About

Most marketers don't understand you like I do.

It's taken a big learning curve to get here

When I started out I knew very little about marketing.  

They don't teach it at Physiotherapy School and as far as I know they don't teach it at other health based training institutions either.

When I was working for others I didn't have to think about it. 

I just turned up to work and did what they said to do.

Then I started my own business, and everything changed.

This lack of marketing know-how would become the bane of my professional career for years to come.

I wanted to start my own practice

I graduated from Physiotherapy School over 20 years ago.

Like all of my classmates I went straight to being an employee.

I worked for years in a busy private physiotherapy clinic, but dreamed of opening my own practice.

I longed for more control over the way I practiced, the hours I worked and how much I could earn.

When the time came  to head out on my own, I was very excited.  

I was convinced it was going to be wildly successful and I couldn't wait to reap all the rewards of owning a business.

It started out ok ...

At first, everything seemed to be going well. I found a small office space to rent, bought equipment, and set everything up. 

I put a ad in the paper and a sign out on the pavement.

Then the long and lonely waiting game began.

Weeks and then months went by.  

 If twiddling thumbs was a sport,  I would  have been an Olympic contender.

If you're not a natural salesperson,  bringing in "cold" customers is really tough.  

The income was a weak trickle while the  expenses were a consistently strong flow.

I had a family with three young children to support (later to become four) and I was struggling to make ends meet.

Completely lost and unsure of what to do next, I began to doubt myself and my ability to pull it off.

Then a  friend leant me a couple of books about marketing.  

That's when I realized that if I was going to succeed I needed to learn more.  Much more.

Training to be the right kind of marketer...

I started studying everything I could find on marketing.

From mentors and workshops to online courses and paid memberships.   

I experimented with different marketing strategies like sponsored newspaper pieces, mail outs, signage and social media ads, 

I worked hard but my efforts didn't make much of a difference.   

The problem was that most of the recommended approaches were really just sales pitches.

And when people sense they're being sold to, their guard goes up.

You can't connect meaningfully with anyone when they're on the defensive.

A well known phrase in the sales and marketing world is that "its all about the customer". 

But how is putting the customer on the back foot ever in their best interests? 

It was obvious that something was missing.

That's when I came across this concept called Content Marketing.

Content Marketing Catalyst

Do you remember the experiments you had to do in chemistry class where you mix a few things together but nothing happens until you add the pivotal ingredient?  That pivotal ingredient is called the catalyst. 

Once you add the catalyst then a dramatic reaction takes place and a giant rainbow of crazy looking foam spurts into the air. 

Well, Content Marketing was the catalyst in my journey to business success.

And the reaction was a dramatic increase in referrals and clients that packed out my calendar weeks in advance.

Content marketing is education focused and education is the health practitioners bread and butter.  

We can talk for hours about problems and cures and it never feels like selling.   

In fact, our clients pay us to do it.

How do you feel when somebody gives you something for free that you normally pay for?

Like it's your lucky day right?

Well, that's exactly what your clients feel like when you educate them via content marketing.

It's like winning mini-lotto.  They love it.  

When I started educating first rather than selling, two things happened.

Firstly, it forced me to shift focus from my needs to my client's needs.   This helped me to better understand their problems which meant I was able to come up with better, more effective solutions.

Secondly, the clients gained a big picture understanding of the journey required to resolve their problem.  

More clients booked multiple appointments ahead, knowing they weren't there for a quick fix.  

They were more committed to the overall process

It was a win-win relationship and it was really great.

You don't have to struggle 

If you're struggling to grow your health practice, just know there's others who've been there before who can help.

• I know what it's like to always be worrying about having lots of gaps in your appointment book.
• To be constantly on edge about what other's might think if they know you're not really as busy as you let on.
• The feeling of rejection when the few people that were booked in, suddenly cancel for no reason.

I'm not perfect.  Far from it.

But if there's one thing this journey has taught me  so far is this..

With hard work, perseverance, and a willingness to learn, anything is possible.

Don't be discouraged.

All great businesses are built with a  team but at the moment you are the whole team.   

Some members of your "team" are experts.  You the physiotherapist for example.

But other members of your team are beginners, such as you the marketer.

 You need to train you as a marketer and have a supportive environment for you to do that..   

Marketing superstar Jeff Walker said "All great masters in any field, started out as beginners"  

The cool thing is that becoming a good marketer and business owner doesn't take nearly long as it took you to become a good Physical therapist.

Marketing and physiotherapy require the same foundational skills like listening, problem solving, researching, testing and deductive reasoning.   

You just have to use the skills you already have to grow a business .