by Michael Silva
Do you want to increase your impact as a physical therapist, chiropractor or trainer? Do you want to provide more value to your clients, and make more money while doing it? If so then keep reading because there is a way! Yes, even in our current healthcare system there is a way. There isn’t a 3 step quick hack and there is no guarantee that some cookie cutter, out-of-the-box approach will work for you no matter what social media will make you think.
Most businesses are struggling to :
-Get new clients
-Keep current clients
-Reduce cancellations and drop-offs
-Have healthy financials?
If this is you then I have one important question for you…
Are you providing your clients a great customer experience?
Yes?...How do you know?
Are you asking them? Most don’t ask and have a false sense of what the actual customer experience is.
For the sake of this article we are going to refer to all clients, patients, customers as customers. Your clients are spending a lot of money on their health insurance and directly for your services. This makes them more like high paying customers. You, me, and our healthcare system needs to wake up and start treating them like that.
Keep in mind money is a valuable tool and can be used to our advantage as service providers. Psychologically when people are paying for something they see more value in it than if they didn’t shovel out their hard earned money. They are better listeners, more committed, more engaged, and more coachable than if it is free or if someone else (insurance company) is paying for it. BUT if you are not over providing; giving them an exceptional experience and a result that is worthwhile…they are not staying or paying.
Healthcare has never been about “the experience” and most patients don’t feel valued when they go to a medical office.. As our services become commoditized you need to differentiate yourself by the experience you provide. Think about the access to PT; there are almost as many PT clinics as there are Dunkin Donuts these days. They are everywhere, and not all of them are worth going to, and how will people decide on where to go? Don’t think sending a doctor’s office some brochures and a fruit basket will help because they are bombarded with requests and may have their own PT clinic anyway. You will be just one fish in a big pond. How will you stand out?
I want to share a story with you about chocolate…yes chocolate...
One day I get a call at one of my clinics from a local orthopedic surgeon. I had been in business for a few years at this point and knew of him but never talked with him. I pick up the phone and he siad “Michael, this is Dr. __, I have a very important question for you”….I got a bit nervous at this point… He asked “Are you giving all my patients chocolate?" I said “I don’t understand Doc.”. He said, “Why does every patient I see that goes to your business love you guys, I only hear rave reviews…you have to be giving them chocolate or something”
I said “Well I am not sure how to answer that, but I do know that we take pride in giving them a great experience here, we touch them, and we get them better too.” You see we were a high-touch manually-biased clinic that incorporated many advanced hands-on techniques to those who needed it. Dr.___ said, “that’s it?” I said. “Yeah…I believe in the healing power of touch and I also believe in providing a great experience to get buy-in and improve outcomes.”
We talked for a bit and he then became a referral source for us. He referred us mostly to his friends, family, and VIPs because he wanted to ensure a good experience. Hear this…he bypassed the PT clinic that he owned, because of what our clients were telling him. How is that for free marketing!
Think about it, you want to increase client success, reduce cancellations, improve outcomes, and get built in referrals don’t you? You can do it without adding marketing expenses by improving your customer experience. Our customers were our main referral source. I built a successful business for 20 years and never marketed to doctors and so can you.
Just do what you do, only do it better than others…
Serve who you serve, only serve them better then others.
There are countless ways you can improve your customer experience and stand out. Think about all the touch-points your customers have in your business and look for ways to improve it. Everything from your website, your voicemail, your collections process, your environment, your staff, and so much more.
Want to talk more about this? Click here.
Aim high,
Michael
About The Author
Michael started in the fitness world in 1995 and then became an orthopedic/sports medicine physical therapist in 1999. He was the president and founder of FOUNDATIONperformance Sports Medicine for 20 years before selling his practice and exiting successfully. They were a leading outpatient sports medicine practice in New England with three offices and in two states.
He is also the creator of RUNstrong®: A comprehensive conditioning program for runners and coaches (find out more about RUNstrong® here). His expertise in the running world has allowed Michael to work with amazing athletes (including Olympians and world record holders) and travel to speak through lectures, clinics, and keynote speeches.
After exiting the clinical setting Michael’s mission is to be a resource for physical therapist owners and entrepreneurs. Helping them thrive optimally in business is his mission. The business will succeed when the customer experience is optimized, and the owner develops quality relationships and self-awareness. He is committed to empowering his clients with the tools and knowledge needed to exceed personal and business goals.
Connect with Michael Silva:
Website - michaeljsilva.com
Links - Schedule a Free Call
Phone - 401-903-0139