We have about 20 clinics in various stages of the listing process right now, so it’s going to be a quick read today! It concerns is a scenario I bet a lot of you potential sellers can identify with. You have owned this clinic for years- likely decades. You invested in furniture and décor and paint and buildout when it was all new and exciting, and maybe gave it a few updates here and there over the years.
But at some point it stopped making sense to you to invest more money into the look of this clinic. Your patients are coming for treatment- they don’t care what art you have on the walls (besides, those chiropractic posters have great messages you want them to remember!) And when you think of selling your clinic, the new doctor will only be interested in how much money the thing makes. No one really cares about how it looks, as long as it is relatively clean and functional, right?
Wrong.
I have another, very important factor for you to consider. The look of success. Put simply, every potential buyer who looks at your landing page, much less steps into your clinic, is going to picture themselves as the owner of this business. They are excited, ready to pour themselves into this business. To be the business owner, the clinic director.
Will your clinic, in its current state, fill them with a sense of pride? I am betting you can emotionally connect to what this young doctor is going to feel, and what you would want to feel in their shoes. Do what it takes to make them feel that way. Here are a few ideas:
- Use better photos. See this article for specifics.
- Take a day or a weekend (or every weekend for a month if that’s what it takes) and eliminate visual clutter. In both photos and office visits clutter portrays a look of chaos and dysfunction- also known as the opposite of how your potential buyer wants to feel
- Invest in the look and feel of your clinic. At a minimum invest in an update for first impressions. A welcoming entrance with oversized potted plants at your door and fresh paint and current décor in the reception area will set the mood for your clinic, and make prospective buyers feel that this clinic is in line with how they want to see themselves
The psychology of this matters. When it comes down to a choice between your clinic and the next guys, the “feel” the potential buyer gets could very well be the deciding factor.
Let us know if you do an update- we’d love to feature before and after pictures!
Cheers,
Crystal
