The Real Barriers to Growth: Simplicity, Leadership and Confident Pricing
In a recent provider coaching call, a recurring pattern showed up across multiple clinics: most growth problems aren’t clinical problems at all. They come from overexplaining, unclear leadership, and underpriced services. These issues slow clinics down more than any lack of skill or expertise.
Here’s a breakdown of the major insights that came out of the discussion and how you can apply them inside your own practice.
Simplicity Sells More Than Complexity
Several providers on the call shared a similar challenge: long evaluations, overwhelmed parents and too many questions slowing down the flow of care.
The common theme? Doctors are explaining too much, too soon.
Even when parents are impressed by your knowledge, they can still walk out confused. And as Dr. Josh reminded everyone, a confused person doesn’t say yes.
The solution is to simplify the first visit.
Focus on:
Primitive reflexes
Key energy or metabolic concerns
Balance and vestibular findings
Eye movements
Show them what you found. Explain what it means for their child. Set a clear plan. That’s it.
Families can absolutely learn more over time, but day one isn’t the place for a crash course in neurology or functional medicine. Clarity drives conversions. Complexity delays them.
Culture Comes First, Then Delegation
Another topic that took center stage was clinic culture. One practice shared how addressing a chronically underperforming team member completely shifted morale almost overnight.
This led to a broader conversation about leadership, and the message was clear:
Your systems don’t stand a chance if your culture is weak.
Clinics that scale have:
Clearly defined values
Transparent expectations
The willingness to coach or correct early
The confidence to make necessary staffing changes
Once your culture is solid, delegation becomes easier and more effective. Tasks like vital signs, balance testing, pre-screening and data collection should be done by staff, not the doctor. This frees you up to focus on the part only you can do: evaluating, planning and communicating.
Clinics also shared how recording workflows and exams has helped them train new team members faster and create a library of internal SOPs. With consent, these recordings even become excellent marketing and educational content.
Pricing, Sales, and Training New Providers
The final part of the call shifted to pricing and team growth, and this is where many clinics discover they’re limiting themselves without realizing it.
One of the most important insights shared:
If your close rate is over 70 percent, you might be undercharging.
A high close rate means families want what you offer. But it also means your prices probably don’t reflect your expertise, time, or demand.
Some practical takeaways discussed:
Raise prices consistently over time
Allow families to prepay for next year at the current rate
Consider offering a small “sign today” discount for in-office commitment
Accept that fewer sign-ups at a higher price can still mean more revenue and better care
On the training side, don’t rebuild the wheel. The best clinics purchase foundational functional medicine and neurology courses for their new providers, then reinforce that training through shadowing and documented workflows.
And most importantly: people learn best when they understand the “why.” Providers who grasp the purpose behind their training are far more motivated and engaged than those who only receive lists of tasks.
Final Thoughts
This coaching call highlighted something many clinic owners eventually discover: growth depends far more on simplicity, leadership and pricing confidence than on adding more skills or tools.
When you simplify your message, reinforce your culture, delegate effectively and price yourself appropriately, your clinic becomes easier to run and easier to grow.
If you want support implementing systems like these inside your practice, our coaching program can help you build the structure, clarity, and momentum you need.
If you’re ready to scale with confidence, reach out and join our coaching group.