Marketing, Sales, Service

It’s not uncommon that I get on a call with a current or aspiring business owner and find them to have only one of these things dialed in… and I’ll give you a hint, it’s typically not sales or marketing… 

As PTs, we are never really taught the importance of these concepts in school. We are taught how to be a good enough general Physical Therapist who will typically be an employee who holds a license to bill insurance.

In reality, that’s what PT school is meant to teach us, so don’t get mad. But, this now becomes both your problem and your responsibility to solve if you want to branch out on your own.

So why do so many PTs shy away from learning about sales and marketing? Safety.

It’s safe to develop your clinical product. It’s what we are conditioned to believe will take us to the next level, but sorry, my friends, you’ve been lied to. 

There are many GREAT Physios out there who are flat-out broke, burned out, and dread walking into the clinic. Now on the flip side, there are many who are completely content with their trajectory, love their job, and have no desire to own a business… but my guess is you want more for yourself, and that’s why you’re here. 

Now let’s talk about the big 3 and why you need to have ALL of them dialed in. 

Marketing - Let’s just start this out by saying if you’re currently trying to speak to everybody, you’re likely attracting nobody. It might be time to narrow down your path and start solving some specific problems. This is all about speaking the language of your perfect client and attracting them to work with you. Being in pain isn’t a problem… not being able to perform pull-ups, press overhead, throw a ball, or play with your kids… because your shoulder hurts… that’s a problem - and a specific one, no less. So when you speak to your potential clients out there with your marketing material, think of one person who you’ve interacted with who has a problem. My guess is there are more like them. 

Marketing is the act of creating opportunities, Sales is the act of converting them.

Sales - Let me just be frank… you probably don’t have the sales skills you need YET… But just like you didn’t have the PT skills you have now at one point, you can do the exact same thing to solve that problem… you can learn. Typically, we see PTs get hit with common objections like “Let me think about it,” “Let me chat it over with my spouse,” “Let me check with my insurance,” - and they just respond with an enthusiastic “No problem!” - only to get ghosted and never hear from that client again. Sound familiar? But what makes PTs so adverse to learning sales? They don’t understand it… it’s equated to being a sleazy car salesman,  but really they’re just protecting themselves from feeling uncomfortable in the conversation… Now here’s the cool part, once you figure this out, you’re invincible… you have a SKILL that generates revenue, not just one that services it. 

Sales convert the opportunity to achieve the Service result - without one, you lose the other. 

Service - Where most PTs excel - especially those who leave to start their own business, yet where MOST of our time and resources are spent on developing. Think about it like this, if your client already had a full range of motion and needed to develop their strength, would you instruct them to solely continue to work on their range? Or would your treatment plan focus on the areas of opportunity? It’s really that simple sometimes. Can you explain how that next certification solves a problem in your business or gives you the opportunity to leave your current situation? Probably not…

So which pillar do you think needs the most work for YOU specifically?

Is the fear or intimidation of one aspect holding you back from what you really want?

Will you face those fears or continue to ignore the path you really want to pursue?