Have you come across the recent advertising from other Physiotherapy clinics offering “free initial consultations”?
Have you ever stopped to think why all those other physiotherapists are doing that?
You will usually find that the initial consultation is “free” because that is the only way such physiotherapists can attract new clients. You may also find that most of the physiotherapy clinics offering free consultations will have their most junior and inexperienced staff doing the job. Physiotherapists can work in private practice fresh out of their degree, which is mostly geared toward public hospital work very different to private practice, and are often unleashed on an unsuspecting public. These newbies are very keen to get new clients in the door and to fulfil a quota or reach KPIs that their bosses put on them.
Look at the websites and advertising of some of these new clinics trying to win your business. There are many claims as to expertise in the field of physiotherapy private practice, but no reference to the actual physiotherapist, the real person, who will be acting as your treating physiotherapist, managing what should be your most prized asset- your health! It most certainly won’t be the owner, director or Principal Physiotherapist of the practice (we are, by the way). If it is though, run!! They’re in even bigger trouble!
It’s not that we don’t understand the rationale… most people love free stuff, free samples, try before you buy, see if we’re a good fit, etc- we get it. And some people are just plain cheapskates, particularly when it comes to their health- we get that too.
But here’s why we don’t, and have actually never, offered free physiotherapy consultations, even when we were a brand new practice starting from scratch back in 2005…
Firstly, it cheapens the profession as a whole. Do you see doctors, orthopaedic surgeons, or neurosurgeons offering free consultations? Buy one brain surgery, get one free? Get two hip replacements for the price of one? No? Would you go see that guy? I wouldn’t, that’s for sure. Dr Nick anyone?! Physiotherapy is a profession of the Western medical model. It’s a difficult university course to get into. In fact, the year I got in, the enter score for Physiotherapy was even higher than that of both Medicine and Law. We are highly trained professionals and should be valued for that, by those within the profession first.
We value ourselves highly and we back ourselves 100%. Giving away your time for free, a physiotherapist’s most precious commodity, says a lot about how you value yourself. Free consultations cheapen the individual physiotherapist. We have over 20 years of experience in private practice. We are highly trained and come from the most revered Physiotherapist university courses in the world. We have done countless professional development courses. We are experts in our field. Our referrals come from 95%+ word of mouth referral. We rely solely on satisfied patients, not gimmicks. We think that physiotherapists who rely on gimmicks, free consultations and celebrity testimonials should lift their game.
We are all about quality, not quantity. This will probably never make us a large clinic with a large amount of juniors in matching polo tops working for us, and it will never make us rich, but it’s the way we do things- with integrity- and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
And lastly, and also very importantly, we do it because it’s good for you. People value what they pay for. You will be more likely to listen to the advice we give you and implement this advice because the monetary value attached to a paid consultation gave it the gravitas, the importance, for it to have an effect. It’s how all our minds work.
Health is important. In fact, it’s our most important asset.
Without health, we are nothing.
Health is our first wealth.
Let’s value it.
Can I do a mike drop or will that be too much?!
