Building a Thriving Practice--Part III

Golf anyone?

Note: For several cases and testimonials regarding EFT and Golf see EFT enhances golf

Here's a common sense way to use the idea of specialization to develop endless referrals, a fulfilling practice, a Premiere Presence and (perish the thought) wads of money. I hope this doesn't sound too grandiose. I am quite serious about it. Further, it can be launched without having to compromise your existing practice.

Here's what you do. Seek out the golf pro at a local country club. Tell him you have discovered a way to knock several strokes off someone's golf score (EFT will do this). Tell him the process deals with the mental side of the game. Tell him it serves to relax the golfer whenever self doubt or tension appears. Every golf pro on the planet recognizes this problem and knows its solution is crucial to success. Tell him you want to run a study and you will do it for free for 10 golfers. You do it for free to get your foot in the door without resistance. You want 10 golfers because you don't want to pin your star on what happens with just one golfer. With 10 golfers you are almost certain to have some impressive successes. With the help of the golf pro you will get volunteers and it doesn't matter what age or sex you are. Golfers are in constant pursuit of lower scores and some of them will give you their Ferrari if you can knock 5 strokes off their game.

Spend a little time on the weekends doing this. This is time when you are not usually in session with paying clients. Just before each shot have the golfers tap the EFT Shortcut Sequence (EB through UA). This takes 7 seconds to do and doesn't hold up or impede the play of other golfers on the course. This will usually serve to remove subtle tension in the body. Some golfers may find it more effective to do the tapping only when they feel self doubt about their next shot. Forget about the Psychological Reversal correction, the Reminder Phrase and the 9 Gamut procedure for now. They take too much time and are too "strange" at this stage. Use them later to further improve results. Your only goal at this stage is to relax any tension that may be in the body and that may interfere with an otherwise smooth shot. Thumping on these points (without saying a thing) each time will likely do this. Just tell them it is an "emotional relaxation technique."

5 to 8 out of 10 golfers should get noticeable, if not dramatic, improvements. However, I would propose giving a much lower figure to the golf pro. Perhaps 2 or 3 out of 10. That way when you more than double the golf pro's expectations, he will be most pleased. Whatever your result, however, the golfers you have helped will become your instant and enthusiastic supporters. To golfers, golf is a big deal. They spend a lot of time and a LOT of money in pursuit of improving their game.

With these successes under your belt you can run "clinics" or charge for individual help. You can go out with a foursome and charge each of them $100 with a money back guarantee if their score doesn't improve. When you become better known you can charge $200, $300, $500 etc. The more affluent the country club, the better.

Golfers are people and they have other concerns besides golf. This is a natural and obvious place in which to expand your services. Maybe they get headaches or have asthma. Perhaps a spouse suffers from depression. Maybe a child has a learning disability. Many of them own their own businesses and have employees with PTSD, grief and other problems. Maybe they are influential in a large corporation and readily recognize how your non-golf services could help the executives and other employees in their company. Maybe they want you to work with their sales personnel to reduce their fear of rejection and thus boost sales. This list of possibilities can go on endlessly.

All this is possible (and likely) by displaying your techniques on the golf course. Golf tends to be an affluent sport and, in some country clubs, the affluence is extreme. With golf your results will be irrefutable because it all comes out in the score. The numbers don't lie. They are undeniable. When someone's handicap goes from 15 to 11 because of your efforts, you are a hero/heroine. No one can debate your effectiveness, especially when you do it with 5 to 8 out of 10.

Don't limit yourself to just one golf course, however. Go to 3 or 4 and make the same pitch. This puts the odds of having successes more in your favor. As you gain experience, you will find ways to further improve your results. This leads to repeat business. You can charge for beginner, intermediate and advance levels.

This is the kind of thing that gets written up in the country club newsletter. Journalists and local TV/radio will likely find it newsworthy. As your name evolves as someone to see in this field, your Premiere Presence begins to take hold. Develop a first class reputation like this and professional golfers will seek you out. Believe me, if you can demonstrate doing the job, they are looking for you. One or two strokes per round can mean hundreds of thousands of dollars to them each year. You can go from there to other professional sports such as football, basketball and baseball. These teams already spend a lot of money on sports psychologists and you, with EFT, can run circles around the results they are currently getting.

This is real, very real. It is fertile ground. It is virgin territory. Someday you will see professional athletes tapping on themselves before they take a golf shot, shoot a free throw, kick a field goal, swing a bat, etc. This will happen (you can't possibly doubt this, can you?) and those who establish themselves now will have first crack at the big opportunities. Further, you can initiate all this while maintaining your current clientele. You don't have to give up a thing while the new pursuit is producing fruit.

This is but one example of the power of putting yourself forward as a specialist in some field. More next time.

Cheers, Gary

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