Creative Connections & Client Communications

Consultation Glimpses

When a client calls you for an appointment, what is your discussionabout? Have you thought it through? What do you say and why? How do youdescribe what your client should expect from a consultation with you? Whatdo you hear in what your prospective client says?

This is terribly important, this firstmoment between your client and you. Do you sound organized, skilled, professional… as if you’ve done this a thousand times before? 

I think it is extremely comforting forthe client to hear from you how long you will meet together, that you willhave a discussion together (not a performance or recitation by you) dealingwith life development throughout the past and into the future, discussingneeds, behavior, strategies and much more.

Tag on the amount of your fee and discussthe best appointment time for your schedule and theirs.

Who referred the client to you? Just think what you learn from askingthat question! The client will usually tell you what the referring partysaid about you, and this tells you what the prospective client expectsin turn.

The reason for making the appointment might be volunteered by theclient. I suggest always keeping in mind that perhaps the spoken reasonmight not be the issue at all! I normally do not invite this kind of discussionup front, since I’ve seen stated objectives for the consultation evaporateas soon as some depth is reached early in the consultation. For example,there is a reason for stress in the marriage, and that reason isthe issue! Stress on the job may punch someone’s buttons and trigger deeproutined behavioral responses that are disruptive (see “Counseling Insights”);those responses are usually the major issue, not the emotional displacementupon the marriage.

That first call starts to illuminate the horoscope:your client’slanguage (word choice, grammar, content, grace) will suggest educationlevel and possibly corroborate the condition of the significator of the9th House (if it’s stressed, the probability is extremely high that theeducation was interrupted; and this, in turn, keys arcs and transits andhypotheses about the ages 17 and 18). Your client may offer his or herprofession -suggesting good job pride or frustration, from the tone ofvoice- and this in turn will start to fill out vocational profile indicatorsyou will encounter in your preparation.

Get to the Church on time! Asking your client please to be on timeis a professional stipulation indeed: your schedule is important; the consultationis serious, not a cracker-barrel discussion; punctuality acknowledges this.Plus, you can make an appointment horoscope as part of your preparationand, I promise you, you will be amazed at how often the Angles of the appointmenthoroscope and much more tie in with key points in the client’s horoscope.With experience watching this appointment-chart reflect ahead of time theclient’s developmental concerns brought out in the consultation, you willbe enriched strongly in your preparation.