Lets Talk Chiropractic

Being perceived as an “expert” in your field will set you apart from colleagues who may not be interested in going the extra mile and separating themselves from the pact. If you are interested in standing out in the community and gaining the respect of your potential patients,  and your colleagues, then here a few ideas that you should consider that will help you to become an “authority” in the field of chiropractic.

ü     Continue to work on improving your chiropractic skills: No matter what technique you are utilizing, the key is to work on being unsurpassed in that particular technique. You will have to understand, perform and practice that specific technique over and over again to excel.

ü     Evaluate yourself, let others evaluate you and accept constructive advice without hesitation. You’re never too good or too old to learn something new or to sharpen your skills. If there is an area of expertise you find lacking, well then work hard and diligently to master that particular area.

ü     Take a class, read industry books and magazines, attend seminars and lectures, take on a mentor and watch him or her perform on their patents.

ü     Teach others. You can educate in the form of a lecture or workshop in your community. You can develop and submit an article to be published in a local newspaper or trade publication. Appeal and target not only your patients and potential patients, but also aspire to make your colleagues a segment of your audience.

Remember establishing yourself, as an expert in your field will ultimately connect you with your target market in a way that no form of marketing or advertising can compare to. Success is based on fact and “perception” and perception is reality.

For additional information on this topic and related topics contact Lisa Roberts at Metro Marketing @ 800-696-7788 x251.

Today, more than ever, there is increased awareness regarding proper nutrition. As a chiropractor, interested in improving the overall health and well being of your patients and prospective patients, integrating nutritional counseling and the sale of supplements into your practice may be something worth considering. Of course, as you’re well aware, scope of practice varies from state to state and so does the option to include nutritional counseling and sales of supplements, however, if you are in the position legally to do so, it could help not only your patient, but your cash flow as well.

Here are a few ideas to help you to get started if this is an avenue you would like to peruse.

Research the various vitamins and food supplements available. Be sure you understand and can distinguish between vitamin supplements such as the Standard Process line and a natural food and juice supplement like Juice Plus or Greens First. When choosing a product line, be sure to consider a few things such as, the company’s years in business, the “brand” and the overall reputation of the company. Price point is very important to consider also. Price should allow for at least 35 to 50 percent mark-up. Something you may not think about but really need to be aware of is the “shelf life” of the products you choose. Look at expiration dates before making a decision.  Choose which product you would take yourself and recommend to your family, friends and patients.  Become an expert on the product you choose to promote.

Make some changes if needed to your intake form. If you’re not already doing so, question whether a patient is interested in additional information on vitamins and nutrition. Some good questions to ask patients would include:

Would you like to feel younger?

Do you tire easily?

Do you have a low energy level?

Do you exercise routinely? How often?

Would you like to increase your life span?

Once you have determined that you have a patient interested in being “all around” healthier, you can then make suggestions as to how to do so.

Discuss with your patients just how much emotional, chemical and physical stress can interfere with optimum health and wellness. Have literature available to back up any verbal claims you’re making. There are some great books available that you could recommend to further educate your patient.  A few I would recommend are:

• Encyclopedia of Nutritional Supplements: The Essential Guide for Improving Your Health Naturally (Michael Murray)
• Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements (Lyle MacWilliam)

Once you have determined that a patient is in interested in supplementing their diet, get them on a regimen that you can monitor. Be sure to explain in detail what and why you are recommending a certain product and the benefits associated with taking the product.

Be sure your inventory is adequate. You don’t want to be in a position where a patient needs to purchase outside of the office. Keep track of when a patient should be running low and in need of reordering. If you have a web site and would like to fulfill orders over your site, contact your web master. This is fairly simple and will be convenient for your maintenance patients.

Remember, the more a patient depends on you, the more likely you are to retain them and receive referrals from them. In this fast paced “fast food” society we live in, most everyone can benefit from a nutritional supplement of some type. Your part is simply education your patients.

For questions or marketing advice contact :

Lisa Roberts @ 800-696-7788 x251

What are you doing right now, proactively to attract new patients into your office? Here are a few simple suggestions and steps that you can take to preserve your current patient base.

When Parents Disagree About Chiropractic For Their Child 

If you are running a successful family practice, chances are you are seeing adults and children as well. In some cases however, when both husband and wife are not under care and there is a child or children involved, resistance may be met as it pertains to the chiropractic care for the dependent. 

If and when you are met with the challenge of one parent who desires chiropractic care for their child, but the other parent is uncooperative or simply refuses to allow the care there are a few steps that you should consider for the sake of all involved. First and foremost, try not to judge the parent who is against care for the child. More times than not, the parent not interested in pursuing care for their child is uneducated and under a preconceived misconception or notion as to what chiropractic care is and the benefits than can be obtained through care. We also know that as a society, most people have simply become accustomed and comfortable with seeking a traditional healthcarepractitioner and masking symptoms and treating illness with medication. Sadly enough, even insurance reimbursement is designed to focus on treatment as opposed to preventative care.

 With this point in mind, some family education is the first step one can take to help get both parents on the “same page”. Hopefully, you are holding new patient workshops and encouraging all family members to attend…patient or not…By doing this, you can open up the lines of communication early in the relationship with your new patient  and begin the process of educating ALL family members.

 Another suggestion would be to have other parents available to share their experiences. Have some written testimonials, and if possible, have some parents both male and female available to speak in person or by phone with pensive moms or dads. A good idea would  include having a workshop or education class specifically focusing on chiropractic care for children, and with  “You Tube” available now, you could have some videos available for parents to view. Demonstrating your technique and the child’s response to being adjusted can be very helpful. Naturally, a picture is worth a thousand words, right?   

 I can speak from personal experience about the anxiety I felt prior to my daughter’s first chiropractic adjustment. As much as I believed in the need to have her checked for subluxation, and then the need to have her adjusted to correct her misalignments, the thought of her being manipulated scared me a bit. How would she react? Would she be uncomfortable? Would the technique used on me differ from the technique used on her? Would she be uncomfortable afterwards? These are all normal concerns and if YOU, the chiropractor can put yourself in the shoes of the uneducated or “under” educated parent, have a sense of empathy and anticipate in advance the normal concerns that any parent may have, then your chances of “selling” the uncooperative parent on care for the child will be increased.

 Although, chances are you will still have some resistant parents after taking the steps I’ve suggested, I can guarantee that with some common sense and TLC, you will win more battles than you lose! 

This post written by Lisa Roberts   www.chirometromarketing.com

Recession Proof Marketing

No matter what’s happening during these somewhat difficult economic times, unless we all plan on digging a hole large enough to bury our heads in it, we still need to integrate marketing and advertising into out businesses to stay profitable or in some cases, just stay afloat.

The decisions you make today regarding marketing will have an affect on your practice, either positively or negatively in the months to come. The natural response is to lean towards spending less when it comes to advertising or marketing. But in reality, cutting back may not be the answer. The wiser decision would be to spend more time investigating your options before making marketing choices.

In the past you may have been quick to “try something new” without giving it much thought or doing much research. Maybe you had the “what have I got to lose” attitude? Well today, you may have more to lose than you did a year ago, so doing your homework before beginning anything new or even renewing current strategies should be first and foremost on your mind.

Here are some things to consider before making any decisions.

1). What is the length of the  “commitment” or contact? If your trying something new and the response rate is questionable, don’t enter into any long-term contact. Naturally, you need to give the venue a “fighting chance”, but if you’re required to commit to more than 3 or 4 months, renegotiate or pass on the option. A reputable company WILL negotiate terms of contracts. If a company tells you they can’t, look elsewhere.

2). Speak with at least 2 or3 references before signing on the dotted line if at all possible. Although you can’t base your success or failure on the success or failure of another doctor, you can get a feel for what to really expect by getting feedback from others who have done the same thing. Network with colleagues as opposed to asking the company directly for a reference. It stands to reason that a sales person is not going to give you the name and phone number of a customer who had poor results…”Word of mouth” is your best option. Don’t look for or expect “pie in the sky”. Be realistic with your expectations.

3). Ask yourself “How much money can I really afford to lose”? Now, that may sound like a trick question, and it certainly is not meant to discourage you from advertising because you MUST market the practice, however, unless you’re being guaranteed IN WRITING that you see a return on your investment dollars, there is always a potential for a loss. If what you’re investing is more than you can possibly afford to lose, keep looking.

4). Don’t keep all of your eggs on one basket. The key to effective marketing and advertising is to have at least 3 or 4 types of external sources that work for the practice. It’s important to diversify. Keep accurate records when it comes to marketing. You want to consider: cost, time of year, effectiveness, expected return on investment.  Try to incorporate internal with external throughout the entire year. If your sending out a direct mail piece and planning a health fair, make sure you’re promoting the upcoming health fair somewhere on the mail piece. Let one advertising source promote another source, and so on.

5). All marketing will generate referrals. Make sure that you and your staff are multiplying your marketing efforts through referrals. No matter where a patient comes from, they know other potential patients. You will not get a referral unless you ask for one. Don’t wait for a patient to come into the office 3 or 4 times before asking for a referral. The time to ask is the first visit. This is when they are the most excited about you and the potential care. Of course you’ll ask your patient more than once for a recommendation, but you’re missing the boat if you’re not asking right away. When figuring ROI, be sure to factor in referrals received from each specific form of marketing you are utilizing. Believe it or not, different types of advertising will generate a different number of referrals. Keep track of where ALL of your new patients are coming from.

Remember, NOW is the best time to be a health care provider! Now more than ever, people need your services. Stress levels are higher. Emotional and physical symptoms are more prevalent and people are searching for relief. You are the answer they are looking for; so don’t let fear keep you from moving forward!!

This post was written by:

Lisa Roberts www.chirometromarketing.com