June 17, 2025 • 25 mins
If the word “networking” makes you cringe, you’re not alone. In this episode of Marketing Therapy, part three of our Slaying the Summer Slump series, we’re tackling one of the most misunderstood (and often dreaded) aspects of marketing your private practice. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t have to feel awkward, pushy, or draining.
I’m walking you through why networking still works—especially in this “trust recession”—and how to reframe it so it actually feels natural and aligned with your values. You’ll learn how to start small, show up genuinely, and build lasting referral relationships without burning out or selling yourself short. Summer is the perfect time to plant these seeds—and I’ll show you exactly how.
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
1️⃣ Why networking is still one of the most effective marketing strategies (with real data to back it up)
2️⃣ What networking looks like when it’s rooted in relationship-building—not cold emails or coffee dates that drain you
3️⃣ How to start connecting with the right people in a way that feels generous, grounded, and totally doable (even if you’re an introvert)
Resources & Links Mentioned:
- 2024 State of the Industry Survey: walkerstrategyco.com/soi
- Slaying the Summer Slump Part 1 – Grounded Marketing Self-Audit (Ep 9): walkerstrategyco.com/show-notes/9
- Slaying the Summer Slump Part 2 – Showing Up as the Clinician You’re Becoming (Ep 10): walkerstrategyco.com/show-notes/10
- The Walker Strategy Co website: walkerstrategyco.com
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Explore more marketing support for therapists: The Walker Strategy Co website
About Marketing Therapy
Marketing Therapy is the podcast where therapists learn how to market their private practices without burnout, self-doubt, or sleazy tactics. Hosted by Anna Walker—marketing coach, strategist, and founder of Walker Strategy Co—each episode brings you clear, grounded advice to help you attract the right-fit, full-fee clients and grow a practice you feel proud of.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hey there.
Welcome back to Marketing Therapy,episode 11, also part three of our
Slaying the Summer Slump series.
If you've been following along, you knowI've been making the case, hopefully.
Well, that summer isn't something that youshould just be surviving in your practice.
It's actually one of the besttimes, if not the best time
(00:22):
to invest in your marketing.
And certainly not because it's thebusiest, but because it's when most
people are slowing down and backingoff, sometimes disappearing altogether.
And when you are the onestill showing up, even just a
little, you start to stand out.
This season is an opportunity to take themargin available to you and invest in it.
(00:47):
Use it to set yourself up forsuccess as we move into the fall
and future seasons of your practice.
In episode nine of Slaying the SummerSlump, we started with talking about
where you are starting with runningyour practice from a place of really
grounded action and identifying theopportunities you have in front of you
(01:10):
to start improving your marketing Now.
So we did a little self-audit in there.
That was really powerfuland a great place to start.
Then in episode 10 we looked athow to clarify what you actually
want and how to start showing uplike the clinician you are and are
becoming not the one you used to be.
If you haven't caught thoseepisodes yet, I strongly suggest.
(01:31):
That you hop over and listen to thoseafter this one, maybe even before,
because they really lay a great foundationfor what we're talking about today.
Because today we're takingthis a step further.
We're talking about something thatgets misunderstood all the time.
Networking.
If you just cringed alittle, you're not alone.
Most therapists I work withthe large majority, do not
(01:54):
love the idea of networking.
Many of the therapists I support identifyas introverts, and so the idea of
networking brings up images of reallyawkward small talk and desperate cold
emails, and quite frankly, a lot of timethat they don't feel like they have.
But here's the thing, networking ishands down one of the most effective
(02:16):
marketing strategies in the game.
In fact.
In today's market, I viewit as a non-negotiable.
If you've been in my world for a while,you've heard me say this, I have yet
to meet a fully booked private payclinician who is not well connected.
I'm sure they're out there,but they're hard to find.
And when I say that networking is one ofthe most effective marketing strategies,
(02:38):
this is not just according to me.
We are also really surprised by what wesaw in our state of the industry survey,
where over 400 clinicians weighed inon what was actually working for them.
But an important thing to knowabout networking is it's not
just about getting clients.
It's not that easy ifyou've networked before.
You know that you don't make aconnection with someone one day
(02:59):
and get a referral the next.
It's really about building long-termtrust in a market where trust
is right now at an all time low.
So today I wanna reframenetworking entirely.
Here we're gonna talk about why it's stillworking, and especially why it's critical
right now, what it actually looks likewhen it's not gross or forced, and how
(03:24):
you can start small this week in a waythat's aligned with your strengths and
doesn't drain you, but does capitalizeon the potential of this strategy.
This episode is gonna give you a fewpowerful ways to build something that
lasts in your networking relationships.
Alright, let's start with why networkingactually works, why you've gotta do it,
(03:45):
and why it still matters, especially now.
You may have heard this term before,or maybe this is the first time,
but many people say that we are inwhat's called a trust recession.
What does that mean?
It means that people aremore skeptical than ever.
You might actually befeeling this in your clients.
It's one of the reasons in our stateof the industry survey, we heard from
(04:06):
therapists that they are experiencingclients doing more shopping around,
engaging in more consultations.
They're a little bit more discerning,they're doing more research,
they're taking longer to decide,and sometimes they've been burned,
whether by a therapist or by someother service provider that they just
enter into all of these decisionswith a little bit more skepticism.
(04:30):
So in a world where trust is inshort supply, a recommendation
from someone they do trust isabsolutely worth its weight in gold.
That is what networking creates.
It builds a bridge of trust thatabsolutely no Psychology Today
profile or Instagram reel or Googlesearch result can fully replicate.
(04:56):
Think about it when someonesays, Hey, I know someone great.
You should reach out to them.
That referral carries weight.
Whether you're looking for someone tomow your lawn or a personal trainer
or a therapist for your child.
Imagine if someone says,Hey, I know someone awesome.
Here's their info.
You automatically trust that someone more.
(05:18):
And like I said, the data, itbacks this up according to our
2024 state of the industry survey.
So we completed this in December, 2024.
Networking is hands down one of themost effective strategies across
the board, whether you are fullfee or insurance-based, whether
you are brand new or a decade.
In solo group networking was in the topthree for every single clinician type
(05:42):
as far as how they are getting clients.
78% of therapists got at least one clientin the last six months from another
therapist they know, and 72% got aclient from a complimentary professional,
so a non therapist professional.
Think doctor or coach or doula, or yogainstructor, whatever, someone who isn't a
(06:04):
therapist, those numbers are not a fluke.
Those numbers are a signal that peoplestill value human to human connection.
Even in the age of AI and atrust recession, actually, they
might value it more than ever.
And here's something elseI wanna say about this.
(06:25):
Therapists are already good at this.
Whether you believe it or not, whateveryour beliefs about networking might be.
I'm here to tell you networkingisn't actually as foreign a
skill as it might feel like.
You build trust for a living.
You build rapport for a living.
You hold space, you listen thoughtfully,you connect, you build a relationship.
(06:51):
Networking is simply about applying thosesame strengths in a different direction.
So the problem isn't that you don'tknow how, it's that somewhere along
the line you picked up the idea andare still carrying it, that this is
supposed to feel pushy or awkwardor fake, but it doesn't have to.
(07:11):
And I wanna show you herewhat it can look like instead.
And again, why this summerseason is so helpful for it.
First, let's clear up a couple ideasaround what networking isn't, because
for a lot of you, like I said, you'vepicked up that idea and this is
where the resistance really lives.
Most of the hesitation therapists havearound networking doesn't actually
(07:35):
come from the act of networking itself.
You don't mind talking to people, right?
It comes from a set of assumptionsabout what it's supposed to be.
So please hear me networking effectively.
Is not cold, emailing strangersasking them to send you clients.
It is not about being extrovertedand putting yourself out
(07:57):
there day in and day out.
It is not about physically driving todoctor's office after doctor's office and
knocking on doors, and it is definitelynot about being salesy or pushy.
I wanna tell you a story here.
When I first started Walker StrategyCo and really started taking it
seriously I believed that thisbusiness, this mission, had potential.
(08:21):
I hired a coach.
I realized I needed some support,and I hired a coach, and she
gave me two pieces of advice.
First, she told me to start a Facebookgroup, and not only to start a
Facebook group, but to go live in thatFacebook group multiple times a week.
That was not on my Bingo card, and itfelt incredibly uncomfortable, but it did
(08:43):
feel aligned with what I wanted to do.
I wanted to build community.
I wanted to create connection,and so I did that thing.
It was uncomfortable, but it was aligned.
Guess what?
Last month, that group hit20,000 therapists, and it's my
number one marketing tool andopportunity to connect with people.
(09:05):
The second thing she told me todo, and I still cringe at this, she
told me, get on Psychology Today.
Type in your zip code.
So she wanted me to actuallytarget people in Nashville,
which is still just beyond me.
She told me to find therapistswho didn't have strong websites
and then to cold email them andtell them, are you kidding me?
(09:28):
I was early on in my business,but I knew bar none that didn't.
Feel right?
So I didn't do it.
It didn't feel aligned.
It felt invasive, and quitefrankly, it felt gross.
If that is what it took tosucceed in this business.
I wasn't interested.
Okay?
So I didn't do that thing.
(09:48):
Now, I think this distinction, thefeeling of that is gross or that
feels weird, is something a lot oftherapists can probably relate to.
You don't want to be intrusive.
You don't wanna bother people, and fora lot of you, that's the block, but
that isn't what networking has to be.
Networking isn't walking into a roomand trying to impress everyone, let
(10:12):
alone get them to send you clients.
It's not handing out businesscards to people who didn't
ask and aren't interested.
It's relationship building.
Plain and simple.
It's connection.
It's curiosity.
It's shared values.
It's shared interests.
It's reaching out because you actuallywant to know what someone else does
(10:34):
in a spirit of curiosity, not becauseyou're trying to get something from them.
That is the version of networkingthat works, that is the version
of networking that feels good, andthat's also the version of networking
that we're gonna talk about next.
So how can networking actuallylook when it's aligned with
(10:54):
your values and your energy?
What if it isn't cold emails or awkwardcoffee dates or scrolling psych today and
sending emails to people who didn't ask?
What is it?
What is good networking?
Let me paint a picture for you.
Networking can be as simple as leaving athoughtful comment on someone's Facebook
(11:16):
post in your local therapist group.
It can be replying to a storyon Instagram of a clinician you
follow and appreciate saying, Hey,I love how you explained that.
It can be following a therapistin your city because you
really like their approach.
You like their vibe.
And then maybe sending a quick DMsaying, I'd love to connect sometime.
I really like what you're up to.
(11:37):
These are all examples ofinitiating relationship.
They're small, they're casual.
They're low stakes, and quite frankly,I think Facebook or Instagram, if you
do use it, can be one of the leastintimidating, but most effective places
to start, especially in Facebook groupsand things like that, they're public.
(12:00):
You're not just sliding intosomeone's dms outta nowhere.
You know, you're responding to apost that they make where they share
their website and you really likedit, or you have an overlap in niche.
You're just showing up where other peopleare already hanging out and being a human.
One of my favorite things to do is tostart a thread in your own therapist group
(12:22):
that says something like, Hey everyone.
I'm looking to build my referrallist for couples therapists.
If that's you, I'd love to connect.
I really, really love that approach.
In one of our recent episodes wherewe talked about fear based marketing,
we met the three different personas.
We talked about stepping into the versionof yourself that is fully booked and
(12:47):
thriving and operating as that therapist.
That is the power ofnetworking in this way.
You might be sitting here listeningto this right now and have spots
on your caseload and need to grow.
That's okay when you enter into thesetypes of networking conversations, making
a post like I'm looking to build myreferral list is looking to serve others.
(13:14):
When you network in this way.
You make a post where maybe you seeindividual men and so you know that
couples therapists can be a great referralsource for you and also you for them
making a post like this where you'relooking to build your own referral list,
I want to be able to refer to couples,therapists, is going to initiate a
lot more conversation and connectionthan if you were to say, I'm looking
(13:37):
for more individual men's clients.
Do you know any therapists?
Do you know any couplestherapists that are referring.
Can you see the energy between these two?
You are looking to serve couplestherapists by adding them to your referral
list, versus you are looking to beserved by saying, Hey, I need clients.
Does anyone know who can send them to me?
(13:57):
That's the shift here.
It's networking from the place oftotal security, belief in yourself,
confidence, abundance, and thenlooking to serve others and enter into
conversations in a spirit of curiosity.
And a desire to make life easier for them.
Get to know them, be interested in them.
(14:20):
The energy behind this matters.
You're not approaching it like someonedesperately trying to get clients.
You're approaching it like someonewho is or is planning to be full.
Someone who is already a trusted referralpartner, even if they're still growing.
This shift alone can change everything.
Now there is no right way to network,and that's one of, I think the
(14:43):
challenges in our industry is thateveryone says you need to network,
but no one can really tell you how.
There's lots of strategies, but theydon't necessarily feel right for everyone.
So you're allowed tomake networking your own.
That might be one-on-one coffeechats, if that feels aligned to you.
Some people are interestedin hosting a local meetup.
(15:05):
And actually getting people togetherand initiating that others aren't.
Maybe you simply sharesomeone's post and tag them.
It all counts and it all compounds.
Networking is a seed you plantand then you cultivate and usually
doesn't bloom for a good long while.
That's okay.
That's how the best relationships happen.
(15:27):
So I want you to let go of thepressure to network the way that
some business book told you to.
Or that business coach you hired whotold you to scroll psych today, start
thinking about what feels genuine for you.
Because the therapists I look atwho are getting consistent and
qualified referrals from other peopleare not necessarily the loudest.
(15:49):
They're simply the most connected tothe people that matter most, and they
got that way by showing up just alittle bit over and over and over again.
Now, here's something I've noticed.
After working with thousandsof therapists, two people can
be doing the exact same quoteunquote networking strategy, and
(16:11):
only one of them gets results.
Why?
It's usually not their niche.
It's definitely not theirnumber of followers, and it's
rarely their experience level.
It's their energy and theirmindset about what they're doing.
Let me break this down.
The therapists who are consistentlyfull and getting those referrals,
(16:32):
they're not getting discouraged.
When someone doesn't respond rightaway, they're not taking it personal.
They're not assuming that oneinteraction is gonna turn into some
magical referral pipeline overnight.
They know that networkingis so often a numbers game.
This is a volume thing.
You're gonna connect with lots and lotsof people, and you really only need a
(16:53):
handful of really strong relationshipsin order to get consistent referrals.
But they aren't gonna be the first5, 10, 15 people you talk to.
The therapists who are consistentlyfull are in it for the long haul.
They trust that if they show up withconsistency, curiosity, generosity,
that some of those seeds will grow.
(17:15):
They're also creativeabout their networking.
They're willing to think outside the box.
They're willing to start small testthings out, see what fail, feels good.
Now, the therapists who struggle,they usually come in with a story
they've already decided ahead of time.
I'm not good at this.
I hate networking.
This isn't gonna work.
I'm an introvert.
This is exhausting.
(17:37):
And that belief, you better believeit shows up in how they engage.
They end up reaching out withan energy of desperation because
they need clients right now.
And that comes through.
Or they only try once ortwice, don't get a response and
just shut it down completely.
They assume it doesn't work.
And listen, I get it.
When you're not full, it is easy to feellike you're constantly chasing, but that's
(18:02):
really why your approach matters so much.
Because when you lead from aplace of curiosity, not scarcity,
that is what builds trust.
That's what people want to connect to.
So if you're sitting here havingtried networking before and it didn't
quote unquote work, ask yourself, wasI genuinely showing up to connect?
(18:25):
Or maybe were you rushing theprocess because you needed it to
work, quote unquote immediately.
It's okay if you've been there, butnow is the time to shift because
the people who stay with it.
Are the ones who are treatingnetworking as relationship building,
not referral, requesting, andthose are the ones who see results.
(18:47):
And remember that is especially true rightnow when we are in this trust recession
and when the weight of someone's wordcarries so much power in this market.
Now let's bring this back tothe season you're in right now.
We're in our slayingthe summer Slump series.
Although this training and episodeis absolutely going to be applicable
(19:08):
regardless of the time of year,but summer is the absolute perfect
time to focus on networking.
Why?
Because most other therapistsare slowing down too.
They're taking time off.
They've also got margin in their calendar.
They have time to connect.
You are listening to this series andyou're not just waiting for the slump to
(19:30):
pass, you're building through it, right?
This presents such natural opportunityfor connection in ways that neither of
you, you or the other therapists you'regonna be connecting to, might have time
for in a different season of the year.
They're more likely to say yes to aquick Zoom chat to answer a di dm.
(19:50):
They're also in a season of connecting,not just managing a caseload.
So use that to you, your advantage.
Spend one of the hours you would'vespent in a client session this week doing
something that plants seeds for yourfuture that might be sending a message or
starting a thread in your Facebook group.
Even just brainstorming who youwant to be in a relationship with
(20:13):
long term, who is interacting withyour ideal client on a regular
basis beyond just other therapists.
Because here's the thing about networkingand honestly about marketing in general.
It's not about who finds you next week.
It's about the clients who showup six months from now saying,
(20:34):
I got your name from so and sobecause you showed up today.
This is a long game.
You're not just trying to filla few slots right now, right?
You're trying to buildsomething sustainable.
And the relationships that youform now may not bear fruit
immediately, but they can absolutelychange your practice over time.
(20:56):
So here's your challenge.
For this week, we've ended eachof our slaying the Summer Slump
Series episodes with a challenge.
This week, I want you tomake a networking map.
So grab a pen or opena blank doc, whatever.
Pull up the notes app onyour phone and ask yourself.
Who else is walkingalongside my ideal client?
(21:16):
Who is my ideal client interactingwith on a regular basis?
Who is supporting them in other areas oftheir life who might hear their struggle
before they ever find a therapist?
Start listing them out.
If your ideal client is a millennial momwith anxiety, for instance, that could
(21:40):
include OBGYNs, pediatricians for theirchildren, daycare directors, lactation
consultants, if they're a younger mom,maybe yoga instructors, parenting coaches,
or other professionals in that way.
Children's therapists, definitelycouples therapists, for sure.
Admins of mom groups.
(22:03):
Mom's Facebook groups are, arich, rich opportunity for many
clinicians, birth doulas or midwives.
If you work more in the perinatalspace, I'll never forget I
used to get my eyelashes done.
That was my self-care for a longwhile before I had my kids and my
lash artist would tell me regularlyhow much she heard from her.
(22:26):
Clients about their lives, andthey actually did carry some
business cards of local therapists.
How could you get creative?
Who else, like I said, is perhapshearing your ideal client's
struggle before a therapist does?
So you're gonna make this list,and then I want you to pick
one, just one this week, right?
(22:49):
These are short, actionablechallenges and reach out this week.
Not to ask for anything, butto connect, to learn, to be
human, to initiate relationship.
You can say something like, Hey,I work with young moms and I'm
looking to build my referrallist for lactation consultants.
(23:12):
I'd love to learn more about whatyou do and see if there's a fit
for a collaboration of some kind.
That's it.
That's how it starts.
Remember, this isn't about pitching.
It is about planting seeds, and whenyou do that consistently with care and
curiosity and generosity, the referralscome, the relationships grow, and your
(23:38):
marketing, it starts to feel a lot lesslike you're shouting into the void and
a lot more like building a web of trust.
I hope you found this one helpful.
I will see you next week for ourlast and final episode of our
Sling, the Summer Slump Series.
And until then, keep doing great work.
You've got this.
I'll talk to you soon.
Hey there.
Welcome back to Marketing Therapy,episode 11, also part three of our
Slaying the Summer Slump series.
If you've been following along, you knowI've been making the case, hopefully.
Well, that summer isn't something that youshould just be surviving in your practice.
It's actually one of the besttimes, if not the best time
(00:22):
to invest in your marketing.
And certainly not because it's thebusiest, but because it's when most
people are slowing down and backingoff, sometimes disappearing altogether.
And when you are the onestill showing up, even just a
little, you start to stand out.
This season is an opportunity to take themargin available to you and invest in it.
(00:47):
Use it to set yourself up forsuccess as we move into the fall
and future seasons of your practice.
In episode nine of Slaying the SummerSlump, we started with talking about
where you are starting with runningyour practice from a place of really
grounded action and identifying theopportunities you have in front of you
(01:10):
to start improving your marketing Now.
So we did a little self-audit in there.
That was really powerfuland a great place to start.
Then in episode 10 we looked athow to clarify what you actually
want and how to start showing uplike the clinician you are and are
becoming not the one you used to be.
If you haven't caught thoseepisodes yet, I strongly suggest.
(01:31):
That you hop over and listen to thoseafter this one, maybe even before,
because they really lay a great foundationfor what we're talking about today.
Because today we're takingthis a step further.
We're talking about something thatgets misunderstood all the time.
Networking.
If you just cringed alittle, you're not alone.
Most therapists I work withthe large majority, do not
(01:54):
love the idea of networking.
Many of the therapists I support identifyas introverts, and so the idea of
networking brings up images of reallyawkward small talk and desperate cold
emails, and quite frankly, a lot of timethat they don't feel like they have.
But here's the thing, networking ishands down one of the most effective
(02:16):
marketing strategies in the game.
In fact.
In today's market, I viewit as a non-negotiable.
If you've been in my world for a while,you've heard me say this, I have yet
to meet a fully booked private payclinician who is not well connected.
I'm sure they're out there,but they're hard to find.
And when I say that networking is one ofthe most effective marketing strategies,
(02:38):
this is not just according to me.
We are also really surprised by what wesaw in our state of the industry survey,
where over 400 clinicians weighed inon what was actually working for them.
But an important thing to knowabout networking is it's not
just about getting clients.
It's not that easy ifyou've networked before.
You know that you don't make aconnection with someone one day
(02:59):
and get a referral the next.
It's really about building long-termtrust in a market where trust
is right now at an all time low.
So today I wanna reframenetworking entirely.
Here we're gonna talk about why it's stillworking, and especially why it's critical
right now, what it actually looks likewhen it's not gross or forced, and how
(03:24):
you can start small this week in a waythat's aligned with your strengths and
doesn't drain you, but does capitalizeon the potential of this strategy.
This episode is gonna give you a fewpowerful ways to build something that
lasts in your networking relationships.
Alright, let's start with why networkingactually works, why you've gotta do it,
(03:45):
and why it still matters, especially now.
You may have heard this term before,or maybe this is the first time,
but many people say that we are inwhat's called a trust recession.
What does that mean?
It means that people aremore skeptical than ever.
You might actually befeeling this in your clients.
It's one of the reasons in our stateof the industry survey, we heard from
(04:06):
therapists that they are experiencingclients doing more shopping around,
engaging in more consultations.
They're a little bit more discerning,they're doing more research,
they're taking longer to decide,and sometimes they've been burned,
whether by a therapist or by someother service provider that they just
enter into all of these decisionswith a little bit more skepticism.
(04:30):
So in a world where trust is inshort supply, a recommendation
from someone they do trust isabsolutely worth its weight in gold.
That is what networking creates.
It builds a bridge of trust thatabsolutely no Psychology Today
profile or Instagram reel or Googlesearch result can fully replicate.
(04:56):
Think about it when someonesays, Hey, I know someone great.
You should reach out to them.
That referral carries weight.
Whether you're looking for someone tomow your lawn or a personal trainer
or a therapist for your child.
Imagine if someone says,Hey, I know someone awesome.
Here's their info.
You automatically trust that someone more.
(05:18):
And like I said, the data, itbacks this up according to our
2024 state of the industry survey.
So we completed this in December, 2024.
Networking is hands down one of themost effective strategies across
the board, whether you are fullfee or insurance-based, whether
you are brand new or a decade.
In solo group networking was in the topthree for every single clinician type
(05:42):
as far as how they are getting clients.
78% of therapists got at least one clientin the last six months from another
therapist they know, and 72% got aclient from a complimentary professional,
so a non therapist professional.
Think doctor or coach or doula, or yogainstructor, whatever, someone who isn't a
(06:04):
therapist, those numbers are not a fluke.
Those numbers are a signal that peoplestill value human to human connection.
Even in the age of AI and atrust recession, actually, they
might value it more than ever.
And here's something elseI wanna say about this.
(06:25):
Therapists are already good at this.
Whether you believe it or not, whateveryour beliefs about networking might be.
I'm here to tell you networkingisn't actually as foreign a
skill as it might feel like.
You build trust for a living.
You build rapport for a living.
You hold space, you listen thoughtfully,you connect, you build a relationship.
(06:51):
Networking is simply about applying thosesame strengths in a different direction.
So the problem isn't that you don'tknow how, it's that somewhere along
the line you picked up the idea andare still carrying it, that this is
supposed to feel pushy or awkwardor fake, but it doesn't have to.
(07:11):
And I wanna show you herewhat it can look like instead.
And again, why this summerseason is so helpful for it.
First, let's clear up a couple ideasaround what networking isn't, because
for a lot of you, like I said, you'vepicked up that idea and this is
where the resistance really lives.
Most of the hesitation therapists havearound networking doesn't actually
(07:35):
come from the act of networking itself.
You don't mind talking to people, right?
It comes from a set of assumptionsabout what it's supposed to be.
So please hear me networking effectively.
Is not cold, emailing strangersasking them to send you clients.
It is not about being extrovertedand putting yourself out
(07:57):
there day in and day out.
It is not about physically driving todoctor's office after doctor's office and
knocking on doors, and it is definitelynot about being salesy or pushy.
I wanna tell you a story here.
When I first started Walker StrategyCo and really started taking it
seriously I believed that thisbusiness, this mission, had potential.
(08:21):
I hired a coach.
I realized I needed some support,and I hired a coach, and she
gave me two pieces of advice.
First, she told me to start a Facebookgroup, and not only to start a
Facebook group, but to go live in thatFacebook group multiple times a week.
That was not on my Bingo card, and itfelt incredibly uncomfortable, but it did
(08:43):
feel aligned with what I wanted to do.
I wanted to build community.
I wanted to create connection,and so I did that thing.
It was uncomfortable, but it was aligned.
Guess what?
Last month, that group hit20,000 therapists, and it's my
number one marketing tool andopportunity to connect with people.
(09:05):
The second thing she told me todo, and I still cringe at this, she
told me, get on Psychology Today.
Type in your zip code.
So she wanted me to actuallytarget people in Nashville,
which is still just beyond me.
She told me to find therapistswho didn't have strong websites
and then to cold email them andtell them, are you kidding me?
(09:28):
I was early on in my business,but I knew bar none that didn't.
Feel right?
So I didn't do it.
It didn't feel aligned.
It felt invasive, and quitefrankly, it felt gross.
If that is what it took tosucceed in this business.
I wasn't interested.
Okay?
So I didn't do that thing.
(09:48):
Now, I think this distinction, thefeeling of that is gross or that
feels weird, is something a lot oftherapists can probably relate to.
You don't want to be intrusive.
You don't wanna bother people, and fora lot of you, that's the block, but
that isn't what networking has to be.
Networking isn't walking into a roomand trying to impress everyone, let
(10:12):
alone get them to send you clients.
It's not handing out businesscards to people who didn't
ask and aren't interested.
It's relationship building.
Plain and simple.
It's connection.
It's curiosity.
It's shared values.
It's shared interests.
It's reaching out because you actuallywant to know what someone else does
(10:34):
in a spirit of curiosity, not becauseyou're trying to get something from them.
That is the version of networkingthat works, that is the version
of networking that feels good, andthat's also the version of networking
that we're gonna talk about next.
So how can networking actuallylook when it's aligned with
(10:54):
your values and your energy?
What if it isn't cold emails or awkwardcoffee dates or scrolling psych today and
sending emails to people who didn't ask?
What is it?
What is good networking?
Let me paint a picture for you.
Networking can be as simple as leaving athoughtful comment on someone's Facebook
(11:16):
post in your local therapist group.
It can be replying to a storyon Instagram of a clinician you
follow and appreciate saying, Hey,I love how you explained that.
It can be following a therapistin your city because you
really like their approach.
You like their vibe.
And then maybe sending a quick DMsaying, I'd love to connect sometime.
I really like what you're up to.
(11:37):
These are all examples ofinitiating relationship.
They're small, they're casual.
They're low stakes, and quite frankly,I think Facebook or Instagram, if you
do use it, can be one of the leastintimidating, but most effective places
to start, especially in Facebook groupsand things like that, they're public.
(12:00):
You're not just sliding intosomeone's dms outta nowhere.
You know, you're responding to apost that they make where they share
their website and you really likedit, or you have an overlap in niche.
You're just showing up where other peopleare already hanging out and being a human.
One of my favorite things to do is tostart a thread in your own therapist group
(12:22):
that says something like, Hey everyone.
I'm looking to build my referrallist for couples therapists.
If that's you, I'd love to connect.
I really, really love that approach.
In one of our recent episodes wherewe talked about fear based marketing,
we met the three different personas.
We talked about stepping into the versionof yourself that is fully booked and
(12:47):
thriving and operating as that therapist.
That is the power ofnetworking in this way.
You might be sitting here listeningto this right now and have spots
on your caseload and need to grow.
That's okay when you enter into thesetypes of networking conversations, making
a post like I'm looking to build myreferral list is looking to serve others.
(13:14):
When you network in this way.
You make a post where maybe you seeindividual men and so you know that
couples therapists can be a great referralsource for you and also you for them
making a post like this where you'relooking to build your own referral list,
I want to be able to refer to couples,therapists, is going to initiate a
lot more conversation and connectionthan if you were to say, I'm looking
(13:37):
for more individual men's clients.
Do you know any therapists?
Do you know any couplestherapists that are referring.
Can you see the energy between these two?
You are looking to serve couplestherapists by adding them to your referral
list, versus you are looking to beserved by saying, Hey, I need clients.
Does anyone know who can send them to me?
(13:57):
That's the shift here.
It's networking from the place oftotal security, belief in yourself,
confidence, abundance, and thenlooking to serve others and enter into
conversations in a spirit of curiosity.
And a desire to make life easier for them.
Get to know them, be interested in them.
(14:20):
The energy behind this matters.
You're not approaching it like someonedesperately trying to get clients.
You're approaching it like someonewho is or is planning to be full.
Someone who is already a trusted referralpartner, even if they're still growing.
This shift alone can change everything.
Now there is no right way to network,and that's one of, I think the
(14:43):
challenges in our industry is thateveryone says you need to network,
but no one can really tell you how.
There's lots of strategies, but theydon't necessarily feel right for everyone.
So you're allowed tomake networking your own.
That might be one-on-one coffeechats, if that feels aligned to you.
Some people are interestedin hosting a local meetup.
(15:05):
And actually getting people togetherand initiating that others aren't.
Maybe you simply sharesomeone's post and tag them.
It all counts and it all compounds.
Networking is a seed you plantand then you cultivate and usually
doesn't bloom for a good long while.
That's okay.
That's how the best relationships happen.
(15:27):
So I want you to let go of thepressure to network the way that
some business book told you to.
Or that business coach you hired whotold you to scroll psych today, start
thinking about what feels genuine for you.
Because the therapists I look atwho are getting consistent and
qualified referrals from other peopleare not necessarily the loudest.
(15:49):
They're simply the most connected tothe people that matter most, and they
got that way by showing up just alittle bit over and over and over again.
Now, here's something I've noticed.
After working with thousandsof therapists, two people can
be doing the exact same quoteunquote networking strategy, and
(16:11):
only one of them gets results.
Why?
It's usually not their niche.
It's definitely not theirnumber of followers, and it's
rarely their experience level.
It's their energy and theirmindset about what they're doing.
Let me break this down.
The therapists who are consistentlyfull and getting those referrals,
(16:32):
they're not getting discouraged.
When someone doesn't respond rightaway, they're not taking it personal.
They're not assuming that oneinteraction is gonna turn into some
magical referral pipeline overnight.
They know that networkingis so often a numbers game.
This is a volume thing.
You're gonna connect with lots and lotsof people, and you really only need a
(16:53):
handful of really strong relationshipsin order to get consistent referrals.
But they aren't gonna be the first5, 10, 15 people you talk to.
The therapists who are consistentlyfull are in it for the long haul.
They trust that if they show up withconsistency, curiosity, generosity,
that some of those seeds will grow.
(17:15):
They're also creativeabout their networking.
They're willing to think outside the box.
They're willing to start small testthings out, see what fail, feels good.
Now, the therapists who struggle,they usually come in with a story
they've already decided ahead of time.
I'm not good at this.
I hate networking.
This isn't gonna work.
I'm an introvert.
This is exhausting.
(17:37):
And that belief, you better believeit shows up in how they engage.
They end up reaching out withan energy of desperation because
they need clients right now.
And that comes through.
Or they only try once ortwice, don't get a response and
just shut it down completely.
They assume it doesn't work.
And listen, I get it.
When you're not full, it is easy to feellike you're constantly chasing, but that's
(18:02):
really why your approach matters so much.
Because when you lead from aplace of curiosity, not scarcity,
that is what builds trust.
That's what people want to connect to.
So if you're sitting here havingtried networking before and it didn't
quote unquote work, ask yourself, wasI genuinely showing up to connect?
(18:25):
Or maybe were you rushing theprocess because you needed it to
work, quote unquote immediately.
It's okay if you've been there, butnow is the time to shift because
the people who stay with it.
Are the ones who are treatingnetworking as relationship building,
not referral, requesting, andthose are the ones who see results.
(18:47):
And remember that is especially true rightnow when we are in this trust recession
and when the weight of someone's wordcarries so much power in this market.
Now let's bring this back tothe season you're in right now.
We're in our slayingthe summer Slump series.
Although this training and episodeis absolutely going to be applicable
(19:08):
regardless of the time of year,but summer is the absolute perfect
time to focus on networking.
Why?
Because most other therapistsare slowing down too.
They're taking time off.
They've also got margin in their calendar.
They have time to connect.
You are listening to this series andyou're not just waiting for the slump to
(19:30):
pass, you're building through it, right?
This presents such natural opportunityfor connection in ways that neither of
you, you or the other therapists you'regonna be connecting to, might have time
for in a different season of the year.
They're more likely to say yes to aquick Zoom chat to answer a di dm.
(19:50):
They're also in a season of connecting,not just managing a caseload.
So use that to you, your advantage.
Spend one of the hours you would'vespent in a client session this week doing
something that plants seeds for yourfuture that might be sending a message or
starting a thread in your Facebook group.
Even just brainstorming who youwant to be in a relationship with
(20:13):
long term, who is interacting withyour ideal client on a regular
basis beyond just other therapists.
Because here's the thing about networkingand honestly about marketing in general.
It's not about who finds you next week.
It's about the clients who showup six months from now saying,
(20:34):
I got your name from so and sobecause you showed up today.
This is a long game.
You're not just trying to filla few slots right now, right?
You're trying to buildsomething sustainable.
And the relationships that youform now may not bear fruit
immediately, but they can absolutelychange your practice over time.
(20:56):
So here's your challenge.
For this week, we've ended eachof our slaying the Summer Slump
Series episodes with a challenge.
This week, I want you tomake a networking map.
So grab a pen or opena blank doc, whatever.
Pull up the notes app onyour phone and ask yourself.
Who else is walkingalongside my ideal client?
(21:16):
Who is my ideal client interactingwith on a regular basis?
Who is supporting them in other areas oftheir life who might hear their struggle
before they ever find a therapist?
Start listing them out.
If your ideal client is a millennial momwith anxiety, for instance, that could
(21:40):
include OBGYNs, pediatricians for theirchildren, daycare directors, lactation
consultants, if they're a younger mom,maybe yoga instructors, parenting coaches,
or other professionals in that way.
Children's therapists, definitelycouples therapists, for sure.
Admins of mom groups.
(22:03):
Mom's Facebook groups are, arich, rich opportunity for many
clinicians, birth doulas or midwives.
If you work more in the perinatalspace, I'll never forget I
used to get my eyelashes done.
That was my self-care for a longwhile before I had my kids and my
lash artist would tell me regularlyhow much she heard from her.
(22:26):
Clients about their lives, andthey actually did carry some
business cards of local therapists.
How could you get creative?
Who else, like I said, is perhapshearing your ideal client's
struggle before a therapist does?
So you're gonna make this list,and then I want you to pick
one, just one this week, right?
(22:49):
These are short, actionablechallenges and reach out this week.
Not to ask for anything, butto connect, to learn, to be
human, to initiate relationship.
You can say something like, Hey,I work with young moms and I'm
looking to build my referrallist for lactation consultants.
(23:12):
I'd love to learn more about whatyou do and see if there's a fit
for a collaboration of some kind.
That's it.
That's how it starts.
Remember, this isn't about pitching.
It is about planting seeds, and whenyou do that consistently with care and
curiosity and generosity, the referralscome, the relationships grow, and your
(23:38):
marketing, it starts to feel a lot lesslike you're shouting into the void and
a lot more like building a web of trust.
I hope you found this one helpful.
I will see you next week for ourlast and final episode of our
Sling, the Summer Slump Series.
And until then, keep doing great work.
You've got this.
I'll talk to you soon.
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