Each month, we select one of our Impact Tribe members to be our “Daring Member of the Month" and today, I’m excited to introduce you to Business Coach for Healerpreneurs, Ann Rau.

Ann has been a member of our Impact Tribe for a couple years now. She’s the sassiest member of the group, boldly showing up to live calls always ready to offer candid support and advice about all things marketing and technology. 

Today, Ann and I will be discussing how healerpreneurs can overcome the most common struggles they face and market their businesses with confidence and ease.

We’ll be talking about things like:

• How to increase referrals by learning to speak about what you do with confidence and clarity.
• The biggest thing that stands in your way of being booked out for the next 6 months
• Which marketing activities you really need to be focusing on and which are a waste of time

Meet Ann Rau

Ann is a business coach on a mission to help heart-led healers get the clarity, confidence and courage they need to build thriving businesses and pursue their greatest potential.

As a former massage therapist and holistic health practitioner, she understands the struggle to stand out in a crowded market, build a hands-on practice with online marketing, and the friction between the desire to heal and the desire for freedom, flexibility, and income!

Ann specializes in heart-led growth strategies, online marketing know-how, and personal development work that empowers her clients to confidently communicate what they do, and attract more clients who love them for it.

Q: How did you get started in your business?

Ann spent almost two decades working as a massage specialist and holistic practitioner. When it was time for her to make a change, she knew that she absolutely wanted to continue supporting women – so, she worked towards (and received) a certification in The Art of Feminine Presence. As she began to transition into that work, she realized that so many former colleagues and healerpreneurs were coming to her with concerns about marketing their businesses, finding new clients, growing their endeavors, and more. 

She says she “fell into” business coaching, but truly I think she found her purpose here and has been working towards it without previously knowing it. She specializes in both business coaching and personal development growth, so the women she works with can follow heart-led strategies that work best for them so they can grow their business and increase their income and impact.

Ann's work is so important, because without doing the personal work first, you can’t expect to build your business the way you want to. She’s found that 90% of the time, when her clients are struggling, it has nothing to do with systems or strategies – it has to do with their own limiting beliefs or mindset blocks. 

Q: Who do you work with, and what’s the biggest problem you help them overcome? 

Ann works with healerpreneurs, or women in the health and wellness industry – specifically the ones who have been in business for a while and are struggling to stand out in a crowded online landscape and build their businesses with online and in-person marketing. 

She notes that with the current state of the world, online elements are absolutely non-negotiable. But, healerpreneurs usually work with an in-person component – so it’s important to find a way to blend in-person and online seamlessly. 

The biggest problem Ann sees with her clients' marketing is that they start “verbal vomiting” about techniques and modalities they use with their clients. This is causing them to lose their potential clients – when you can’t explain what you do or the outcome you help your clients achieve, nobody is going to know why they should work with you. 

Q: How do we stop ourselves from “verbal vomiting?”

To get past the outpouring of modalities (aka, verbal vomiting), Ann recommends staying focused on the benefits you provide your clients, not the modalities. Leading with the benefits and how they can positively impact the clients’ lives allows them to clearly see what their experience will be during and after working with you. 

The time you spend talking to your clients and letting them know how you can help them, is about THEM. It’s not the place to share your techniques and credentials. An exercise she practices with her clients in writing down five benefits your clients could experience from working with you, and at least five outcomes they could achieve by getting out of pain. Then, keep that list with you! Add it to the notes on your phone, keep it at your desk, and use it when you’re talking to new and potential clients. 

When you talk with confidence and clarity about what you do, not only are you positively impacting potential clients, you’re also increasing the potential for them to refer people they know to you. What you are saying to your clients is what they are going to say to others they refer to you. 

Q: What are some of the things you see standing in the way of healers getting booked out?

One of the biggest things she tells people is to ask questions, then listen. Whether you’re interacting face-to-face, over video call, email, etc., you want to ask questions that will start establishing a relationship immediately, that allow you to get to know the potential client and where they’re at right now. A mistake that a lot of healers make is they get so excited that they forget to listen to what the potential clients are saying! 

When you give that person the opportunity to share with you, they will tell you what their pain is, what the benefits they’re looking for are, the outcome they desire, and more. Then, all you have to do is repeat back to them their own words when you communicate how you’re going to help them. 

By taking a few minutes to make the conversation about your potential client, you immediately make them feel seen, heard, supported, and start to build the Know, Like, and Trust factor that’s essential for attracting new clients. When you take the time to get to know them, potential clients will want to come to you over someone else, because they know that you'll make the space for them that they need. 

When you take the time to show up and listen deeply, you will stand out. 

Q: Marketing can be extremely overwhelming, so what are the most important places for healerpreneurs to focus on when it comes to marketing their businesses? 

Healers are in the business of helping people get out of pain, not of marketing. The myth of “if I build it, they will come” is NOT true. You have to invite people to work with you. 

Ann talks about the importance of follow-up and follow-through. Don’t neglect past clients to chase after new leads – when you pull from your existing pool of clients, that’s when you really are going to be able to book out your business. 

One important thing to focus on is referrals. Rather than chasing new leads, ask past and current clients to refer you to their friends and family. Even though you are likely going to have to educate them on how to refer you to people, this is ultimately one of the most effective ways of marketing your business. It can be as simple as putting a “P.S.” at the  bottom of your emails. 

With leads, starting to build relationships and stay in touch is important to start building the Know, Like, and Trust factor. If you’ve had a great conversation with someone, follow up! If you aren’t following up with potential clients, you’re leaving a lot of money on the table. 

This doesn’t have to feel sales-y. When you call to check in on a current client to see how they’re doing, you aren’t calling to make the sale – you’re calling to check in and build the relationship. With potential clients, rather than asking if they’re ready to book a session, start a genuine conversation with them! 

Q: What does “daring” mean to you?

Daring, for Ann, represents tenacity and continuing to push forward despite obstacles in your personal life. As a full-time caregiver for her father, Ann is constantly facing problems she doesn’t know how to solve, and spending the majority of her time supporting her dad. However, she notes that continuing to go for her dreams and chase after what she wants to be doing is daring – it’s not easy, but being fearless about it is what allows her to grow. 

Q: What are you most excited about in your business right now?

Her private membership VIP group, “Visibility, Impact, and Profit” is growing every single day, and she’s continuously adding resources and monthly trainings for her members. While she’s working on continuing to launch her group, she’s also planning a bootcamp in May all about making the shift to using online strategies to grow your healing business. 

In the VIP membership, you’ll have what you need to increase your confidence and clarity that you need to show up online. You’ll get feedback and support on everything you’re working on – and you’ll never feel alone as you grow your healing business. With constant access to Ann, I know that this membership is truly valuable and impactful for her members. 

You can connect with Ann by visiting her Facebook page here.  

If you want to join Ann and other amazing members in the Impact Tribe, we would love to have you! When you join the Impact Tribe, you get access to a library of biz-booming courses, next-level coaching, and an inspiring, uplifting community of women on a similar path as you. Learn more and join us today at this link.