Free guide · for allied health clinic owners
6 ways to get new patients into your diary
Which methods are aimed at next week’s diary, which build demand that takes longer, and what to check on each one this week.
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Clinics we’ve worked with
The free guide
There is no one lever. Each method works for the purpose it was built for, and fades when nobody works it.
When the white space in the diary comes from too few new patients, the fix is an engine for acquiring them. Most marketing advice sells one piece of that engine. The guide lays out all six pieces, sorted into the ones that fill the diary now and the ones that build demand for later, so you can see which of yours are running and which have gone quiet.
“There is no one lever that you can pull that’s going to generate new patients for you forever and a day.”
Shane Gunaratnam, in the video the guide is built from
Inside the guide
One page on each of the six methods, a short list to work through this week, and a two-minute score of your own clinic at the end.
- Now and future, side by side: which methods are aimed at next week’s diary and which build demand that takes longer
- Google Ads, including the agency fee to put next to last month’s spend with Google
- Walk-by traffic and signage: your clinic the way a stranger walking past sees it
- Word of mouth that starts at the first appointment, not six weeks in
- Search on Google and AI tools: whether you appear when someone searches your service and suburb, or asks ChatGPT
- Referrers: who sent you patients in the last three months, and what went back to them
- Sponsorships and partnerships: the difference between paying a club and turning up every week
- A two-minute score of your engine: each area 0, 1 or 2, a now total and a future total, and what each total tells you
Free. It opens on the next page and a copy comes by email.
The six methods, one page each
Four fill the diary now. Two build demand for the future. Each page ends with a few things to look at in your own clinic this week.
Now
Google Ads
Someone in pain searches “physio near me”, clicks one of the first results and, if the page feels right, books. People with acute pain do not spend long shopping around.
“Your next new patient is most likely to come from Google search.”
Now
Walk-by traffic and signage
The people walking past are your locals. A clinic with poor signage, an empty front desk or a door nobody can find loses them before they know it exists. A sign goes up once and stays there for a long time.
“You’ve got to get out of the room, you’ve got to go and spread that message.”
Now
Word of mouth
It starts at the initial appointment: the partner sitting in the room, the patient who is clearly doing well. When you are doing an excellent job for a new patient, you can ask them directly.
“It’s an opportunity to get that patient into your diary.”
Now
Search and AI search
How a clinic gets found without paying for each click, on Google and in AI tools. The slowest of the now methods to show results, and it needs keeping up, but it builds on itself. If someone asks ChatGPT for a local clinic, you want it to suggest yours.
“This is the meat in the sandwich. This is the stuff nobody wants to do because it’s effortful.”
Future
Referrers
Most owners were never taught the process. Reach out to high-quality referrers who match what you do, then keep something going back to them. Relationships fade when nothing does.
“That’s future demand being created.”
Future
Sponsorships and partnerships
Paying a club for its signage and never turning up rarely gets the money back. Giving something of value to a local organisation and showing up every week is a different proposition.
“Giving them a physio who turns up every week at training for the value of $5,000 is a different proposition.”
Quoted lines are Shane Gunaratnam’s, from the video the guide is built from.
Two fields. The guide opens straight away.
Owners who’ve done this work
What clinic owners say about working with Shane
“My individual mentoring sessions with Shane over the past year have helped my practice grow from a solo operation to a small team of five. When I have felt out of my depth, he has helped me navigate the issues with a personalised and collaborative approach that has respected and honoured my own personal values and business vision.”
Samantha King — Physiotherapist, True Balance Physio
“Shane’s course was a game-changer. It gave me the exact tools I needed to sharpen my business and streamline operations. The structure was clear, the insights were practical, and I walked away with strategies I wouldn’t have figured out on my own.”
Jonathan Sandler — Director & Principal Physiotherapist, Unbreakable Physiotherapy
“I’ve had the privilege of working closely with Shane for over six years — from our early days as partners at Life Ready to seeking his advice just last week. Shane has always brought a unique perspective, combining strategic insight with a genuine care for growth. His guidance has been instrumental in helping me thrive, both professionally and personally.”
Leon Green — Managing Executive, Life Ready Maribyrnong
Get the guide
For clinic owners with white space in the diary, or who would rather not rely on one source of new patients. Enter your first name and email: the guide opens on the next page, and a copy comes to your inbox.
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