Play It Forward Conclusion

Well that provides an overview of the Play-It-Forward marketing strategy. Over time, you will likely discover it to be the corner stone of your marketing plan - the marketing difference that makes the difference. Of course there are many more Performance Builders strategies to provoke your practice to perform to its potential - contact us to learn more.

By the way, appointment no-shows and passive discharges (clients / patients who quit showing up) are indicators that there are opportunities for improvement in client relations. No-shows and cancelations are also evidence that one has a marketing problem! They represent people who are unlikely to be bragging about their achievement or your service.

They represent lost opportunities for your shared story to be told.

Your goal is to make every client your loyal friend and advocate by training them to Play-It-Forward.

Consider how you could build an encouraging, enriching, empowering, and emboldening Pay-It-Forward, word-of-mouth marketing strategy into your Practice.

Consider the lives you could touch if every patient / client became an advocate (marketer) for you and your Practice! Think win / win / win! The client wins, you win, and the community wins!

Encouragement + Evidence = Empowerment

A well executed "Play It Forward" strategy is just one of some 2 dozen Performance Builders strategies that contribute to the reduction of no-shows and cancelations and the increase in growth and profitability in any Practice.

I hope the Play-It-Forward strategy contributes real value in your Practice! If it does I would love to hear about your story.

All the Best!
Bob

(c) Copyright 2008
Performance Builders

Play It Forward Idea #7

Idea #7 The best marketing messages are delivered not by you, but rather by others who speak on your behalf - i.e. your advocates.

Remember the three TRUTHS we began with? Navigage back and take a second look...

Consider events that you could periodically host that would provide a no risk opportunity for people (new client prospects) to experience an example of your hospitality, knowledge, skills, service, and empowerment. Imagine events where new prospects could share conversation with people whose goals and dreams you have already benefited. Create a setting where your old clients can casually tell their story once again (brag) and feel like the expert. Provide a trusted environment where new potential clients can benefit from the experience and recommendations of your advaocates. ...people who will advocate on your behalf because they believe in what you have done for them in thier lives.

Think about what opportunities you could create – what if…

Bob

(c) Copyright 2008
Performance Builders

Play It Forward Idea #6

Idea #6. Let clients know that by virtue of their relationship with your Practice, the Practice will take special care of friends and family that they refer to you.

If they are interested, provide them with a few of your Preferred Business Cards that they can pass along to family and friends. Include on your Preferred Card a “private phone number” that they and friends can use to access your Practice and assure they will receive “Preferred Access and Services”.

Perhaps there are special considerations you could offer those who come to you by way of such recommendations – use your imagination.

People love to be able to provide friends with special privileges or services whether it is at a local business, a special restaurant, or your Practice. Friends take care of friends.

Friends taking care of friends is playing it forward. Treat every client as a friend and begin the Play It Forward Chain Reaction that will eventually leade back to your Practice!

Bob

(c) Copyright 2008
Performance Builders

Play It Forward Idea #5

Idea #5. Make a quality copy of the client's story of achievement and photo, and send it to them at home a week or so after discharge. Include a brief note that acknowledges your privilege and pleasure in serving them and recognition of their achievement. You can assume with confidence that if it is well done it will be shared (played forward) with friends and family.

Play It Forward Idea #4

Idea #4. Be generous with your authentic praise and recognition of your clients achievement throughout your time with them. That should be easy if you are continually and intentionally positioning them for success in mind, body, and spirit.

Upon completion of their treatment / training, ask if they would be willing to share their story of achievement with others – i.e. with your new clients who may not know what to expect and who may need encouragement, and with your referral sources whose knowing would benefit their other patients. Give them the choice of sharing their experience anonymously or by name.

To enable them tell their story, provide them a page of your practice stationary with the title “My Experience…” at the top. Invite them to write what they would like about their experience and what it has meant to them. They can complete it at your office or return it to you in the self addressed stamped envelope you provide them.

Two alternatives would be to provide them a special phone line that allows them to tell their story to voice mail from which you can transcribe it, or email them a reminder and allow them to email their story back to you.

Be sure to obtain their written permission to use their story.

If they are willing, you might also take a digital photo that can accompany their story (also with their written permission). Invite them to pose with you and perhaps another of your staff who they have come to specially appreciate - perhaps you can even show-off their achievement in the photo. Remember that the photo is an act of recognition and celebration, so take a couple of minutes to enjoy it together!

Post the photo(s) in a prominent location (the wall of fame) in your office for a few weeks for others to see; then move it to an upscale album or two that is placed in your reception area for viewing by those who visit your practice. Include the both their picture and their story in the album.

Make it an inviting album that people will want to pick up and browse. Be sure to include "celebrity clients", and pictures of your clinical team, and special community events or groups you have sponsored. Your album becomes your "Brag Book"... a silent marketing partner that is always in your reception area.

Bob

(c) copyright 2008
Performance Builders


Perhaps portions of your album could also be incorporated into your website...

Play It Forward Idea #3

Idea #3. Routinely give your clients an opportunity to tell the story of their progress and achievement. Invite them to tell it to you, members of your team, or to someone that happens to be in your practice at the moment (e.g. another client, visitor, referral source, etc.).

Why? Because their story is too good, and your reputation to important, to leave its telling to chance.

Give your clients an opportunity to practice telling their story – help them embellish it a little (every good story gets embellished). Polish it! Give it some punch!

Remember, good stories get told and retold. They get remembered. Your client's story becomes your marketing as it is told about the community. Your client becomes your advocate! They do your marketing and feel great doing it!

Bob

(c) Copyright 2008
Performance Builders

Play It Forward Idea #2

Idea #2. Provide each client regular tangible evidence of their gains toward their goals – that evidence could potentially be in the form of graphs, photos, video, letter, email, mementos, achievement awards, etc. Be sure it is something of perceived value and would not be perceived in any way as tacky.

Frequently recognize achievements to give clients something personal to take home and brag about. Always be sure the recognition has been earned and is authentic! This is easy to assure if you are consistently positioning the client for imminent success - i.e. encouraging them.

Again make the evidence something that they will want to share, and be able to conveniently share with family and friends - something that will provoke the conversations where they can do a little bragging and in doing so brag about your Practice.

Be sure to include your Practice logo on the evidence you share with them. Then on their next visit be sure to ask them who they shared their evidence with - doing so assures them that sharing is expected and essentially gives them permission to do so.

All The Best!
Bob

(c) Copyright 2008
Performance Builders

Play It Forward Idea #1

Lets continue the previous post by beginning to explore 7 ideas that taken together will provide the framework for putting a Play-It-Forward (PIF) strategy into practice - your Practice. Perhaps you won't change the world, but you are likely to change someone's world.

We'll consider another idea every few days till all 7 are discussed and then we will piece them all together into a single Practice changing strategy. By implementing these ideas in your Practice, it will certainly change your world.

Idea #1. Measure performance gains for all clients and patients on the basis of one or two overarching goals they define – i.e. based on functional abilities that are important and motivating to them. Sure, you can have your professional goals for them as well, but there will be nothing more inspiring and motivating to them than their goal! It is what will keep them coming back and tuned into you!

What is it they want to be able to do or achieve? ...To get rid of pain, to be able to do something without pain, to be able to do something again, to be able to do something for the first time, to find pleasure, to prevent something from happening, to fulfill a dream, to become, to...

Keep it personal, that way it will be something that they will want to talk about in their circle of family and friends. You want them to talk! Even better you want them to brag about what they accomplished with your help!

It all begins with your understanding of, and commitment to, their personal goals. In doing so, you forge the first link in what will be a PIF chain reaction that will grow your Practice and your influence.

All The Best!

Bob

(c) Copyright 2008
PerformanceBuilders

Play It Forward

I had a GIFT Fellow comment recently about having watched the movie Play It Forward, with Keven Spacey, Hellen Hunt, and Haley Joel Osment - perhaps you remember it. The Play I Forward philosophy says, when someone does you a favor, don't pay it back but instead play it forward. Suppose that philosophy caught on... how could such a chain reaction change the world, your world? She posed the question, what would a play it forward strategy look like in a physical therapy Practice.

That's an interesting question...

A fundamental premise of Applied Functional Science is encouraement,or "positioning people for success". There are important pay-it-forward marketing strategies that have significant business implications for those commited to excellence and growth. I'd like to share with you some ideas over the next several postings that create pay-it -forward, word-of-mouth marketing opportunities that can benefit clients, community, and practice.

In addition to client benefits, there is a tangible business asset side to it as well that builds practices and provides rewards.

First a little perspective…Keep in mind that people buy from, and support, those they like and trust. But before they can like you they need to find you – that’s where marketing comes into play. So consider a strategy to build a pay-it-forward element into your marketing plan (if you don’t have a marketing plan consider this model as a potential foundation for building one). This is not an overnight marketing scheme that exploits people, but rather a marketing strategy that is built on relationships and respect – one that builds sustainable growth and loyalty.

Here are three marketing insights that you ignore at your expense…

1. New clients are the result of someone making a decision. So the question to ask is, “What can I do to make decisions to use my Practice easier and faster?” Remember faster decisions mean more decisions because a deferred decision too often results in no positive action being taken – i.e. a passive “no”.

2. People are too busy to research and fully consider every decision they must make. Many people also feel unqualified to make decisions about complex issues pertaining to everything from health matters, to vacation destinations, to automobile selection. When it comes to these matters people tend to defer to the advice of others whom they trust. Think of it as a shortcut (faster and easier) to a decision.

3. People are generally adverse to risk. That’s why "try it before you buy" offers tend to be so effective – they provide low-risk opportunities to experience and experiment. And, that is also why "word-of-mouth" recommendations are so powerful.

So how does one practically turn these “TRUTHS” into an encouraging and empowering pay-it-forward marketing strategy that can produce the chain reaction that culminates in growth for the Practice and more people benefiting from your expertice? More on that next time...

Bob

(c) Copyright 2008
Performance Builders