Be easy to find. One of the most critical steps to take for growing your business is to have consistent and accessible information about yourself and your business. It’s important to make it as easy as possible for the client to contact you. This means that you have a permanent phone number, e-mail address, website, business location, and that this information is printed on your business cards. The information on your website and in your tri-fold brochures should be accurate and up-to-date, too.

You may receive calls from people you gave your business card to years earlier. If you have not changed your contact information, it makes it so much easier for them to reach you, especially those who are looking "outside the box" to find someone to help them feel better and be understood.

“Experts” say most businesses tend to fail within the first 3 to 5 years, so it is crucial when you are networking and getting your name out there, that the people who are holding onto your information for a later date will be able to get in touch with you when the time is right for them.

Be prepared.ALWAYS have business cards with you. If you are like me, you enjoy sharing what you love with people, and that of course is Ortho-Bionomy. Pulling a business card out of your pocket or purse enhances your credibility and professionalism. It saves the time and hassle of looking for pen and paper to write your contact information on. Couple this with the consistent information mentioned above will give you the best chance possible for potential clients to feel confident in your ability to back up what you say as an Ortho-Bionomy Practitioner.

Trade-show necessities.If you are renting a booth at a trade show or fair, make sure you have the following items present to make it a success. (If you do these shows often, make a checklist that you can use as a reference, to make sure you have not forgotten anything. Also, set aside a place where you can prepare these materials in advance and store them.) The following are some of the things I have used at these shows:

1.) Signage (Easel, dry erase board, and markers)
2.) Sign-In Sheets (www.phase-eight.com/forms) and pens
3.) Business Cards (your own)
Name
Phone
E-mail
Website
4.) Literature - tri-fold brochures, postcards, magazine articles etc.
5.) Gold Fish Bowl (For business cards)
6.) Massage table or chair so people can sample your work

Have everyone you work on or talk to sign in or drop their business card into the goldfish bowl. All of these names you can use later in a database that you maintain. With this database, you can mail or e-mail helpful information giving these potential clients a reason to call for sessions.

Being consistent and being prepared will go a long way especially if you run into these same people a couple years later and they still see you sharing what you love to do.

Tips For:
Whether you are a client, a student, a practitioner, or an instructor, you may find these tips and suggestions helpful in your life and practice. If you have some of your own, send us an email and we will print them!

Clients: Get the most from your session. (B. Parravano)
After your session, you feel relaxed and comfortable. To hold on to that experience, be nice to yourself. It’s particularly important after a session to be gentle with your self. Changes have occurred, even if they are subtle. Don’t rush back to the hectic pace of your life. Take some time to go for a walk in nature; keep hydrated by drinking plenty of water. Get a bit more rest than usual. Breathe and go slow for a while.

Students: Choosing an advisor (B. Parravano)
It’s important to your program to select an advisor. The right advisor will guide you through your program, helping you gain the most you can from your classes and experiences, and help you navigate the program requirements. If you can, attend classes from several instructors to get to know them better. When you have an instructor in mind, schedule a meeting and talk to them. He or she will explain to you what they expect from you. This includes how to fill out paperwork, how to set up private discussions, how and when to communicate with them, and their fees. You should also express your goals for the program, what you would like advise on, what you expect from your advisor, and how you like to communicate.

Remember, you can have more than one advisor, each one meeting different needs for you and your program. You also have the right to change advisors at any time in your program. You may need different guidance at some point, or a different fit. Also remember, that you can work with any instructor, whether they are your advisor or not. If you have questions about your experiences, about the program, about how to proceed, whatever, you can work with any available instructor.

Practitioners: Increasing the number of follow-up sessions. (B. Parravano)
Several suggestions you make to your client will help increase the number of follow-up sessions you have with them. First, educate your clients on possible experiences they may have after a session. These include follow-on relaxation or even the potential for a healing crisis. Let them know that you would appreciate a call from them in a few days to see how they are doing, or that you will call them in a few days to see how they are doing. (Most clients appreciate a call from you.) Then, call and tell them that you wanted to see how they were doing, what they experienced over the past few days, did anything else release for them, did new pain arise, and so on. Let them know that this feedback is part of their session and will help in future sessions. If it’s appropriate, schedule your next session, or encourage them to schedule one. If they felt they had a disappointing experience, be open and honest and inform them that their genuine comments will allow you to do a better job in the future whether or not they return to you again as a client.

Instructors: Be open to listening and learning (T. Lee)
We learn to meet our clients where they are, who they are, and honor them as individuals. We learn to support them in their process, facilitating their connection with themselves. As teachers it is the same. Honor the student, meet them where they are and facilitate their individual process. To do this, you must remember that you the teacher are also always the student – you are observing, waiting, supporting and learning from your students while holding sacred space within yourself.

When you treat people as if you are the absolute authority you crystallize the energetic flow - you stop the very relationship and connection you want to create. To be all knowing impregnates your room with stagnation, you leave no room for openness and learning. You, as teacher, set the tone, so be willing to listen and learn. Share your passion and enthusiasm for Ortho-Bionomy and remember - laugh at yourself and you will always be entertained!

Residentials
For Arthur, residentials “Get ourselves out of our ordinary reality and allow us to explore the inner reality of Ortho-Bionomy.” Residentials let us explore that part of the work that needs to be “caught” not “taught.” While learning the energetic dance between the phases, you find your own rhythmic dance with Ortho-Bionomy that is beyond technique. That which is unable to be articulated, it’s a visceral experience that is not limited by our rational mind or the language we speak. A state of mind where learning takes place by doing less and being more. You find the art underneath the form.

Terri Lee has been attending or teaching residentials since 1983, teaching one to four a year. It is her wish that all students walk away from a residential feeling more at ease with the dance of Ortho-Bionomy. Her objective is to meet the students where they are and take them where they say they want to go and to facilitate their learning to apply the principles at a deeper more personal level of awareness. A residential with Terri is custom woven by the requests of the students at the time of the workshop. The content is determined at the beginning of the workshop and is shifted each day as is necessary to meet the changing needs of the students. The goal is always the same: to become more comfortable in our own skins. To explore the dance of Ortho-Bionomy in relationship to all things outside & within us and become more at ease at being ourselves. The Art of Ortho-Bionomy.
 

Upcoming Residentials
Mexico Residential (Isla Mujeres)in November 2007 is FULL!

Mexico Residential, (Loreto) March 2008

To see more details about these residentials as well as all the other classes offered by Phase-Eight please see: Phase-Eight Upcoming Classes

Also check out the the Phase=Eight instructional videos: Phase-Eight Online Store
 

Thank all of you for your continued support!
Terri & Bill