Pearls of Wisdom (On the ‘House’)

We’re happy to share with you some of the best marketing advice available from the professionals who provide that valuable information for a living. This issue’s installment contains some powerful strategies to help you get and keep more new patients - and there’s plenty more where that came from. Next month’s edition - and issues throughout the year - will include more great ideas from more top consultants and chiropractic companies. To contact any of the firms listed in this special section, be sure to check out our website at www.chiroeco.com. Specifically, you’ll find addresses, phone numbers, faxes, e-mail addresses, website links, etc., in our new, easier-to-use “Marketplace” section. As an added bonus, you’ll find breaking news (both chiropractic news and general health news), current and back-issue editorial, and more. If you have questions about the site or other inquiries, please contact us at chiroeco@chiroeco.com.

From Our Readers...

X-Ray Visionary
Our most successful marketing idea ever was to have patients pick up their X-rays before we disposed of them. We received the best response compared to any program we ever did. We were running out of storage room, and after seven years, New Jersey law allows you to dispose of the films. Dr. Darsel Jackson, our associate at the time, made up a neat letter to send to all patients who were eligible. We offered a free exam to those who came to pick up the films. The response was outstanding, as patients considered the films “part of them,” and wanted them for their records.
Dr. Mark S. Kemenosh
Laurel Springs, N.J.

Making Lemons Out of Lemonade
This marketing idea is one that was borne out of frustration with an everyday occurrence. We are always getting wrong phone numbers for other large local businesses. My CA decided that every wrong phone call would receive the following conversation: “No, this is not 84 Lumber; however you are lucky to be calling on our ‘Wrong Number Week.’ Because you’ve called today, we are offering you a free consultation and exam and a chance to meet Dr. Hornickel. I will also be giving you the correct phone number for 84 Lumber. What time would you like to meet the doctor to discuss your health?” We’ve only done it for a short time and have already had some very positive results from this situation; and to think we used to consider wrong numbers to be a nuisance.
Dr. Howard Hornickel
Washington, Pa.

A Penny for Your Health?
We send out a postcard to those patients whom we haven’t heard from for awhile, stating that “For the next 30 days, if you come in for a scheduled check-up and we find nothing wrong with you that we need to fix, the check-up is only $.01” (free services can be legal trouble in Nebraska). We do our standard interim examination on them, and most often, they have some problems that they have been ignoring or didn’t know about. We then consult with them about those problems, set up a treatment plan, and they are quite grateful. We do the same for school sports injuries in which the parents and coaches “just aren’t sure how hurt the athlete is.”
Dr. S.W. Engen
Kearney, Neb.

The Gathering Place
The average chiropractor will still pay rent on his or her office space from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., even though the office is closed. There may be groups in your community looking for a place to hold their meetings, which usually take place on weeknights and Saturdays. If you open up your reception area as a meeting place, it would mean a stream of people who could learn more about what you do just by being in your office and picking up literature available in your reception area.
Dr. Howard Cohn
Newport Beach, Calif.

A Powerful Way to Say ‘Thank You’
When a patient is referred by an MD or DO, we send a thank you. Here is the difference: We have the patient sign the card. This way, the MD or DO receives a personalized thank you from his or her patient. This is a subtle and powerful way to stimulate a referral relationship.
Dr. E. Daniel Fuzer
Cinnaminson, N.J.

Nutritionally Speaking
We market nutritional products and services by doing the following in the reception area:
• hanging posters of nutritional interest;
• hanging posters of nutritional deficiencies due to
prescription drugs;
• hanging pictures of Darkfield and Dried Blood Analysis with comments of conditions and before and after results;
• hanging a picture of a microscope on the wall.
The interest has greatly improved patient retention and referrals.
Dr. Harold Steinberg
Santa Fe, N.M.

Getting to Know You...
My best and most effective way of attracting new patients is to be “Dr. Jim” 24/7. I do this by wearing chiropractic T-shirts, chiropractic jackets, chiropractic polo shirts, etc., and signing everything with “Dr. Jim.” I am active in local sports clubs, president of a local soccer club, help with our regional minor league pro team, teach skiing for a local club, and work with my community in safety and emergency committees, always as Dr. Jim. It is amazing how many new patients I end up getting, because of the conversations that they start during these activities or at the store, mall or at lunch. It is a very cost-effective return on investment (ROI) for my marketing dollars. Always be ready, and they will ask.
Dr. Jim Warner
Keizer, Oreg.

A Rose By Any Other Name...
Would Still Be Marketing
I have once a month (never on the same day of the month) when I give each female practice member a rose. Many of my practice members say that it was the first flower they had received in a long time. I’m a firm believer in one-on-one patient communication and building the doctor-patient
relationship.
Dr. Robert Skouson
Lapeer, Mich.

Giving Thanks Through Chiropractic
When I opened my practice right out of school, I had no money for advertising (or anything else for that matter). I had no extra money to offer each Sunday in the offering in church, so I contacted the pastor at the church and offered free chiropractic services to the ministers and their families as my weekly gift. This was a true gift, and I expected nothing in return. After educating them on chiropractic, they have become lifelong patients and they have referred more patients than I could ever count.
Dr. Jerry Jones
Cambridge, Ohio n

From the Experts...

The Name Game
The most important sound to most people is the sound of their name. When I began my first practice in a small New England town, I told my patients that if they ever saw me in public and I couldn’t call them by name, they were entitled to a free adjustment. Everyone loved the game. Often, a patient and a family member or friend would see me and my patient would ask, “What’s my name?” We would all laugh and I would try to respond correctly. Many of their family members and friends became my patients as well. On a side note, eight years after selling that practice, I was back in the small New England town and a former patient cornered me in the grocery store and asked, “What’s my name?” (I did remember her name.)
Dr. William M. Austin/Foot Levelers, Inc.

Goodwill Comes in Small Packages
Objective: To meet and make an impression on as many people as possible in the vicinity of your office. Introduce yourself with a small gift in hand. Action steps: Choose a gift and attach a card with your business listed on one side, and an offer for a free exam and/or an invitation to a special workshop on wellness on the other side. The gift may be: Chiro Cookies, animal crackers, or trail mix that you place in a plastic bag purchased from a craft store; lavender or other herbs tied in a bundle with the offer attached; small plastic, bendable skeletons with a ribbon tied around the leg and a card attached.
Dr. Pat Gayman/Empower-U

Staff Support
One of the best ways to market your practice (and chiropractic) is to get your staff involved in the patient education process. Everyone knows that patients talk to the staff more than the doc. So getting your staff to help you educate your patients on a consistent basis nurtures relaxed, referral-based conversation that is non-threatening, easy, and very rewarding. Get your staff involved in the patient education process, and you will see lots of referrals.
Dr. Len Schwartz/ChiroPower, Inc.

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
We now live in a time when the public at large is spending more than ever on feeling better, staying younger and maintaining their health through natural means. DCs the world over are looking for the “secret” to practice growth instead of looking at the facts. Telling your patients what they need to hear, as opposed to what we think they want to hear, is our greatest internal challenge to building a practice. We must give our patients not only complete ROFs, but also an up-front treatment schedule that lays out the estimate of how long it will take to correct the condition for which we have been called upon to treat, along with the associated costs. Treatment plans and protocol are not new to the health profession at large, but they are not a standard of care to the chiropractic profession. Want a large practice and a reputation of being the best? Learn to effectively communicate and establish a protocol for your patients to follow through. You will be amazed at the results.
Dr. Dallas Humble/Humble Success Seminars

Stimulate Internal Referrals
Anyone would agree that the best referrals come from existing patients. Set a goal for every team member in your office to ask for at least one referral from an existing patient per day. The patients to target with the referral requests are the ones who are excited about the care they are receiving and the improvement of their health. When patients remark how thankful they are, your staff should respond, “The best way to thank us is to let others know about chiropractic so they can be helped also.” Often patients are already speaking to someone about chiropractic care but haven’t been successful in getting the commitment. In cases like that, just ask your patients if they would like to have a new patient referral packet. They will almost always say yes. The new patient referral packet consists of a report folder that contains your office brochure, two business cards, a pamphlet about different health conditions and how chiropractic may be able to help, a promotional item such as a pen or refrigerator magnet, and any P.R. articles about your office. Finally, have your staff add a complimentary phone consultation card that allows potential patients to speak directly with you over the phone about their problem. This is a non-threatening way for the potential patient to gain information and feel comfortable with the doctor.
Susan Hoy/B.E.E.F. It Up

The Right Book at the Right Time
A lending library is a wonderful idea to encourage patients to read about health-related topics. Literally hundreds of books are available on topics from nutrition to self-help to motivation. Many of these books are costly, and patients are encouraged to borrow them. Each book has a library-type packet in the back of the book. When a patient checks out a book, the “library card” is filed, and the patient is asked to bring the book back in 30-60 days. The card is filed, and if the patient has not brought the book back, a reminder is sent; more often than not, they come in for a visit when they return the book. This is a great way to increase patient goodwill and to help educate patients on a variety of subjects.
Dr. Lou Sportelli/Practice Makers Products, Inc.

Think Big, Think ‘Intern’
Most major corporations use the services of college student interns - why don’t you? Hiring a college student who is a marketing major is a win for the student. and a win for your practice. The student receives valuable experience to include on his or her resume, and he or she may also receive college credit toward a degree. Your practice gains the expertise of a motivated, creative individual at little or no cost. Contact your local college business department to arrange an internship.
Dr. Mark Sanna/Breakthrough Coaching

Helping Where It’s Needed Most
Offer to sponsor a charity drive to benefit local firefighters, police officers, or the local food pantry. Promote this in conjunction with a patient who is a member of the fire or police department, or a member of the clergy. You can receive great goodwill and new patient referrals, while also helping a good cause. Money paid goes directly to charity, and you provide discounted services in exchange. Use of media is important, depending on urban or rural. Radio works well in rural areas, as does some newspaper. Urban areas can be more difficult, but the best responses usually come from direct mail, newspaper inserts, and contact with special interest groups.
Ed Petty/Petty, Michel & Associates

Give Thanks
Sending Thanksgiving cards is a great way to wish holiday cheer and draw attention to your practice. It is not uncommon for patients to receive numerous Christmas and Hanukkah cards, and yours more than likely will get lost in the pile. In contrast to other holiday cards, Thanksgiving cards will really stand out and be noticed as extra-special. After sending out your Thanksgiving cards, expect several thank "thank yous" from your existing patients and phone calls from some inactive patients wanting to schedule appointments.
Dr. John Heggie/Lakeside Chiropractic Seminars

Put it in Writing
There is no mystery about how to create a successful practice with many happy patients. You need to be a good chiropractor and have a successful marketing plan. A marketing plan should encompass many activities, and it must be ongoing. You must first start off with your goals. What do you want to achieve? Once that is done, then a plan is devised to attain that goal. Marketing is always part of a successful practice or business. It is not done only when things are down. Marketing is done every day according to your overall plan.
Dennis Downing/Future Industrial Technologies, Inc.

In the Know
Here’s a practice success formula you can’t ignore: “The number of people who know who you are, what you are, where you are... and like you, equals the size of your practice.” To grow your practice larger, you have to increase the number of those people, and here’s one way to do it: Meet three new people every day. It’s a simple solution, but not always an easy one. Sometimes we are so busy taking care of our existing practice that we don’t have time to work on building it. However, by making a plan and then working it, you can meet three new people each day, conveniently and effectively. Meet someone on your way to work, at noon, and on the way home, every day. Send each of these people a “thank-you” note. Discipline yourself to do this every day, and you’ll meet over 1,000 new people each year. If you do this effectively, 20% of these prospects will become your patients. This equals an additional 200 new patients per year... all free, except for a little planning and discipline.
Dr. Peter Fernandez/Fernandez Consulting

Just What the Doctor Ordered: Less Stress
Since the attack on this country by terrorists, people are under more stress than ever before. The number of pain complaints has increased accordingly. Now, more than ever, people need chiropractic care. A timely way to help your community and your patients is by delivering free community stress workshops. Call your local library or coffee shop and offer to provide a free workshop on stress. Ask your patients to bring their friends and family. Educate the attendees about how the body and the spine respond to stress. Have them do trigger point tests and go through range-of-motion tests. Make the attendees aware that stress can adversely affect the nervous system and can cause the body to go into a state of imbalance. Explain how chiropractic may be able to help them, and invite them to your office for a check-up. By doing stress workshops for your community, you will not only help those who are suffering, you will also offer them a way to reduce their stress and improve their health. Organize your practice and invest time to build it.
Dr. David Singer/David Singer Enterprises

Your Business Card: A Secret Weapon
Make your business card more effective by writing something like this on the back: “Gary, please bring this card to my office for your FREE consultation, within the next 30 days.” Several important points are covered within the hand-written message:
• It’s handwritten in front of the recipient.
• It’s personalized with name of the recipient (Gary).
• It offers a free consultation that adds to the value of your business card.
• The offer has an expiration date that creates a sense
of urgency.
Once you start thinking creatively about using your business card, the possibilities are as endless as taxes.
Dr. Ivan Delman/BusinessofChiropractic.com

Lights, Camera... New Patient Action!
Get a good-quality digital camera if you don’t have one already and take pictures of your patients after they report feeling good and having great success with chiropractic. You will need to be sure to get written permission from patients, and if they are under 18, from their parents, in order to use photos, video, or written or spoken testimonials for any type of marketing purposes. It is particularly good to take pictures of kids lying down on your table with their head up, a smile on their face, and giving the thumbs-up sign with the doctor behind them doing the same thing. There are several good uses for this. You can have a bulletin board filled with kids’ pictures, which helps increase awareness that chiropractic is for kids, too. A bulletin board full of kids’ pictures will help patients who are parents and grandparents make the connection. You can also use your patients’ pictures to send them an e-mail after they have had good results with chiropractic. The e-mail can have the patients’ pictures on them, with a simple message like, “Thanks for being one of our star patients,” with the photo superimposed on a star from a computer graphics program.
You can also use patients’ pictures to create a “Star Patients” video. For years, chiropractors have used Star Patients testimonial booklets to have in the reception area. Now, with the simple purchase of software like PowerPoint, you can use a computer and monitor in the reception area and run this program, which will contain your patients’ pictures and their testimonies of results. The greatest value to this Star Patients program is not necessarily the people who see the video in the reception area, but it is really the people who are in the program and see themselves on TV. The patients who are a “star” on your TV will more than likely follow through with care and refer others to see you.
Dr. Keith Maule/Kats Management

Sponsor a ‘Mini-Health Fair’
Health fairs are excellent places to offer a spinal screening. Many mid- to large-sized companies sponsor an annual health fair where several different health providers do no- (or low-) charge health screenings. However, human resources people can get too busy, and the fairs are a lot of work so they may get cancelled. Or you simply might not know about an upcoming event. Enter, the “Mini-Health Fair.” You can produce and offer a Mini-Health Fair. All you need to do is add one more provider to a spinal screening, and it becomes a Mini-Health Fair. One good provider you can include is a massage therapist with a massage chair.
The massage therapist should provide 5-minute mini-massages. As the therapist gives the massage, any possible musculo-skeletal problems they notice should be directed to you. You provide the free “ergonomic posture checks” (spinal screenings). Pick 10 companies close to your office that offer insurance that provides good chiropractic benefits, and call and speak to the human resources department. Offer to do all the work of producing a Mini-Health Fair for them. Explain what it is and tell them that it’s no charge to their company - a “community goodwill project.” Your efforts and goodwill will come back to you many times over.
Dr. Noel Lloyd/Five Star Management

The Alternative to Medicine, Not ‘Alternative Medicine’
The in-office patient lecture remains one of the best no- or low-cost, new patient acquisition programs available to chiropractors. A tip for a successful lecture is to create a talk that results in your patients or potential patients understanding what chiropractic really is. Do not be shy to let them know your primary job is to detect and correct the vertebral subluxation, and how their life will be better as the result of that. Focus the lecture on how the brain controls all functions of the body, and how the nervous system is the messenger of the brain. Explain why the symptoms that bring patients to your office are only a warning of a deeper problem. Make this message very clear: “Chiropractic is the alternative to medicine, not alternative medicine.” When patients understand this, they will be more likely to follow through on their own treatment plans and will refer more of their friends and family to you.
Dr. Bruce A. Parker/Bruce Parker Consulting

Stand Out in a Crowd
Many chiropractors fail to differentiate themselves meaningfully from their colleagues. It is critical for continued growth in your practice to communicate to your patients why they are sitting in your reception area and not someone else’s. An inventive way to solidify your patients’ decision for choosing your clinic is to create a “Waiting Room Resume.” When displayed in a Plexiglass stand in your waiting room, your patients will be captivated and impressed from your subtle self-promotion. Your Waiting Room Resume should include information about your education, work experience, and any honors or established involvements. It should consist of short phrases, non-technical words, and be easily understood. Adding a nice photograph and the use of your own quotes will ensure that you come across as “real” to the reader, and the personal touch will make you more “likeable.” Another strategic use of the Waiting Room Resume is to hand out copies to patients and prospective patients.
Dr. Timothy J. Gay/Ultimate Practice Systems