WP 33 | Convert more callers into clients with Kate Campbell and Katie Lemieux
In this episode of The Wise Practice Podcast therapists Whitney Owens, Kate Campbell, and Katie Lemieux dive into the crucial topic of how to effectively turn inquiries, calls, and emails into actual clients. They share their personal experiences of struggling with this aspect of their businesses and provide valuable insights on how to navigate it successfully. The key to success, they emphasize, lies in creating connections, building rapport, and showcasing the value therapists offer.
Taking Control of the Call
To ensure a productive and efficient call, therapists need to take control right from the start. Lemieux shares a simple but powerful tactic she uses to pause callers and establish a personal connection: asking for their names. "Asking for the person's name and then using their name throughout the call creates that sense of connection." - Katie Lemieux. By doing so, therapists can shift the dynamic and set the structure for the conversation. Owens adds that using the caller's name throughout the call is essential for building rapport and creating a sense of connection. Whitney adds "When you use someone's name, it signals that you see them as a person and not just a potential client."
Leveraging Therapeutic Skills in Sales and Marketing
Campbell highlights that therapists already possess the skills necessary for successful sales and marketing. These micro-skills, honed in therapy sessions, can be directly applied during initial intake calls. "You want to show empathy and validate their concerns, but also guide the conversation in a way that showcases the value you can provide." - Kate Campbell. By joining with clients, validating their experiences, and summarizing their goals, therapists can guide the conversation and help potential clients recognize the value they offer.
The Structure and Questions of the Call
Establishing a clear structure for the call is crucial for maximizing time with the right clients and minimizing time with those who may not be a good fit. The hosts emphasize the importance of understanding the callers' concerns and goals early on. Asking questions such as "What are the top two concerns regarding your situation right now?" or "What prompted you to call today?" helps therapists gather essential information and tailor their responses effectively. Maintaining a focus on the process rather than getting lost in content ensures that the call stays on track. "By summarizing their goals and concerns, you're able to let them know that you understand them and are capable of helping." - Katie Lemieux
Guiding an Intake Call Overview
Introduction and Connection:
They start by introducing themselves and asking for the client's name.
They emphasize using the client's name throughout the call to create a sense of connection.
Agenda Setting:
They establish an agenda for the call to stay focused and cover necessary information.
They inform the client about the purpose of the call and what they hope to accomplish.
Gathering Information:
They ask open-ended questions to understand the client's background, concerns, and goals.
They inquire about specific challenges or issues the client is facing.
Validating Concerns:
They show empathy and validate the client's concerns.
They provide a safe space for the client to express their emotions and struggles.
Demonstrating Expertise and Value:
They summarize the client's goals and concerns to showcase understanding.
They highlight their experience and expertise in addressing those specific challenges.
Addressing Practicalities:
They ask about the client's preferred appointment times and availability.
They discuss logistics such as insurance, fees, and paperwork if necessary.
Redirecting Focus:
They guide the conversation back to the client's needs and goals when it veers off-track.
They ensure that the discussion remains focused on the client's well-being and desired outcomes.
Call Conclusion:
They recap the main points discussed during the call.
They provide a clear next step, which may involve scheduling an appointment or providing additional resources.
It's important to note that the specific questions asked may vary depending on the therapist's approach, the client's unique situation, and the goals of the call. The structure and questions mentioned above are based on the general guidelines provided in the transcript.
Handling Insurance Inquiries
Insurance inquiries are a common concern for potential clients. Rather than immediately answering such questions, Lemieux suggests redirecting the conversation toward getting to know the caller better. By positioning themselves as experts and emphasizing the value they offer, therapists can shift the focus away from insurance details and help potential clients recognize the benefits of working with them. Lemieux emphasizes that value outweighs the price, and by demonstrating expertise and understanding, therapists can encourage potential clients to see beyond insurance concerns. “... in the absence of value, price is always an issue.” But if the scheduler can communicate value then you get a response like this no matter what the price “You said exactly the things I'm dealing with and feel I wanna work with you.” Katie continues “…you wanna position yourself as the expert, as the right person, as the go-to. So if we're answering the questions about insurance, we're not doing ourselves a favor, nor are we doing a client a favor.”
You Can Successfully Schedule Clients for Your Therapy Office
Building Connections and Providing Value Throughout the episode, the importance of building connections and providing value emerges as the cornerstone of turning inquiries into clients. By leveraging their therapeutic skills, taking control of the call, and asking strategic questions, therapists can guide the conversation and showcase their expertise. "When you focus on the value you provide and build that connection, potential clients are more likely to schedule an appointment, regardless of insurance." - Whitney OwensWhen potential clients feel heard, understood, and valued, they are more likely to schedule appointments, even if insurance is not a factor.
Quick Tips:
Begin calls by asking for the caller's name, which helps establish a personal connection.
Use the caller's name throughout the call to build rapport and create a sense of connection.
Structure the call by asking questions that clarify the caller's concerns and goals.
Focus on the process rather than getting lost in the content to keep the call on track.
When handling insurance inquiries, redirect the conversation to learn more about the caller and position yourself as an expert.
Emphasize the value you offer and help potential clients see beyond insurance concerns.
Prioritize building connections and providing value to potential clients.
Links and Resources
Private Practice Startup Webpage
Client Converting Call Script - Use Coupon code MORE CLIENTS for $138
FREE Attorney Approved Good Faith Estimate Form
Prive Practice Startup on Instagram
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WP 33 | Convert more callers into clients with Kate Campbell and Katie Lemieux
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Whitney Owens: Hello friends and welcome back to the Wise Practice Podcast. Excited about this episode today cuz I get to talk to Kate and Katie from the private practice startup, two people that I have admired for years and always enjoy our conversations together. So let me tell you a little about the two of them and their work together and then we'll get jumping into the episode.
We're gonna talk about how to increase those. Calls or inquiries to clients. So Kate and Katie are a therapist with entrepreneur spirits. They live, work and play in South Florida. They built a six figure private practices in less than two years from the ground up. And they love inspiring, ambitious mental health professionals to grow their dream, private practice, and live a life they love.
They have a hunger for business branding and marketing. They love helping private practices. Practice owners work with clients that they love, profit more in their business, and create freedom to truly enjoy a lifestyle business. Together they've been featured as guests on good therapy.org therapy sites.
Your Badass Therapy Practice Abundance Practice Building Podcast, selling the Couch Podcast Practice. The Practice Podcast, brighter Visions podcast. John Clarks Cast Private Practice University Practice of Therapy podcast. Love Your Practice podcast. Become a group guru podcast and more. They are the creators of the private practice marketing eCourse and coaching, and provide free podcasts and customized attorney approved private practice paperwork for therapists@privatepracticestartup.com.
Well now you can add the last practice podcast to your list. That was an woo. Ah, but it's fun, isn't it? Like all the people we get to know and work with and podcasting is just wonderful. So I enjoyed, uh, reading the list and thinking about everyone.
Kate Campbell: Awesome.
Katie Lemieux: Yeah, that, that was a very long list. And it, it's interesting cause we've been in business for eight or nine years now, so, It's like, oh wow.
Oh yeah. Oh yeah. That's right.
Whitney Owens: Yeah. Well, I would love for y'all to share just a little bit about kind of where you're at now with your practices, with your business, so that people can kinda get to know you and feel free to share anything, personal, family,
Kate Campbell: whatever you wanna say. Cool. Kate, I'll let you go first.
Yeah. Katie and I have been working together. What year was it that we first started? K 2014. I think. So. Yeah, we started working together in 2014 in business and knew each other before that and licensure supervision down here in South Florida. And, uh, we both had our separate successful private practices.
She was over on the west side of town. I was in the east side of town in Fort Lauderdale. And um, I had a group practice and, uh, at the time, Katie and I had been working together on the Broward Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Board. And worked so well together that we had this opportunity to kind of like trial run what it would be like to work together.
And then we launched a side hustle with a statewide training program. And then because of the successful private practices that we each had separately, people were always coming to us asking, how did you build your successful practice? For myself, it was, how did you build your group practice? And how do you know all of this about marketing and business and entrepreneurship?
And, and that's become a real, it became a real passion of Katie and I as, and we saw a big need to support private practitioners in being able to build and grow a practice that they love and, um, to live a life they love as well. So that's how the private practice startup was born and we continued, um, to kind of juggle both the private practice startup and our own individual private practices.
Since then, I've grown Bayview Therapy to three different offices. We have our Fort Lauderdale location, our Coral Springs, and then about five months ago I opened up a plantation office in South Florida here. And um, on the personal side, I've got two energetic, amazing boys who keep me very busy, um, outside of my working hours.
So Landon is my oldest, he's eight, and Jackson is my youngest and he's three and a half. So, um, that's a little snapshot of us together. And then the personal side of things. Katie, what about you? So, yeah, that was a good
Katie Lemieux: intro on the private practice startup. So, um, interestingly enough, um, I just like Kate, you know, when you're an entrepreneur and you have an entrepreneurial spirit and heart, you really love building businesses.
Um, even when I was in private practice, I think before Kate and I got started is I really realized how much I loved to build business, even though. When I was in community mental health, I was afraid of business. Um, and so I have kind of taken a different turn over the last few years and have actually stepped into the back end of my partner's real estate business to really help that grow as, because I just love the business aspect so much.
And really love building businesses and creating a brand and marketing really to impact others. Um, not just be, you know, someone who provides a service but really have a vision and a mission. So that's been going on the last two and a half, almost three years. So that's been a journey. Because if you are a multiple business builder, it's a crazy life.
It really is. Um, so, but that's been very interesting, um, for sure. And then, you know, Kate and I beautifully have been able to, um, continue to go grow the private practice startup, have an impact, but really scale back. Um, we work only about five hours a week on this business, so we really practice what we preach.
Um, we have systems, we have amazing team member. And we do a lot of the creation of the business and really delegate the rest, which is super cool. Which creates some work-life balance, even though there isn't exactly that as much because we're, we're both building other businesses. Um, but in my free time, I really love, like traveling is my thing.
So I'm headed to the Canadian Rockies in June of this year, and then I'm going to Ernesto's Summit, um, in London and I'm gonna hit up Belgium in, um, Amsterdam as well. So that's really my downtime. Um, other than just having new fun experiences, so.
Whitney Owens: Yeah. Oh, I love it. And I love that how we just kind of are talking about business and that being the heart of what you do, but you also are doing it because you wanna have a life that you love and that you're actually living that out.
And I'm all about that. And, um, love kind of seeing how our businesses are our passion, you know, and they're fun. Like it's fun. For sure, for sure. Yeah. Wonderful. Okay, well let's jump into the meet today because it's such an important topic on how do we help therapists or how do practice owners take those inquiries, calls, emails, whatever it is, and make them into clients.
Kate Campbell: Yeah. So
Katie Lemieux: just a, the little backstory before we start on this right, is we probably all three of us right, have probably had some pain in this area before we figured this out. And you know what I realized coming into the therapy world, you know, most people go, you know, our habit is to go online, um, in search for someone that we're looking for if we're not recommended, and even if we are recommended, we search them.
Um, but like back in the day when Kate and I both started our practices, um, You know, SEO and AdWords were like a new thing for the therapy world, but people were still looking online and the assumption from potential clients was that we all take insurance. Um, so that was the tricky thing on how to answer.
And I remember, you know, still vividly to this day, you know, I would got a call from a number I didn't know. Must be a new potential client. So I answered it very triply. And they asked, you know, do you take Aetna? And I said, no. And then, That was the end of the conversation and he hung up on me and it was, I was like, wow, like I need to figure out how to navigate this in quick.
Um, otherwise I'm not gonna have a business. So that was definitely my pain point of figuring this part out.
Whitney Owens: Hmm. That's such a great story and I think all of us can relate to
Kate Campbell: that for sure. For sure. Yes, yes. I can remember, um, sitting in my first. Office that I was renting as a registered intern, very new clinician, but dove right headfirst into private practice.
And, um, I really didn't know much about business at the time and didn't have any sales training or, um, formal marketing training. And I realized really quickly how hard it was and how important it was to be able to. Convert those callers who were ideal fits for us, because if you don't do that, you're not able to sustain and to grow your business.
So it is an essential skill to have, not only for yourself, but when you grow enough to be able to bring on a virtual assistant, or if you have an assistant or a care coordinator. On your team who takes all of intake calls for you. This is an important training information to be able to allow them to take over that role for you so you're not stuck on, on, on the phone all the time.
You can leverage your time and really focus on other areas of the business that are gonna be a better return on that investment for your time. Yes, definitely.
Katie Lemieux: Yeah. So the first thing that I think is, is difficult and definitely happened in the area that I was kind of sharing through my story is how do you take control over the call?
Right? And, um, for those licensed marriage, marriage, family therapists or people who studied the structural model, I think of good old Carl Whitaker. Her in this experience, and Carl Whitaker talks about that the therapist has to win the battle for structure and then the client has to win the battle for initiative.
So we have to set that structure right out on the first call. And what I've found, and I do this regularly, you know, on a daily basis when I get unknown numbers calling me, um, is I always ask, um, who do I have the pleasure of speaking with? You know, because it stops people on their track. Otherwise they're just ready to ask, you know, their list of five questions without even identifying their name.
I don't know, Whitney, maybe it happens in Southern states. People are more polite. Maybe people are just a little too moving fast and direct and whatever down here in, in South Florida, but it really pauses people and they're like, oh, you know, oh, this is Jane, Jane Smith. You know what I mean? So that's definitely one thing that we talk about is be taking control over the call.
Whitney Owens: Hmm. Oh, I love that quote that you gave earlier and that that control. And I do think people are in just such in a hurry. Not only that they're in a hurry or they don't wanna deal with their stuff, so even saying their name becomes a personal thing, and so they just wanna like get the call done as fast as they can.
Katie Lemieux: Right, and, and what we know, and I know Kate, Kate was highlighting this regarding like sales training and we've done tons of sales training and then to say back their name to them, oh, hi Jane. You know, what service are you calling about? Or How can I help you? Um, and using their name throughout is very important to create connection and build rapport.
So there's a lot of things that we talk about with our call script, um, that are designed specifically for that, that way to really enhance the conversion of a potential client into an actual client.
Kate Campbell: Yeah, when you touch on the, you know, the sales training and we've done, we've done just ridiculous amounts of sales trainings and coaching and, and whatnot to become experts in this area.
But what therapists don't realize is that they have all of the skills needed to be. Phenomenal with sales and marketing. They know how to use all of those micro skills that we use inside the therapy room, and they're the exact skills that you use on the initial intake call when you're trying to connect with someone, you're joining with them, you're validating their.
Um, their experience. You are reframing your summarizing and paraphrasing back to them the, the key points and presenting problems and their goals of what it is that they wanna work on. You're helping to really guide that conversation while building the therapeutic rapport. From the initial call and when clients feel connected to you as a potential therapist who's going to be able to help them and um, even if they might initially be looking for someone who takes their insurance or might not think that your fee fits their budget.
Because you've taken the time to join with them, really well, connect with them. You understand their pain points. You express to them how you are the expert to be able to help them reach their goals. They see the value in what you offer. And so through guiding and taking control over that initial intake, Process and call you, help them to really see that value initially and that even though they might not have understood, um, before speaking to you, that you are the right person, the best person to be able to help them through that initial intake call.
You can help them to see that and it's very powerful. Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Whitney Owens: I'm just hearing over and over the importance of connection. Mm-hmm. For sure. And building that rapport. And like you said, that's exactly what we do with therapists, I mean, with clients all day
Kate Campbell: long. Yes. And being purposeful and mm-hmm.
Intentional and having boundaries around that too, because you're not. Connecting with them into a full-blown therapy conversation where you get stuck on the phone for 30 minutes or longer. And we've all been there at different points in our career. So it's really being able to understand what are the questions that are gonna really guide that conversation and help it to move forward so that, um, you, you don't get really sucked into those areas that you don't need to be.
That's very heavily content driven. You wanna stay focused on the process. Mm.
Whitney Owens: Oh, that's so important. Just like in therapy.
Kate Campbell: Just like in therapy. Yeah. Yeah.
Katie Lemieux: So many parallels like Kate's saying, for sure.
Whitney Owens: Yeah. Yeah. Well, can y'all kinda walk us through maybe some of that process of kind of what are some of those questions that we should be asking, and what is some of that structure to the call?
Kate Campbell: I.
Katie Lemieux: Yeah, so I know Kate was like highlighting the importance of having a structure to have, you know, maximize your time for the right clients, but minimize your time if it's not a fit. Um, and you know, after we establish kind of who they are and what they're calling about is we really wanna understand their concerns.
Um, I know for me as a solo practitioner, Um, specializing in couples. I had made a, a transition throughout my private practice, um, journey from working with teens and children to, you know, solely working with couples. But, you know, I was still known for that or people would refer to me. So, you know, finding out what they're calling about or their main concerns quickly would allow me to go like, oh, you know, before we go any further, I'm so sorry.
I'm not working with teens anymore, but I have a great referral for you. Um, so then you're only spending like two minutes on the phone. Um, yes. And you're maximizing your time, so really just understanding what they're calling about For sure.
Kate Campbell: Yeah, so understanding what they're calling about, you wanna ask questions that help to clarify what are their main concerns.
Um, so you could ask something like, what are the top two concerns regarding your situation right now? Or what prompted you to call today? Uh, What's the main thing that you're struggling with? Those are some different questions that can kind of help to tease out. Uh, you can ask questions about goals. What is it that you're hoping to accomplish from therapy?
Have you ever been to see a therapist before? And how is that experience for you? Knowing that information is gonna be very helpful. What are you looking for a therapist now that maybe you didn't have before or something that you would like to see similar? If you appreciated the approach from your past therapist, questions like that are gonna be really, really helpful.
And then along through, as you're, um, moving the conversation forward, you wanna be able to empathize with them and, and validate and reflect and summarize. The high level aspects to keep the conversation moving forward. So if they're talking about their, um, relationship with their partner and, and a betrayal that has just happened, you wanna keep to high level stuff, keep the conversation moving forward, not get lost in all of the content of things.
Mm-hmm.
Whitney Owens: Mm-hmm. Yes, definitely. So I wanna go backwards a little bit here. Um, so what if somebody does call and the first thing they say is, do you take Aetna? How do you, how do y'all suggest we respond to those questions?
Kate Campbell: Yes.
Katie Lemieux: Love it. So I have always responded, that's a really great question, but I'd love to get to know a little bit more about you and we'll definitely chat about that, um, through our call.
Great. So
Kate Campbell: how does
Katie Lemieux: that usually go? Perfect. I mean, it acknowledges what they're asking. Um, but what's most important is to be able to understand a little bit about them. Um, first and like Kate was sharing is, you know, in the absence of value, price is always an issue. But when you feel like you have found the right person, and you know, I know we're not talking about websites and marketing today, but when you have a website that really speaks to your ideal client, that's your 24 7 salesperson, and we've literally had people call like, You're the right person.
You said exactly the things I'm dealing with and feel I wanna work with you. Right. So when you talk about how that all works together, but you know, with the, the call script is that you wanna position yourself as the expert, as the right person, as the go-to. So if we're answering the questions about insurance, um, we're not doing ourselves a favor, nor are we doing a client a favor.
Um, you know, if we're just answering that one for sure. Uh, y'all are
Whitney Owens: giving me lots of good quotes today. I love that one. In the absence, in the absence of value, price is an issue. I love that. So if we provide that strong value to them on the call, they're gonna be wanting to pay for it cuz they know we're gonna give 'em a lot.
Kate Campbell: Exactly. Right.
Katie Lemieux: Right. Mm-hmm. And you know, I, I know that, you know, when I was, um, still seeing clients and I specialized in a fair recovery, I would say things that they were thinking or dealing with on the call and they felt, they literally felt like I was a mine reader. Or like, are you psychic? I'm feeling that exact same thing.
It's like, no, because you know your ideal client, you know their experience. Mm-hmm. And when you can add those things into the call when you're joining and connecting with them or whatever, it's like, but if you just answer that insurance question, you'll never get there.
Whitney Owens: Definitely. So, um, do you find that people end up scheduling even though they initially wanted to use their insurance?
Or do they usually end up deciding
Katie Lemieux: not to schedule? We probably wouldn't have had practices if that were the case, but yes. Mm-hmm. Absolutely. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Kate Campbell: Definitely. Yes. It, it does work. And you can end up converting insurance based initial, it's about educating consumers, right? People don't know how mental health works unless they've seen a therapist before, they've used their insurance, and that's the route that they are invested in taking.
And some people need to do that, and we respect that a hundred percent. Um, but to take the time to educate consumers on how insurance works and what's required, if you're gonna use your insurance and, um, Being able to help them to see how you can help them because you're providing that value for them.
You're connecting with them, you're giving them a taste of what it would be like to work with you, and you're really positioning yourself as that expert who can help them reach their goals, um, often more efficiently than going a more generic route and just seeing a generalist versus as a specialist, it.
Can help convert a lot of people and sometimes they will even go on to call other clinicians and circle back to you and say, you know what? I connected so well with you. You spoke directly to my, um, my needs and my goals, and I can see that you're the most skilled person to help me. Even though I interviewed X, y, and Z amount of therapist and wanted to use my insurance, I'm gonna make it work so I can see someone who can really help me get to where I wanna be.
Mm-hmm. It definitely works.
Whitney Owens: Yeah. Yeah. So another thing we kind of talked about briefly that I wanted to come back to is the idea of someone else answering the calls for us. Mm-hmm. And a lot of therapists are concerned about hiring somebody for that they won't convert as well as me. They don't understand mental health.
You've, you've heard all the excuses, right? And so I'd love to hear y'all address, like, what do y'all think about someone hiring an assistant to take calls and
Kate Campbell: how does that go? Best decision I ever made. I did it so long ago and I used to joke after I initially trained, um, my assistant, I've had an assistant for well over 10 years and, um, I would say I'm allergic to answering the phone.
Like I answered so many phone calls cuz I was run, I was, uh, solopreneur to begin with and then I had a busy group practice before I brought on an assistant and I be literally became allergic to the phone. So anytime the phone would ring, I would just, ah, I don't wanna answer the phone. Um,
Katie Lemieux: Whitney, well, let's pause for a second here.
Kate doesn't even have her phone on ring or vibrate. It's on silent. No, this is how allergic she, this is the phone, which I have now adopted the allergy, but I have to be a little more in tune to my phone. But anyway, go ahead, Kate.
Kate Campbell: The amount of time that I used to spend on these calls and getting all the calls, returning them while in between sessions at the end of the day and whatnot.
I mean, granted, I didn't have kids at that time. Um, so I, I, I wasn't, um, I had more flexibility and more availability in my life to do that, and I was kind of in the bootstrapping phase of my business and really trying to grow things. I regret not outsourcing it sooner. It was the best decision I ever made for my business, for my wellbeing, for my sanity, for my work-life balance.
And it allowed me to laser focus all of my time onto, More revenue producing areas, and I was able to see the power of outsourcing areas that you don't need to be doing yourself and to be able to capture the calls that are coming in live and not have to wait until you're after session or at the end of the day to get back to people and they've already booked with somebody else is so, so, so important.
So there are just a million different benefits of being. Able to outsource this. It takes a little bit of time to create the systems and to delegate and to train someone and do role plays and, you know, have all these different scenarios that you help to boost their confidence and ability to be able to manage.
But once you do it is the most, um, freeing thing that you can do for your business. A hundred percent. Now, Kate, did you say your assistant's been with you for 10 years? Um, well, the first assistant that I ever had is still with me in a different way. She is a, she is now a licensed marriage and family therapist.
Oh. She started as my assistant and um, then when she went through the graduate program and she became a registered intern, she did supervision with me and then she eventually joined my team. So she's still with me. Um, I'm doing air quotes around that. She's still with me, but just in a different capacity.
I've had our current, um, assistant and care coordinator with us for almost six years at this point, and she's just amazing. She's our angel. She, um, does so much for us and we do so much for her too, to make her feel appreciated and loved. And, um, you know, it's, it, it's working really, really well. We just love her.
That's
Whitney Owens: awesome. Well, it says a lot about you as a business owner that people wanna stick around with you. Definitely. Yes. Yeah.
Katie Lemieux: Well, great. Is there, Whitney? I would just add to kind of what Kate's saying and just really highlight the importance of the training aspect. Mm-hmm. Um, I know that, you know, I feel very blessed that I, at a young age, I was, um, promoted into leadership in my early twenties.
Um, and so I have leadership experience. So many business owners though, don't have that. Right. And a lot of times I think the thought of delegating feels like, oh, let me just get this off my plate. But delegation is a constant training process. Mm-hmm. Until that person really has it. So Kate was highlighting, you know, the role plays, but also taking time as that person transitions and expect, you know, some dips and stuff like that is to then have follow ups like, Okay, let's talk about the last three calls.
You know, one person scheduled an appointment. Let's talk about what happened here. You know, what were you uncomfortable with? What, what happened on the call, you know, and, and beginning to tweak and massage that process so it becomes more fluid for that person. And also, Kate and I are very much about hiring the right people for the right positions.
Um, we don't believe in just filling a position. Um, so you want someone who. It does enjoy speaking on the phone. You wouldn't probably wanna hire me as your salesperson and I'm like, Kate, I don't love being on the phone. I like being in the background, creating stuff. Um, but that's very important too. The disk profile is a great way to do that.
Kind of understanding the person's natural talent strengths. Mm-hmm. Um, is very important for the right position. Mm-hmm.
Whitney Owens: I appreciate you bringing that up. And yes, definitely that idea of going back to them and reviewing the calls and reviewing what's going on and making sure they're comfortable and confident and answering those questions.
That does go super
Kate Campbell: far. Some of our team members we've been able to find through Wise Hire. Um, it's a really great. Platform that matches the job position with someone who has the DISC profile, that would be a most I ideal fit. And they help you to create your job, um, descriptions and the job posting. So it's, it's a really great program and, uh, service if you're looking for someone to fill a specific role in your business, whether it's someone managing or calls or your social media manager or whatever aspect it is, it's a good resource.
Thank you.
Whitney Owens: I actually need that right now
Kate Campbell: and it's,
Katie Lemieux: well, why is with a z? So w I Z E h i r e. And we can, we can send you a, a, a code. Whitney. I love codes. Yeah. We'll send you a code for a discount or something like that. You can also share it with your, on the show notes, page two if you'd
Kate Campbell: like. But yeah, it's, they're pretty awesome.
Whitney Owens: Awesome. Wonderful. Yeah, we're in the process actually hiring an intake coordinator right now, like our mm-hmm. It's kinda what you were saying, like, my current person's gonna get promoted and so
Kate Campbell: we need more and Yeah. Nice. Mm-hmm.
Whitney Owens: Yeah. Nice. Wonderful. Well, is there anything about these conversions that we didn't discuss that you wanted, make sure
Kate Campbell: to highlight today?
Um, so I think what's really
Katie Lemieux: important is, you know, after we understand the issues, we understand their goals, we've reflected, validated that, um, one really important thing is to kind of ask them, and I like this language, is I. You know, what's the single most important factor in choosing the right therapist for you?
Hmm. For the years that I've asked that question, no one ever says that you take my insurance. No one ever says that, you know, you offer a discounted rate. That just doesn't happen. Um, and a lot of times it will be something about what you already talked about or what they already shared, and then you just remind them of that, you know?
Um, I even do this in real estate. Interestingly enough, I asked this question and someone said, I just need someone with common sense. And I'm like, all right, well we have that and I'll tell you why we have that. And I'll tell you some funny stories where people didn't have common sense, you know? And we laugh from there and kind of go
Kate Campbell: on.
I. Yeah. And so it's, uh, it's about knowing the right questions to ask that are gonna help guide the conversation, move the conversation forward, and being able to get them to commit to taking that next step. Mm-hmm. So it's knowing how to ask the right questions regarding scheduling and setting up their first appointment and telling them what to expect once they set up that first appointment.
Regarding your E H R process or regarding if you have a different process, um, letting them know those specific next steps of what they're going to need to do to, to commit to the process. So when they have a little bit of skin in the game, when they take that step of action. That whatever it is that's part of your scheduling and, and, um, onboarding for new therap for new client systems.
Yeah. Um, whatever that step is, it really helps them to be more committed to the process and actually follow through with showing up for your first appointment. Hmm. Hmm.
Whitney Owens: Yeah, those are all great. I, I remember in graduate school we learned about the lambert's pie graph. I don't know if y'all have ever heard of that before, but it's like, what determines the best treatment outcomes?
It's kind of an old graph, probably in the nineties, but there was one part, like 15% of the outcome they experience is based on kind of expecting an outcome, you know, having hope that they're gonna get better. And so, so many clients, we've even said this on the phone, it's like, you're gonna feel better simply because you scheduled your appointment.
You know, and then, and then they come in and they're already feeling better. Mm-hmm. That's cool.
Katie Lemieux: Yeah. Yeah. I didn't, I didn't know that it had a name. We definitely talk about that, um, for sure about, you know, the relationship, how they view the relationship with the therapist, and then their own initiative.
Um, but yeah, I like that. And I like that you give them a little kind of like hope or motivation and encouragement of like, wow, you took this step.
Whitney Owens: Yes, cuz boy it's a hard step. I mean, I know for me when I need to make a phone call to schedule somewhere, I'm definitely waiting until the last minute, so.
Yeah. Yeah. Alright, so y'all have a call script though, correct? For people to be able to use in their, in their calls?
Kate Campbell: Yes. We have our client converting call script, which, um, has been a resource that we have offered for Startup Nation for many, many years. And it's something that's based on our. 20 plus years of combined experience in sales and marketing and, um, having very successful private practices and being able to train people on how to convert those potential clients into actual clients.
And the call script is so great because it, it gives step by step every single step along the way. Specific questions and how to answer specific questions. So it's a real, uh, solid guideline for being able to move the conversation forward and, uh, helping clinicians to really fill the practice with their ideal clients and also train their assistant or care coordinator mm-hmm.
Or intake coordinator, whatever the term is that they're using, uh, to be able to do that for them. So the call script is very, very helpful in that respect. Yeah. Definitely. And we actually
Katie Lemieux: also go through, I actually go through the script, right? So I'm very much a person, like I don't like to just follow the script.
Like I need to know why, why am I saying that? Mm-hmm. Why does that make sense? You know? And so we actually go through that as well. Um, so you get a video too, with the call script, and I think, do we throw in our course Kate, on
Kate Campbell: the calls screen? Yeah, I think there's, yes, exactly. There is a course in there as well as a bonus.
Yeah. Oh,
Whitney Owens: fantastic. And so the ladies today are offering, um, listeners $138 discount on the call script course and the information and the script. Um, so if you can head to private practice startup.com and then it's more clients is the discount code, and we'll have all that in the show notes. Um, and then y'all also have another freebie for the listeners today.
Katie Lemieux: Yeah, so because we are the paperwork girls, that's really what we're known for a lot, um, back in January 1st, 2022, is that, uh, practices that don't take insurance or for clients choosing not to use insurance, we are required. Um, on a federal level to do the good faith estimate. So just like the call script, um, you're gonna get a bundle.
We did a podcast with our attorney on the script. We created the script and we added, so one of the things that Kate and I, um, and I think a lot of people, You like to use our paperwork, um, even if they have an E H R that has paperwork, is because not only do we have all the legal and ethical stuff, there's also the therapist experience in it.
So with the good faith estimates, um, we have two different estimates. Um, we have other scripts of, you know, what to say, what to do, why this, why that. So that comes with the Good Faith estimate as well, the podcast. And there's some other things that you have to put on your website and things like that. So the whole bundle, you get that for free and it's a like 200 plus dollars value.
Whitney Owens: Mm, well you can't beat that
Katie Lemieux: so free. You cannot beat free and useful. You cannot beat, gotta love free.
Whitney Owens: So head to private practice startup.com. You can get all the information and check out their podcast, um, because that's super. Y'all been doing the podcast for a long time. Over three
Kate Campbell: years. Yeah. So let's, I mean, sorry.
Katie Lemieux: No, seven Kate. Seven
Kate Campbell: years. I'm thinking over 300 episodes. Don't mind me in numbers. They get flipped around in my head sometimes. Oh,
Whitney Owens: that's so awesome. Well, wonderful. Well, this has been super helpful. I'm probably gonna have my admin listen to the episode so she can learn all the tips too. And I appreciate y'all taking the time to be on the Wise Practice Podcast.
Kate Campbell: Thank you so much. Thanks so much.
Show Notes and Podcast Production by James Marland
