3 Ways to Build Trust as a Tarot Reader

When I decided to commit to becoming a tarot reader, there was one thing I really wasn’t expecting:

How much suspicion people have towards practitioners in this industry.

When I was growing up, my mom loved getting readings. She liked to host parties where she would hire a psychic to come over and do group readings.

My mom bought me my first reading – a palm reading – when I was around 10 years old. As I got into my teens, we would go to psychic fairs together.

It was fun! Those experiences also normalized the psychic industry for me.

But when I got into this business myself, I started to see another side to it that I hadn’t been exposed to growing up.

And one thing I’ve had to come to terms with is that there are a lot of people who are highly suspicious of this kind of work.

Even the most open-minded believers can be skeptical for a variety of reasons.

Which is why I feel it’s so important to take yourself seriously as a tarot reader by being professional and reliable.

It doesn’t matter if you do tarot full-time, part-time, or as a hobby for fun on the side. If you charge for readings, or want to one day, it’s important to put yourself in your querent’s shoes from time to time.

When people are looking for a tarot reading, they don’t want just any tarot reader.

They also want to know:

• Is this person reliable?
• Do I feel I can trust them?
• Do they come across as serious, organized, and committed to what they do?

Here are a few things I've encountered both as a tarot practitioner and as a tarot client that can end up causing you to lose clients by sending the wrong message:

Rescheduling for the wrong reasons. You’re scheduled to do a tarot reading tomorrow. But then you get an exciting lunch invitation from a friend that you really don’t want to pass up. What should you do?

Keep your commitment to read tarot. Reliability is key when you're running a service-based business. You build trust when you aim to stick to your schedule as much as possible – exceptions being if you're sick or there's an emergency.

Oversharing on social media. Showing a bit of your personality on social media can go a long way to helping people get to know you and your values. 

People tend to gravitate towards practitioners who they feel they can trust and relate to. But being genuine doesn't mean sharing every detail of your life.

Before you hit "publish" on a post, take a pause and ask yourself:

• Why is this important to my audience?
• Is there a teachable moment in this message?
• What is my intention in sharing it?
• Would I share this with a client 1:1?

Overbooking and falling behind. Every once in a while, I see a diviner get on social to make an update about how backlogged they are with their schedule. They’re behind on email readings people have paid for. Or they’ve oversold their reading times and can’t fulfill their appointments.

First: Don’t broadcast things like this online. Scheduling issues should be communicated directly with affected clients. It also sends a red flag to potential customers: They hear that they might buy something that a service-provider doesn’t have time to deliver.

Time management and tarot reading go hand in hand. Close your calendar when you need to – especially if you’re not sure you can keep up.

(Bonus tip: If you’re charging for readings and getting so many clients that it’s overwhelming? It’s a sign that it’s time to raise your rates.)

Hope this helps. 

Until next time,

Liz