[INTERVIEW]
Ronda Nelson: I talk to practitioners all the time who say: “I’m doing all the marketing. I’m trying to be on social media. I don’t know where else to get my people.” And I say, “Well, what are you selling? What are you doing? What are you offering?” They say, “Well… I just help everyone.” I talked about this two weeks ago. We’re gonna talk about it again today. You have to have some kind of an offer. If you don’t have an offer and you are just a generalist, you’re never going to be able to convert those people. Today we’re gonna dive deep on how to create an offer. How to communicate a concept, a transformation, and an outcome versus communicating their credit card in a fee-for-service transaction. Because people do not want a consultation. They want an outcome and a transformation. And today I’m gonna show you how to do just that. Let’s go.
Welcome to the Clinical Entrepreneur Podcast. I’m Ronda, your no-fluff, tell-it-like-it-is business bestie for wellness practitioners just like you who want to build a practice you love, make a bigger impact, and a little money while you’re at it. So if you’re ready to ditch the overwhelm, attract your dream ideal patients, and finally run your practice with complete confidence, you’re in the right place. Each week we’re tackling things from programs to patient retention to marketing strategies that actually work — sprinkled, of course, with a little sass, a lot of heart, and the step-by-step strategies that will help you get there. So grab your cup of coffee, your notebook, or whatever keeps you going, and let’s build a practice you love and a life you love together.
Welcome back to the podcast. I’m glad you’re here. This is Ronda. For those of you that have been around forever, you already know when you hear my voice. I have so many people who say, “I keep saying I’m gonna make T-shirts — ‘What would Ronda do? What would Ronda say?'” I have so many people tell me, “I hear your voice in my head about bioidentical hormones, or about upper digestion, or about creating an offer.” I’m like, oh, I’m living in your back pocket. I hope that it’s working out for you. So here I am in your back pocket again. We’re gonna talk about offers today.
I alluded to this to some degree a couple weeks ago, and I wanted to land on this rock a little bit longer for you. Most of you listening — in fact, I would venture to say the majority of you listening — are not inside Clinical Business Academy. If you are in Clinical Business Academy, you know that is the place where we get stuff done in your business. We install the operating system that’s gonna help your business run and grow and make money. And that’s what we’re here for. It’s not only about that. We certainly want to help the patients. But we have to make an income because, as I mentioned a couple weeks ago, otherwise, my friend, you just have a very time-consuming hobby. And I don’t want you to have that. I do not want that.
So we’re gonna talk about an offer today. This episode is gonna get a little — not intense, but I’m gonna go over a lot. So if you want, hit pause. Find a pen and paper, a notebook. You might want to take some notes because this episode is gonna get a little spicy. I’m gonna give you lots of good information.
Here’s what happens. We go to school. We learn all the things. We learn all the what. We learn the physiology. We get the degree, the credential, the license. We have all of the things. And we just think, “Okay. I got it. I’m good now. I got it.” Then we have to go open a business. We think, “All right, I gotta have an LLC — or maybe not.” I’m surprised how many practitioners are still operating as sole proprietors, which is a tax nightmare. You’re losing all your money to taxes. But nonetheless, you start your business. You have to have a name and a logo. Then you need a website. You gotta get a place. Then you have to have software, equipment, tables. Then you have to get your GMB going. There are all the things you have to do. It’s a lot. And no one ever taught you how to do that. That’s problem number one. We didn’t learn that in school. So you’re kind of flying blind, by the seat of your pants, figuring it out as you go. It’s building the plane while you fly it. I say that all the time in CBA. It’s okay to build the plane while you fly it — but you kind of have to have an idea what the plane looks like. Otherwise, you’re gonna have a plane with the wings in the wrong places. The nose is down, the tail is up, and everything’s crazy.
So you figure out an hourly rate. “I’m gonna do a new patient appointment, and then I’m gonna do follow-ups. Maybe the follow-ups are 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes.” Okay. The patients come in. They come for the new patient appointment. Then they come in again. And then they kind of just disappear. You think, “Oh my gosh, what happened? Mary’s not calling me back. I’ve emailed her. I’ve called her. She’s not coming in. I hope she’s okay.” But she ghosted you. She’s not picking up supplements. She’s not doing anything. We’ve all had it happen.
Then we have an empty spot in our schedule and we think, “Oh my gosh, I gotta get more new people.” Let me ask you a question. If you think about the last six months and the number of people you’ve seen — if every single one of them was still continuing to come in, and you had the new people coming in through referrals, social media, your website, local networking — if all of those people were still active in your practice, 100%, and you hadn’t lost one person… would you have holes in your schedule? Unless you’re brand spanking new to functional medicine and just opened your practice, I would argue your schedule would look really good. The problem is people drop off. And they drop off because the fee-for-service model doesn’t work like it used to. It used to work when people had more discretionary income. I hate to say it — it just doesn’t work as well now.
You might say, “Well, it works for me.” Great. I’m so glad it works for you. Keep doing it. But I would ask that you be open to another possibility — maybe something additional you could consider in your practice. When you have something you can offer for a fixed price — one fee — and it includes X, Y, Z, which is what we’re gonna talk about today, you then have another income stream. And nobody’s gonna fuss about that.
When the patient comes in and every time they have to pay for your time and the supplements — kaching, kaching, kaching — husbands all over the world get sick of the kachinging. They’re like, “Why are you still going to that chiropractor? It’s a $200 bill every time you come out.” And then she can’t come anymore. I’ve lost people like that before. What if it was just one fee, one time, and you promised them — or delivered — an outcome? When they don’t know what the outcome looks like, it creates uncertainty. “How long am I gonna have to keep doing this? How long am I gonna have to keep paying this?” And the spouse is over here going, “You better wrap that business up because we’re going broke over there.” But if it was a one-time thing and they knew what they were getting? Totally different. I’ve seen it. I’ve seen it. I’ve seen it. It works.
So we’re gonna talk about getting away from the transactional model and moving into some kind of program or offer that is non-transactional. Transactions always feel like an expense. Transformations feel like an investment. And I really want you to get that. When it’s transactional, it feels like an expense on your debit card. But when there’s a transformation, it feels like an investment. “I’m investing in my health.” That’s a completely different mindset.
So let’s talk about what makes up a compelling offer. There are five elements. Number one: a compelling offer solves one specific problem. Not “I help everyone.” That is not a problem. That is not in the dictionary. The problem is: “I am a burned-out, exhausted mom.” So what’s the problem you solve? “I help exhausted moms figure out why they’re tired all the time and get their energy back.” That’s it. You could solve multiple problems. But if you’re gonna have an offer, it can’t be “I solve problems for everyone.” One problem.
Number two: a clear outcome. What will be different after they work with you? They have to picture the result. Are they bending over with no pain? No more headaches? Less stress? More energy? Losing weight? Pooping better? No bloating? No heartburn? What’s the outcome? Don’t say, “We’re gonna work on your hormones.” No. Say, “You’re gonna wake up with energy. Your brain fog and hot flashes are gonna be gone. You’ll actually want to exercise again.” As a menopausal woman? Yes. Sign me up. I’ll give you my credit card and my firstborn. That’s an outcome.
Number three: a defined container. How long does it take? What’s the structure? Twelve weeks. Six appointments. Email support. Personalized weekly protocols. Basic labs. What are they getting? If you charge $3,000 and they ask, “What do I get?” and you say, “Three appointments,” they do the math and they’re out the door. There has to be stuff in the container. How is it delivered? How often? Zoom? In person? Resources? Videos? Supplements included? Spell it out.
Number four: price. The price has to reflect the value. Not what you think it’s worth — what it’s worth to them. You are going to shortchange yourself. I know you. Is getting their energy back worth $1,499? $997? $1,249? What would it be worth to you for six weeks to get your energy back? Price it based on the transformation. Period.
Number five: a reason to say yes. Not fake scarcity. Keep your integrity. But there needs to be a reason to make a decision. Maybe you’re only taking five people. Then say so — and stick to it. Maybe it’s a cohort. Maybe there’s an early bird. I don’t love discounts, but early birds work. Give them a reason to act now.
Why do this? Because it gets better results for the patient. They’re committed. They don’t disappear after two visits. You get the revenue. They get the outcome. It’s a win-win. It’s less mental load for you. You’re not constantly adjusting protocols or chasing follow-ups. And it has a higher perceived value. Expense versus investment. That shift matters.
So how do you build it? Number one: know who you’re talking to. If it’s hot flashes, you’re talking to menopausal women. What keeps them up at night? What have they tried? How do they describe their problem? I remember standing in my closet looking at my sweaters thinking, “I’m never gonna wear a sweater again.” That’s the emotion. Speak to that.
Name it. The Hot Flash Reset. Bye-Bye Hot Flashes. The Gut Reset Protocol. Define the outcome clearly. By the end of six weeks, daily bowel movements without laxatives. No bloating after meals. Enjoy your food again. That’s sexy — even if it’s about poop.
Design the container. Six weeks? Three-week cleanse? Ninety days? Six months? I have practitioners with six-month programs for $8,500. And people say yes. You are not the judge of their wallet. Say the price. They get to choose.
Price it based on perceived value. Get in their shoes. Feel it. Would you pay $1,497 for a three-week cleanse? I wouldn’t. But $450? $475? Maybe. There’s psychology behind it.
Give it a name. Restore Your Energy. Six Weeks to Better Sleep. Hormone Harmony. It makes it easier to talk about.
If you’re thinking, “What if I don’t know what to include? What if nobody buys it?” — start somewhere. It does not have to be perfect. Ask the CBA people. They tweaked it. Adjusted it. It’s not failure. It’s information. Start with something simple. A 21-day purification. A two-week cleanse. Add a Facebook group. A Zoom call. Get a win under your belt. You’re gonna bumble around the first time. That’s how we learn. Did you get functional medicine right every time when you started? I’ve been at this 20-plus years. I’ve missed cases. Totally missed them. You’re not gonna get it right the first time. Perfectionists — put it under the rug and just go do it. Shoot for B-minus work.
If you’re struggling to fill your schedule, and you’ve been posting and marketing and trying to build your business, it might be the fee-for-service model. When you create an outcome-based transformation that solves a specific problem — hot flashes, energy, digestion, bloating — that is often the best way to get people to say yes. Because transactions feel like an expense. Transformations feel like an investment.
[CLOSING]
Ronda Nelson: If you want to figure out where the gaps are in your practice, download the free resource. It’s called The Practice Vitals. Go to rondanelson.com/practicevitals — all one word. There are 10 questions. It takes about five minutes. It’s just between you and God. It’s a PDF. Answer the questions. Score yourself. You’ll know where you need help. If you want, get on a call with me. I’ll go over your results and help you create a plan. Go to rondanelson.com/practicestrategy and we’ll chat. Thanks for listening. Go download that resource if you haven’t already. It’s really good. You’re gonna like it. Have a great week. I’ll see you next week on the podcast.
[END]