Industry Knowledge for Your Marketing Expediter

By Lynn Steffes, PT, DPT

Many private practices that hire marketing personnel struggle to effectively onboard these new hires. They may have unrealistic expectations of the new marketer’s or their own knowledge and awareness of how to promote our industry. Often, they send their marketing liaison out to make connections that are both ineffective and expensive with little measurable results! How can you instill the right knowledge of the market to get them out the door running?

Start with what they know! Have they or their family friends or teammates ever had physical therapy? If so, what kind of experience did they have?

I would like to share some great information on key questions that your marketing expediter should be able to answer about the industry itself before they begin!

What is Physical Therapy?

1. How are physical therapists educated?
2. What are physical therapy (PT) designations? Board certifications? Specializations?
3. What types of clients might benefit from physical therapy?
4. Who are the competitors for these clients, and how do we differ from them?
1. Other physical therapy private practice clinics
2. Hospital-based rehab departments
3. Chiropractors
4. Physicians
5. Surgeons
6. Pharma? Especially opioids!
7. Fitness centers
8. Other?
5. What are common objections to PT?
1. What creates resistance to PT?
1. Time
2. Money
3. PT home exercise program
6. What are the financial challenges to accessing PT?
1. Who pays for PT?
1. Medicare/Medicaid
2. Workers compensation
3. Auto and personal liability insurance
4. Commercial insurance: health maintenance organzations (HMOs), preferred provider organizations (PPOs), etc.
2. In-network versus out-of-network status
3. Referrals needed
4. Authorizations/policy limitations
5. Deductibles
6. Copays/coinsurances?
7. Cash prices?

Give your expediter some prep work to do!

Have them research www.moveforwardpt.com, http://getpt1st.com, or other website favorites to see how our professional organization positions our industry! In general, your marketing expediter needs to have a basic understanding of the PT industry to effectively converse, handle objections, and position your practice.

Look for the next article in this series, which will teach you how to educate your marketing expediter about your unique sales proposition and your practice!

Lynn Steffes, PT, DPT, is president and consultant of Steffes & Associates, a national rehabilitation consulting group focused on marketing and program development for private practices nationwide. She is an instructor in five physical therapy programs and has actively presented, consulted, and taught in 40 states. She can be reached at steffbiz@gmail.com.