This article was co-written by Sejual Shah and Betsy Muller.
Illustration by Sherri A. Nicholas.
This question came up recently in the EFT International Facebook practitioner group. As it can be a sensitive issue to navigate we thought to bring light to the topic from the years of experience Sejual and Betsy have of being EFTi trainers.
Sherri has brought her gift of combining images with ideas to capture our thinking. Here’s her visual of the game of chance versus niche in finding a practitioner.
When we niche ourselves to care for specific client needs we expect there to be mutual benefits to client and practitioner. This article shares the advantages and possible pitfalls that can arise from this approach.
From time to time we find a post on our EFT forums requesting a practitioner with a particular background or experience. Situations could include a client who identifies with the LGBTQ+ community, who is male, who needs to work in a particular language, or who prefers a practitioner of a specific faith. Requests could differ beyond what is outlined in the examples here.
Why would requesting a specific kind of practitioner be of benefit?
Experienced practitioners come to know that the very best healing outcomes occur when a client feels safe, respected, and accepted in the presence of a helping professional. Rapport is something that can grow naturally over time, especially when client and practitioner share common interests, values, culture, and language.
Moreover, practitioners who serve a niche audience get to understand the granularity of the issues that clients in this group face. That can foster a wisdom-mindset to help clients move with more ease and efficiency through the particular challenges they face.
Many practitioners choose to offer a no-obligations "discovery” conversation to ensure that there is a strong level of comfort and alignment with the practitioner’s expertise before money changes hands. To be clear, such initial chats are not to do any tapping or developmental work with the client. In having this chat, the client can get a feel for what it would be like to interact with an EFT Practitioner before booking a paid session or program.
Clients are already in a vulnerable position when they admit their problems to a stranger, so finding a suitable practitioner with a success record in working with a niche paves the way for a positive experience.
What are the advantages of aligning one’s practice to serve a niche audience?
There are many advantages to the practitioner in terms of client service and enabling efficient marketing.
Practitioners who themselves have overcome a specific kind of problem with EFT, or who have an area of expertise, can bring confidence, an embodied experience of resolution and hope to the client.
Marketing outreach can be very specific and tailored to the needs of the audience too. Whether you specialize in challenges faced by exhausted mothers of toddlers, Christians who find strength in combining EFT language with verses from The Bible, or business professionals with fear of public speaking, a niche approach is a way to assure a great match between client needs and practitioner expertise.
What are possible pitfalls of the niche approach?
First and foremost, in marketing conversations practitioners should avoid excluding specific groups of people. Marketing in this way could be viewed as discriminatory, dependent on the laws of the countries the practitioner and client live in.
Secondly, practitioner-client rapport does not always develop, even when niching. The prospect may choose to go elsewhere regardless of niche.
Thirdly, as trainers, we remind our student-practitioners to pay attention to how they feel after working with each client. If you find yourself drained or working too hard during a session, this may be reason to consider referring a client to someone else. This applies even if the client falls in the practitioner’s niche area.
Practitioners working with a very narrow range of issues are reminded to approach every client with an open and curious mindset. We cannot possibly expect all clients to be exactly the same, even if the presenting problem seems to be. Just as we are each unique, we must seek to understand what it is like to be the client as we learn how they view their world.
What if someone finds a very specific practitioner request to be triggering or upsetting?
Sometimes a specific practitioner request, even if not discriminatory, could be upsetting or offensive to members of our EFT International Community. In this situation, it is important to keep open lines of communication to better understand what is happening and move towards calmness. There may be far more going on than is immediately apparent. A kind conversation and clarification of intention can go a long way toward restoring a healthier relationship.
- Always approach conversations with dignity and respect for all who are engaged. Ask open-ended questions to help grow your understanding, listen carefully and give the other space to fully express their position.
- When engaging with someone who is upset, seek to bring a calm mindset to the conversation to avoid adding fuel to the fire. This is where our self-work with tapping is essential.
- Invite transparent and compassionate communication so that the intention behind the decision to niche can be shared. This also invites others to communicate where they’re struggling.
- Consider taking the conversation out of the public domain. Approaching individuals privately rather than within a public forum can keep the situation from escalating.
Conclusion – it’s ok to ask for a practitioner versed in a particular niche area to serve that audience.
They can then focus their marketing for that audience. Doing so helps build rapport, engages a community that feels they are being heard, and honours specialist interests and needs.
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Betsy Muller, MBA is an EFT International Master Trainer and Practitioner in the US. Her extensive experience working in business and healthcare settings helped her transition easily to sharing EFT with professionals, businesses, schools, and community service groups. Since 2005 she has been hosting women’s retreats and monthly women’s networking events that include EFT and an assortment of mind-body practices for peak performance, balance, and health. She is Amazon bestselling author of Energy Makeover (2012) and The Comeback (2019), the true story of her husband’s miraculous recovery following cardiac arrest and brain injury. Her website is www.BetsyMuller.com
Sherri A. Nicholas is a Licensed Massage Therapist, an Eden Energy Medicine Certified Practitioner and a retired Physical Therapy Assistant. She funnels her understanding of the body and her creative abilities into her massage practice of 18 years. After a concussion she took Graphic Recording and Visual Facilitation Training to hone her artistic graphic skill on paper and on the iPad. Her brand is SherringenergyTeez and she has the uncanny ability to distill energy concepts visually. Her mission is to demystify and amplify energetic concepts into easy-to-understand pictures. Her illustrations were added to the book Making the Case for EFT and Energy Psychology on how to write a case study in English, Spanish and Dutch. Sherri also illustrated EFTi Research Symposium PDF this year. She enjoys “sharing energy” through making quirky cartoons, whimsical cheatsheets and abstract one-line doodles. Her passion is “making energy visible” through graphic t-shirts that teach, provoke conversations with parody, pop-culture and fun. Sherri owns SherringEnergy LLC, lives in New Jersey with her partner and son. She can be found here https://linktr.ee/sherringenergy
Sejual Shah is an EFT International Trainer of Trainers and Practitioner in the UK. She helps execs with career growth and confidence issues. Since 2008 she has pioneered ways of delivering business EFT courses to large companies at home and abroad and loves coaching other practitioners to do this as well. She has developed Business Energetics which combines Family Constellations with EFT for business growth. Her website is www.healthyinmind.com
Betsy Muller says
Thanks for your comments Stephanie. I wholeheartedly agree when it comes to referring to other practitioners who have a specific expertise. That’s often what happens after I have a free discovery session with someone who inquires about working with me. As a trainer, I am fortunate to know so many EFT specialists and trust that they will come through for a situation or need. There will be inquiries that don’t quite fit our marketing message too, but often we discover that we are indeed the right practitioner. I always ask how they found me and that can be interesting too! That’s the power of the energy connection. Everyone wins when we do what’s best for the specific situation.
Stephanie Wood says
Thank you for this thoughtful article.
A couple of thoughts regarding this:
– Even when we as practitioners choose and market a niche, usually that does not stop others who do not fit that niche from wanting to work with us. For example, I generally market to women in my age range, but often receive requests from men of all ages as well as younger women.
– As a practitioner for more than 20 years, I welcome connecting with other practitioners who have expertise in a niche! I often refer potential clients to others. Since my specialties include money, business and anxiety, when I have a client come who wishes to work on chronic disease, I always refer them to others.
Hope that’s helpful, especially for new practitioners who are trying to figure all of this out!
Betsy Muller says
Thanks for your comments Stephanie. I wholeheartedly agree when it comes to referring to other practitioners who have a specific expertise. That’s often what happens after I have a free discovery session with someone who inquires about working with me. As a trainer, I am fortunate to know so many EFT specialists and trust that they will come through for a situation or need. There will be inquiries that don’t quite fit our marketing message too, but often we discover that we are indeed the right practitioner. I always ask how they found me and that can be interesting too! That’s the power of the energy connection. Everyone wins when we do what’s best for the specific situation.