2.A. You Are Your Brand

did you know you have a brand? as a therapist you are selling a service that you provide, so you are your brand, people are watching and forming opinions…are you the person they want to work with to refer to? whether you realize it or not, you are building a professional reputation your reputation is based on how others perceive you this could be perceptions from online advertising (profiles, your website, your social media), from interactions from you (emails, phone calls, networking events), from what others (former clients, colleagues, co workers) say about what you do/did (i e "he's really good at returning calls", or "if she can't help you, she will give you some referrals" or "he really knows what's he's talking about when it comes to anxiety" or "she's really down to earth") or what you didn't do ("she's really hard to reach," "he's always late to her appointments") your brand (and reputation) can be effected by things like your online profile (with hopscotch, with other directories) the way you dress the way you speak (fast, slow, alot of professional jargon, easy to understand) services your provide education and training ("he's an expert at xyz") website social media interactions (your own and how you engage in other facebook groups and comments) you’re responsiveness to emails and phone calls are your responses cordial, professional, prompt? is your outgoing voicemail you use for business professional? is your voicemail box full or can people leave messages? what does your outgoing message on your phone say? does it speak warmly and professionally to potential clients and referral sources? do you need to get a separate business email address or phone number? if you already have one, are you checking them regularly? (daily, more than once a day)? reflection/discussion take a moment and reflect on the following questions 1\) what do you want your brand/reputation to be for your business/private practice? how do you want to be perceived by clients, colleagues, and referral partners? 2\) how do you think others are perceiving you now? 3\) are #1 and #2 the same? if not, what do you need to change/do to get there?