Banjo, The Scruffy Hairstylist

My hairstylist is a scruffy guy called Banjo.

Yes, I have a hair stylist (it’s not him in the picture). If you saw me in person, you’d probably agree I need one.

Each time I go to him, I have to wait in line, even when I have an appointment.

The guy works magic with his hands. When I am done, I feel like my head was unscrewed, serviced and reattached. Oh, my hair looks different too.

He always has me singing his praises, as do all his other clients. It doesn’t matter that he looks funny and talks with a strong Brooklyn accent “I woooaaalkeed my doooaaag Aarthur today”

What matters is the results, and the feeling he gives his clients with each session. Everybody remembers him, and he has a strong relationship with past and present clients. Last week, I got a call from him saying “Hey Nitin, where you been? When you coming in”.

I scramble for my schedule, in embarrassment, asking “Are you available next Thursday at 4 pm?”

Do you have this type of connection with your patients?

The question is, are your patients raving about you? Imagine having an army of patients singing your praises every single day!  Envision a band of raving fans, walking, talking human billboards who promote your practice at every social occasion they attend.  A social sales force that transforms the image of your business from obscurity to stardom.

The presence of such team members can transform your practice, while their absence can sink it.

A tribe of raving patients is possible and can happen in weeks, not months. The results are worth their weight in gold.

The real asset of a physical therapy private practice is its relationship to past and present patients.  The ability to engage, captivate and influence the patients healthcare decisions while email, phone, regular mail contact is a priceless asset.

It is important to treat your patients as a gated community.  Imagine yourself as a farmer guarding a herd of cows.  As a therapist, never ever take your patients for granted and surround them with a wall of information and credibility describing your practice.

In a competitive economy, coupled with declining reimbursement rates, many businesses and professionals are standing by to steer patients in a different direction away from your practice.  A patients’ attention should be treated as solid gold.  Conversely, patients who are made to feel unimportant or under-appreciated may be lured away from your clinic.

Creating a sense of tremendous value with your patients begins with personal contact and is reinforced with alternative modes of communication, spread strategically throughout the year (just like the phone call Banjo made to me).

These ‘communication points’ can consist of email, least desirable to a phone call (most desirable) during the period after discharge.

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Tags: Grow Your Private Practice, marketing physical therapy, physical therapy marketing