It is a proven fact in marketing that you will continue to buy over and over again from people and companies that you know, like and trust. Yet 95% of all internet marketers fail when it comes to eBay. Most are looking for fast buck. They have completely miss opportunity to use eBay as a lead generation tool. They miss opportunity to create a list of people that will be willing to consume your products over and over again.

Lead generation on eBay can be accomplished in several ways. The most popular way is by using self liquidating ad. A self liquidating ad is one that pays for itself. In other words your customer directly pays your advertising costs. What they are purchase from you is really some form of advertising.

Let me give you an example of a self liquidating advertisement. Recently I saw in a magazine an ad for a pair of sunglasses. The ad claimed that sunglasses were free. You just have to pay shipping and handling costs.

My guess is that advertiser probably isn’t making much if any money on sunglasses. But they also aren’t losing any money. The shipping and handling most likely cover their actual costs. What they really want is something far more valuable – your contact information and your “permission” to market to you. In other words they are looking for qualified prospects - prospects that are interested in products and services they are selling.

Once this company has your contact information and “permission” to market to you, they will begin to establish a relationship. They will do this in a variety of ways including sending you ads for other product and services you may be interested in. Over time most customers will be worth many times more than their initial purchase.

1. Get Your Life in Excellent Shape

Counselors, therapists and healing professionals know that our personal lives affect our professional lives, yet many who are struggling to market a private practice fail to take this into account. Look at all aspects of your life and determine what seems to be working for you and what needs to change. Determine any activities you need to reduce or eliminate in order to have time and energy to market your practice. Examine your lifestyle and personal work habits and see where improvement needs to be made. The more your life is on order, more time and energy you will have for marketing and building a practice.

2. Develop a Financial Plan

Before you start your private practice, assess your financial situation and make a financial plan. Make sure you have funds from other sources until your practice becomes established. Do not put your self in a position where you are desperate to secure clients in order to pay your bills. Potential clients may sense your desperation and may not be eager to hire you. Feeling secure financially will allow you to market and build your practice with greater confidence and ease.

3. Know that You Are a Business Owner It is essential that you start seeing yourself as a business owner if you haven’t made this mind-shift already. You must pay careful attention to all aspects of your business--your revenue and expenses, how you spend your time, methods of attracting clients, and developing operating systems that allow your business to run smoothly.

4. Develop a Vision for Your Practice

It’s difficult to get somewhere if you don’t know where you are going. Develop a detailed vision of what you want your priavte practice to look like in 6 months, 1 year and 5 years and write it down. How many clients do you want to have? What days and hours do you want to work? How much income do you need/want? The more clarity and specificity you have, more likely you will turn your vision into reality.

5. Develop at Least One Specialization

Helping and healing professionals new to private practice often fear that if they are too narrow in type of services they offer, they will rule out many other potential clients. The opposite is actually more often true as people tend to want to hire specialists. The more targeted you are in marketing your practice, more you will stand out from others and become known for your expertise. In addition, it’s easier to market your practice to a particular group if you know where to find them.

6. Determine Any Negative Attitudes and Fears You Have About Marketing