Well whether the economists agree on the semantics or not, the US is in some sort of serious economic funk. I live in Michigan where things are worse than most other places – highest unemployment in the country; most people moving out of the state of any state; most loss of manufacturing jobs. So how’s my practice doing? It has gone up every year. That’s because I have a clear area of specialization and a very solid, diversified marketing strategy that doesn’t depend on 1 or 2 referral sources.
But I realize that not everyone is in that situation, so I wanted to offer some suggestions for strategies to apply when your clients express concerns about fees, copays or therapy in general:
1 – you don’t have to see people every week! Consider less frequent sessions, since most people have a monthly amount in mind that they are comfortable with
2 – start a group – groups require lower fees and yet your fee as the therapist is usually greater per hour vs. therapy sessions
3 – help your clients get reimbursement when possible – go the extra mile and let them know you understand they are concerned about money right now. Call their insurance company for them and ask about in or out of network benefits, since they may not know the right questions to ask to get reimbursed
4 – expand your referral sources – this is the time to expand your reach, both in the local community as well as online. Recessions are often times when new relationships are forged – your new referral sources are experiencing the same thing you are and may be eager to expand their network of influence as well
5 – generate new therapy prospects by offering free or low-cost lectures – the most expensive, time-consuming thing is to get someone in your office the first time. Make it easy for that to happen by offering quality information at a low price, and overcome people’s initial resistance to working with you. Let them see how much you know and how approachable you are. Make an easy bridge to therapy from that lecture.
These strategies can help you maintain your numbers even when the mass psychology of the country has people tightening their belts.
