Are you looking for referrals? Does your appointment book have too many empty hours? Do you find yourself sitting in your office waiting for your phone to ring? Does this sound familiar?
You know you’re a great therapist. You’ve studied hard, keep your skills sharp with continuing education, and offer a great service at a fair price. You’re even getting calls from potential clients. Yet, your appointment book still has too many empty spaces in it. Somehow, you can’t seem to get callers to that first appointment and convert them into paying clients.
Here are some tips from marketing experts and therapists with thriving practices.
The Power of the First “Yes.”
From a purely marketing perspective, the first thing you must do in that initial communication as you explain your services to a client is to help the caller recognize, “Wow, he/she is really talking about me.” Great marketers know the secret to doing this. . . asking a pointed question to which the customer says, “Yes.”
One of our most successful therapists uses this question, “Is the lack of communication with your spouse creating conflict in your relationship?”
Now, most therapists would ask the question this way, “how is the lack of communication causing conflict in your relationship?” But, great marketers know phrasing it that way won’t get the “first Yes” they are looking for in that initial call.
Educating your caller through phrasing your question helps them understand that therapy will be helpful in solving their major problem.
The Next Critical Step
You’ve convinced the caller that therapy can be helpful. Now, communicating the benefits of therapy is the next crucial step in transforming callers to clients. An “elevator speech” is among the most effective ways to do this. What’s an elevator speech? Who gives a speech in an elevator anyway?
An elevator speech is a short (15-30 second, 150 word) sound bite that succinctly and memorably introduces you. It spotlights your uniqueness. It focuses on the benefits you provide. And it is delivered effortlessly.
Elevator speeches are intended to prepare you for very brief, chance encounters in an elevator. But elevator speeches are not just for elevators! You should use it whenever you want to introduce yourself to a new contact. That could be in the supermarket, waiting in line at an ATM or when you get your morning latte. They are also perfect for educating the caller on the phone!
Here’s an example: “I help individuals find success and personal enrichment in relationships and work with corporations to maximize the potential of valuable employees.”
Your elevator speech must roll off your tongue with ease. Practice your speech in front of the mirror and with friends. Record it on your answering machine, and listen to it. Do you sound confident? Sincere? Is it engaging? Tweak if necessary. Then, try it out! Tweak again until you get the results you want.
The Conversion
The last step is moving the caller from the phone to your office and can be amazingly easy. Great marketers know that what counts are results. As a therapist, information calls are great, referrals from other therapists are always welcome, but paying clients that you generate from your contacts with potential clients are the most valuable. This is the way YOU keep your practice thriving.
“Closing the sale” and converting the caller to a client is as simple as saying, “I have appointments available on Monday and Wednesday. Which is better for you?”
Include a free initial session in your question if you offer one. Marketing expert Anthony O. Putnam states that for every free session you offer, you get about 19 paying customers, a great return on your investment.
Offering referrals if you are not a good fit for the client, is another great way to generate referrals. By creating mutual referral services with a few of your colleagues with different areas of expertise from yours, you can refer out when necessary, and get their referrals in return.
Nice article.
One comment: I have offered free initial consults for years. The response is nowhere near 19 to 1. Anthony Putnam may not know much about our business.
Hi Joe,
That is interesting. When I was in private practice, I also offered a free consult and got a very high response. I don’t know if it was 19 to 1, though.
It may depend on how aggressively you “get the word out” about your free consult. I know some therapists don’t want to publicize this, for fear of losing money or wasting time. I never felt that way. I looked at it as a very important marketing tool. Even if the person didn’t become a client, I believed they would see it as a positive experience and share that information with others in their circle.
Warmly,
Judy
I actually think the difficulty in offering a free consult is that sometimes clients get that initial relief that comes from talking about their issues with an objective party and may not return. It’s a hard call. I have had the best luck with making connections with high touch. Meaning personal contact with doctors, pastors, or letting client’s know I am open to new clients.
Hi Tabitha,
I agree with you and had that experience when I was just starting out. I tweaked by initial consult by limiting it to 30 minutes, explaining to the client before we started that the time was for determining if we would be a “good fit” and not an actual therapy session. I asked a few questions about the presenting problem, explained how I worked with clients, and then “predicted” just what you described…that they might experience a short term period of relief from ‘just talking with an objective person,” and might not want to return. But, without professional help they would most likely find that the problems returned in a brief period of time.
That seemed to work and I had a much greater success rate in setting that first appointment.
I also agree wholeheartedly about personal contact with doctors and pastors. Build and nurturing those connections is invaluable in creating a steady stream of referrals.
Thanks for the comments!
Warmly,
Judy
Great post and much needed help!
Thanks and thanks for taking the time to comment.
Warmly,
Judy
There are some coaches in Santa Cruz that teach “heart-selling.” Their main points is to listen, ask questions, and get your clients to talk themselves into hiring you. It’s all about trust and when someone feels more comfortable with you, they will share more, which will increase the amount of trust they have in you.
Thanks Judy,
This type of marketing is useful to us a treatment provider as well! I am polishing my elevator speech in the mirror tonight!
Jeffrey
Great article. I am torn on the free consult,, as I generally feel my phone consult is enough. It is hard for me to justify to myself driving to one of my offices which is a considerable drive away for a client who might not turn into a paying client and who might not show for the consult. However, I recently explained my free phone consultation policy to someone who inquired about a free in office consultation, and I think I lost him as a possible client . . . so maybe I need to adjust my policy.
Hi Ashley – I understand completely. When I had my practice, I had to drive 30 minutes to my office. To avoid the situation you describe, I only offered the free consults when I know I would be at the office anyway. I didn’t feel I could make the drive just for a free consult, but did my best to accommodate the client while meeting my needs as well.
Most clients understood that if they wanted the free session, they had to be flexible. I lost a few, but most went on to become paying clients. It was interesting though, not all of them made appts then. Some waited a few months, but eventually they came back!
Warmly,
Judy