Top 3 Mistakes Made By Physical Therapy Business Owners

I am writing this article from Fort Lauderdale international airport, on my way back from my mastermind meeting with my coaching clients in Miami, Florida. I met with a physical therapist in Orlando who is making a six figure income without a single contract with any insurance company and countless other business owners using powerful, unconventional strategies to boost their private practice. We met in a private, closed door meeting at the Miami Marriot, shared ideas and strategies to transform a physical therapy business and uncover new revenue sources. At the end of the day, we went to some of the finest lounges in South Beach and Ocean Drive in Miami and had a great time recapping the day and deciding what to implement in our practice, amidst sumptuous dinners and beach-side views.

The best systems to transform a physical therapy business come in unconventional, casual settings like my 15 person “Private Practice Mastermind Program”, intended exclusively for motivated physical therapy business owners. The key – get out of your comfort zone, your place of work and meet with me, and a team of private practice owners 3 times a year. You also get 2 phone calls a month with me on my private line, with recordings of all conversations and unlimited email support. The truth is, it’s often difficult to think creatively in a day-to-day situation like a busy clinic. That’s why I organize these mastermind meetings 3 times a year, and only involve the best and the brightest minds in private practice to join and attend – we accept only 20 applicants each year.

While systems can be powerful, mistakes in your physical therapy business can be lethal.

The mistakes made by physical therapy business owners can sometimes do more damage than the other, less relevant thing in physical therapy management. Here are three common physical therapy marketing mistakes made by physical therapy business owners.

a) Paying big amounts of money to physical therapy business ‘consultants’

Since we are not taught about how to market a physical therapy business in school, it’s easy to get seduced into thinking that a high priced coaching program  from ‘consultants’ is the solution. The truth is – it’s all hype and you DON’T have to spend tens of thousands of dollars to get physical therapy marketing advice. You want to learn marketing from physical therapists in the trenches, who have struggled like you, have made expensive mistakes (that you can avoid) and who are available to coach you with new, innovative, cutting edge ideas.

I know you’ve heard all those crazy claims from consultants who promise you tons and tons of referrals after charging you tens of thousands of dollars, and I’ve done if before for a fraction of the cost, but I don’t know any private practice owner who can get nonstop referrals everyday, and the claim is a little misleading.

Cutting edge marketing ideas can get you results very quickly. For example, sending surveys to and cold calling physicians is a total waste of time in this day and age, when everyone is getting more and more busy. Using PURL (personalized URL) marketing campaigns, acquiring the right lists and identifying potential patients EVEN BEFORE they need physical therapy is the way to the future of physical therapy business. Forget the old ways of reaching patients, the way to market your practice is to reach your patients even before they are contemplating physical therapy. 

b) Trying to be all things to all people.
It’s the equivalent of being nothing to a lot of people. Do you have a program that will help you stand out from other providers? Perhaps a method or treatment option that can be the ‘flagship’ product in your physical therapy business? A service that is so viral that it becomes a talking point and automates your physical therapy marketing? Niche programs are undervalued by the therapist and overvalued by patients.

c) Engaging in ‘push’ vs ‘pull’ marketing.
Instead of telling (interrupting) physicians and referral sources with a “Here I am, and I am wonderful” message, offer them with a tempting, irresistible offer – “Here’s something I would like to give you, no strings attached, whether you refer back to me or not”. Instead of saying “We treat low back pain, and we are nice people” in your brochures, write a short book on “Low Back Pain” and give it away to patients, physicians and anyone remotely interested in low back pain – but only if they request the information. The mode of delivery can be email or printed version. Now, you have helped them, have their contact information and are in a (unique) position to legitimately contact them again, this time with another relevant piece of content, which has your name, contact information and ‘hook’ all over it. This will help all physical therapy clinics market their rehabilitation services to doctors more effectively.

For members of the Inner Circle, I just uploaded a completely done-for-you book on “Low Back Pain” with complete copyright handed to you. As an Inner Circle member, you get the rights to add your name as the author (if you choose) customize the book, change the cover and make it available to your patients as a ‘lead generation’ resource. This book cost me over $1000 to produce, including original content, graphics, formatting and design. You get complete, unrestricted use of the book as an Inner Circle Member.

This is ultimate resource for physical therapy business owners.