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Organization of Professional Astrologers |
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OPA E-News |
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Volume 1 - No. 3 - April, 2001 (Part One) |
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This month: We are now Accepting Conference Reservations. Plus More Exciting Conference Details, Results of Last Month's and previous Surveys, New Survey Question, Results of Last Month's Q & A, Previous Month's Q & A
You can NOW REGISTER at our upcoming conference. Contact Diana Riviere at diana@archivepress.com Tel: 303 554 0801
Early registration deadline is June 1.
16 of you responded out of 84 who received the newsletter. (19%) Thank you for your time and effort.
This month's respondants are a distinguished group. All of you have been in practice for 5 years or more. And 12 of you (75% of this unscientific sample) have been practicing for 20 years or more.
Hands down, the best method for obtaining clients is referral. Every one of you mentioned referral as one of or the primary way of getting new clients. Gail Fairfield who has been in practice for 21 years, estimates that 90% of her clients come by referral, for example.
And you like the quality of the clients you get by referral.
Linda Zlotnick writes:
Word of mouth is the best advertising because it brings in the kind of clients that fit the type of astrology I do.
Tim Rubald writes:
The best ones find me. In about the last five or ten years I've not advertised by conventional means. I do a monthly talk at a local Borders that draws a few in. Mostly, I try and maintain some kind of contact with past clients in order to let them know I'm still here for them.
Haloli Richter agrees:
i get clients through referals and through public lectures. i want to have a certain clientele, mainly people who are not sleepwalking through life, and that is more possible through referals, than more public channels like a web page.
And this is very effective as she continues:
thank godness, i have more work than i need, both locally and nationally internationally by phone. but the secret is repeat business, most clients have been with me for 15-20 years for yearly updates.
Like Haloli and Tim, many of you mentioned that your practices are built in large part on existing clients. Based on your comments, I suspect this is the case for nearly all of you even if you didn't explicitly state it.
Bob Mulligan writes:
Most of my clients come by referral. Once in a while some new client comes to me from having read something that i have written. Soemtimes a client comes to me because they have heard me speak somewhere. Sometimes students of mine become clients....Most of my clients (probably 80% or more) have been clients for many years.
Advertising came up as a method-with mixed results. Some like their results, others didn't find it to be very effective.
Sandra Leigh Serio says:
If you want to build a practice, you have to advertis. Even if you have an existing practice, advertising gets and keeps your name out in front of the public. I consider my mailing list, phone book listings, and an ad I am now placing in a local new age paper all forms of advertisement.
John Marchesella writes:
How do I get clients? Always word-of-mouth. Oh, sure, I placed an ad. or two back in the early days of being paid (1977) and I did a benefit with free readings once and raffled a reading, but that never worked very much at all in getting clients. In fact, with one exception, it did more harm than good....to my workload, I mean, not to the client.
More commonly, you've dropped advertising after your practices were firmly established.
Advertising is one form of marketing. It can be done many ways. In some cases, a weekly column with contact information serves the purpose of ongoing advertising.
Sandra Leigh again:
Word of mouth referrals and through a weekly astrology column that I have been writing for 18 years. My phone number appears at the bottom of the column (it is a toll free number since I have moved from the state where the column appears). The column reaches a quarter of a million people and I am paid $100 per week to write it.
Elspeth writes:
I've written a weekly column for almost 5 years that's given me lots of local exposure. I also get client referrals, as well as referrals from therapists. I lecture in the area, and I have an ongoing study group that I advertise in my weekly column
Mailing to your existing and potential clients is also a powerful tool.
Sandra Leigh:
I also get clients from my mailing list which consists of about 5000 people in the Northeast Ohio area. The mailing list comes from people who read my column or attend the public events I run (psychic gatherings). I send out a mailing about six times per year announcing the public events and my services.
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#| Method
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16|Referral/Word of Mouth
10| Public speaking/lectures
6| Teaching/Classes
6| Writing
Advertising:
4| Yellow Pages
3| Not specidfied
2. How long have you been in practice (receiving payment for your services)?
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#| Range
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0|Under 5 years
1|5-9 years
1|10-14 years
2|15-19 years
6|20-24 years
4|25-29 years
2|30+ years
This month we direct our attention toward merchant Visa/MC card accounts.
1. Do you offer credit card payments to your clients? Why or why not?
2. If you have an arrangement with a merchant account vendor you particularly like, could you share the terms, contact information?
Comments?
See Part 2 for Q&A
To write to OPA E-NEWS, send to: emzucker@netreach.net. Articles, contributions are welcome. No attachments, please.
Last month,
Bob Mulligan wrote:
Here is my situation. In the last few years the volume of clients that I see has dropped dramatically. I was saved from financial ruin only because I increased my rates. My rate use to be $100 an hour. I now charge $150. I sell about 1000 hours a year. After paying, business expenses, child support, taxes, mortgage, there isn’t much left for savings etc. My dilemma is that my clientele has gradually drifted from being a broad cross-section of our society to being only those who are very well heeled. Yes, I do work for free at times, but it isn’t the same as when everyone could afford an appointment. Does anyone have any other thoughts on the time money equation in general? Or on my personal situation?
Maureen Ambrose writes:
Obviously, Bob, you are going through some heavy-duty transits and who knows what else. Your time-money equations seem sound. Perhaps you have picked up on the trend of our economy. People seem to be pulling back and are becoming more selective with how they are spending money. The mood seems to be more cautious instead of euphoric. Companies are laying off or cutting down. It's a good thing you have well-heeled clients because they will probably continue to want the service you provide especially in these uncertain times. You were smart to increase your hourly rate :-)) Do you want to pickup more of the broad-based clientele? Do you have time open to do more work? Would you want to create another level of business? Is there a service you could provide that is tailored to the primarily to the broad-base, general public? You've been doing astrology professionally for long enough to ask and answer all these questions so I'm sure no stone has been left unturned. What else could be done, then? It would seem to me that you would need to review your overhead. What is it costing you to live and to conduct your business? What portion of your business requires travel and is that a money-maker when it is netted out? Some things cannot be avoided but others can be managed better. It would appear that you need to make some long-range changes because of the discomfort you feel.
Haloli Richter writes:
i understand bob's question and explanation very well. looking at my clients here in washington dc as well as my phonework all over the country as well as internationally, ALL clients are professionals and in upper income brackets. but living in washington, there is no blue color industry and most people interested in my service have also done therapy or other life examining activities. also, since i do not advertise at all and only work by word of mouth i have a naturally preselected clientele...friends of existing clients, therapists and their clients, again an educated group of people.
Dear Members,
If you have additional comments on this topic, we will continue to publish them.
New Q & A
Ellen Zucker writes:
Although I've been a student of Astrology since the late 70's, I'm only now going out and setting up a practice.
One of the biggest roadblocks for me has been dealing with other people's negative opinions about Astrology. It is necessary to let people know what I do if I want to attract clients. But I feel exposed, vulnerable, and frankly don't enjoy handling the reactions of those who disparage or disapprove of Astrology.
How do you insulate yourselves about the negative opinion in which Astrology is held by the mainstream?
Dear Members,
Send your comments to Ellen Zucker at emzucker@netreach.net. Comments will be published next month.