How a burnt-out OT completely transformed her business with the help of one powerful email
Marika’s dream biz was draining all her energy.
After working in a variety of pediatric settings, Marika bravely stepped out on her own to create Bearfoot OT. It was her chance to offer the expanded and innovative OT services of her dreams.
The opportunity to do more to help children AND their families through outdoor occupational therapy with high-touch caregiver support.
But pretty soon, issues began to crop up.
- Over-delivering without getting paid
- Inconsistent Income
- Burnout
- Frustration
- Overwhelm
The demand on her time and energy became so high, it was impossible to sustain. However, it was clear her high-touch services were working!
Marika was more committed than ever to keep offering the services that she saw making a difference for families on a daily basis – but without burning out herself.
Determined to create a sustainable business, Marika crafted a new business model that deviated from the status quo of one-off timed sessions. With this new system, clients would pay for quarterly packages which included all the work she was doing that she wasn’t getting paid for.
Getting away from the “time for money” structure was pivotal for her new business… but how could she convince her clients to pay more for what they were already getting?
Imagine having to tell your clients that everything about your pricing structure was going to change.
That’s not an easy conversation.
She ran the risk of losing a lot of clients.
This was not a change to take lightly.
“It was a big change. I was basically asking families to go from one-by-one- weekly sessions paid with an invoice at the end of the month. To all of a sudden saying, ‘Hey, you’re going to sign up for three months.’” – Marika
Just thinking about how to word an email to explain this major shift to clients brought feelings of overwhelm. How could she write something that would really capture all the good of this new program and how much she cared for her clients?
Deep in her soul, Marika believed it would be best for everyone, but she couldn’t find the right words.
“Selling” this new idea by conveying value — required a different way of writing.
She also recognized that she was too close to the situation to write such an important email.
Marika knew it was time to get some outside expertise.
The shift in her business depended on getting this right.
But with new territory like hiring a copywriter, comes new fears…
How can someone write to sound like you?
How do you trust someone with business essentials?
Isn’t hiring someone else basically admitting you aren’t good enough to do it yourself?
Despite her concerns, she knew that no matter what, she couldn’t go through another year like the last.
Up until this point in her business, Marika had been writing her own copy (with varying degrees of success).
But this moment was pivotal, and she recognized that this was the right time to hire a professional.
More than anything, Marika wanted a copywriter who understood OT. One who could see her vision, and understand the demands of the field and value she was bringing to her clients.
And she knew just where to find one. We’d met during The OT Entrepreneur Summit and then further connected during a group biz coaching program.
As an OT who had shifted to copywriting using authentic marketing, I was the exact kind of copywriter Marika needed.
So we partnered together and things started to fall into place.
It was time to attack the main goal: create an epic email to launch package pricing to her current clients. After nailing down a strategy, I got to work crafting a compelling message while Marika focused on other parts of implementing her new program.
We each brought a unique perspective and set of talents.
She brought clarity around her offer and deep conviction around the possibilities for package pricing. I brought the tools of copywriting with a love for snappy sentence structures and sales psychology.
There was a lot of feedback back and forth as we each learned from each other. We pushed each other to create an email that was better than what either of us could have created on our own.
Finally, we thought we’d crafted the perfect email message. And because of the importance of this change, decided to get feedback from two of her current clients about the new therapy model.
It didn’t go perfectly.
The clients pushed back about the new rates. It didn’t seem like they were ready to buy into this model. Talk about a gut-wrenching moment.
“I was feeling really down. Like…Oh, my God, this isn’t gonna work.” -Marika
However, digging into my experience as a copywriter, I was convinced this just meant we had to rework the email to be even bolder to overcome these pricing objections.
Back to the drawing board. We dusted off our initial disappointment and jumped back into figuring out the best path forward.
“If I had been in my own silo, I would have thought… I can’t do it.” -Marika
But I believed we could rise above this setback without dropping the prices on the packages or giving up on the idea. Doubling down on our strategy, I recrafted the email to really drive home the value her clients would be getting with this new system.
With the email finally created. The moment of truth had arrived.
Time to send the email and find out how clients would officially react to the package pricing concept.
As the last task for the week, Marika hit send, closed her laptop, and went home vowing to not check her email until Monday.
All weekend she dreamed of an inbox full of angry replies.
What if people were furious? What if they didn’t understand how much value she was giving? What if they simply left?
Monday arrived. It was the moment of truth.
She opened her laptop, full of anxiety.
And was greeted by…
Nothing bad.
She hadn’t gotten the angry, frustrated responses she had feared. Instead, people were gracious and thankful for everything she had done so far.
Marika’s incredible value as a therapist was put in the spotlight. People could see beyond the fee increase to the benefit of their work together. She had made herself invaluable, and the email had reminded people of just how much.
And as the weeks went by…
100% of Her Clients Bought In.
That email connected with her clients so effectively that every single client she had could see the value and benefit of such a system, and adopted the change completely.
Let me say it again…
She didn’t lose a single client.
It’s easy to get frustrated in response to market research that isn’t positive. What seemed like negative feedback actually unlocked the secret reservations of her clients. Once we knew those, our email became a powerhouse!
My experience as a professional OT copywriter suggested being bolder would make the difference for the final version.
I remained steadfast: we didn’t need to drop the prices on these packages or abandon the idea.
We just needed to write a kick-butt, clear, and compelling email.
And it worked!
“When I read the email that you wrote, number one I thought, ‘Oh, it sounds like me.’ And then number two, ‘I could have written this.’ And then it hit me — No, I couldn’t have.” -Marika
I’d written the email Marika wanted to write but with the extra push to make it ultra compelling and effective.
Marika’s business has completely changed.
No more burnout, and no more time-for-money structure. Marika has officially brought her big vision to life. And boy was it worth it.
Now, Marika has:
- Predictability – by knowing her schedule and her income, she can plan time off — even for self-care
- High Impact – with a system that works better for her clients
- Increased Revenue – getting paid for all the work with a system that honors both client and OT
- Authentic Marketing – relying on me to help connect to her audience without the gross ‘salesy’ tactics associated with marketing
- Freedom – to run her own business in a way that works best for her and her clients, and trust that I’m here with wording and marketing strategy that aligns with her business goals
And some copywriting skills rubbed off!
Even though I absolutely relish doing the writing, it’s also been a treat to see Marika write snappy copy of her own. Her Instagram captions and reels are so entertaining (and compelling) I suggest you check out her instagram pronto!.
I don’t take all the credit, but I do know this: each project was also an opportunity for her to clarify her voice and discover more about how copywriting works. These are skills that benefit her business in all sorts of ways.
“There are other elements of business that benefit from copywriting — things like communication and interacting with your ideal client.” – Marika
Which highlights what I see a lot.
When I work with OTs, I get a front-seat view to watch copywriting and sales skills grow.
Which totally makes sense. Many OTs are great writers but simply never had the opportunity to learn the art of copywriting.
(If you want to upgrade your copywriting skills, check out the resources in the JOT Copy Shop.
Ultimately, copywriting is a tool to help make entrepreneurial visions a reality — even in tricky situations.
Now, with our relationship established, it’s easier to start on new projects and even try new things.
I already understand Marika’s voice and values. And our feedback processes are ready to go.
When Marika is prepping for her next adventure, I’m right there to help with the words to support her big goals.
In fact, Marika has put together an online course to help other therapists to implement her successful business model. (Check out her life-changing business model!)
It’s truly the big idea that keeps giving!
I love the thrill of finding words to support her work. It’s a gift to watch Marika create bigger and better versions of her business. It’s being a part of that journey for my clients is what fuels and motivates me and my business.
It’s time to create the impact you’ve been waiting for.
Putting words to occupational therapy ideas is what I did for Marika. Her idea around package pricing was brilliant and quickly exceeded even her own expectations.
The lesson here is this, her investment in copywriting was a bold move at the right time. Ultimately, it helped fast-track her success.
“…being able to work with someone who knows you and your business really well, that’s invaluable.” -Marika
And it’s what I’m ready to do for you. Because I know, OTs do amazing work! My mission is to get that work amplified.
Collaborating with me allows you to:
- Take a big step forward
- Feel more confident in your message
- Learn new techniques for connecting with clients
- Make changes you didn’t think were possible
- Put effective words to your ideas
With the right, compelling words — you’re unstoppable. You can grow those big dreams of helping more people without needing to learn every single element of effective copywriting.
Sounds intriguing? Follow along with how I blend copywriting and occupational therapy on my Instagram, or hop on my email list.
August 29, 2021 @ 8:51 pm
Such a great story! Love the partnership you guys have.