How to answer: ‘How much does it cost’ on the phone.

Ringggggggggggg. Ringgggggggggggggggggggg. Ringgggggggggggggggggggggggg!

You rush to the phone because a phone call usually means another patient. And as a business owner, another patient means potentially $500-600 in revenue for a simple case.

Sometimes, it's $1000+ if it's a complex case.

You pick up the phone and the voice of another human opens from the other end...

'Hey do you help much with lower back pain?'

You answer, 'Yes, of course I do... I'm a physiotherapist!'

'Okay how much do you charge?'

Your heart drops. Every time you get to this question, it gets awkward.

'Uhhhhh... $140 for an initial and $120 for subsequents.'

There's a pause.

'Okay, thanks - I'll think about it.' The phone hangs up and you never hear from them again.

This is an all too common scenario that happens in almost every service based business - not just in physiotherapy.

And there are some sales trainers who said you should never reveal your price until you've shown them what you offer.

But as a consumer, I'm the type of buyer that feels like the other person is being shady if they start to conceal their price.

At the same time, I appreciate the idea of not revealing your price until they can see what you provide. Because sometimes, there are people who would reconsider their investment if you showed the value they get.

For example, if I showed you an iPhone on its' own, without explaining its function and connectivity to the iMac, the iPad, iTunes and all the extra benefits, and priced it at $2000, you would laugh at my face.

But if I showed you all its functions, and you understood why it's $2000... well, now you have more information to consider your investment.

So the question is - how do we do this on a phone call?

Let me show you a tactic that I have used several times throughout my career.

Ring ring.

'Hey do you help much with lower back pain?' faceless voice asks.

'Hey thanks for calling - can you tell me a little more about how it happened?' I reply.

'Well, I was gardening this morning and I felt a pop in my back when I bent over to pick up a plant. It was okay at the time, but it's been 3 hours and now I feel sharp pain in my back and I can't bend over without pain.'

'I see, and are you experiencing any pins and needles or burning down the leg? The reason I ask is because sometimes depending on how severe it is, it might be better off going to the emergency room.'

'No... nothing like that. It just hurts.'

'Okay great, based off what you've told me - this is likely something I can help you with, but I'll have to take a look at you properly first. When would you like to come in?'

From here, there's two ways it'll go. 

'Is there anything for [x] day?' You book in, and it's all good to go. Option 1.

'How much does it cost?'

Here's where you have to be honest but also savvy.

'It depends on the severity of your injury, but most patients with lower back pain get better within 5-6 sessions. An initial consult which includes the assessment, treatment and a plan is $150 but if you have private health care, it'll be cheaper. Follow-up consults are $120 and private health care should cover that too.'

From here, it'll go two ways again.

'Okay book me in for [time].' Option 1.

OR.

'Okay thanks, I'll think about it.' Option 2.

Just remember, if someone asks 'how much does it cost' and follows up with 'okay, I'll think about it.'

They're trying to come to terms with the cost.

So, if you can either let them go. Or... you ask...

'Okay no problem, since you've got me on the phone anyway - what other factors are you thinking about?'

From here, it'll go at least two ways again.

'Nothing else.' Option 1. You can let them go at this point because you're probably busy and you don't want to be spending time convincing people on the phone.

OR.

'I'm just not sure I can afford that much.' Option 2.

Now you can deliver more value.

'No I understand, and that's why we tailor your treatment plan to what you need including your budget. Are you on private health care?'

'No I'm not,' they reply.

'Okay what you can do is go to your local GP and ask for a Care Plan for physiotherapy - that should give you 5 sessions that covers about $50 of the fee. So all you have to do is pay the gap.'

Most people will understand and be happy to proceed from there.

However, if they still struggle still - here's what you can say. 

'No problem, if that's the case - we can work out a plan that helps you with as little sessions as possible. You'll just have to do as much rehab on your own. So you might only need to come in 2-3 times if you follow the plan. How does that sound to you?'

If they say 'good' - book them in.

If they say 'I'll need time' - just let them go. You've done your part and it's probably not worth your time.

Now let me breakdown why this works. 

From the moment I receive the call - I am focused on two things.

1. Control the conversation.

2. Deliver value.

What does it mean to control the conversation?

You should be the one asking questions primarily. The moment someone calls in, you want to re-direct the conversation so you guide them. The moment you answer their question, take control by asking something back. 

If someone says 'can you help me with [x]?'

Never ever say yes right away because almost everyone does. To really stand out - you need to find out whether you can. And the way you do that is by exploring their symptoms on the phone.

How do you deliver value?

Once you're in control, you have to deliver value. As you can see in my example, I am educating the patient not only on their condition, but also work arounds of their budget. These are honest solutions that even if they weren't signing up with you, would help them in their pain journey.

Secondly, the act of delivering value is achieves the same effect as running someone through the iPhone features and benefits. The impact of the cost feels less in the second conversation because I've taken 5-10 minutes to educate them. Suddenly the same price doesn't seem as pricey.

In Conclusion

Not just in the physiotherapy industry, but in all service based industries - the 'cost' question is usually always met with dread. If you know how to take control of a conversation and exactly what to say, you don't have to dread it at all.

You don't have to be afraid of this question because this is a buying question. This means 'I'm ready to buy, but I just want to make sure I have the money.' So once you make them see that it's financially viable - they're most likely going to buy.

P.S If you want to learn more trust-based selling, I have a 90-minute Masterclass that teaches you concepts from my LIVE lectures. You can click on the link below to access it

https://phillipliao246.activehosted.com/f/19

Wishing you success,

Phil