Money Breakthroughs in Counseling

I just finished listening to a call on Money Breakthroughs by Carey at Coach Tools To Go. I often listen to conference calls on business, coaching, or counseling to get ideas for growing my counseling business. As a business owner, I recognize the importance of profit, income, and value for services provided, but as a counselor, it can be hard to charge clients who are struggling with financial difficulty.

A few things I learned from tonight's call:
1. If I make more money, I can give more money away.
2. People value things they pay for. For example - I would take better care of a car that I bought with my hard earned money than a car that I was given to use for free.
3. Don't give away too much for free - limit availability, don't go over time. The service will be more valuable to the client and I will be a better counselor if I am not burned out.
4. Offer disappearing benefits (time sensitive), limited benefits (number of people), and payment plans to increase value and encourage clients to make a commitment to services they need. We often wait until the last minute before we make a decision.
5. Outsource - find college students who will intern for free or low cost in exchange for mentoring.

I want to help my clients by offering them a valuable service. They will be more committed to the process if I value it also - by charging what it is worth, giving my best hours to the business, ending sessions on time, offering payment options, and mentoring. These are my money breakthroughs for 2010.