I’m Dr. Hassan, a Board-Certified Physiatrist and Independent Practice Owner. I help physiatrists start and grow their own profitable practices so they can achieve financial independence and live without limits.
—
Wait; what? Sabotaging your own success? Who would do that? Well, you’d be surprised how many small practice owners think they are effectively marketing their practice when, in fact, they are cutting their own throat.
Yes, they may be running ads that are effectively pulling in referrals and patients. Yes, they may be writing a regular blog for a prominent website, so they are perceived as experts in their field or specialty. And yes, they may even be doing a pretty good job of marketing regularly to their medical community. So, if they’re doing all these things right, how are they sabotaging their success?
Here are four ways small practice owners are unknowingly sabotaging their own success:
1. They have not taken the time to develop a marketing plan
A plan focuses your efforts and allows you to make the most of your marketing budget. Unfortunately, you can market without a plan. Yes, you read that right. You can do it, and people do market without marketing plans every day, but that does not mean you should. To make the most of your marketing efforts and budget, make sure you take the time each year to create a plan.
2. They don’t have written goals
Smart practice owners have written goals and objectives for what they want to achieve with their practice and for each of their marketing activities. I know this sounds boring, but it is a fact. There is proof that people who get their goals into writing have a higher success rate than those who do not. Plus, how can you develop a plan if you don’t have concrete objectives? You need a clear vision and target to aim for. You can’t possibly determine what marketing or how much marketing you need if you don’t know what you’re aiming for.
3. They have a short-term attitude
They are reactive, and while, on the surface, it appears they are doing a lot of marketing, they are not doing anything consistently or long enough to make an impact. Running an ad or sending out your blog a few times and giving up when you don’t get immediate results is worse than doing nothing at all. How so? At least when you do nothing, it doesn’t cost you any money. Pulling the plug too soon costs you money. As statistics show, it takes somewhere between 3-10 exposures to a message for the average patient to notice it and take action. So, it is quite possible your audience was just beginning to take notice right around the time you threw in the towel.
4. They don’t know their USP or unique selling proposition
The worse way practice owners are sabotaging their marketing efforts without even realizing it is not having a clear, unique selling proposition (USP). The greatest marketing plan in the world will not be useful if you have not clearly defined why a patient should join your practice and/or buy your products or services instead of another doctor. If you have not figured out what is unique and better about your practice, product, or service and found a compelling way to communicate that in everything you do, you can market until the cows come home. However, you will be wasting your time and money.
But I have a solution. I’ve created a free guide: 10 Tips to Banish Marketing Sabotage. Go to the website and download the free guide now.
Has your market strategy been successful in growing your practice? Find how you can best control your practice growth effectively.
—
Attention, Physiatrists! Stop leaving money on the table. Sign up for the free video series: How To Build A Profitable Practice in 90 Days or Less: http://www.sixtytosuccess.com
—
I’m Dr. Hassan, a Board-Certified Physiatrist and Independent Practice Owner. I help physiatrists start and grow their own profitable practices so they can achieve financial independence and live without limits. Follow me on social media @DrHassanRehab.
