I have a love / hate relationship with online reviews! I gravitate towards them when I’m making a purchase, but when I go down the “rabbit hole” I often find them less than helpful in giving me confidence. I would rather get a real life recommendation from a trusted friend anytime!
My practice is 100% word of mouth. I have placed one ad in 19 years (it was pretty but inconsequential!) and I can count the number of months I’ve been without a waiting list on one hand. I thought when I moved North that my life and practice would slow down, but nope!
In my practice, I hear some amazing responses. I hear of transformations and healing. Of slow and steady improvements that change someone’s life. And of people who are not getting the results they wished for. There is a statistic that says that 80% of people respond typically to acupuncture (they shift, they improve, with varying amounts of time and momentum). 10% respond astoundingly well, like they are on the brink of a transformation and just need a tiny little nudge. And 10% respond poorly and defy our hopes for change, at this time.
I hear all of these responses, and when my clients share with me from their hearts - the joys and the disappointments - the last thing I want to do with that sharing is request that they get online and make it public, even anonymously. So I tuck them into my mind and heart and use them as fuel to become a better practitioner.
I WILL share one though! An unsolicited, from-the-heart review, hand written by a 6 year old acupuncture client and left for me in my mailbox…
“Anni, you are so nice.
You are like a gift.
You are like the wind going down on the sea.
You are so soft with people.”