Running a successful cash physical therapy practice requires more than just treating patients—it’s about building a business that thrives while also giving you the flexibility to enjoy your personal life. In this episode, we dive into some of the most frequently asked questions we’ve received in 2024 about scaling a cash PT practice. From patient acquisition to client retention and time management, we cover the key strategies that will help you reach your goals faster and more efficiently.
Setting Expectations Early: Building Trust from the First Consultation
One of the most important elements in the early stages of a patient’s journey is building trust. From the moment they pick up the phone to schedule their first consultation, it’s crucial that you set the right expectations and create a welcoming, informative experience.
Pre-Frame the Patient Journey
Building trust starts with the phone call. It’s essential to ensure that potential clients know what to expect, especially when they have chronic conditions that may require multiple sessions. The key is setting realistic expectations without overwhelming the patient. For example, if the patient has a long-standing issue, pre-frame that they will need at least 10 sessions to see significant improvement, and reinforce the long-term benefits of sticking to the plan.
Hammering Social Proof
When potential patients hear success stories from others who have experienced similar challenges, they are more likely to trust you. Before the consultation even happens, send them emails and texts that highlight reviews and social proof from other patients. Personalizing the experience with a message from the treating PT will make patients feel heard and cared for before they even step into your clinic.
Designing a Patient Experience That Builds Loyalty
A great patient experience doesn’t happen by accident. It requires intention and understanding of the different stages of customer awareness and retention. Based on the principles from the book How to Never Lose a Customer Again, you can design an experience that builds trust and maximizes retention from the very first contact.
The Eight Stages of the Customer Journey
- Discovery – When patients first hear about your brand.
- Consideration – When they start looking at options to solve their problem.
- Admission – When they admit they need help.
- Affirmation – When they agree that your process can help them achieve their goals.
- Activation – When they officially become your patient, completing intake forms.
- Acclimation – Building a deeper connection to ensure long-term engagement.
- Celebration – Recognizing small wins and celebrating progress to encourage continued participation.
- Adoption – When they sign up for continuity programs like monthly or quarterly check-ups.
By actively managing these stages, you’ll create an experience that not only draws patients in but also encourages long-term loyalty. Personal touches like video messages before appointments and welcoming gestures when patients first arrive—like a personalized greeting on the clinic’s whiteboard—go a long way in building a lasting relationship.
The Importance of Time Management in Growing Your Cash Practice
Balancing patient care with business development is one of the most challenging aspects of running a successful cash PT practice. Many owners struggle with carving out time to grow their business while managing patient loads. The key to overcoming this is effective time management.
Time Blocking for Maximum Efficiency
If you’re seeing 20-25 patients per week, you already have several hours in your schedule that can be used for business growth. Time blocking is a game-changer when it comes to balancing patient care and business development. Instead of treating patients from morning to night with little to no time for business tasks, block off dedicated hours each week to focus on marketing, strategy, and improving your systems. Ideally, aim for at least one full day per week focused solely on business operations.
Avoiding Distractions and Staying Focused
It’s easy to get distracted by social media, emails, or non-essential tasks. To avoid falling into the trap of busy work, make sure you have a plan for how you’ll use each time block. This ensures that you’re always working on the things that matter most for your practice’s growth, rather than simply reacting to what comes up during the day.
Prioritize Deep Work
Deep work involves focusing on high-value tasks without distractions. Prioritize work that directly impacts the growth of your business—whether it’s refining your marketing strategy, improving patient retention, or building systems to improve efficiency. This kind of focused effort is key to scaling your practice.
Overcoming the Grind: Balancing Work and Life
While time management and systems are crucial, you’ll also need to embrace the reality that building a business takes hard work. As much as we’d like to avoid the grind, it’s often necessary to make progress in the early stages. The key is to push through the tough times without burning out.
The 9-to-5 Mentality Won’t Cut It
To truly grow your business, you’ll need to work outside the traditional 9-to-5 structure. This may involve working longer hours in the beginning or taking on tasks that you would ideally delegate later. However, remember that this grind isn’t forever. Once you build your systems and hire the right people, your workload will become more manageable.
Invest in Mentorship
A coach or mentor can help you avoid common pitfalls and expedite your learning curve. Building a successful practice requires you to continuously develop new skills, and the best way to accelerate this process is by learning from those who have already walked the path.
Conclusion
Scaling your cash-based physical therapy practice is no small feat, but with the right strategies in place, you can grow a practice that not only provides financial freedom but also allows you to live a balanced life. Focus on building trust from the first consultation, creating a world-class patient experience, and managing your time effectively. And remember, growth requires hard work, but it also requires smart work. By leveraging systems, time blocking, and mentorship, you can overcome the challenges and build a practice that supports your personal and professional goals.
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Watch and Listen to the Full Video
For a deeper dive into a cash physical therapists’ journeys, make sure to listen to the full video. Click here to listen to the video: 2024 Masterclass: Scaling Your Cash Physical Therapy Practice with Proven Tactics by Cash Physical Therapy Headquarters.
About Author:
Although the company eventually failed, it provided Jordan with invaluable learning experiences. He became passionate about designing world-class patient experiences and building efficient marketing & sales funnels for cash physical therapists. Utilizing this expertise, Jordan became the CMO of a well-known physical therapy media company, and consulted for and built marketing funnels for some of the top physical therapy business coaches.
Eventually growing tired of the typical agency and consulting grind, Jordan, alongside Max Zirbel, founded Clinical Marketer. They infused it with the hands-on support and mentorship that they benefited from in their initial venture. The company was a success from the start, aiding clinics in scaling to 6 and 7 figures in revenue. During its first launch, Jordan and his team met Dr. Ben Bagge, whom they later partnered with after helping him grow his business from $200K/year to over $1M/year in three years.
