Greetings PPS Members

By Sandra Norby, PT, DPT

I am penning this letter to you during yet another winter storm warning.

Total snowfall expected today is 8 inches, on top of the snow we have received about every three days over the past few weeks. It has been a tough month of cancellations, so we are getting to our to do lists.

I have great anticipation for this month’s topic of marketing. We recently moved one of our clinics to escape the high rent district in our popular summer vacation community by purchasing a condo unit in a professional strip mall. Owning versus renting is much more affordable in this community. It feels like a new startup for us, even though this clinic has been in existence for six years.

My team is new to the concept of self-marketing to build their professional presence in the community. Thus, I have been coaching, encouraging, and mentoring on marketing. I wish I could give credit to whom I heard this from, but I cannot remember the source. This quote describes exactly what happens in our markets when people choose to purchase our services: First, the public needs to know you. Once they know you, then they decide if they like you. Once they decide they like you, then they trust you. Once they trust you, they will purchase your services.

First, the public needs to know you. This happens when we are actually out in public. I require members of my team to join a service club of their choice. This is one simple way to accomplish this task.

Second, once they know you, they learn to like you. I coach my team to be curious about the person they are talking to. Let’s face it: We all tend to love talking about ourselves. When you show genuine interest and avoid keeping it all about us, they will like you.

Third, once they like you, they learn to trust you. When you leave a warm impression on the person and combine that with hearing from others about your great care, they become willing to trust you with their personal therapy needs. Trust leads to triggering the purchase of your services, which is the ultimate goal of marketing.

Thank you to the contributors this month and enjoy the articles!