Dr. Vince Gutierrez, PT, cert. MDTLeave a Comment on Selling is a part of healthcare

Selling is a part of healthcare

 

Predator or prey?

 

We are being sold to every day. Credit card adverts in the mail. Spam email. Donations requests that tear at our heart strings. Drug companies listing off symptoms until you notice that they are talking about you. We are always being asked to open our wallets. My turn to ask.

 

  1. “Awareness: Before all else, the target of your sales efforts must know you exist.”

 

We are all in sales. If you don’t think that you are in sales, you are an employee, not an owner. Please see my previous post about taking ownership. Once you realize that you are selling, you have to understand what you are selling. When you understand what you are selling, then you must figure out who would buy/use/partake in your product or wares. Regarding PT, I am always selling myself. I used to think that if I was good enough, that people would find me. Boy was I full of shit! Word of mouth is great, but my words are my best marketing tool. If you hear me speak…hear my passion…hear my attitude towards mechanical pain…you would want me to treat you. I have to go out and take your ear, otherwise I am not selling…just hoping.

 

  1. “Engagement: Once they are aware, you must engage their interest or be forgotten.”

 

I met many people throughout my career that didn’t know that I was a therapist…and still don’t. Previously, I did a poor job of awareness, but now I engage…and do I! If you see me on the street, walk away! I will talk your ear off about your pain or symptoms. I will go so far as to offer to treat you for free sometimes just because I get a thrill from solving the puzzle that is your pain. Many people have come to my home to be treated…none paid of course, as that would be unethical/illegal in the state of Illinois. The home of the unbalanced budget, high taxes, inept politicians, Governors that call prison home…but I can’t charge for my services without a referral from a physician. Huff…Huff…Huff. I digress.

 

  1. “Education: Once they are engage, you have the opportunity to share your value through education”

 

Look, I don’t have cable. I don’t have Dish, Comcast, U-verse. I admit it…I don’t have t.v. I do have Netflix and Hulu and Youtube. I love that I can watch what I want, when I want. It just so happens that I have an addition to crab fishing, weightlifting /crossfit and documentaries. I can’t watch these in marathon format on t.v. What I am saying is that I have money that I spend wisely, only on things that will benefit my life. Once I have your ear, I will educate you to the point that you will understand how I could benefit your life. Even if I can’t solve your puzzle…I will at least educate you to such an extent that you will understand why I can’t fix you (or help you fix yourself) and I will refer you to the best person that I think will be able to give you a better opinion or fix.

 

  1. Conversion: Once they are educated, you can comfortably make “the ask”, converting the sale”

 

I don’t like this saying as much. By the time I get to step 4, I shouldn’t have to make the ask. I picture the guy at the baseball game…you’ve seen him. HOT DOG…GET YOUR HOT DOG HERE! I only have to let you know that I have a hot dog…and you should want it. (Pun intended). By the time I get to this step, you should be seeking me out, I shouldn’t have to seek you out. If you don’t seek me out, then I feel that I have failed at steps one through three.

 

  1. “Amplification: Once you have made the sale, you can now amplify sales through new relationships.”

 

I will be a blood sucker. I will hound you to tell the whole world. I take that back…profess to the entire world how great I am! Just joking. I will ask though that if you know someone that could benefit from my services that you simply give them my number.

 

Quotes taken from:

 

Quatre T. Marketing Strategies: Five-Step sales for Physical Therapists Who Hate Selling. IMPACT. April 2016:12-13.

Published by Dr. Vince Gutierrez, PT, cert. MDT

After having dedicated 8 years to growing my knowledge regarding the profession of physical therapy, it seems only fitting that I join the social media world in order to spread a little of the knowledge that I have gained over the years. This by no means is meant to act in place of a one-one medical consultation, but only to supplement your baseline knowledge in which to choose a practitioner for your problem. Having completed a Master of Physical Therapy degree, the MDT (Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy) certification and currently finishing a post-graduate doctorate degree, I have spent the previous 12 years in some sort of post-baccalalaureate study. Hopefully the reader finds the information insightful and uses the information in order to make more informed healthcare decisions. MISSION STATEMENT: My personal mission statement is as follows: As a professional, I will provide a thorough assessment of your clinical presentation and symptoms in order to determine both the provocative and relieving positions and movements. The assessment process and ensuing treatment will be based on current and relevant evidence. Furthermore, I will educate the patients regarding their symptoms and their likelihood of improving with either skilled therapy, an independent exercise program, spontaneous recovery or if the patient should be referred to a separate specialist to possibly provide a more rapid resolution of symptoms. Respecting the patient’s limited resources is important and I will provide an accurate overview of the prognosis within 7 visits, again based on current research. My goal is to empower the patient in order to take charge of both the symptomatic resolution and return to full function with as little dependence on the therapist as possible. Personally, I strive to be an example for family and friends. My goal is to demonstrate that success is not a byproduct of situations, but a series of choices and actions. I will mentor those, in any way possible, that are having difficulty with the choices and actions for success. I will continue to honor my family’s “blue-collar” roots by working to excel at my chosen career and life situations. I choose to be a leader of example, and not words, all the while reducing negativity in my life. I began working towards the professional aspect of the mission statement while still in physical therapy school. By choosing an internship that emphasized patient care and empowering the patient, instead of the internship that was either closest to home or where I knew that I would have the easiest road to graduation, I took the first step towards learning how to utilize the evidence to teach patients how to reduce their symptoms. I continued this process by completing Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy courses A-D and passing the credentialing exam. I will continue to pursue my clinical education through CEU’s on MDT and my goal is to obtain the status of Diplomat of MDT. Returning back to school for the t-DPT was a major decision for me, as resources (i.e. time and money) are limited. My choice was between saving money for the Dip MDT course (about 15,000 dollars) and continuing on with the Fellowship of American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists (FAAOMPT) (about 5,000 dollars), as these courses are paired through the MDT curriculum or returning to school to work towards a Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree. I initially planned on saving for the Dip MDT and FAAOMPT, but life changes forced me to re-evaluate my situation. The decision then changed to return for the tDPT, as my employer paid for a portion of the DPT program. My goal for applying to and finishing the Dip MDT and FAAOMPT is 10 years. This is how long I anticipate that it will take to finish paying student loans and save for both programs, based on the current rate of payment. I don’t know if I will ever accomplish what I set forth in the mission statement, but I do know that it will be a forever struggle to maintain this standard that I set for myself.

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