Ever since the beginning of Durham Road Physiotherapy Clinic in 1997, Chris Ferguson has worked as the company owner, the physiotherapist and also completing anything else that was required, all with a little help from a few other individuals. As a highly qualified physiotherapist, Chris was almost completing her job too well, with very few customers returning to the practise after completion of their programme due to complete healing of the injury and experiencing no reoccurrence. Chris soon realised that the company needed to market itself to new customers and clients.
The vision Chris has for the company is to aim to help local companies within the North East to reduce costs of musculoskeletal disorders at work. The objective was to educate organisations on how much each sickness period would cost, per employee, for musculoskeletal disorders, how these could be avoided through workplace assessments, and the services on offer to help an individual employee that suffers this kind of ailment.
Realising that this would require a great deal of marketing to create awareness within the local and surrounding areas, Chris approached Teesside University to see if they could support her through this difficult time. Teesside University arranged interviews with some graduates for the position before deciding Andrew Reader, a graduate of MSc Marketing Management at the university, was the ideal candidate. I was appointed within the organisation for a period of ten weeks, with the aim of raising the profile of the clinic; try to get Durham Road Physiotherapy Clinic a household name within organisations of the North East, to become the preferred referrer for all physiotherapy needs, and to increase the number of customers actually entering the clinic in need of Physiotherapy. It was discussed that I could use the theoretical knowledge I had gained through my university degree and masters courses to meet these objectives. This ten week graduate placement was beneficial for both Chris and me; Chris was provided with an individual with professional knowledge and an expertise in marketing, while I was provided with the unique opportunity to gain the essential experience that I had previously been unable to achieve to kick-start his career in the marketing world.
As a long term member of the DCM, a decision was made to produce a presentation highlighting the Clinic and the benefits it can offer to other DCM members at Hardwick Hall in Durham. Having never prepared or delivered a public presentation before, this was the first hurdle that I had to overcome. Although I have spent two years teaching in China; that seemed like ‘a walk in the park’ compared to what was facing me at this time. Emails and telephone calls back-and-forth with Paul Lawton of DCM established what was required and what could possibly be expected. A presentation was produced and the day of reckoning arrived. Arriving at Hardwick Hall, I hunted around for some inspiration, however due to traffic problems, Paul was running late and was unable to provide any, so deep breathes were called for. The event started, I drunk more and more water, and then it was time for the presentation. Chris started by ensuring members were sat in their chairs correctly, illustrating that everybody had to imagine a helium balloon attached to their head, and members were encouraged to let it take their posture and to straighten their spine. Once everyone was sat up straight and their attention was gained, it was time for the presentation. All anxiety needed to be put at the back of my mind, and it was time to concentrate! Thankfully, the presentation was a success, even with a little stutter halfway through. After the event, some companies approached Chris asking her how Durham Road Physiotherapy Clinic could help their individual companies.
This is the start of the task that I was employed for, but there is still a long way to go, but at least it is a good start. Durham Road Physiotherapy Clinic will be at the DCM event “Meet the Professionals” at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland on 26 May, please feel free to come along and say hello…you never know, we might be able to help you too!
Andrew Reader
Sales & Marketing
Durham Road Physiotherapy Clinic – 01642 896141