Are Physical Therapists Really in Sales?

I have never worked a day in my life without selling. If I believe in something, I sell it, and I sell it hard. -Estée Lauder

Let’s talk about your business. If you’re a private practice owner, you know how important is to get paid by the insurance companies in order to keep the lights on. You didn’t start this practice just to make money, though. If you’re like most private practice owners, you started your clinic to treat patients and control your own destiny.

You may not want to consider yourself a sales professional. Sales can sometimes be considered a dirty word. The good news? True sales is all about building valuable relationships. You started this business to build relationships with your patients and help them get healthy again. So are you in sales? The answer is yes, whether you’ve realized it or not.

Sales is all about making connections and sharing your passion. While the word “sales” may not be your cup of tea, generating revenue and delivering excellent services are the driving forces of any business.

 As our Director of Sales, Matt Wolach, pointed out in a blog post:

You are a physical therapy clinic. You only make money when you are performing physical therapy.Time spent faxing patient files, calling patients to remind them of their appointments and looking for charts doesn’t directly make money for your clinic.

Matt’s point is that many of the day-to-day activities in a clinic can distract from your top priority--treating patients. Don’t get us wrong, we know that everything needs to get done. What we’re saying is that treating patients is top priority because that is what you do best and it keeps the lights on. And if there are no patients in the clinic, it becomes difficult to treat anyone.

One of the hang-ups for many therapists is asking for new patients. It can be difficult to “make the ask” without feeling self-serving or too aggressive. Not to worry! If you are able to clearly articulate who you are, what you do, and narrowly define the type of new patients you’re seeking, the “ask” will be much easier.

If you believe in what you’re doing, if you have a passion for your work it will radiate from you whether you realize it or not. Sometimes the only piece you’re missing is verbalizing what you want. You have to ask for the business. You have to verbalize that you’re seeking new patients.

This month we’re releasing our white paper titled “Pump Up the...Referrals.” This step-by-step guide will walk you through how to grow your practice and get more patients in the door. The three steps to building strong relationships and getting more referrals are:

1. Give Value First
2. Have a Plan and Make the Ask
3. Cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude

We outline some concrete tactics to bring more referrals to your clinic from physicians, existing patients, and community partners in the white paper. And it doesn’t have to be overwhelming.

Click here to download “Pump Up the... Referrals” white paper written just for physical therapists.