Honestly, at first I was reluctant to embrace him because I wondered if he was one of those ’slick’ salesmen.  (Which I now see was a reflection of my own discomfort with marketing and not a true picture of him.)

Nonetheless, as I studied him and his materials I was cautious but remained open minded.  After all, I wanted my acupuncture practice to succeed and I needed to learn everything I could to ensure that would happen.

What I learned about Michael Port is that he is nothing like my initial (erroneous) perception!  He is authentic and very passionate about providing business training to the service-based business community.

He recently created an innovative online small business coaching program that I think is perfect for the acupuncture community.  He shows you the fastest and most effective ways to book yourself solid and then build a business that runs without you.  Listen, I hate to say it but if you are struggling to run your business and you have not developed systems to automate your marketing and referrals, then you are always going to struggle to make it.  It’s just a fact.

Michael Port’s new program is called Booked Solid University and he offers everything you need to know about building your business in one extraordinary e-learning environment.

I know e-learning can take a little getting used to, but for acupuncturists who are no longer in their college environment, it is the next best thing.  The structure is the same, in that you have regular class times to meet and you have a community of virtual classmates to interact with.  I think the reason many acupuncturists fail in business is because they do not have a disciplined schedule for learning marketing and implementing what they learn.

Booked Solid University keeps you on task and accountable so you are always putting into action what you learn in a sequential, logical manner (just like acupuncture college).

Here’s what’s amazing. You get all of his courses and programs under one roof for just a few dollars a day. His program includes an Entrepreneur’s Mastery Program and Booked Solid Electives that show you exactly how to:

• Get clients with ease and integrity.
• Improve focus on what’s most important.
• Increase free time and improve your lifestyle.
• Maximize wealth and influence.

And, better yet, right now he’s offering a 50% DISCOUNT to the next few people who enroll. It was for the next 50 people but I know those spots are getting nabbed faster than you can say Booked Solid, so there can’t be many left.

I heard he created Booked Solid U because he was sick of all the other so called “gurus” charging ridiculous fees for business education. He just doesn’t think you should pay a lot to learn how to get booked solid. Now, that’s a good man. That’s the right thing to do.

I’ve read every word about the coaching program on his website and it is the most comprehensive, breakthrough interactive, go-at-your-own pace, self-guided, online education community, offering easy-to-use, yet advanced educational technology for the small business owner. Seriously, I know which specific coaching programs are available to acupuncturists and this is one of the best for those of us who are planning a lengthy and successful career in the acupuncture profession.

The ribbon has been cut and the doors flung open to Booked Solid University. I recommend you rush out and grab one of the 50% OFF spots while they still last. Just imagine what your business could look like in one short year from now.

Please do not be one of the (all too many) acupuncturists who will look back and WISH they had taken advantage of this opportunity.

Check it out now:
http://www.insights-for-acupuncturists.com/bookedsolid-coaching

Lisa Hanfileti, LAc
Insights-For-Acupuncturists.com

• Where do acupuncture practitioners go to get their information? (You might be surprised.  I know I was!)
  
• What is the primary source of new patients for acupuncturists? (You’ll love this!)
  
• Who do acupuncturists turn to when they need help with difficult patients? (Some things never change. And that’s a GOOD thing!)
  
• How is the acupuncture profession being integrated into mainstream health care? (We’ve come a long way, baby!)

Click on the video to begin playing. Adjust the volume on your speakers.

They surveyed a number of acupuncture practitioners from the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (OCOM),the Seattle Institute of Oriental Medicine (SIOM), and the Seattle Healing Arts Center (SHAC) as well as a number of individual acupuncture practitioners.

In 2007 there were approximately 3.1 million adults and 150,000 children seeking acupuncture treatment and these numbers are growing.  With an estimated 20,000 licensed acupuncturists in the U.S. are you positioned to treat your share of the population who wants your services?

Watch the video and be sure to enter your thoughts in the “Speak Your Mind” section below.

Peace,

Lisa Hanfileti, LAc
P.S.  Here’s how I get my acupuncture patient referrals – works like a charm!
http://www.insights-for-acupuncturists.com/get-referrals

Acupuncture Business Blog??

One of the most frequently asked questions I receive is, Can I use a WordPress blog for my business website?

It’s an understandable question given that I write about how acupuncturists, or any self-employed business owner, can benefit from Site Build It’s affordable website building software.  (Especially since they announced their new “Recession Buster” special of $29.99 per month.)

But WordPress is FREE blogging software, so why have I not specifically recommended it to acupuncturists to use as their business website?  It’s a fair question!   I mean, if you are on a budget (and you should be!) who wouldn’t want a free Internet marketing platform for their business?

Unless… there’s a catch.

Is there a catch?

Okay, so what’s the catch?!

All right, hang on.  I promise to answer your questions and put you at ease so that you can make a very informed decision.  I really want you to understand what’s at stake here and why you definitely do NOT want to jump into a blog without understanding one very crucial piece of the “free” WordPress blog puzzle.

Let me explain a little bit about how I know so much about WordPress.

Ever since I wrote the book, “Complementary and Alternative Marketing: How to Attract New Patients, Market Your Practice, and Generate Passive Income With Your Acupuncture Website”, acupuncturists have been asking me if the easy marketing methods I describe can be applied to a WordPress blog.

I use and promote web building software by Site Build It, mostly because you get incredible training in marketing at the same time that you learn how to create a website.  And since most acupuncturists never receive any training in marketing from their acupuncture college, this education can be a practice saving benefit.  (It was for me!)

But I also understand that Site Build It’s step-by-step website building program is not for everyone. Let’s face it, it’s a lot of work to develop a business plan and learn marketing at the same time that you are creating a website. I know that you want to be an acupuncturist, not a web designer. I get it!

Which is why I personally investigated other methods of acupuncture business website creation, including the free Wordpress blogs that are so attractive. (Hey, in case you haven’t noticed, you are reading this article on my WordPress blog!  But it is also connect to my Site Build It website, Insights-For-Acupuncturists.com for a very good reason.  But that’s another story.)

So What’s the Deal With WordPress?

Here’s the deal with WordPress. (Drumroll!)

YES! you can absolutely apply my marketing strategies and passive income generation to a WordPress blog, BUT here’s the catch:  BE SURE TO PAY FOR YOUR OWN HOSTING.

Do NOT use the free WordPress blog available through wordpress.COM where they give you a domain name.

Instead use the free WordPress blog available through wordpress.ORG and purchase your own domain name.

The reason is because since WordPress is hosting the site and absorbing those (minimal) costs, they actually own your domain name and the ‘real estate’ on which your material resides. They can pull down your business blog any time they want for any reason they want. This is true of any free blogging sites, such as those by GoDaddy, Google, Yahoo, and the thousands of other companies offering free blogs and websites.

If WordPress decides they do not like your content or subject matter they can simply delete your entire blog. POOF! It’s gone!  Although WordPress has not censored any acupuncturists to my knowledge, they have removed other blogs from other businesses without any warning or explanation. And they have every right to do it because they are paying for the hosting!

This is the equivalent of you renting an apartment and the landlord changing the terms of your lease. Landlords hold all the cards and you have to comply or move out. Sure, you can take your furniture, but where are you going to put it? You need your own web “real estate” and domain name to ensure that you are in control of your business.

Instead of using wordpress.com, go ahead and get a wordpress blog through wordpress.org (which is still free) and pay for the hosting yourself.

I use and recommend the “Baby Plan” through Hostgator, which you can look at here:

• http://www.empoweredbusinessentrepreneurs.com/best-hosting

Just click on ‘Web Hosting’ and select the ‘Baby’. You can also start with the ‘Hatchling’ and upgrade to Baby when you are doing more income generation and need some of the features that will facilitate that.

The Baby plan costs $7.95 a month and it is well worth it to own your blog, which means you own your business. Plus Hostgator gives you unlimited hosting so you can get a bunch of other WordPress blogs (through wordpress.org for free) and host them through Hostgator without any additional costs. That’s what I do! Here are some of the other WordPress blogs I have hosted through Hostgator:

• http://blog.alternative-medicine-works.com/
• http://blog.principlesforparents.com/
• http://blog.empoweredbusinessentrepreneurs.com/

You may notice that they all look similar, but that’s just because I like this particular ‘theme’ (design).  There are lots of affordable designs to choose from or you can use the free themes provided by WordPress. (Check out a large selection of functional WordPress themes by Brian Gardner.)

3 Awesome WordPress Resources to Help You Set Up Your Acupuncture Business Blog

Here are 3 awesome WordPress Resources to help you get started.

You may need a little help with the initial set up of your acupuncture business blog (which is why I recommend the easy to follow video tutorials, below). If you have a geeky friend who can help you, this is the time to ask for it. (I LOVE my geeky friends!) Just be sure that you learn how to create your own posts so you can add content. In other words, do not turn everything over to your geeky friends unless they are going to teach you how to use the blog yourself.

#1 WordPress Resource: Burton Kent’s Acupuncture Clinic Websites. Burton Kent, author of, Never Market Again, has a company that builds acupuncture websites for practitioners using WordPress. He sets them up using all the practical applications that are important for a functional business website. Plus he has added some incredible features that are specific to acupuncturists and solo-based providers.

However, Burton makes it very clear that he is not a fan of generating passive income through your acupuncture site. It’s not that he is against it, but he’s not sure it is worth your time. I, on the other hand, believe that passive income generation through your blog is so easy that it is a no brainer! So setting up your income generation is something you need to do on your own (which I recommend anyway and it’s why I have #2 WordPress Resource below).

Burton Ken’ts set-up fees are very reasonable and you will not find better support for acupuncturists.

You can learn more about his website packages here:

http://www.insights-for-acupuncturists.com/burtons-webspecial

Please let Burton know that I referred you!

================================

#2 WordPress Resource: Step-by-step WordPress Tutorials. I HIGHLY recommend these WordPress training tutorials because they are:

1. Easy to understand
2. Affordable
3. Focus on how to maximize your income generation through your website

If you are using Burton Kent’s website package these are the perfect tutorials to help you set up your methods of passive income generation with easy-to-use ‘plugins’ and instructions.

Learn more about Step-by-step WordPress training here:

http://www.empoweredbusinessentrepreneurs.com/wordpress-step-by-step

This guy really knows his stuff and he over-delivers with helpful tips. The video instructions are clear. If you plan on incorporating a way to generate income through your blog, then these training tutorials are a must.

================================

#3 WordPress Resource: Educational marketing with your blog. Another option is a service provided by Charles Heflin, who is a WordPress guru and traffic generation genius. If you like the look of moving graphics and are willing to pay extra for the set up, then check him out.

His personal philosophy is geared towards supporting businesses that create quality content and his services are especially appropriate if you are a practitioner who really wants to advance your practice through educational marketing using article writing, video posts, and social media connections like Facebook and Twitter, and bookmarking sites like Digg, StumbleUpon, Reddit etc. This is a great way to elicit interaction and develop a strong socially driven following. You can get started from the gitgo with a powerful WordPress site for your clinical practice that is perfect for monetization and attracting the right patients, customers, and visitors to you.

Learn more about Charles Heflin’s WordPress set up services here:

http://www.empoweredbusinessentrepreneurs.com/wordpress-services

This WordPress package comes with many extra bells and whistles to help you with traffic generation and instructions on how to continue to develop your site. I am currently using his Content Syndication services and I can tell you firsthand that they are POWERFUL!

Learn more about Content Syndication here:

http://www.empoweredbusinessentrepreneurs.com/synnd

All three of these WordPress resources can be used individually or combined, so do not limit yourself to just one.

If you have any questions feel free to Speak Your Mind in the box below and I will be happy to provide answers.

Your success matters to me!

Lisa Hanfileti, LAc
Insights-For-Acupuncturists.com

List Building and Database Management Ebook

What does list building and database management have to do with using your business website to generate new patients, clients, and customers? The answer in a word is, EVERYTHING!

Years ago, when I was just starting my acupuncturist career I was only focused on providing quality care to my patients and nothing else.  I can tell you firsthand that the last thing on my mind was something as boring and seemingly unrelated to patient care as “website lists” and “databases”.  Yuk!

What I did not realize back then that I know now is that learning a few simple things about building a list through my business website is the key to providing quality care to my current patients, as well as to potential new patients, clients and customers.

And — get this — even providing care to (and earning money from) people who never even walk through my acupuncture clinic doors!

Building a list through your website can change your entire acupuncture practice and generate significant passive income.

But how?  In order to understand how important building a list is and how it can be utilized to bring additional revenue into your business, let’s start with the basics.

What is a “List”?

If you read my last blog post on Website Design Elements For Acupuncturists then you learned the importance of having specific places on your website that entice interaction with your website visitor.   These can be as simple as a place to subscribe to your newsletter or opt-in to receive a free report about Chinese herbs, acupuncture, or any healing method you have special knowledge about.

You create your list by exchanging something of value (e.g. your newsletter or special report) for your web visitors name and email address.  Once you receive their name and email address, they become a member of your “List”.  There, that’s not so hard!

Here is the significance of your List.  By subscribing to YOUR information they are telling you that they are interested in:

• YOU – as an expert and a practitioner
• CHINESE MEDICINE – and all the other topics in your newsletter or report
• HEALING – for themselves and perhaps even others
• PARTICIPATING IN THEIR HEALTH CARE – they are actively searching for solutions.

When someone joins your list through your website they are telling you that they want more information from you and may even want to become your new patient!  In business terms, they are very qualified “leads” or “prospects” for you to follow up with and offer more information about the services you provide.

List Building is Easy... and Essential.

Your list is the equivalent of having patients lined up at your acupuncture clinic door.  Honestly, the people on your list are even more qualified (and by ‘more qualified’, I mean more likely to become your patient or purchase your products) than someone who found you in the Yellow Pages.

Why?  Because people do not give up their email addresses easily.  To give you their contact information, they must have likely scrutinized the information on your website and educated themselves about you before making the decision to trade their email address for your expert information.

What is List (or Database) Management?

Your list of interested subscribers and potential patients is only as good as your management of  — or relationship with — those people.  You must follow up on a consistent basis to continue to develop your relationship with them.

There are many easy, effective, safe, and legal methods of maintaining contact with the people on your list.  I go over the best methods for acupuncturists and include the best time-saving tools in my video and ebook bonus series included with my ebook,

“Complementary and Alternative Marketing:  How to Attract New Patients, Market Your Practice, and Earn Passive Income With Your Acupuncture Website” – CLICK HERE

I can only sit and wonder how much income I lost by not starting to build my list earlier!  I was in practice for over 7 years before I started learning how to build relationships with my website.  Now it is one of the easiest and most economical ways to attract new patients and even earn significant income from people who never walk through my doors.  (I will cover more on that in my next post on Affiliate income.)

Please do not make the same mistakes I did. By learning some very simple steps and using affordable tools you can use your acupuncture website to create a virtual line of patients standing outside your clinic doors!

Click Here to read more about my book and the bonus video recordings here.

Your success matters to me.

Peace,

Lisa Hanfileti, LAc

Insights-for-Acupuncturists.com

P.S. Look for my next post on, “Affiliate Marketing With Your Acupuncture Website”.  Once you understand the power of affiliate marketing your whole life will change!  I show you exactly how you can begin earning money TODAY (even without a website) using affiliate marketing techniques.  What you learn in this webinar is your key to earning passive income through your acupuncture website for the rest of your acupuncture career and beyond.

"Energy Medicine Principles For Parents" by Peter Hanfileti, MD

I am often asked about the safety of acupuncture for children. As an acupuncturist trained to treat adults as well as children I can say with confidence that children can benefit from the holistic medicine model and the application of Chinese medicine techniques, which may or may not include acupuncture.

But I have a confession to make.   I avoid treating children in my acupuncture practice.

I am lucky because my husband, Peter, is a pediatrician who specializes in energy medicine. And even though I have patients who ask me to see their kids, I politely say, “no, I do not treat kids, because my husband is a pediatrician and his specialty is children.” My patients are always happy to hear this, so it is a win-win.

But the truth is, if I did not share an office with a pediatrician, I would refer to another acupuncturist in my local community who did specialize in treating children. That’s just how uncomfortable I am.

From the conversations I’ve had with other acupuncturists, I know I am not the only one who lacks experience and confidence in working with children.

That’s why I am so happy that Peter Hanfileti, MD (yes, my husband) just wrote a book about treating children with energy medicine! Peter is an excellent practitioner who has an amazing track record treating some of the most difficult conditions in children using acupuncture, acupressure, BodyTalk™, colored light therapy, and othe non-invasive energy medicine techniques.

I proofed his book and I learned a TON just from reviewing it!! It’s called, “Energy Medicine Principles For Parents: A Pediatricians Perspective on How Energy Medicine Can Help Your Child”.  (Click on the “New Ebook” button at the bottom of his homepage.)

But I am not the only one gushing about his book.  You can read what others are saying on his letter (here) and learn why having this kind of book available to your patients who are parents is so valuable to them and YOU.

In “Energy Medicine Principles For Parents”, Peter covers:

• Energy Distribution – How Your Child’s Energy System Works
• Energy Conservation – How Your Child’s System Protects Itself
• Energy Hierarchy – How Your Child’s System Follows an Intelligent Priority List
• Energy Resonance – How Your Child’s Energy System is in Synch with Yours
• Energy Harmony – How Your Child’s System Fits In With Your Family’s Structure
• Energy Imprinting – How Your Child’s Age Can Imprint Their Energy System
• …And so much more, including practical strategies for parents to address their individual child’s needs

But my favorite section of the book is the Case Studies.  That’s because I see the kids who have benefited from his knowledge, skills, and kindness.  It always amazes me when I see a young child in our waiting room yanking on his mother’s arm asking, “Mom, when can I come back to see Dr. Pete?” How many children do you know of who look forward to seeing their doctor??

So if you are one of those acupuncture practitioners who lacks confidence in treating children, or you would like to be able to tell parents that energy medicine is a good choice for addressing the complex needs of kids, then go ahead and check out his website and new ebook.  As always, you are invited to come back here and tell me what you think.

Best Regards,
Lisa Hanfileti, LAc
Insights-For-Acupuncturists.com

P.S.  For those of you who just attended my live webinar on “The Secret to Online Income, Part 2: Affiliate Marketing With Your Acupuncture Website”, be sure to check out Peter’s Affiliate Program.  Does an ebook written by an MD on “Energy Medicine Principles For Parents” bring value to your patients and website visitors? You betcha!

Here’s the link to his website again:
www.PrinciplesForParents.com

My Free Acupuncture Business Plan Details How We Secured Funds to Build the Acupuncture Practice of Our Dreams

When I wrote my Acupuncture Business Plan there were not any “templates” out there for me to follow, so it was a ton of work.  I would love to save you some of the struggle I went through by giving you my actual Acupuncture Business Plan that I used to secure a business loan in 2005.

But there’s a catch.

This business plan has some of my actual financial data and market research. And I do not want it floating around the Internet willy nilly.

I only want those acupuncturists who are serious about their business to get a hold of it. That is why I decided to make my Acupuncture Business Plan free, but only to those who purchase my ebook, “Complementary and Alternative Marketing”.

Go to www.ComplementaryAndAlternativeMarketing.com to learn more.

Ever since I posted on my Insights-For-Acupuncturists Blog that I wrote a real business plan in 2005 to secure a bank loan, I have been inundated with requests asking where to go to get ahold of my plan.

The truth is, I have already made my acupuncture business plan available to a select few, simply because I needed to see if it was going to be helpful to students, graduates, and other acupuncturists.  Well… I got my answer!

So in response to your requests and feedback, let me explain where I am coming from and what I am willing to do…

You probably already noticed that about HALF of the “10 Big Mistakes I Made Opening My Acupuncture Practice” could have been avoided if I had written a business plan.  It has been frustrating to have had to learn how to run a business the hard way.  I would love to save you the frustration, not to mention wasted money and time, that I experienced.

Also, it concerns me that I have heard from experienced acupuncturists that they too have made these exact same mistakes!  It is time to put an end to these common errors and change the way we go about setting up our acupuncture practices.

So I have decided to do something that no one has ever done before…

I am releasing my actual acupuncture business plan that my husband and I wrote to secure funds from our bank and through the Small Business Administration (SBA) to purchase, what has become, the acupuncture clinic of our dreams.  What’s more is…

I want to give you my acupuncture business plan absolutely free!  But hold on… there IS a catch.  (Read on.)

This is a 35-page document that includes our:

• Executive Summary
• Acupuncture Industry Analysis
• Acupuncture Market Research
• Acupuncture Market Statistics
• Financial Projections
• Risk Analysis
• And all the other key components of a properly written acupuncture business plan.

Plus I added a detailed Introduction and Epilogue to give you an insider’s view of how we actually wrote the plan.

This is really a very valuable document and I think I am going to sell it at some point. But right now, for a limited time, I have decided to include it as a Special Unadvertised Bonus with every purchase of my ebook, “Complementary and Alternative Marketing: How to Attract New Patients, Build Your Practice, and Earn Passive Income With Your Acupuncture Website”.

Learn more about “Complementary and Alternative Marketing: How to Attract New Patients, Build Your Practice, and Earn Passive Income With Your Acupuncture Website” here:

http://www.insights-for-acupuncturists.com/cam-ebook-halfspecial

Offering you my free acupuncture business plan is definitely a way togive you incentive to invest in my Complementary and Alternative Marketing ebook, because I KNOW that this ebook can save you time and money and give you incredible insight into how you can build and grow your acupuncture practice better, faster, and stronger than 90% of the current practicing profession!  So it’s my way of giving you an irresistible deal so that you take advantage of information that can save your acupuncture practice.

Lisa, How Do I get Your Acupuncture Business Plan?

It’s simple.  All you have to do is purchase my ebook and my Acupuncture Business Plan is yours for FREE. It is delivered right along with the other 6  free bonus videos and ebooks.  To learn more, click on the link below:

Get my free acupuncture business plan when you purchase,
“Complementary and Alternative Marketing”

Your success matters to me!

Lisa Hanfileti, LAc

So please go watch the free video I made that explains in detail the mistakes I made and how you can avoid them. Be sure to avoid my #1 mistake!! It is the one I regret the most and wish I could go back in time and do-over!! After you watch the video, come back here and share your thoughts. I want to hear from you!

Go to: www.Lisas10BigMistakes.com

IFA

I have been resisting putting a blog on my Insights-For-Acupuncturists website for some time. It just seems like a lot of work without much reward. And if I am going to do a lot of work, I would rather be adding quality content pages to my website, instead of sharing ‘musings’ on a blog.

You see, that’s my problem in a nutshell! Blogs seem like places to ponder ideas and share whimsical musings and opinions. I do not see blogs as places to put quality information and resources. A website on the other hand seems to have more authority, in the sense that the information appears to be more credible. (Remember, perception is reality.)

But I must admit, I am intrigued by the blogging process and the newer WordPress blogs look really cool. (I especially like the look and features of Brian Gardner’s WordPress Revolution Themes. Plus the guy gives great tutorials for newbies!)

So anyway (I can say that since this is a blog)… I thought perhaps I should step out of my comfort zone and give blogging a whirl. After all, I do see lots of acupuncturists creating some awesome blogs and even clinic websites that are in blog format. So, thanks to to my husband, who set this blog up and told me where to point and click to post my ‘musings’, I will be blogging for acupuncturists in the weeks, months and hopefully years to come!