Business Diagnosis Before Marketing Prescription

It’s something Patrick McFadden and I discussed in this week’s episode of the Podiatry Legends Podcast, and I think it’s one of the most valuable lessons clinic owners can learn.

The Marketing Trap

One of the biggest mistakes I see is clinic owners deciding they need marketing before they know what problem they’re trying to solve.

They’ll say things like:

• “I think I need a new website.”
• “Maybe I should invest in SEO.”
• “I probably need to do more social media.”
• “Perhaps I should run some Google Ads.”

All of those ideas are good, but they’re treatments, not diagnoses. Imagine a patient walking into your clinic and saying, “I think I need orthotics.”

You would never say “yes, you do” until you have assessed them. Then, based on your findings, you would give them your diagnosis and only then prescribe orthotics.

Yet in business, many owners prescribe (Google Ads) before they’ve even examined the symptoms (what does the business require).

What’s Really Going On?

Whenever I work with coaching clients, I spend a lot of time asking questions. Sometimes I know it may seem frustrating for them, but I do this to diagnose the underlying problem before prescribing a solution for the business.

Sometimes they think they have a marketing problem, but in reality, they have a patient retention problem. They have plenty of patients, but they can’t seem to keep them. 

Other times, they believe they need more new patients. After digging deeper, we discovered they’re losing existing patients because their recall systems aren’t working.

Occasionally, they’ll tell me they need more referrals. Instead, we uncover that their referral sources simply haven’t heard from them in eighteen months.

The diagnosis changes everything.

Markets Change… Your Business Should Too

Patrick shared a fantastic story about a handyman business. The owner believed work had dried up because people selling homes were no longer paying for repairs before putting their houses on the market.

Many business owners would have accepted that as the new reality. Instead, they diagnosed what was really happening. The repairs hadn’t disappeared; they’d simply shifted.

Homes were selling so quickly that buyers were now completing the repairs after settlement. It was the same work, just a different customer.

That one insight completely changed their marketing strategy, and it’s a reminder that opportunities rarely disappear altogether. More often than not, they simply move.

The businesses that continue growing are the ones paying attention to what is happening around them; they have their finger on the pulse. 

Clarity Is a Competitive Advantage

Patrick made a statement that immediately resonated with me: “Clarity is a competitive advantage.”

I couldn’t agree more. Many clinic owners have vague ambitions.

• “I’d like more patients.”
• “I’d like to make more money.”
• “I’d like the team to be busier.”

They’re nice ideas, but they’re not clear goals.

Compare that with:

• Increase new patient numbers by 20% over the next twelve months.
• Improve patient retention by 15%.
• Increase average revenue per patient.
• Reduce appointment gaps to less than 5%.

Now every decision about your marketing, reception, clinical systems and patient communications becomes easier.

Everyone knows what success looks like when it happens; it’s no longer vague.

Stop Buying Treatments

The next time someone contacts you and tells you that your business needs:

• a new website
• better SEO
• more social media
• Google Ads
• AI marketing
• Facebook advertising

Just pause for a moment and ask yourself the same question you’d ask a patient.

“What’s the actual problem we’re trying to solve?”

Once you’ve made that diagnosis, the right treatment usually becomes obvious.

Final Thoughts

One reason I enjoyed bringing this conversation back from my 2018 archives is that its message has become even more relevant in 2026.

Since 2018, there have been significant improvements in technology and in how AI is applied in healthcare.

Marketing platforms have changed, and patient expectations have evolved, but good business principles don’t. You must diagnose what is ailing your business before you dive in with the wrong prescription. 

The clinic owners who take the time to understand their business before throwing money at solutions will almost always make better decisions, avoid costly mistakes and build stronger, more profitable clinics.

Ready to Diagnose Your Business?

If you’re feeling stuck, unsure where your next stage of growth will come from, or wondering whether you’re solving the right problems, I’d love to help.

Business coaching isn’t about giving generic advice. It’s about diagnosing what’s happening in your clinic, identifying the real opportunities, and creating a strategy that fits your goals.

If you’d like to find out more, please visit www.tysonfranklin.com or email me at tf@tysonfranklin.com. 

Or, if you just want to make more money in podiatry, we can talk about that as well.