If you’ve been in practice long enough, you’ve heard some version of this:

“I already tried physical therapy… It didn’t work.”

Sometimes you hear it during a consultation. Sometimes it even comes up on the phone. And it can be especially challenging when that person is contacting you specifically for something else, like Shockwave or Laser therapy, because the last thing you want to do is create friction by immediately trying to sell them on the very thing they believe has already failed them.

But as more and more practices are incorporating these types of modalities and advertising directly for them rather than their core service, getting patient to say yes to everything they need (beyond just Shockwave, for example), is becoming a more common and costly challenge… 

… Often worsened by the fact that many seeking out new treatment technologies have already tried traditional treatments like physical therapy.

In this episode, I share a coaching conversation with one of my longtime Cash-Based Practice Mastermind members about how to handle this situation, how to differentiate your clinic from the treatment they’ve “already tried”, and why the best time to overcome the “I already tried PT” objection may be much earlier than you think.

And this conversation is also a great example of why general advice can only take you so far…

Every practice has different services, staff, workflows, and challenges that often require very different answers to the same question. If you want coaching based on your specific situation rather than trying to piece everything together from someone else’s Q&A, that’s exactly what we do inside the Cash-Based Practice Mastermind.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• How to respond when someone says physical therapy didn’t work
• Why you shouldn’t immediately push PT when they’re calling for another service
• How to differentiate your approach without creating resistance
• Why overcoming this objection starts earlier than you may think
• How to plant the right seeds throughout the patient journey so they don’t drop off, and they ultimately say yes to the physical therapy they need.

Don’t Create Friction Too Early

The original question from my Mastermind member was about patients coming specifically for Shockwave treatment. Many had already tried traditional physical therapy without success, so they were seeking something different.

If someone calls because they want Shockwave, immediately trying to convince them they also need PT can create unnecessary friction.

Get them saying yes to what they already want.

But that doesn’t mean you ignore what they actually need. Once they’re in your practice, you can begin helping them understand why Shockwave may address certain pieces of their problem while other underlying factors may require something more.

Find Out What “I Tried PT” Actually Means

When someone tells you physical therapy didn’t work, don’t accept that statement at face value.

Ask what their PT actually looked like.

Maybe they spent most of each visit doing exercises they could have done at the gym. Maybe they were handed off to a tech. Maybe they received very little one-on-one treatment.

Once you know what they experienced, you have an opportunity to explain how your approach is different without criticizing another provider.

The goal isn’t necessarily to convert them to PT right then. It’s to plant the seed that the PT they already tried may be very different from the care they would receive from you.

The Back-End Sale Starts Much Earlier

My Mastermind member initially wanted to know how to convert more Shockwave patients into PT near the end of their package.

But part of my answer was that the solution to that back-end conversion problem actually starts much earlier.

Plant the seed on the phone. Reinforce it during the initial consultation. Help them understand which pieces of their problem Shockwave can address and which underlying issues may remain.

Then, when you eventually recommend PT, you aren’t suddenly introducing an entirely new idea.

Coach the Calls That Don’t Go as Planned

Another important part of this conversation involved staff training.

Two prospective patients had booked and then later called back to cancel. Those are exactly the calls I’d want to review.

When someone says yes and later changes their mind, something happened. You may discover a missed objection, an opportunity to build more confidence, or simply an area where the person answering the phone needs more repetitions and coaching.

If you’d like to install the exact high-converting phone call system and scripts in your practice and reception team, and maximize your conversions of phone calls into cash-pay patients, check this out.

The Final Word

“I already tried PT” doesn’t have to end the conversation.

Find out what they actually tried. Identify what was missing. Then plant the seed that your approach may be different without forcing them into something they aren’t ready to hear.

And remember that the best time to overcome an objection often isn’t when you’re finally asking for the sale. The conversations you have much earlier can make that eventual decision far easier.

If you’re facing conversion, staffing, marketing, or growth challenges that require more than a one-size-fits-all answer, the Cash-Based Practice Mastermind gives you the opportunity to get coaching tailored to your practice, your situation, and the challenges you’re working through right now.

— Jarod

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HERE ARE SOME MORE EPISODES ON TURNING SKEPTICAL PROSPECTS INTO CASH-PAY PATIENTS:

A Timing Tactic that Converts More Cash-Pay Patients on the Phone
Learn how to improve the conversations that happen before someone ever walks through your door and convert more qualified callers into patients.

How to Convert Phone Consultations into Cash-Pay Patients
Discover strategies for building trust, addressing concerns, and helping skeptical prospective patients confidently take the next step.

How We Convert 80% Of Our Leads Into Cash-Pay Patients
See how the right phone-conversion process can help you turn more of the leads you’re already generating into paying patients.

MORE RESOURCES TO GET COACHING SPECIFIC TO YOUR PRACTICE:

Cash-Based Practice Mastermind

If you want to double your profit per patient and build the practice of your dreams without relying on greedy insurance companies, this Mastermind coaching program gets you there with: weekly live coaching, a supportive community, and a vault of done-for-you resources and masterclasses to accelerate your growth and avoid costly mistakes. Check out the Mastermind here.

Cash-Pay Conversion Summit

Learn how to convert more prospective patients into committed Cash-Pay patients through hands-on training in proven scripts, real-world conversations, and conversion systems you can customize and implement in your practice. Check out the Cash-Pay Conversion Summit here.