A Fresh Start With an Uncertain Runway
After relocating to Arizona from Texas — where he had successfully built and sold his previous practice — Dr. Eric Cerré, NMD, set out to build a new naturopathic practice specializing in pain treatment through trigger point injections. Starting over meant starting from scratch on referrals and patient volume, and by late 2012 the practice’s cash flow runway was diminishing faster than new patients were arriving.
Marketing Without a System
Dr. Cerré engaged Waters Business Consulting Group in late 2012 to help accelerate revenue growth before the runway ran out. The core problem was that inconsistent revenue simply wasn’t enough to support overhead and provide stable compensation. There was no clearly defined marketing strategy or set of implementation objectives, no structured external marketing support to help drive patient volume, and no clear brand identity to help a specialized pain-treatment practice stand out and attract new patients. Subcontractor relationships lacked documented agreements defining expectations, and the practice had yet to build the visibility a specialized service needs to generate consistent referrals.
Building Referral Channels and Formal Structure
WBCG worked with Dr. Cerré on a weekly basis over the following three years, developing and implementing strategy across marketing, hiring, and overall business structure. That started with the unglamorous but essential work of formalizing the business: marketing project descriptions and subcontractor agreements that clearly outlined scope, compensation, and expectations, along with offer letters for marketing and office personnel.
On the growth side, WBCG helped Dr. Cerré establish referral partnerships with attorneys to connect accident patients directly with his specialized pain treatment services, and developed targeted referral strategies aimed at physicians and legal professionals — two of the most reliable sources of consistent patient flow for a specialty practice. The team also contributed to branded marketing collateral and promotional materials, working with outsourced marketing and graphic design firms on logos, brand identity, website, and content, while maintaining multi-year advisory support to keep implementation consistent rather than sporadic.
The Results: Stability, Then Independence
The numbers reflect a practice turning the corner. In 2012, net profit represented roughly 53% of total revenue. Forecasted revenue for 2013 rose to approximately $225,293, up from $153,256 in 2012, with forecasted net profit climbing to approximately $119,909 from $81,437. Within 2013 alone, monthly revenue was projected to grow from roughly $14,475 in January to $27,318 in December — a trajectory that reflected the referral and marketing systems taking hold.
By the time the engagement wound down in late 2015, Dr. Cerré had increased patient count and revenue enough to fully support business operations while generating strong profitability and stable compensation — positioning him for an eventual retirement. Just as importantly, he was able to run the practice independently going forward, alongside support from his wife, with the administrative and marketing infrastructure in place to sustain it.
Ready to Stabilize and Grow Your Practice?
A great clinical reputation doesn’t automatically translate into a stable, growing practice — that takes marketing systems, referral strategy, and financial structure working together. A free consultation is a good first step to find out what’s missing in yours.
Contact Waters Business Consulting Group to schedule a free consultation.
