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In Practice: The Business of Tarot!
The Business of Tarot
by Bonnie Cehovet |
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Why do we want to be in business for ourselves? For me it has to do with keeping the money that I earn, and having a schedule that I can fine tune to suit myself. It also allows me to work with my own ideas, and present them as I see fit. For me, the direction of my practice is healing and personal empowerment. The Tarot offers itself in many different ways - other Tarot professionals may well find the direction of their business to be very different from mine. The point here is to find a direction and follow it.
One of the very first things that someone setting out to work for themselves finds out is that expertise and a solid reputation are not enough. While they are the backbone of any successful business venture, they do not guarantee success in and of themselves.
Over the course of time, a business person must redefine their business goals, and determine the path that they are going to take to reach them. Become very clear in your own mind about what you are going to offer your clients (the Tarot world offers an infinite number of directions here), and what the benefit to them is. This is a major reason why I am evolving my practice into coaching, rather than individual readings. Coaching will allow me to help my clients in a broader forum, and benefit them more in the long run. And, quite frankly, it will allow me to conserve my energy!
By defining your goals, and the services that you are going to offer, you define the "niche" in your field that you will be focusing on. The Tarot world is a large one - a reader cannot be all things to all people. Think beyond individual readings - think what you can do with the Tarot to improve someone's life - then go for it! In this manner, you can focus both your promotional and your personal efforts into serving a specific clientele. In an interesting manner, this also limits the competition, because you have fine tuned what you are doing in a way that may not be currently offered.
My personal advice is to be aware of the competition, but do not be afraid of it. Your business will do well if you focus on your strengths and offer the services that draw on these strengths to meet your clients needs. Make yourself stand out from the crowd!
As business people, we want to present a professional image. There is way too much of the "Gypsy card reader" image floating around in the Tarot world. Think Miss Cleo here! I have always felt more comfortable in more businesslike attire. I am not one of the jeans and sneakers crowd. That may work for some, but it doesn't for me. The person that had the most influence on me was a reader that I went to before I began learning to read the cards myself. She always dressed in suits - and that impressed the heck out of me! She was a gracious, charming lady, and did not let the suit get in the way of her connecting with her clients. As a business person, think about the type of client that you wish to attract, and dress accordingly. This will also enable you to charge what you feel is appropriate for your work, because you will be seen as a business person offering a service.
Another side effect of choosing a more businesslike attire is that it is easier to connect with your clients (it is for me, at any rate). You want to see return clients, rather than a revolving door of new clients, without allowing the client to become dependent on you. One way that you can do this is clearly state your services, what your expectations of your client are, and ask what their expectations of you are. This is setting the groundwork for a good working relationship - and for referrals!
Don't be afraid to offer some type of introductory session - whether it is free or discounted. In the case of coaching, offering a short reading session to begin with will give the reader and the client a good indication of whether they can work together over several sessions or not.
Set your fees according to your expertise. And set them for a specific period of time - say, 15 minutes, 30 minutes or an hour. Define the time limit of each session, and charge accordingly. The quality of the work that you do will speak for itself, and will lead you to success.
Update your client list on a regular basis. Keep in touch with clients, and be willing to network to bring new clients in. Continue honing your craft, so that you have new and different services to offer.
Develop a sense of confidence in yourself. Everyone who starts their own business is not necessarily self confident. I was scared to death when I started reading for the 900 lines, and still a little uneasy when I started doing in-person readings. As my belief in my own abilities grew, I was able to expand the services that I offered. Now I search for new and different ways to serve my clients, and don't hesitate to implement them.
Marketing your business is an ongoing project. It is where many of us, myself included, tend to flounder. We know what our available finances are for promotion, we have defined the client base that we want to aim our marketing at, and we have defined the services that we want to offer (and this will change as we expand our business and add new services). But we have no clue where to go next! This is where research comes in. Network, ask questions of people that you respect that are in the same market niche that you are (here the Internet is a great boon - if you are networking with people that are not local, they will not see you as a threat, and will be more open in their answers). Join the Chamber of Commerce, visit metaphysical bookstores in the area and check out any related newsletters that they may carry. Depending on your budget, look at promoting yourself in regional or national magazines. Let your imagination run wild!
You are your own product - you are your business. Allow your personal light to shine. To know yourself in the context of your business, make the effort to connect with your clients, to know them and to understand their expectations. Listening to what your clients say will also give you a clue on what new services you might want to offer.
Respecting your clients needs will gain you respect, and will grow your business. Be courteous, be professional, and have a list of local resources that can possibly give them any help that you cannot. In the Tarot profession, this includes counseling and crises services. Also along this line is the aspect of confidentiality. Each reading/service is between you and your client. Large communities are made up of small communities, and in a small community, everyone knows everyone else's business. Keep the information that came out in your clients reading between yourself and your client.
Do not be afraid to refuse a client. I like to talk to my in-person clients for a short time before I begin reading for them. In this way, I am able to tell if we connect at all, and if I am the right person for them. This applies in my 900 line reading as well. I will let a caller know if I feel that they would be better served by another reader. In fact, this is a situation that I am currently faced with. I have a client on the 900 line that I am going to have to direct to another reader. It won't be easy, but it has to be done. These are part of the business decisions that we have to make in the Tarot world.
May your business path be Well Lit and Well Traveled.
Please contact me at Crystalgate@aol.com with any subjects that you would like to see discussed in this column. I want this to be reflective of the needs and concerns of the Tarot community at large.
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Bonnie Cehovet,
Tarot Master, and Reiki Master/Teacher.
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Bonnie Cehovet is a Tarot Master, professional Tarot reader and Reiki Master/Teacher.
Bonnie has been reading the Tarot professionally for over ten years. She has served in various capacities with the American Tarot Association, including Secretary and Web Assistant For Links. She is currently Certification Director and Secretary for the American Board For Tarot Certification. Bonnie is also a founding member of the World Tarot Network.
Bonnie has had her work published in the ATA newsletter, in Geraldine Amaral's "Celebrating The Tarot" print newsletter, on the World Tarot Network and other internet sites. She is editor for her own monthly newsletter "Gateway To Tarot" (Yahoo Groups).
www.tarot.thecrystalgate.
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