Where are you going to be one year from today? The same place you are at right now, or in a new exciting state of being, filled with opportunities?
It doesn’t matter if you are a personal trainer marketing your services to clients or a physical therapy private practice, the rules are almost the same.
A good place to start is to identify gurus in your area and follow what they do on a regular basis. Websites like twitter and facebook are a great way to identify leaders in your field.
Growing a successful physical therapy and fitness training practice takes a lot more than just good clinical skills. The rule of success is simple: give your clients and patients more than they expect. They will come back to you and refer their friends and family. They will tell their physicians how wonderful you were, which will trigger a wave of new referrals. The secret of personal trainer and physical therapy private marketing is to overdeliver.
Patients should perceive you as an expert. The fact that you enabled the patient to recover from an injury and achieve functional independence is related, but it’s an entirely separate manner. Clinical success is a measure of how well you serve patients and your public perception. In other words, the patient has to actually believe that you did a great job, even if you didn’t do your best.
There are several ways to form a perception. Some might say that perception is reality. Perceptions are formed first and foremost based on appearances. A patient isn’t going to see instant results in terms of pain relief and improved functional independence in the first visit. However, the patient makes his decision to work with you based on the appearance of your clinic and professional conduct.
Your ability to be confident in your services, deliver them in a timely and efficient manner and create a tremendous perceived value should create an intangible perception of grandeur. When you do it right, patients and clients will be clamoring to work with you.
Keep all of this in mind, and 2009 will be your best year ever.
Yours in escalating profits,
Nitin Chhoda
