Comes a question from an email subscriber:

The Hard Truth About Attracting High Value Patients To Your PT Practice! >

===

“How do you differentiate yourself when you’re a PT in a small town that has lots of businesses that provide what the consumer believes to be “similar” services…

In my case, there’s like 7 PT’s in my area … not to mention chiropractors, Massage Envy, Acupuncturists.

So how do I go about saying ‘yeah, but I’m different and better than all of those of 12 other options you’ve got in this 3 mile radius’?”

– Dom. Austin, Texas.

===

I have an answer to the question being asked, and I have a recommendation that is different than the question that Dom asked…

First of all, differentiation by definition requires you NOT to be what all the others are. So the first problem this PT owner has, is in identifying your self as a “physical therapist” – as are all of your other competitors.

It’s the wrong way to present yourself for two reasons:

1.) Nobody really wants PT – and of the ones who do, there’s not enough of them to scale and grow a business.

2.) People want outcomes, benefits, information and the ability to do things and go places with much less restriction than is being forced upon them by the pain or stiffness they’re currently in.

It just so happens that it’s a “physical therapist” that can help them to achieve that, and what is called a “transformation”.

And while every other Physical Therapist in town is advertising themselves and their “25 years in business”, what you’ve got to do is make a list of what they’re all saying… then say something ELSE!

You have to position yourself as something other than a being a “licensed physical therapist”… that’s what you do rather than what you can do for people.

Big difference.

Massive difference.

We (at the “Paul Gough Physio Rooms”) help people aged 50+ to keep active and mobile, free from painkillers and out of the doctors office.

If I position my self as a “physical therapist”, I’m a commodity in a country where the main competitor is FREE.

100% FREE.

No copay or deductible – FREE!

Had I continued to “Market” myself as a physical therapist – then I’d be presenting myself to the people in town as being the same as everyone else.

Which would mean “zero” business.

(And me ‘working for’ that free hospital system!)

Labelling yourself as a “PT” with your marketing is a lot like showing up for the singles dance with 50 guys and only 8 girls… unless you look anything like Brad Pitt or David Beckham… that’s not a good scenario to be in.

Therefore it doesn’t matter if there’s “12” (or “112”) PT’s in your small town… what matters most is that your the ONLY ONE saying what you can do for me, at that moment in time.

How do you do that?…

It starts with *picking your ideal target market* – the ideal patient you want to work with.

Initially (via Lead Generation), getting people with pain or discomfort to raise their hands and step forward – typically by requesting information from you, that has to do with solving their problems. i.e back pain.

Then, you place them into your “follow up funnel” and communicate with them over and over and over again – over a period of time.

Replaying your “message”, repeatedly.

When – and only then – with that type of follow up system in place, does the impact of 12 other “competitors” diminish.

(Big, super sized, huge ad budget corporate hospital systems, included).

I could dive deep into creating such a system…

But, if you don’t know WHO your ideal prospect is, it wouldn’t make an ounce of difference to your ability to market directly to consumers.

The thing is, most PT’s don’t.

And, this is why I wrote my latest blog post (with a Video) for you to read:

– The Hard Truth About Attracting High Value Patients To Your PT Practice! >

There’s some info on here that you MUST know about if you plan on breaking free from relying upon doctors for your profits – or you want to win against the big hospital systems.

Sincerely,

Paul Gough

Comes a question from a Coaching Client of mine from Raleigh, North Carolina.

===

“Paul… We sent out those emails you wrote for us about a workshop for back pain… and had 5 register and 3 show.

But all 3 became NP – $3600 + from a couple of emails… Nice job!

We thought we would try to advertise for the workshop in the local newspaper at least once, to see what happens.

Can you help us write a newspaper advert to promote this??”

===

I’ll tell you what I told him…

There’s a BIG difference between asking past patients (who already know like and trust you!) to a attend a “workshop” on back pain…

…than there is asking someone who DOESN’T know, like and trust you, to commit their time and energy to it.

It COULD work…

And it is certainly worth testing.

But here’s the secret to doing this:

There’s actually no need to write ANOTHER advert to promote this “workshop”.

Why?

Because we’ve already been running one very successfully over their in Raleigh to ask completely new prospects to respond for a freebie “tips” report…

Pulls in a double figure response every time we run it as part of our on going marketing strategy of glory (the likes of which make it impossible for the big hospitals to beat my small town clinic owner)!…

So why would we re-write it?

It’s working just great.

We’ve obviously got the audience right – the “WHO” we want to respond.

We’ve obviously got the words right – the “MESSAGE” that we’re putting out there that compels at least 10 people every time to respond…

So all that we have to do in this instance is change the “OFFER”.

I.e, switch it from a freebie report to advertising for a workshop instead.

Now, obviously you’ve got to know how to get that advert up there in the first place.

How to create the headline…

Select the right audience…

And even how to create the report…

And as it happens, I teach you precisely how to do it on here:

– New Patient Overload: Attract More New Patients Than You Need Using Simple Old School Marketing Strategies.

It’s a 9 video training program that shows you precisely how to create newspapers ads, postcards, referral flyers and newsletters that move more people closer to your practice.

It’s “old school” marketing at it’s very best.

I even give you all my best sales scripts… and there’s some bonus’s thrown in too which show you how to WRITE these ads so that they work and how to over come all of the 16 objections that most people have about saying no to PT.

Order it when ever you think you could do with a few more new patients arriving at your practice or you’re fed up of waiting for a doctor to refer some to you.

Click here to look at this new program:

– New Patient Overload: Attract More New Patients Than You Need Using Simple Old School Marketing Strategies.

Sincerely,

Paul Gough.

Most businesses are controlled by external circumstances…

It’s why so many of the smaller operations fail, or just decide to pack up and leave when someone bigger like “Walmart” comes to town.

Happens in PT land, too.

A big hospital system arrives in town or expands by buying up family doctor offices — and the small PT owners are left to watch as a ONCE reliable referral source, dries up.

And not long after, business is at that an all time low where it’s actually more profitable to work for someone else.

Not good.

The real reason for this type of (now common) situation??

Easy… no investment in marketing skills or training on the subject of sales.

It’s preceded by something called “failure orientation”.

A belief that failure is the only option in the face of such bigger competition.

And yet amazingly, what usually happens when the “Walmart” equivalent of a PT clinic announces their arrival – the small town, independent PT owner FINALLY resorts to accepting they “need to do some marketing”.

And that Marketing, it usually goes something like this:

“I’m a PT, I’ve been qualified for 10 years,
I have a premises, here’s my number,
here’s where to find me, you should come and
see me if you’re in pain”…

And guess what?

Their ads are mostly ignored.

Can you guess what happens next?

They blame the “Media” that they placed the advert in for it not working.

“Oh I tried newspapers but it didn’t work for me –
no body reads the newspapers anymore”.

Total nonsense.

How about the advert that was placed had no target audience clearly identified, OR, a compelling “message” that resonates and connects with that “WHO”, making them more likely to want to respond to the offer.

But the fundamental, real, often never pointed out fact that most advertising in the PT industry fails is for one of these two reasons:

1.) The REASON the advert is placed is simply because someone showed up – i.e the Yellow pages man arrives and sells it on you.

Or,

2.) There’s a shortage of patients that month and so the owner resorts to “desperation” marketing hoping that a “one-hit wonder” advert will solve their problem.

And that’s a problem not just because it’s a waste of ad dollars… but because the business owner then resides him or herself to thinking that they’ve tried marketing – and it doesn’t work (for them).

Thus, ruling themselves out of any future Marketing (and training) which, if done right, could very well solve their problems.

Now to do that, you need a marketing plan.

A System for acquiring NP’s for as cheap is is possible.

A “Lead Generation” System, to be precise.

It’s marketing that is measurable.

And is part of a sustained and on-going process of acquiring interested prospects – and then nurturing each one to the point of being ready to say to PT.

It’s a powerful way of advertising.

And its power isn’t diminished by the presence of some clinic with a bigger advertising budget, either.

What’s more…

It’s the same Marketing Strategy for PT clinic success that I’ve used to dominate in my own small town selling against a “free health care system”…

And it’s the same marketing success system that I’m teaching to other PT Owners all across the US.

Want to know more about it?

If so, start here:

• Let Me Have A Strategy Call With Paul Gough To Talk About My Clinics Marketing Plan ! > 

Sincerely

Paul Gough.

Note to physical therapist looking for Marketing Ideas.

Sign up to Pauls email list and get Marketing ideas and strategies for your pt clinic sent to you by email:

Click Here to Subscribe to Paul’s Marketing Tips Email List >>>

Before I forget…

So the other day I was yapping with a financial advisor who’s a valued patient of my clinic…

He was telling me about his lack of clients situation.

And so I asked him this question:

“What’s your biggest obstacle to
acquiring new clients?”

His answer??

A combination of “competition from other advisors”, “friends and family interference” and, “financial misinformation online” — all conspiring to deprive him of the income and better lifestyle he could so easily be living.

Or so he says.

And, a few years ago, I might have agreed with him.

Maybe even joined in this tale of woe and told him of my own reasons (excuses) as to why I’m not seeing as many patients as I would like.

But NOT any more.

See, it’s much more comforting and pleasing to blame the opening of some new, bigger, financially stronger national chain of PT clinics opening up right by you…

…or, even that other PT clinics are doing a good job of scaring people away…

…than it is to accept the real reason that MOST people don’t come to see a PT.

Which is??

Drum roll ……

The patients own fears, past disappointments (buying any service not just medical) and distrust in the likelihood that THEY can be helped.

I’d wager that 90% of the people reading this email today UNDER-ESTIMATE that fact.

Oblivious to it.

And instead of creating a marketing system that works at building a relationship and earning trust — prefer to pander to the likes of “yelp”… hoping and praying that their clinic will be one selected (from all the others) by the odd one or two patients who make their decisions solely on reviews (that we all know we’ve asked someone to write for us any way).

Am I saying “yelp” isn’t worthwhile?

Of course not.

I’m just reminding you that the people on there looking for a PT, well, they have already decided that they want PT.

Meaning, non of the above issues!

See, the REAL gold in running a PT clinic – one that is able to stop worrying about begging doctors for referrals – is found in the ability to acquire patients who at first don’t even know what a PT is or does.

Maybe, even currently distrusts them.

But with the help of some information – provided by email, direct mail and phone calls – amazing things happen.

Like people discover for themselves that “PT” is actually, very valuable.

Anyhoo…

Lets sum up todays lesson…

Your most formidable competition is likely to be yourself – non more so than if you refuse to accept the negative emotional state that your prospective patients have towards you and what you do.

It’s nothing personal, of course.

It’s just the way people are.

And you can continue to fight agaisnt it…

Or, you can talk to me and I’ll show you how to profit from it by creating a multi-media marketing system that is designed to ensure that next time that irritating salesperson from “yelp” calls by to sell you an additional service you don’t even need – you can tell him your not interested because you don’t need it.

Just a thought.

Go here next to learn how to do that, inside 6o minutes:

– Show Me How To Market My PT Practice >
It’s perfect if you want more NP’s and less chasing of doctors for referrals.

Sincerely,

Paul Gough.

P.S Note to physical therapist looking for Marketing Ideas.

Sign up to Pauls email list and get Marketing ideas and strategies for your pt clinic sent to you by email:

Click Here to Subscribe to Paul’s Marketing Tips Email List >>>

One of the best ways I’ve been able to grow my own practice is through the use of “multi-media” integration.

Using complete, integrated, marketing campaigns to first attract my ideal patients – then convert as many as possible, as fast as possible, to paying patients.

I simply pick a target audience, pick an injury / concern (i.e back pain!), make them an offer of a free tips report that’ll help ease that concern, then layer and sequence email, direct mail and telemarketing, too – helping them come to their own conclusion that Physical Therapy is the best option for them.

And one of the reasons why this approach works so well is that different people are conditioned to respond in different ways!…

To put it another way, if all you ever do is make prospects the same offer, through the same media channel, then you’re going to miss out – and waste a lot of ad dollars in doing so.

An example:

Just yesterday I held a Live, Global, Group Coaching Call – and one of the “a-ha” moments that came out of it was the story of a lady in her 70’s, who, after requesting a free report having seen a cleverly worded advert (written by me!) in a newspaper by a PT clinic in Raleigh (NC), was ADAMANT that she didn’t want PT.

The thing is, this lady was happy for the PT clinic to keep in touch and check on her progress.

So they did.

For about three months… bi-weekly using the “phone” (telemarketing!) to ask her if she was ready to try PT.

Now each time that the secretary called – she also made her another offer – this time of a completely free session of PT to have her back looked at properly.

And each time, the pleasant lady said “no”!

In this instance there was no email campaign occurring behind the phone calls because they lady didn’t have one…

Enter direct mail.

Specifically, a “mock” newsletter written (by your me) with the entire focus on the mistakes that people make when trying to ease back pain.

AND, included the same offer of that free session – just in the written format.

And guess what?

After sending out just one newsletter – the lady called back and asked to claim that free first session.

Not long after, she scheduled a full program of care.

The reason she did so?…

She told the clinic that she enjoyed having the TIME to read the newsletter – likely over a cup of coffee, comfortable in her own home, being allowed to make up her own mind in her own time and clearly understanding what the offer a “free session” meant to her.

The lesson to be learned?..

In many ways, this type of “multi-media” approach is akin to 3 “plow horses” being hooked together to one plough – you’re going to do the whole field a lot faster, better and without too much effort on your part for doing so, if you adopt it at your practice too.

Another lesson you COULD learn…

This kind of complete, integrated, marketing campaign is what I talk about during my strategy calls with owners like you.

If you’d like one, best hop over to this link to claim one. Just one per week is all I have time for:

– Yes! Tell Me How To Market My Practice Properly! >

Best wishes,

Paul Gough.

Note to physical therapist looking for Marketing Ideas.

Sign up to Pauls email list and get Marketing ideas and strategies for your pt clinic sent to you by email:

Click Here to Subscribe to Paul’s Marketing Tips Email List >>>

Following is an example of how your patients make decisions:

So last month another PT owner (from Long Beach) joined my “Next Level Marketing Coaching Program”.

He’s a very smart guy.

Already successful, just wants a lot more of it.

(The ideal client for me).

But here’s the thing:

When I first spoke with him, he was “tentative”.

And, very cautious.

Had been let down in the past by a couple or so marketing consultants who had given him duff advice in exchange for his dollars – and didn’t really want to have to go through that expense again.

So what followed, over the course of about 3 weeks, was a series of back and forth emails, him asking questions, me answering them… me waiting patiently for the next objection to my marketing skills / services to rear it’s head.

See, at first, we’re all on trial.

And I had to earn his “trust”.

(And rightly so!)

In total, it took maybe 7-8 emails.

Three phone calls.

And a few helpful reports / training videos that I had sitting idle on my laptop to help him come to his own conclusion that “yes”, I am different to everyone else he’s tried.

And what has since made us both laugh, is how excited he now is at beginning to work with me.

His secretary told me just yesterday, “he just can’t wait to get started with you now”.

And, “he just wants all this new stuff to be ready tomorrow so that the phone starts ringing – we’re ready for it”!

Contrast that with a couple of weeks ago – he was slow to reply to my emails and arranging a call took weeks.

But the thing is… I haven’t changed.

Nor has my marketing strategies.

Only thing that has, is his perception of how I can help him.

The point?

How this owner made a decision about choosing to work with me, is how his patients will make their decisions when choosing to work with him!

We all chose to buy any service, the exact same way.

(An “irony” I couldn’t resit pointing out to him!).

And yet because I took some time out of my day to answer his questions – and listen to his concerns – he was able to build some trust in me, AND, better understand the lead generation marketing system that I teach.

And as soon as he realized that yes, it IS the right decision?

He couldn’t wait to get going with it.

The next point?

That patients in the beginning appear to be resistant, is true.

It’s happening to anyone, anywhere in the world trying to sell their services.

But if you create a marketing system that puts trust an value at the centre of who you are and what your service is about, then you too, will experience this “phenomenon”, for yourself.

Want some help with creating a system like that?

If so, go here next:

– Arrange A Marketing Strategy Call With Paul Gough ! >

Talk soon,

Paul Gough.

Note to physical therapist looking for Marketing Ideas.

Sign up to Pauls email list and get Marketing ideas and strategies for your pt clinic sent to you by email:

Click Here to Subscribe to Paul’s Marketing Tips Email List >>>

Following is a true story:

Back in July I visited “San Francisco”.

Flew up from San Diego.

And in the departure lounge waiting for the short flight, it was obvious that the flight was “full”.

What followed was the airlines usual (lame!) attempt to bump a few people off to the next flight with an ethical bribe of a “free flight” (anywhere in the U.S), if you go later.

Yet no one was interested.

Even though it was “Free”.

And hence forth the reason that what starts out as a “free flight anywhere in the U.S”, soon becomes “TWO free flights anywhere in the U.S”, upgraded with drinks and a nice meal in the airport, thrown in while you wait.

Do they rush to the airline desk to claim it?

Nope.

Even with the “free + benefits” offer they struggle to convince people to wait just a couple of hours to go on the next flight.

But the funny thing about that, is this:

In the cold light of day, if you asked 300 people if they’d wait just two hours to get somewhere and in exchange they’d be given $1000’s of dollars worth of free flights and more – they’d all say “yes”, they would take it.

But they don’t.

See, the airline industry official stats say that less than 1% of people actually even walk to the counter to enquire about the possibility of taking their FREE-bie offer, never mind actually consider it.

Why?

Simple.

Most people value their time and convenience more than they do money.

That, and a huge lack of “trust”.

A lack of trust that the airline won’t make them fly on certain times of the day that they can’t (or don’t want to fly), when trying to redeem the freebie tickets.

Plus, a lack of trust that the airline won’t add some type of tax or fare too it, at a later date.

Do these people rationally walk to the counter and ask for answers to these questions to get clarification so they can make an informed decision??

Again, na-da.

The relevance for PT’s?

This:

Advertising / offering “free screens” talks to the exact same decision making part of the brain as the airlines are when trying to give away free travel tickets, in exchange for just two of hours of time.

People see your advertisement for a free screen from “cold”, and they either don’t see the value in it, or, they assume their’s a catch.

Either way, it’s your loss.

And might begin to explain away why some of your patients say “I haven’t got the time for PT right now”.

(What they’re really saying is “I don’t trust that what you’ll do for me, is actually worth giving up my time for”).

No body is that busy.

But we’re are all that “Predictably Irrational”.

And as it happens, it’s the subject of one the most influential business / marketing books I’ve ever read.

It’s written by the author “Dan Airely”.

He was featured in the Wall Street Journal just last week talking about this type of behaviour in response to “free”.

You should check the book out.

Understanding basic human behaviour is a pre-requisite to getting good at Marketing.

Anyhoo.

If you want to short the “getting good at marketing” process, go here next:

– Request A PT Clinic Marketing Strategy Call With Paul Gough ! > 

Spaces are limited.

Have a great weekend.

Paul Gough.

Meanwhile…

Behind the scenes of the “Paul Gough Physio Rooms”, things continue to prosper.

It’s the middle of summer.

The sun is shining.

People are on vacation.

And most people have less need / interest in things like chronic low back pain:

“I’ll call you when I get
back from vacation”.

Heard that line recently?

It’s the reason why most PT clinics around the globe are experiencing a 20-25% fall right now.

But here’s a picture from my own clinic dashboard.

Take a look:

(Turn on images to see your picture ^).

Just yesterday we on-boarded 14 new first visits/treatment programs.

That’s “14” people in one day who made contact with my clinic and ordered one of the many products / services that I offer.

And what helps me sleep better at night is when I look at the range of different referral sources:

* Facebook

* Newspapers

* Google

* Email

* WOM

* Follow Up (Lead conversion by design).

* Treatment voucher ordered by husband.

Click Here to Subscribe to Paul’s Marketing Tips Email List >>>

Best?

There’s “3” new patients in there yesterday who walked directly into my “lead generation trap” – who booked appointments with us only because we offered them a freebie report, then followed up, on the phone, until they said yes.

Usually within 21 days.

(That’s about an extra $3600 revenue into my pot in one day!) What’s more, there’s even a nice little “up sell” in there, too.

That being, “Massage”.

Better than best?

There’s not a single referral from a doctor in sight.

Truth be told, I think I COULD have a slightly more profitable practice if I went around town begging doctors for referrals.

But, it just aint me. Talking to rude and arrogant doctors (and their secretaries) and waiting in line with all the other clinic owners is thankfully long gone for me.

Especially since my little boy “Harry” came along.

If I’m going out for dinner or lunch with anyone, it’s him and his mum. And because of the way I automate the Marketing of my clinic…

There’s a very good chance that while I’m out for dinner with him and her, new patients will be scheduling appointments at my clinic, anyway.

The moral of todays lesson?

Their’s safety in numbers. The WORSE / MOST dangerous number in any business is “one”. One staff member.

And, one referral source (doctors).

Click Here to Subscribe to Paul’s Marketing Tips Email List >>>

Because if there’s one sweeping change in the industry – like the trend of local doctors selling out to big hospital systems – then you’re in trouble.

The good news?

Thanks to the internet, cheap prices in local newspapers and nice little companies like EDDM, it’s now easier than ever to find those patients before they visit their doctor.

And the fastest way to do it?

Find someone whose already doing it, and, well, just ask them to show how to do it.

I’m waiting for you hear, whenever you’re ready:

– Show Me How To Stop Relying On Local Doctors ! >

Cheerio.

Paul Gough.

Note to physical therapist looking for Marketing Ideas.

Sign up to Pauls email list and get Marketing ideas and strategies for your pt clinic sent to you by email:

Click Here to Subscribe to Paul’s Marketing Tips Email List >>>

Who wins in a fight:

“Patience”, or, “perseverance”?

And, more to the point – which is most important and more likely to help you build the successful PT clinic you’ve always dreamed of?…

Why I bring it up?

Well, over the weekend I noticed a comment on Facebook from a very well known (and successful) business owner who reckons that “patience” is one of the most important requirements of running a business.

I beg to differ.

See, the problem with “patience”, when trying to run a business, is that it ends up becoming an “excuse”.

An excuse for idleness.

An explanation for “non-achievement”.

An excuse to keep on waiting for water from a well that’s drying up fast (doctors) – to suddenly appear.

Anybody can have patience.

And, anybody can hide behind it.

It’s the same lame excuse that is costing governments billions of dollars every year in benefits / welfare… as people who ain’t got jobs won’t take one because they’re waiting patiently for the “right opportunity to come along”.

(Happens in Britain, too).

Instead of “patience”, give me “perseverance” any day of the week.

Perseverance is what gets you through and on to the next level, faster.

It’s the thing that gets business owners like you and I through bad days.

Through the doubt.

Past the fear.

And even beyond the sleepless nights wondering whether you’ll make more dollars than your staff at the end of the month.

The point for PT’s?

A subtle difference in the words that you use changes everything.

The words that motivate one group of people, can turn off the other.

In this case, the “online marketer” spouting about “patience” on Facebook over the week was appealing to a bunch of people with a completely different view of the world than I do.

His product being sold to “newbies” looking to start a business on line and being sold a multimillion dollar dream — if they just wait for it (and buy his product!).

He’s getting his audience to believe that if they have patience, they can be successful.

And because most people can tell them selves that they’ve got some of that, they’ve instantly qualified to buy his product.

Smart marketing.

But for guys like me, “patience” is an instant turn off.

Simply because I don’t have the time to wait for it (more success) to come.

The real point of todays lesson?

The *words* you use in your marketing are critical.

They have to resonate with your ideal patient to make them think “this guy gets me”.

And if you can do that, you’re in the game.

Use the right words in any MEDIA, and you’ll get an opportunity to foster a relationship with more people – moving them closer towards your treatment room, quicker.

You may have to persevere, of course.

It’s what “Lead Generation” marketing is all about.

…Starting relationships, building trust and getting compliance – often from people who had no idea what a PT even does (when they first saw your ad).

It’s why it’s so successful for the smaller businesses.

Truth be told… it’s probably the ONLY way to be super-successful if you’re running a small PT clinic and want to stop relying doctors for your feed.

And guess what??

It’s much easier to be successful at it if you have an automated system built for you that lets you get on with the actual treatment of all the new patients you’ll get.

Want some help to build that system?

If so, go.here.next:

– Investigate Your Opportunity For Marketing Success ! >

Sincerely,

Paul Gough.

“I even got asked to sign
one of the free reports”.

That’s what one ecstatic PT Owner (from Lehigh Valley, PA) told me yesterday during a coaching call we had together.

See, just the day before, we’d ran his first lead generation style promotion, in a local newspaper.

Now I know what you’re thinking:

“Do people still actually
read the newspapers”?

Or,

“That’s a dying industry – I
wouldn’t advertise in their if
I were you”

(…as one *online* only marketer told a client of mine recently!).

My reply to both??

“What, are you kidding me?…

So lets talk about it…

And analyze what’s REALLY going on here.

First up, when someone says “no one reads the newspapers any more”, what they’re really saying is “I don’t”.

And that’s a HUGE mistake a lot of business owners make.

That they assume they how they think and act, is the same as their ideal patients.

Na-da.

People aged 55+ still read newspapers.

It’s a life long habit.

Always will be, no matter how many “fancy-schmancey” new tablets come along and despite the fact that “twitter” reveals the news before it’s even happened – people still TRUST the words they read in a newspaper.

And another thing with newspapers.

People who read them, often read every page.

Analyzing, every word.

Which means you’ve got their attention.

And if you’ve got their attention, you’ve got a chance of your message being read.

Contrast that with what’s happening online these days where an advert in a Facebook news feed is skimmed over in half a second, then it’s easy to begin to understand why newspapers WORK for advertising a solution to back pain.

Another-another thing:

There’s a huge level of TRUST when you’re in the newspapers.

Immediate EXPERT (almost celebrity!) status is granted.

And can even have the people who read it thinking that YOU, yes YOU, are the nations leading back pain expert – if you want them too.

(Hence how my client is now singing free reports before his secretary sends them all out!).

And as more people convince each other that the newspaper is a “dying industry”, the ads are getting cheaper and cheaper to run.

Click Here to Subscribe to Paul’s Marketing Tips Email List >>>

Lets re-cap all that:

We’ve got an ideal target market (55+)

Attention.

Trust.

Authority, credibility and perceived expert status.

And, a low cost way of advertising.

The upshot of all this combined?

An increased likelihood of enquiries at your clinic.

And that’s precisely what just happened in Lehigh Valley yesterday.

14 calls and counting from people with back pain, from a newspaper that no one reads (apparently).

Go figure.

Anyhoo.

The moral of todays lesson?

1.) Resist the temptation to think that your patients think like you do.

2.) Stop listening to people who talk crap about Media that they have no idea about – or worse, have a vested interest in selling you on something that they stand to profit from you knowing more about.

3.) And finally, if you want to become the “go-to” specialist in your small town, all that stands in your way is the decision to write some words on paper – which you then ask the newspaper to print on your behalf.

Want some help to get them in the right order?

If so, go here next:

– Investigate Your Best Chance Of Marketing Success! >

Fill out the form, and I’ll talk to you on the phone, one day this week.

Have a great weekend.

Sincerely,

Paul Gough.

P.S Note to physical therapist looking for Marketing Ideas.

Sign up to Pauls email list and get Marketing ideas and strategies for your PT clinic sent to you by email:

Click Here to Subscribe to Paul’s Marketing Tips Email List >>>

True story:

So every Wednesday morning my clinic shuts down for a couple hours to ensure our “con-ed” gets done, uninterrupted.

My front desk staff have their own version of it too.

And yesterday, an issue got brought to my attention about a patient who after his first evaluation with us, proceeded to book a further 9 visits – then “no showed” for his second one.

He was in his early 20’s.

An age group I identified a while back that I DON’T really want to attract to my clinic (unless there parents are paying!).

Why?

Not enough sustained motivation to want to hand over $1000 to restore their health.

Sure, at the time, they tell you they do.

Even think that they do.

Hence why they leave the first session and book aaaaaallll the future visits they’ve been told they need.

Makes them FEEL good about themselves (a drug called “serotonin”).

But more often than not, I find this age group to be the “hassle” ones.

Who repeatedly “no-show”, or who we have to “drag” to their session with tons of reminders and persistence.

(Not my idea of running a business).

But here’s the thing:

My secretary said she was “surprised” about “this one”.

Because the guy in question was a “personal trainer”.

And when she reminded him of the “no-show” fee (and our strict clinic rules), he said “he’d NEVER do such a thing because he has his own clients”… and “he knows how painful it is if one of his clients doesn’t show up for one of his sessions”, too!…

Apparently, his “story” about why he would DEFINITELY show up, was long!..

And so “Steph” (my secretary) was sure, that THIS guy, would be ok.

That he’d be different and show up for all the visits he booked out.

My reply to hearing this “cock and bull” story?

“The bigger the story,
the bigger the dragon!”

I’ll explain what that means, like this:

Ever watched “spider man”, and noticed how no matter who his arch enemy is, it’s always 10 x bigger than he is?

Why?

Because his story is HUGE.

His story is “saving the world”.

So the “dragon” he has to destroy, just HAS to be bigger than him!

It’s the way it goes in all stories where the prize is BIG.

And in this case, our “no-shower” already had a big, well worded and crafted story about why he would DEFINITELY show up.

Which means there is likely to be a big old “dragon” in the back ground.

Click Here to Subscribe to Paul’s Marketing Tips Email List >>>

The relevance for PT’s?

This…

Nearly all of your potential prospects have their own STORY…and therefore a HUGE dragon lurking in the back ground.

Their story includes having been “let down” by chiropractors, told by doctors that “nothing can be done”, to just take “pills”, “accept it”, friends or family who instantly dismiss what a PT can do, just because they had a bad experience at some crappy corporate hospital somewhere, lacking in any love and devoid of any real attention.

The “dragon” in their story?

Quite a few.

Called “fear”, “skepticism”, “nervousness”, self-doubt”, “uncertainty” and “angst”.

Something else…

It’s those dragons which are currently getting in the way of higher profits at your PT clinic.

Something else-else…

And unless you work out a plan to defeat them, you’re at the mercy of referrals from doctors to keep your clinic alive.

Not ideal.

Not as big hospital systems move into small towns, everywhere.

The answer?

Easy, peesy…

Deploy “Lead Generation” style marketing in everything that you do, hence forth.

It’s the small clinic owners version of having “Spiderman” show up to save New York City.

No matter how big the dragon, relationship building by lead generation marketing, will defeat it.

The only question is, “spidy”:

Are you ready to throw a “web” around 100’s of NP’s every week with a new style of marketing?

If so, go.here.next:

– Show Me How To Create A Marketing Strategy That Works ! >

Sincerely,

Paul Gough.

P.S Note to physical therapist looking for Marketing Ideas:

Sign up to Pauls email list and get Marketing ideas and strategies for your pt clinic sent to you by email:

Click Here to Subscribe to Paul’s Marketing Tips Email List >>>

Last week I was talking with one of my clients (from Philly) about something I believe to be a critical factor in PT clinic success…

That being, the concept of “owning the experience” that patients encounter when ever they do business with us.

Let me explain:

A few years back I read the amazing biography of “Steve Jobs” written by Walter Isaacson.

And one of the things that I took away from reading the book was “Jobs” obsession with “owning the experience” of his customers.

So adamant that he knew what was right for his customers, he refused to let anyone have the ability to mix what he termed “crappy software”, with that of his amazing hardware.

And so he LOCKED DOWN every single Apple device ever produced.

It’s the reason you can’t, without bruce force, get into the back of an iPhone or Imac and why the Apple software and interface is so different from that of “Windows”.

(Tis also the reason why iMacs get zero bugs or virus’s – and Windows, well, do!).

Now when “Jobs” first did this, consumers hit the ROOF!

Labeled him arrogant.

And he risked a HUGE backlash from people who wanted to use his hardware and computers, but not his software.

But he stuck to his beliefs.

(Insisted to the shareholders that he knew his customers better than anyone).

Who were his customers?

Back then, just “3%” of the entire population likely to buying a computer.

The result of “owning his experience” and understanding his customers better than anyone else?

The most profitable company on the planet.

Even though 97% of the population disagreed with what he did, he still made it work.

So here’s my question:

How can you “own your experience”?

Think, “what if Steve Jobs was a PT Owner”.

Click Here to Subscribe to Paul’s Marketing Tips Email List >>>

What would he do to change the industry??

Things like…

How can you make your phone calls “different” to be more empathetical and warm – maybe lasting longer but making deeper connections with patients from the “get-go”, rather than transactional and ending as soon as possible telling your self it’s ok because everyone is “so busy” these days.

(No they’re not. They just think you are).

The waiting room — does it look like everyone else’s with a few outdated magazines?

And is your secretary too busy answering the phone or filling paper to even strike up a conversation with someone right there in front of her (likely to be nervous as hell about what’s going to happen next)?.

What about the “clothes” that your staff wear? Same, “clinical” uniform or office attire that all receptionist wear…

…Or, something instantly recognisable and more memorable such as a “yoga” outfit?

What about the “music” you’re playing in the clinic?…

Well thought out to make your IDEAL patients feel more at home, or just playing the TV or radio, pumping more bad news and celebrity trash into their lives for the 60 minutes they’re with you?…

The “scent” of the room?…

The coffee you serve…

The “couches” they sit?

The bright lighting and the mood of the colors on the walls…

All of these things are your chance to “own the experience”.

Your chance to actually stand out from the competitors but more importantly than that, create an experience for your patients unrivalled by any other PT in town that has patients “sad” to be leaving your care and EAGER to come back.

Not needed, you say?…

It’s about your “pt skills”, I hear you cry!

I beg to differ.

These FRONT END experiences are what your patients remember… and more importantly, how they make their buying decisions.

See, people make emotional decisions – not logical ones.

And a failure to understand this most basic of human behaviour is why so much PT clinic marketing fails.

And, reason why all of your clinic marketing has to be written in such a way that triggers an “emotional response”.

If it were as simple as placing a small advert in the yellow pages for a PT clinic that knows how to ease back pain, chances are you wouldn’t be feeling the need to even read these emails.

Anyhoo.

That’s it for today’s lesson.

Hit me back a reply and let me know what you think.

Or, book a Strategy Call with me to improve your clinics marketing game plan, here:

– Show Me How To Create A Marketing Plan That Works ! >

Sincerely,

Paul Gough.

P.S Note to physical therapist looking for Marketing Ideas..

Sign up to Pauls email list and get Marketing ideas and strategies for your PT clinic sent to you by email:

Click Here to Subscribe to Paul’s Marketing Tips Email List >>>

Been reading “Think and Grow Rich” (By Napoleon Hill), again lately.

Amazing book.

Has many ideas and concepts that I’ve been able to adapt to make my marketing (and my life) more successful.

And of them is the story of the guy who was “three feet from gold”.

Incase you don’t know it…

It’s a story of a guy who starts to dig for gold in an area of California, 100% sure that he’ll find gold.

And so he digs.

And digs.

But no gold appears.

And so he gives up on digging.

Then decides to sell his mining equipment to a scrap merchant in town for a few measly dollars to try to pay back some of the money he borrowed to finance the digging in the first place.

And as the story is told, what happens next is a lesson that you and I can take forth in our clinics marketing.

See, the very clever scrap materialist took it upon himself to take the machinery back to the same site where the dig ended — and continue to dig for himself.

Guess what was waiting for him just three feet further into the dig?

That’s right…

“Gold”!

The point?

It’s often the same with your adverts.

Sometimes you’re just 3 feet from gold with something like a newspaper ad, EDDM piece, Valpak promotion or a newsletter.

Except in this case, you’re looking for NP’s and in return for your manual labour you’re gaining “trust”.

(Which leads to “gold”).

See, just because an advert didn’t work first time, doesn’t mean you should stop there.

No.

Not all.

It just likely means the you’re audience didn’t trust you.

Think about it:

People who read newspapers, read them every week.

Every word.

And if you show up in that paper announcing your great “offer” to help ease low back pain… chances are your going to encounter a little “skepticism”.

And rightly so.

“Where have you been all these years while
I’ve been reading this paper?”

(Is what they’re initially thinking).

And if it isn’t trust…

It’s that you’re offer isn’t compelling enough to make feel like they just HAVE to respond.

Either way, it’s easy to fix.

And what is near certain, is that if you make one or two minor improvements to your ad, you’ve done your research on who your audience is… the words that you use are compelling… and you KEEP on showing up, chances are you’ll strike GOLD with your ads.

How else could you explain why nearly everyone of my clients has experienced this “sorcery” for themselves.

See, it’s not uncommon for their “ads” in newspapers to do something like this:

* First ad does ok (maybe 6 calls)…

* Second ad, gets better (maybe 10).

* Third ad, BLOCKBUSTER (up to “45”)!

Now if we’d have stopped at ad 1 because it “only” got 6 calls…

… we may not have gotten to Ad 3 that got “45” calls and dozens of new patients.

My tip:

Move your clinic marketing from a series of “one hit wonder” ads… to implementing a clear marketing plan where your ads build on them selves, month on month – over a sustained period of time.

Accept that one or two individual ads will “fail”…

(It’s a near certainty).

But, if they’re ran as part of a much bigger, long term, very clear STRATEGY for marketing success – you’ll win in a much bigger way than you currently believe.

Trouble is, most business owners don’t think long term.

Do you?…

If so, go here next:

– Show Me How To Create A Marketing Plan That Works ! >

Sincerely,

Paul Gough.

Lets do a little “psychology” lesson today…

Following is a typical conversation that people have, most nights.

In a nut shell, it explains away how each and every one of your potential patients make their decisions…

…and when you read it, you’ll soon realize why it’s near impossible to make “free screen” advertising work (unless you have a HUGE budget!) for your PT clinic.

Ready?

Here, we, GO :-

===

“Let’s do something tonight. What do you want to do? I don’t know, what do you want to do? I don’t know, you decide.

No, I decided last time. It’s your turn to decide.

Ok, lets go out to dinner. Awe, out to dinner AGAIN? Ok, lets go out to dinner.

Well, where do you want to go out to dinner? I don’t know, where do you want to go out to dinner? Well, what would you like to eat?

I don’t know, what do you want to eat? Well just pick something.

No, I picked something last time, you pick this time.

All right, lets go to the Italian. Oh Italian.

All right, so lets go get Italian. So where do you want to go get Italian.

I don’t know…”

===

And so it goes on.

And on.

And on!

(Sound familiar?…)

The point I’m raising in todays lesson?

If two people between them can’t decide what they’re going to eat and where they’re going to eat on a Friday night, are we really expecting these same people will make a decisive decision about their health, from seeing *one* advert?

A decision for which they know they have to pay a lot of money to make.

Commit time and effort to.

Hope they get right.

And, RISK looking (and feeling) like a fool if 12 visits later, their back pain is no better?…

See, decisive action isn’t in the hard wiring of your potential patients.

And is the number 1 reason why most adverts for a “free screen” at a PT clinic fail miserably.

The solution?

Simple.

Start by understand that most people don’t know how to make a decision.

So, help them.

Begin a relationship by offering to provide them with more information to help the decision making process feel less overwhelming.

Then, follow up.

Ask the right questions.

Build some TRUST (over a few phone calls, emails and with some direct mail).

And even put your own ego aside that says these people “should” already know the value of what a PT does.

(Because they don’t!)…

It’s why “Lead Generation” advertising works so well for small PT clinics like you and I.

And if you implement it at your clinic…

…you apply the rules faithfully, (and consistently) and you do so with a simple understanding of how people make decisions (…like I just described), then you’ve got yourself a game changing marketing strategy for your clinic.

One that means you can say “bye bye” to relying upon doctor referrals or paying for marketing that doesn’t work.

Want some help to get there faster?…

If so, start here and lets get to know each other before you ask me to work for you:

– Help Me Get A Real Marketing Strategy In My Clinic ! >

Sincerely,

Paul Gough.

There are many reasons why people won’t choose to see a Physical Therapist.

One is, they’ve been let down by another, less than satisfactory therapist who did not much to earn their “copay”, except for some “ultrasound” and a couple of minutes of exercise that could have been done in a local gym anyway.

Another is, their friends and family have had a very similar, less than satisfactory experience.

The result?

A “negative” opinion of PT – and we’re all affected by it!

Even though, we know, labelling all PT’s the same… is akin to comparing the meat from Mcdonalds, with that from “Morton’s”, people still do it.

Why they do it?

Because to protect our self from harm – we’re hard wired to say “no”, to just about anything (at first!).

Whats more, finding any excuse possible to avoid making a decision is something that we humans continuously do to avoid getting it wrong.

And because PT was “bad” before, we’re able to rationalize away from ever having to consider that decision, ever again.

(Some deep psychology there for you!)….

Why I bring it up?

Because it happened to a client of mine just this last week.

Here’s the story:

So we ran an advert in the local newspaper promoting a freebie report.

And many people called to request it (…”Lead Generation” at work).

But there was this one lady (from Scottsdale, Phoenix) who called the number to request the report, (looking for help with easing her low-back pain), and yet abruptly ended the call when the voice on the answer machine said “physical therapy clinic”.

So what happened next, was this:

Noticing no message had been left, my client re-dialed the number (we use call tracking) to ask why she didn’t leave a message.

Her answer?

“Because you’re a Physical
Therapist and I went to see
one of those before and it
did nothing for me”.

Irrational behaviour ?

Absolutely “yes”!

But, fortunately, also very predictable.

And to get this lady on side, all this owner had to do was find out what the other therapist had done (…or not done) in the past, and then clearly articulate why his services is “DIFFERENT”.

In this instance, his “ace card”, was “dry needling”.

This lady had never heard of it.

So when she was presented with the opportunity to try something “different”, she took it!

And within 2 hours – of her putting the phone down and not even being interested in a free report written by a PT – she’s booking an appointment to see one.

Surprised?

Don’t be.

I hear these stories all day long.

Both at my own clinic…

…And now in the clinics of the PT Owners I’ve implemented a “Lead Generation” strategy for.

This lady was “converted” simply because of a 10 minute “follow up” call.

Made possible by having the ladies contact details to be able to do it – and an understanding that if patients say “no”, it just means they have doubts that needed addressing, before they say “yes”!

Another example of why “free screen” adverts or promotions rarely ever work.

And even if they do “work”, my bet is that you’re missing out on a small fortune by ignoring all of the people who just aren’t ready to buy from you now… but who would if you just took the time to answer some questions.

Want to know more about how to do this in your clinic?…

Start here, with a “Strategy Call” with me where you and I will map out a plan for the success of your clinic:

– Yes! I Really Need To Stop Relying On Referrals From Doctors! >

Sincerely.

Paul Gough.