How To Sell Physical Therapy Services for Cash

Sales can feel daunting, especially for therapists selling cash based physical therapy services or any other healthcare service. Today, we're diving into selling physical therapy services for cash. The good news is that as a healthcare provider — PT, OT, SLP, or anyone else, you've already had experience with sales.

Throughout this post, I break down the steps to take to feel confident selling your services and teach the tricks to succeed.

Understanding the Shift in Healthcare

Physical therapy sales used to be all about insurance, but things are changing in our world today. Now, as a solo practice owner, you can offer cash-based services bypassing the limitations of insurance. The good news is that patients are starting to choose this type of service because they want more personalized care, often not as realistic in the business outpatient setting.

Do You Know What You Offer?

To successfully sell your services, first knowing the basics of your business is crucial. You need to be clear about what you offer, how much you charge, and how it all works. Are you selling single sessions, packages, or memberships? Also, explaining your process—from the first meeting to making a plan—is important so that your clients feel that you know what you are doing and grow to trust your plan for them.

When it comes to pricing, honesty about what you charge is so important. Clients appreciate knowing exactly what they're paying for and what to expect from your services. Hidden aspects or being fickle about what you charge will not help your success. By providing clear information of what you charge and what the client can plan to receive by paying that fee, you further build trust with your clients. At the end of the day, the goal is not to just sell sessions to your clients. The goal is to help them have the best experience possible, from initial plan of care to discharge.

To learn more about what you should charge for your services and access my free pricing calculator, read the blog post here.

Talking About Sales

As scary as they may seem, having sales conversations really don't have to be intimidating. In all honesty, sales conversations are just another opportunity for you to connect with the client sitting in front of you, listen to their needs, and offer solutions to the struggles they're facing. The goal with a sales conversation is not to convince someone to work with you. You're there in that moment to answer questions, provide support, and help them make a decision that aligns with their goals and values. This also helps you to know if you are the right fit for them, and they for you.

The key to effective sales conversations is ensuring that genuine empathy for the client's struggles is shown and that they feel they can trust you. Come into each situation with interest in learning more about what your client's problems are and how they are impacting their life on a daily basis. Create a space that is comfortable for the client to discuss these struggles, and remember you may be the first person that actually makes them feel heard. This is very similar to what you do with each patient you see in the clinic. If you've treated a patient in the clinic and gotten them to come back for follow up appointments, you've done sales.

Read the blog post here to learn more about having effective sales conversations.

Give the Client the Opportunity to Relate

Once you've had the opportunity to listen to the client and what they're bringing to the table, ask if they would be interested in learning more about your treatment methods and how you've helped others just like them in the past. Sharing these success stories helps the client to relate and see themselves in the success of others you've helped conquer the same struggles they are facing, further building trust and rapport.

This type of selling is often referred to as "permission-based selling." This strategy is all about respecting the client's decision-making process and giving them what they need to feel good about choosing to work with you or going a different route. By asking them for their blessing to share about your services and success stories of others you've helped, you show respect for their time and opinions and working to build trust and transparency. Once again, we want the client to leave whatever conversation we're having with them, even a sales conversation, feeling that they are valued and not just a walking bank to line the provider's pockets.

Selling Results, Not Just Services

One of the easiest ways to think about what your selling is to take the monetary factor out completely. Yes, as a cash based practice owner, we want to make money for us and our business. But, you entered the healthcare profession you're in to help others, making money is just a side benefit.

With that being said, what you should focus on is selling the results that come from someone working with you. As mentioned before, asking to share success stories of past clients can help show that prospective client how you strive to make a difference in others' lives and that you're not just in it to sell physical therapy session and make money.

Shifting Your Mindset on Money

Once of the biggest road blocks I see with students of my DPT to CEO coaching program is their mindset on money. Number one, you personally have to believe that what you do and what you offer is worth the money you're asking your clients to pay. On the flip side of things, you have to also be willing invest time or money into your business and your personal health.

If your brain is wrapped so tightly around seeking healthcare services that are covered by insurance for yourself, how can you expect others to pay you cash for yours? In that same token, if you're scared to spend money on paid ads or invest in a business coach, that says a lot about your mindset of yourself and your business. This may be the underlying issue to why sales are difficult for you.

To learn more about shifting your mindset as a cash based practice owner, read the blog post here.

The Insurance Hang Up

In all of the years I have been running my cash based physical therapy practice, there have only been a handful of times where the client wasn't okay with paying cash for services. If this happens to you, it's totally okay. Take this as a learning opportunity to reflect on the conversation you had and whether or not you prioritized listening to the clients needs, provided them with relatable success stories if they were open to learning, and if you worked to make them feel comfortable.

At the end of the day, there are some things people might not understand about paying for physical therapy without insurance. But if you believe in what you do and prioritize the client experience, you can overcome these concerns. People will pay for things they think are valuable and helpful, even if they have to pay a bit more.

Conclusion

In the end, successful sales come down to believing in yourself and what you offer your clients. If you're confident, passionate, empathetic, and willing to listen, people will feel valued and become more likely to work with you.

Don't look at sales as scary, look at them as an opportunity to meet new people, provide them with a kind and genuine experience, and inspire trust and confidence in you as an experienced provider.

If sales aren't your strong suit or you're struggling to convert leads, get in touch with me! I would be more than happy to talk with you about your sales challenges.

Or if you are looking for more individualized guidance to help your business thrive, check out my DPT to CEO Business Coaching program here.

Listen to this episode on my podcast