been uniformly positive. We’ve received only one request to be removed from the mailing list and several requests to add names of friends and relatives…
I am encouraged… by the number of former clients I have heard from by phone, e-mail, and regular mail complimenting the newsletter and looking forward to future issues.
Take care,
SOMEONE WHO’S THINKING ABOUT IT…
I am an MSW in a large city and have been practicing since 1980. My wife is also an MSW, we met in training. We went through serious struggles with managed care here in the early ’90’s and our caseloads diminished by 35-40%. Somehow, we’ve managed to turn it around through more aggressive marketing and more active, goal directed advice giving work.
Anyway, it’s been a roller coaster as it must’ve been for you and the fight has provided us with greater strength and confidence and, I believe, engendered some innovative thinking and ways to work.
I’ve been surfing therapy web sites for months as I prepare to create ours. Yours is the finest I have come across – helpful for potential clients and great marketing. Congratulations!!! A job well done.
Please send me information regarding your practice building newsletters. It’s good to come across another MSW who clearly has overcome the moral masochism and self-deprivation ethic of many of our colleagues.
Thank you again for an inspiring web site.
