Why Are Prospects Important for Your Therapy Practice?

Every client at your practice is unique. But, what is one thing that’s true for every client who has ever been to your practice? 

Every single client of your practice started out as a prospect.

What is a Prospect? 

A prospect is someone who is interested in your services but has not yet become a client. They may have visited your website, filled out a contact form, signed up for your email list, or attended one of your free events. Prospects are important for therapists and therapy practices because they represent a pool of potential clients and represent potential revenue. By identifying, qualifying, and nurturing prospects, you can increase your chances of converting them into paying clients.

Identifying Prospects: 

The first step in converting a prospect into a client is to identify them. You can do this by tracking who has inquired about your practice via website, email or phone, website traffic, analyzing email open rates, and monitoring social media engagement. 

Qualifying Prospects:

Once you have identified a prospect, you need to qualify them to see if they are a good fit for your practice and the type of services that you offer. This happens when you give the prospect a call after they’ve shown some interest by filling out an appointment request form on your website or reaching out through Psychology Today, etc. 

Here are the questions you typically ask to qualify a prospect:

• What are your reasons for seeking therapy?
• Will you be using insurance or providing self-payment?
• When are you available for therapy?
• What preferences do you have for a therapist?

Converting Prospects: 

Once you’ve qualified your prospects, the next steps are to convert them to a client and match them to a therapist. 

Here are some tips to encourage qualified prospects to become clients:

• Be clear about the benefits of your services. What will the prospect gain by working with a therapist at your practice?
• Build rapport. This will help them feel comfortable and more likely to work with you.
• Address their concerns. If they have any questions or reservations, be sure to address them openly and honestly.
• Make it easy for them to say yes. Clearly describe the expertise of the therapist you have in mind to match them with and be transparent about availability. 

By understanding the basics of what a prospect is you can grow your therapy practice and reach more people who need your help. 

Using a system like a CRM can help you manage prospective clients by providing them with an organized, clear direction through the intake process. All your inquiries would get collected in one place so no prospect would fall through the cracks. With features like task reminders and automations it would be easy for you to get all the information you need from prospects so you can get them scheduled. Check out this quiz to see if you need a CRM at your practice.