Personal Fitness Professional - January/February 2009 - (Page 22)

3 2. 3. Steps to Successfully Market to a New Referral Source 1. Contact the clinic director or ofﬁce manager. Speak with the director or credibility as an expert. Keep in mind that developing physician ties takes time, clear communication and appropriate follow-through. Physicians are extremely busy, so it is best to contact them only when absolutely necessary. Such times include patient inquiries, medical questions and saying “thank you.” They will not hesitate to contact you if they have a problem or if they want something. The most eﬀective method of securing physician approval is getting to know their nurse. Developing a good rapport with the nurse will provide an easy line of communication with the doctor and ensure that he or she receives your messages. Once you have established a sound relationship, your clients will have more trust in your services and will pay more for them. When working with physicians, remember to allow them to guide you in decision making. Once they trust you, they will naturally give you more autonomy and decision-making power without getting their input beforehand. ofﬁce manager about arranging an in-service on post-rehabilitation ﬁtness training. However, always check ahead of time to see if this facility already offers such a service. If so, don’t waste your time trying to gain their business. If not, schedule an in-service, and bring food. Make sure to ask what they like to eat. Providing lunch for the staff is always a popular way to get your foot in the door. Meet the therapists who actually treat the patients. They are the key players in gaining referrals. Inquire about the types of patients they see and their philosophies on exercise. Discuss how they handle home exercise programs for their patients following discharge from therapy. Be sure to ask how they feel you could compliment their after-care procedures. Most therapists like to direct all aspects of patient care, so it is instrumental that your approach is collaborative and non-threatening. Clearly deﬁne your role in the continuum of care. Assure therapists you will call with questions, support their efforts and keep them informed about patients they send you. Once you begin to generate referrals and produce satisﬁed clients, they will not hesitate to recommend you. At this time, you should begin leveraging these ties to meet their referring physicians. 22 JAN-FEB2009 · WWW.FIT-PRO.COM http://www.wellcoach.com http://www.wellcoach.com http://www.wellcoach.com http://WWW.FIT-PRO.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Personal Fitness Professional - January/February 2009

Personal Fitness Professional - January/February 2009 Contents Letter from the Editor, Writers Ready to Rock the Podium What It Takes to Change Fitness Marketing Makeover Be Better Top Club Building a Base of Special Populations The Balancing Act Take Action! Nutrition Solutions Datebook Journey to Success New on the Market The Four P's Exercising Your Influence No More Pain in the Back!

Personal Fitness Professional - January/February 2009

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.