What “Avatar” Has To Do With Running A Profitable PT Clinic (One That Makes A Profit With Out Knowing Any Doctors Or Physicians)

by · 21st January 2015

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In today’s “episode”….

Let’s talk about what you need to create a *profitable marketing piece* using Direct Response Marketing – something that if you master, will let you put an end to your worries of no doctors referring to your clinic.

So, let me introduce you to something I call the “Marketing Triangle” which forms the foundation of all good marketing activity…

It’s made up of three components and they’re all as important as the other:

Market – Message – Media.

And the first I’ll teach you about is the Market.

This is your “WHO” you want to attract.

(Because you don’t just wan to try and attract everyone and anyone, right?)

Now…

You might hear me refer to the “WHO” as an AVATAR and it’s essentially WHO your IDEAL client or patient is.

Someone you love to work with.

Get great results for.

Someone whose hopes, dreams and goals that are perfectly aligned with your skills and specialist solutions.

Thing is, NOT many pt’s really know WHO their ideal patient is.

Sure…

They will always be able to tell me that they see more people with back or neck pain etc…

…but rarely are they are able to describe to me their best patient in any more detail than that.

What I mean?

Well, let me tell you about my own “avatar” to help you understand:

“It’s” a lady – and she’s in her mid 50’s or 60’s.

For a whole bunch of reasons, but in a nut shell…

…simply because my clinics service is focused on helping people maintain independence, mobility and living free from drugs and without risk of surgery – all of the things that many women value most (MUCH more so than men).

And another reason…

Women are “preconditioned” to invest in their health – they’ve been going to hairdressers, beauty salons and care greatly about how things like their nails look – enough to spend money on it – so I want to tap into that pre-conditioned behaviour pattern (rather than try to create one with guys who don’t regularly spend time or money on their health).

Now back to my “avatar”…

She is married with children (and now have grandchildren who they adore), are politically “conservative”, pay using American Express Cards (rather than VISA or MasterCard) and are MORE interested in things like maintaing self worth, independence and mobility and playing with those grandchildren in the park – than they are ending “back pain”.

I even got it down to which newspaper and magazines she likes to read, what TV shows and which radio station she is more likely to be listening too.

What’s more…

I spend so much time thinking about her and talking about her, I felt I had to give her a name – so I did, and it’s “Mary”!

And whenever I’m preparing a marketing piece to attract more “Mary’s” to my clinic, I go so far as to look at a picture of a “best” patient of mine (called Mary) – one who accurately represents the type of person I love to work with and want to see more of in clinic.

Consequently…

When I sit down to write these marketing pieces, say for a newspaper advert, I have a clear understanding of what to write that will motivate many more people like “Mary”, to respond to my message.

And that “Message” (another part of the Marketing Triangle) has nothing to do with “me”, my services, how reputable I think I am, or how many years I’ve been in business.

I make NO attempt to be “all-inclusive” or to cast the net wide to catch as many fish as possible – like most of the guru’s will tell you to do.

Nor do I even give a minutes thought to who I might repel, even offend (usually doctors or drug companies!) when I do so either.

In fact, the more I mention those two in my ads in a negative way, the more calls to my clinic I seem to get from “Mary’s”!

I know my prime target (the “WHO”) – and I design my “Messages” and choose my “Media” accordingly.

How about you?

What messages are you writing?

Where are you placing them and who are they going to?

Are you doing what most other pt’s do and making the mistake of marketing “your services”?

Or…

Are you writing cleverly worded messages that seek out your ideal patients by aligning your specialist services with the values of highly motivated patients?

Ones who feel compelled to call your clinic because you seem to “get them” better than anyone else and because of that will pay any price you set?

If you’re NOT currently doing that…

*Want some help to get started?*

HIT REPLY to this email now and let me know what questions you have for me.

Or, if you want to talk on the phone or face to face on Skype, give me signal in the same reply.

Be quick though…

For obvious reasons, (like my own time famine), I can only give one free strategy call away per week.

Get it in time, by reply.

Talk soon.

Paul.

P.S Now you know about one of the components in the Marketing Triangle you need to know to beat the POTs to the patients…

I’ll discuss the others in much more detail, next time.

Be sure to watch for my name appear in your inbox 😉

Note to reader: Click Here to Subscribe to Paul’s Marketing Tips Email List >>>

About Paul Gough

PAUL GOUGH is one of the top Marketing and Business Coaches in the physical therapy industry and his Systems are helping clinic owners all across America run more profitable clinics. He is a published Author, Newspaper Columnist and before his stunning success in business was hired by top professional soccer teams. HIS SUCCESS STORY is one that inspires many pt's around the world - at the age of 26 Paul QUIT a high profile job in professional soccer to begin his own clinic. He had NO money, NO business or marketing skills and NO experience - and yet now owns and runs 4 pt clinics and has a proven track record of growing a physical therapy business from 0 - $2m in record time.
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