If you think that where you locate your office doesn’t matter, you are wrong.  Research has

"Beyond the Wall" by Giuseppe Bognanni

shown that the location of your office can make or break your private practice.

The reason location matters is that clients are put off by the perception of geographic barriers.  Common geographic barriers include:

• Major highways and thoroughfares;
• Major landmarks such as a mall, airport, park, or university;
• County and state lines;
• Significant bodies or streams of water;
• Different neighborhood or different town;
• Socio-economic differences;
• Lack of visibility;
• Difficult parking – this includes the need to pay for parking;
• General difficulty in getting to your office – this could be heavy traffic, road construction, or just a complicated route.

Before you accept the really “great” rental fee for your potential office, don’t forget to take these geographical barriers into the savings.  If you are losing too many clients, you may want to reconsider!

What other geographic barriers can you think of that might cause a potential client to see a different therapist?