How to set up a podiatry clinic

Starting a new podiatry clinic tips and tricks

When I started my clinic I was 26. I had lived and worked in Jakarta as a podiatrist. I then moved to Australia and worked here for 3 years before I started my own. I’m now 5 years into it and this blog is a few podiatry clinic tips and tricks that I have learned on the way.

• Keep all of your patient’s details. This might sound simple but a lot of pods start by letting other physiotherapy or GP clinic doing their booking. When the podiatrist comes to leave they then leave with none of their client’s contact details. Those details are not only worth money to the business, but you also rely on them for your income. So don’t lose them!
• Don’t let them take a % of products. Most places now run on a % rent. Medical clinics are now up to 30% and most alien health clinics are between 20-30%. If they are taking a % of orthotics or nail surgeries things can become out of hand very quickly. One day a very wealthy man come in and ordered 10 sets of orthotics. You can only imagine what my 1 days rent was like. So make sure rent is kept to consults only!
• Get a reception service! Reception is mandatory for bookings. You should have them as trained up as you can to make sure they get you bookings. There’s no point in having one that takes a message or doesn’t know an answer about a service. Then having to ask you and call the client back. By that time the client may have called up another clinic and booked with them. My recommendation would be to outsource and find a virtual reception service. Give them scripts and make the most of your calls.
• Get a good website that converts bookings and has good SEO. Nowadays this is where you will get a lot of your private clients from. It’s something you will have through your whole podiatry business journey. Websites are expensive, but they are a great investment if done correctly. If not they become a massive waste of money and time. If you don’t have money to drop on a good website my suggestion would be to do it in stages. I.e Get a home page, then pick 1 pathology you want to treat. Focus on making that page a top-ranking page that’s got the best SEO you can afford. When you saved up a bit more cash, do it with the next pathology. You are better to do that than have a bigger website that’s cheap and doesn’t rank highly on google at all.
• GP clinic or another space? There are good and bad points about both of there’s options.

1. GP clinic: Good – You will get referrals from the GP’s in there but that’s still not guaranteed. You may have a reception. Bad points – are that rent is usually 30% +, other local GP’s are very unlikely to refer to you, there is no guarantee that you won’t be kicked out if another GP wants the space.
2. Other space: Bad – You will have no referrals to start. You will need to get out and market yourself to local GP’s. Good – You can have any GP around the area to refer to you. More likely to received referrals from other allied health. A safer place to rent if you sign something that you will not be moved on without warning., Rent can be cheaper.

• Get a HICAPS machine. People hate claiming back after and they also don’t like forking out sums of more. For this small expense, it will help you make your clients and your life much easier.
• Decide what type of podiatrist you want to be and get good at it. Start doing what you want to do, that you will get referrals for doing it. Ie. You want to specialize in plantar fasciitis treatment but you only cut toenails. You can’t expect people to come and see you if you’re not doing it. So, Be thorough with your musculoskeletal history. Do a Biomech assessment even if you have come in for toenails. How will they know they have an issue unless you educate them.
• Generalized marketing doesn’t work. It takes a while to learn this, and no doubt you will need to learn the hard way as I did. It’s important to stop putting a list of 10 different things you treat, and focus on 1 or 2 and make sure people know that’s what you do and like treating.
• Make an effort to spend a lot of time in the field. Doctors meetings, allied health specialists, sports clubs. Arrange to meet them, and then go back a minimum of once a month for 8 months and then keep going every quarter. You can’t let them forget you. Don’t worry about annoying them. They’re either going to refer to you in which case its good to keep going back so that they know you and trust you. Or they’re not going to refer in which case you have lost nothing. Be prepared to waste money on lunch for them and have doctors not turn up! That’s the reality of it. Just don’t give up.
• Have a point of difference. Don’t be just another podiatrist. what do you have that others don’t? What can you buy that others don’t? When you work out what that is. Then market it!
• Ask a lot of questions. If you know somebody who has their own business then pick their brains. See what’s worked and what hasn’t. Compare what you’re doing to what they are doing. Pick the good points and try applying them to your business.
• You don’t need a name with the word ‘foot, podiatry, podiatrist or anything related to feet’. If people are coming to you its because they know you’re a podiatrist. If people are ono you’re website its because they searched podiatry. You just don’t need it. There is nothing sexy about feet (to most people). Don’t be afraid to have a brand that stands out. Don’t limit yourself, who knows where your business will end up and if you will want to expand it in some way.
• Use happy positive pictures. Nobody is attracted to something because they see a person in pain or a person with issues. Nobody wants to see images of old dirty feet. You don’t need them for your advertising. Nike recently brought out a new shoe that’s meant to reduce injury. They didn’t post any images of injured people. They only posted a picture of people not injured.

I hope this podiatry clinic tips and tricks blog helped even if you only got 1 thing out of it. For more help id recommended calling Tyson Franklin. He specializes in podiatry marketing and advertising. He regularly puts on podiatry marketing podiatry clinic tips and tricks workshops, which I have personally attended, and can recommend.

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