Isn’t it fascinating to see the coverage of the upcoming presidential elections?

While I would never tell you how to vote, I have noticed something striking about each of the top three candidates.

They all overcame some significant personal battles. They all use their history to bond with voters.

John McCain was a prisoner of war. Hillary Clinton survived a publicly humiliating marital betrayal. Barack Oboma grew up without a father and dealt with feelings of alienation from his biracial status. Whether you agree with their politics or not, you have to admire their courage and the way they can craft a marketing message out of past pain.

As a therapist, I applaud all three candidates for sharing their personal stories. It is refreshing to see the human side of each candidate. I’d love to know if any of them worked with a therapist… but the privacy laws prevent that!

One of my favorite Practice Building tools is the personal story.

Have you created your success story yet?

If not, what’s stopping you?

Potential clients want to know that you understand their pain and have some real answers to share. When you share your success story, they know you can show them the way out of their pain.

Use this script to help you develop your success story:

1. In order to explain what I do, I’d like to tell you about a struggle I once had… (Then describe your struggle and a bit about the situation surrounding it. Just give the highlights; they don’t need to know all the gory details. Share only the parts you have processed and would feel comfortable discussing. Again, this is only if it would be appropriate to share.)
2. Then I… (Describe the actions you took to feel hope and create a positive change. If possible and appropriate, I strongly recommend you mention seeing a therapist. If it is not appropriate, then please do not share it. )
3. And what happened was…(share your exciting outcome here so that people know you found a process that worked for you and may work for them too)
4. And it was at that point that I needed to help others…(this is your opportunity to share who you help and what problem you help them overcome)

If you are very shy or private, it may be uncomfortable for you to share a personal story. Or you may feel that your story may be inappropriate to share. If that is the case, share a client success story, carefully crafted to protect the identity of your client.

The goal of a success story is to give people hope. It also helps you demonstrate your kindness, knowledge, and passion for serving others.

No wonder all the political candidates use this great marketing tool!

Happy practice building!
Casey

I want to hear your success story! If you’d like to post it (as a comment) on our blog, please enter your comment in the box below!