Don’t Judge What Your Customer Is Willing To Pay

Yesterday I had a brief but rememberable conversation. I talked to a physical therapist who owns a small but interdisciplinary medical training center. The medical training center is offering physical therapy as the major health service. In Germany, the public health insurance is covering physical therapy. As a result, all patients of her physical therapy are accustomed to getting the health service without paying for it.

In addition to the physical therapy, her medical training center is offering different medical training programs. These programs are a useful addition to the mere physical therapy which in fact improve the therapy results. However, these programs are fee-based. Patients who so far were used to free health services have to pay, i.e., €80 per month for the medical training.

Physical therapists — as she underlined — often have negative beliefs about selling those fee-based but absolutely useful medical training programs. Consequently, most physical therapists don’t like to sell those medical training programs even though they actually improve the healing process and the therapy results of the patient.

She doesn’t have the money for it anyway…

In one instance one of her physical therapists said: “Well, the patient doesn’t have the money for it anyway…” 

He judged and assumed that the patient, who indeed wasn’t wealthy, didn’t want to spend the money on the training program.

She replied: “How do you know she doesn’t have the money for it? It’s not so much a matter of price. It’s rather whether the medical training program and therefore her health is worth the money to her.”

As the story goes on, the patient indeed did sign up for the €80 per month medical training program. She wasn’t rich by any means and — in fact — she earned a menial wage. Nevertheless, she decided that her health and wellbeing is well worth the €80 / month. She probably re-prioritized some of her less important expenses to better spend these €80 on her health instead.

Resumé

Long story short: if what you’re selling is well worth the price, don’t exclude some people just because of your preconceived perceptions of what they are able or willing to pay. If what you’re offering is really worth it, people can and will reschedule their budget. Especially when it comes to their health and wellbeing.