Success of Marriage Prep 101

I met Michelle Gannon at a Smart Marriages conference in 2006 and have evolved a friendship over email and Twitter. She's also a member of Marriage Friendly Therapists. She's a lot of fun and has a lot to share with professionals on how they've become so successful running a monthly retreat since 2000. Her wisdom is as follows:

1) We are husband/wife team who have been married for fifteen years with two sons. Our couples like that we "practice what we teach" and are in the trenches with them.

2) We are egalitarian-both having Ph.D.s in Clinical Psychology and our own clinical practices.

3) We were the first in SF Bay Area-non religious, skill oriented, more positive/fun focused

4) We are both extraverts and easy networkers (especially me)

5) We have had great experiences with media where they pursued us, and then one thing led to another.

6) We really need our workshops to be successful (how we pay for private school for two kids, family vacations, Michelle's huge student loan debt), so I think we make it a priority to network and market naturally all of the time ie. everyone in our school, community, family camp, boys' baseball and soccer teams, and professional world all know about Marriage Prep 101.

7) We love what we do! (And our Marriage Prep 101 couples like to promote us: blogs, Yelp, social media, friends, colleagues and family)

8) We try to stay current. About a year ago, I crossed my threshold and became involved in social media. I have had a lot of fun with social media: Twitter.com/DrMichellexo and Facebook.com/MarriagePrep101.

9) We teach our workshops at a unique site in a destination city. Fort Mason Center on the San Francisco waterfront.

10) We are very customer service focused. We do our best to provide a personal, positive experience for all of our Marriage Prep 101 couples. We use our clinical skills to help couples through impasses. We are both therapists & educators at the same time!

When I post on Twitter and Facebook, I try to keep in mind that social media is about engagement and interaction, and not just broadcasting or marketing. I try to find a balance, but I also keep in mind that my clients could read whatever I post.

I started a blog: www.DrMichelleGannon.com, and I write regular columns for www.MoreMarin.com, www.SFGate.com, and www.HitchedMag.com. I know that marketing our Marriage Prep 101 workshops is a long term endeavor. I might as well have fun and meet interesting people along the way!

Of course, old fashioned advice works too: Be nice to others; always take time to speak with people, answer questions, make referrals and be helpful. I find that people remember when you make a little extra effort. My reward is a full private practice of individuals and couples, busy Marriage Prep 101 Workshops, and lots of time with my family.

Dr Michelle Gannon
www.MarriagePrep101.com
www.DrMichelleGannon.com
www.Twitter.com/DrMichellexo
www.Facebook.com/MarriagePrep101