The Second Largest Referral Source for my Cash Practice

As described in former posts, the marketing of a Cash PT practice shifts more directly towards consumers and referral sources other than Medical Doctors. Aside from word-of-mouth, my biggest and most consistent source of referrals have been personal trainers. Cash practice or not, your marketing and networking should target them and especially the ones at high-end gyms.

We already know that their clientele are willing to pay cash for personalized service in the areas of health/fitness; and when their clients are injured, they will usually be spending less money on personal training. There is also the fact that they themselves put their bodies through quite a lot, and their livelihood depends on their ability to be active. For both the above reasons, they need to have a professional who can get them and their clients back in the gym as soon as possible after injuries … not someone who is going to give them a cortisone shot and tell them to rest, not someone who is going to give them a bunch of stretch cord exercises and count their repetitions in the clinic, not someone who is going to pop their back to fix the tendon strain in their knees, and certainly not someone who wants to try surgery before anything else. These are the types of statements that, though blunt, ring true to personal trainers.

Don’t assume that they know PT is the treatment of choice for injuries and musculoskeletal pain. It is important to educate them in creative ways and here are some ideas on how to do so.

• Train with them! I know you probably don’t need anyone telling you how to work out, but it’s a great way to get in with them. Find a highly sought after trainer with loads of clients and set up some sessions. Don’t make your conversations all about what you do. Get him talking about himself and his approach. You can then skillfully insert comments that show your knowledge base and how you very effectively treat people like him and his clients on a daily basis.
• Some boot camps and group session training companies sell marketing announcements at the end of their group sessions. In other words, you make an announcement at the end of the session about who you are and what you do. At the end of the announcement, tell them you’ll be staying afterward to answer questions about injuries/pain anyone may be dealing with. I’ve done this, and it has been very successful. But here’s an important tip: make sure you bring a pen and paper to get contact info for anyone you meet and those who can’t wait in line to talk to you. Usually a few people will line up but you need to talk to each one for at least a few minutes. By the time you’ve had a couple of conversations, showed a stretch or foam roll technique, and maybe scheduled appointment, some may have left. It’s important to get the contact info for everyone you spoke with (or wanted to speak to you) and follow up! Call in a couple days and see how that stretch/rolling technique you gave them has worked. If she’s still in pain, she probably needs more specialized treatment from you.
• Send the trainer a patient who is looking to take his fitness to the next level. Find a trainer you’ve heard really good things about, call her and explain that you’re looking for a personal trainer who you can send patients post-rehab or even during your care. Let her know you want to have someone who will communicate regularly, and carefully help your mutual clients reach their goals. Having someone like this is a win-win for you, the trainer, and your patients. In the process of setting up this type of relationship, you should have the trainer take you through a workout to make sure her style of training will be right for your patients.
• Offer to give a short seminar on a topic that interconnects Physical Therapy and Personal Training. Give trainers information that will make them more effective and knowledgeable for their clients. This is great way to stay fresh in their minds and compel them to think of you when they have an injured client. A good example of this would be a 1-hour group seminar on how to take a first-time client through a 10-15 minute functional movement and strength assessment – not just for training or goal setting purposes but to identify potential injuries. You can equip them with a few general things to help their clients address certain deficits (foam roll, stretching techniques, etc), but they’ll know that serious ROM deficits or aberrant movement is something for the expert PT. Please note that if you’re going to do this, do not make it a simple presentation. Many personal trainers really know their stuff and you need to bring solid, interesting, and new material (and don’t make them sit down too long).

Building relationships with personal trainers in my area has been highly rewarding and enjoyable. They tend to be hard-working people with great attitudes. They’re eager to learn and have plenty of knowledge to give as well. Outside of this, it’s always a liberating experience when you expand beyond simply marketing to Physicians. I assure you that there are an abundance of other possibilities and referral sources available to those willing to get creative. Feel free to post other referral source ideas in the comments below.

Jarod Carter PT, DPT, MTC

www.DrJarodCarter.com