Author Archives: Edward Petty

About Edward Petty

Consultant with Petty, Michel & Associates, Author of Marketing Manager System, the Goal Driven Business www.GoalDriven.com. Father and grandfather, husband, student, active in athletics, and in health and environmental causes.

Goal-Driven Customer Service (Part 1 of 2)

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“Your customers are only satisfied because their expectations are so low and because no one else is doing better. Just having satisfied customers isn’t good enough anymore. If you really want a booming business, you have to create Raving Fans.” Ken Blanchard, Raving Fans

Customer Service is one of the 5 Power Drivers of your business.

It is the least expensive form of marketing you have and will be your surest guarantee to profits in the years to come.

But in my work in business development, and my experience as a consumer, most service is just adequate. It is “nice.” If it was any less, there wouldn’t be any service at all. Most service is just good enough to get by.

The most common examples of poor service I have witnessed were encounters by the provider that were so routine as to become rote and even superficial. Services were provided as part of a checklist, almost robotically. Even with all the smiles and friendly chatter, this customer was just like all the others before – nobody special. Added to this, the support staff were disengaged, bored, or even irritated at the customer for the interruption.

I have done enough customer interviews to know that most of those who give online reviews, for example, do so out of a sense of friendship and support, rather than from their exuberant advocacy. They are sincere, but just not that excited about the services they received.

For example, how would you compare your last visit with your attorney, dentist or accountant? They got the job done, right? But, it wasn’t “WOW… I just saw my dentist and it was awesome!”

You wouldn’t stand in line to see your accountant all night like people do to get a new iPhone or tickets to a favorite rock concert.

But this is the value customers will need to place on your services inorder for your business to thrive in the next ten years and more

Why Customer Service is SO Important

Customer Service Now

There are dozens of books and studies that document why customer service is vital to the health of your business. Every year there are new studies that show the importance of excellent customer service. I am sure that you have seen them.

Some highlights:

  • Americans continue to reward companies that get service right. US consumers say they’re willing to spend 17 percent more to do business with companies that deliver excellent service, up from 14 percent in 2014. As a group, Millennials are willing to spend the most for great care. (21% additional), (American Express 2017 Customer Service Barometer)
  • Maximizing satisfaction with customer journeys can increase customer satisfaction by 20%, lift revenue by 15% and lower the cost of serving customers by as much as 20%. (McKinsey & Company)
  • 86% of consumers are willing to pay more for an upgraded experience. (ThinkJar)
  • One happy customer can equal as many as 9 referrals for your business. (American Express)
  • A 2% increase in customer retention has the same effect as decreasing costs by 10%. (Leading on the Edge of Chaos, Emmet Murphy and Mark Murphy)
  • One happy customer can equal as many as 9 referrals for your business. (American Express)

On the down side:

  • A typical business hears from 4% of its dissatisfied customers. (“Understanding Customers” by Ruby Newell-Legner)
  • 85% of customer churn due to poor service was preventable. (ThinkJar, Inc.)
  • 89% of consumers have stopped doing business with a company after experiencing poor customer service. (Rightnow Customer Experience Impact Report)
  • Depending on which study you believe, and what industry you’re in, acquiring a new customer is anywhere from five to 25 times more expensive than retaining an existing one. (Harvard Business Review, 2014)

Customer Service in the Future

As we move into the 2020’s, the quality of your service will be more important than ever before. It will be the distinguishing factor between your business and others that provide comparable services.

A recent report from a survey by Microsoft stated: “As customer expectations continue to climb, it becomes more challenging for brands to set themselves apart from the competition. Markets are increasingly crowded, and both price and product are being steadily overtaken by customer experience as the number one brand differentiator. (2018 state of global customer service report (Microsoft))

Research by Walker, Inc., predicted that by 2020 customer experience will overtake price and product as the main differentiator.

Your Replacement Is Being Shipped Now

Artificial Intelligence is coming for you.

By 2029, machines will be able to match human intelligence. This is a prediction by Ray Kurzweil (co-founder and chancellor of Singularity University and Google engineer and author of The Singularity is Near). Kurzweil, along with other futurists, predict that computers will be building computers faster and smarter than humans – and this would create a technological singularity – where the speed of technology development of increases infinity fast. According to Peter Rejcek – there is serious investment based upon these predictions. (Singualrityhub.com, March 31, 2017)

How will A.I. impact the professions? How will this impact you?

“Whatever terminology is preferred, we foresee that, in the end, the traditional professions will be dismantled, leaving most (but not all) professionals to be replaced by less expert people and high-performing systems. “(The Future of Professions, Susskind and Susskind, Page 303, 2015)

The Future Belongs to Those Who Provide the World Class Service

This is the writing on the wall and those smart enough, will heed it.

I truly hope that this is you.

If you are not the best in your niche, the time will come when you will be left behind – like an abandoned roadside fruit stand bypassed by a newer and faster road.

I want to give you some insight and actions steps so that you will be a winner and a profitable leader in your profession well into the 2020’s.

But beware — there are booby traps and thieves along the way that can rob you of your success. So, let’s look at these villains hang out so that you are prepared and able to create World Class service and dominate your niche.

Six Barriers to Extra-Ordinary Service

1. Organizational demands eventually wear down the provider into mediocrity

How can a provider become a master at their craft and focus on creating great results while at the same time trying to run their growing business? There is just too much to do. All this work finally hobbles excellent service and outcomes.
There is just too much to do – too many roles to assume, too many hats to wear.

2. Hubris

To achieve any success at all, you have had to persevere and breakthrough many challenges. You have many reasons, therefore, to feel that your way is a winning way because, obviously, it has worked. At least up to now.

But great service is not about you, it is not about your business or philosophy or religion or any of your bias’. It is solely about your customer. It is their goals, not yours and not those of the business, that must be achieved.

You must have humility to review the outcomes of your work and question how you can improve as a provider – and how the actions of your support team can also improve.

3. You and your team have lost sight of the value of your services.

The business of providing service to your customers can begin to overshadow the benefits they receive. At some point, the people you care for become “cases,” and their individuality blurs with everyone else’s.

Sometimes the “negative few outweigh the positive many,” and we can’t see or appreciate all the good our services have done for our customers, their families, and even the community.

The joy of helping others and the victories of seeing your customers overcome their issues no longer make you smile or fill your chest with confidence and pride.

4. Culture – Our Shallow World

We live in a fast-paced world that does not seem to have time for understanding, empathy, or thorough results.

We are all in a hurry, and for the most part, don’t expect, or demand, much from our providers.

There also still lingers an assembly-line culture of receiving a manufactured template from our providers, or at least their support team. And, as providers and support professionals, we can fall into the assembly-line mode of just seeing “another case,” with all their problems, idiosyncrasies, and often confused rudeness.

We end up short-changing our customers on the benefits that they could be receiving.

5. The Invisible Product

You are selling and delivering a product that is invisible.

It is not like buying a refrigerator, a car or a kite.

But customers don’t always know what criteria they should use to judge their results. They don’t know the process that is undertaken to deliver the outcomes they want, or even what the potential outcomes are.

So accustom to the objective criteria of your services, you may not appreciate the customer’s lack of understanding about the nature of their situation. As a result, the customer doesn’t know if they had a minor service or a complete one.

Standards become foggy, outcomes become poorly defined. Customers leave unhappy or confused and the provider is dismayed.

6. Not Yet a Champion

There really is a difference between a rookie and a master.

The idea of mastery is a dominate value in sports, music, and in some of the professions. But we live in a commoditized world and we want our gratification fast.

Employees don’t see their roles as a journey to becoming experts, and neither do many providers of services. Everyone works hard and gets results. Isn’t that enough?

No. It isn’t.

Plain and ordinary service will not grow your business. If you and your support staff are not working hard on becoming masters in delivering World Class service, your customers and potential customers will be seeking businesses that are.

# # #

Stay tuned for Part 2: How to Create World Class Outcomes, Provide Extra-ordinary Service, and Raving Fans!

It Pays to Be an Expert. Are You One?

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Hi and Summer Greetings!

A vital component in our 3 Goals System is the importance of becoming an expert.

I’ll cut right to the most immediate reason:

Research shows that experts in any field or role make more money.

In high complexity jobs like professionals, the top 10% produce 80% more than average and 700% more than the bottom 10%[i].

But this is also true in less complex jobs, where it was found that the top 10% of workers produce 25% more than the average, and 75% more than the bottom 10%.

Aside from high school interns that help file and run errands, all the roles in your office are high complexity.

So, how do you become an expert?

A Desired Goal
Becoming an expert must be a goal that is desired to be achieved. It should be a core value. There must be a commitment to be an expert.

From the book, the Talent Code[ii]:

With the same amount of practice, the long-term-commitment group outperformed the short-term-commitment group by 400 percent. The long-term-commitment group, with a mere twenty minutes of weekly practice, progressed faster than the short-termers who practiced for an hour and a half. When long-term commitment combined with high levels of practice, skills skyrocketed.

 

Most employees in offices do not intend to become experts. It has never been a requirement for any job they have ever had. Plus, it is characteristic of modern culture to not value mastery. Why go through the long and uncomfortable task of becoming truly skilled and produce quality outcomes when it has never been expected of them?

Plus, I believe that through advertising we have been encultured to think in terms of instant gratification – I can get a “meal” through the drive-in at McDonald’s and replace that broken appliance through Amazon Prime.

And providers… you too are often so distracted by organizational issues that, well, good enough is good enough. You get fine results, right?

But I will remind you of Clarence Gonstead.

He continually worked at developing his skills and methodology. Everything else followed, including thousands of patients, so many in fact that he had to build a hotel next to his clinic for those coming from out of town.

Deliberate Practice
Keep your own checklist of procedures and work on them. Find how you can improve the manner in which you perform the most important tasks – and then improve some more. Much like you were practicing a musical piece on the piano or working out how to run the high hurdles faster – practice.

And the key is deliberate. Take some aspect of your job and work – deliberately. You might be surprised on how you might have taken some procedure for granted as working but when you examine it, you discover that there is a lot of room for improvement.

Research shows that doctors who have been in practice for twenty or more years do worse on certain objective measures of performance than those who are just two or three years out of medical school.

The reason for this is that doctors working day-in and day-out can begin to go on automatic because their work no longer pushes them out of their comfort zones[iii].

Find a Coach – Be a Coach
Coaching others will help you master your own skill. An old phrase applies:
“To teach is to learn twice.”
Seek out a coach, or coaches and mentors and learn from them. Have a “beginners mind,” or “Shoshin” — a term used in Japan meaning no matter how much you already know, always train as if you are beginner.
Schedule Training Time
Whether it is watching a webinar, reading a book, coaching a teammate, or reviewing an x-ray with a colleague, block out the time and interruptions. This is sacred time. Just a few minutes each week can produce definite results.

I know… I talk about this all the time …and will continue to do so as it is one of the least expensive methods to improve your business and increase income. And I know you also know this! So, this is just a friendly reminder to train and encourage your team to become experts.

I suggest your goal is to create a team of experts, and… and Expert Team!

Training Sayings
I have been keeping a list of “training maxims,” or aphorisms. I have listed a few on the next page.
Just for fun, could you offer others?
Stay curious and keep training!
Ed
References

[i] Hunter, J. E., Schmidt, F. L., Judiesch, M. K., (1990) “Individual Differences in Output Variability as a Function of Job Complexity”, Journal of Applied Psychology

http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=fulltext.journal&jcode=apl&vol=75&issue=1&page=28&format=HTML

https://80000hours.org/2012/09/how-good-are-the-best/

[ii] The Talent Code: Greatness Isn’t Born. It’s Grown. Here’s How. by Daniel Coyle

[iii] Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ericsson

 

Ed’s Training Maxims

I am working on some sayings, or aphorisms on training and study. I have come up with a few.

Don’t cringe…!

Can you add any?

  • Educate – Don’t Terminate.
  • Don’t Complain – Just Train.
  • The more you learn — The more you earn.
  • Don’t Curse – Rehearse.
  • Don’t fight – Enlight!
  • To attain — You gotta train.
  • Don’t be on the dole — Be an expert in your role.
  • Become unchained — Go get trained.
  • Don’t choke your team! — Just provoke the dream.
  • Some will see it — Others will flee it.
  • Live the dream – Create an Expert Team

Not mine, but good ones:

  • To teach is to learn twice
  • “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.”

Goal Driven: Faster to Your Goals!

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David Goggins

Now and then I see a motivational talk that I find inspiring.

It doesn’t happen too often.

Below you will find links to an interview with David Goggins. I can’t say much about it other than I found it inspiring and relevant. He reminded me that by pushing through, and not dodging from, discomfort when working toward important goals can lead to success and fulfillment. An important lesson for us all.

David talks about how he achieved his goals. He is an American ultramarathon runner, ultra-distance cyclist, triathlete and former world record holder for the most pull-ups done in 24 hours. He is a retired United States Navy SEAL who took part in the War in Afghanistan and the Iraq War.

Please watch it. If it resonates with you, you may want to watch it with your team and discuss afterwards.

Sincerely,

Ed

Photo from Wikipedia
Thanks to Dr. Maxwell for the reference.

Links to interview:

NOTICE: Some use of profanity #@!*#!

  1. 57 minute version: Search David Goggins on Impact Theory, With Tom Bilyeu. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78I9dTB9vqM&pbjreload=10
  2. 23 minute version: Abridged version: The Most Motivational Talk EVER! – David Goggins
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIrT1eHs1b0 
  3. 10:30 minutes How to Conquer Your Mind and Embrace The Suck  

Special Promotions: When Your Motive Meets Your Mission

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When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” — “Mr. Rodgers” (Fred Rodgers)

Many offices (chiropractic, dental, etc.) hold special events, such as a “Kid’s Day,” a “Patient Appreciation Day,” an anniversary party, or in-office workshops. (We have links to examples below.)

The objective is usually to generate new patients, increase goodwill, and motivate existing patients. Sometimes these events are productive… and, as you know, sometimes they aren’t.

To be effective, you have to offer something that the patient, or prospective patient, considers valuable. It could be a workshop on practical health tips or a discounted service for a patient’s family member.

This is obvious and I am sure this is what you aim for. But there is another ingredient that you may not have considered that will make your events even more effective.

Link your promotions directly into your office mission.

Your mission is to help people. You may have it more fully defined in a “mission statement,” but it comes down to helping people achieve their health goals. Your mission is altruistic and socially responsible – you aren’t selling oxycodone at the pharmacy, high fructose corn syrup drinks at the grocery, or glyphosate at the local Round-up store. You are the good guys.

Your community will support you to the degree that they understand your pure altruistic motives. Why? Because the members of your community, by and large, are altruistic too. Your neighbors also… want to help people.

It is not a dog-eat dog world like social media or the “news” wants us to believe. Money is made from controversy and opposing sides and so it appears like we are fighting our local townsfolk… or should be. But behind all wars there are vested interests. Fear and anger motivate people and help sell media, advertising, and weapons.

But the truth is, the vast majority of us want the same things and we are not as divided as we have been manipulated to believe.

The organic food business has been growing, as have companies that sell organic clothes. Pesticides, herbicides and other poisons are not only bad to eat, they are also not healthy for the workers that bring these products to us. People are realizing this. “Fair Trade” coffee has become a major selling point. More companies are integrating social responsibility initiatives as part of their long-term strategies…for good reason.

In a study done in 2015, it was shown that consumers wanted to take personal responsibility for social and environmental issues and indicated that they looked to companies as partners in pursuing improvement efforts.

“The leading ways consumers want to get engaged with companies’ CSR [Corporate Social Reasonability] efforts are actions tied directly to their wallets, with nine-in-10 just as likely to purchase (89 percent) as to boycott (90 percent) based on companies’ responsible practices.

“If given the opportunity:

  • 80 percent would tell friends and family about a company’s CSR efforts
  • 76 percent would donate to a charity supported by a company they trust
  • 72 percent would volunteer for a cause supported by a company they trust
  • 72 percent would voice their opinions directly to a company about CSR efforts”*

How do you better apply this public trend?

You can encourage your patients to make appointments for themselves, and their family and friends, in exchange for making to make donations to a needy local charity. You can have them volunteer at a food pantry or a shelter with you and your staff – and offer all who participate a free service.

Integrate you mission in all your promotions on a regular basis and you will create a positive “network effect.” Other residents who volunteered will begin to promote your business on their own – even if they never step in to your office.

You should be way past working for United Health Care and Big Insurance. You should work for your patients and their causes – which are yours as well.

If you lead all your promotions with your heart, with your mission, with your higher goals, and deliver excellent outcomes with extra-ordinary services, your patients and your community will support you.

You are “The Helpers.”

Be true to your higher goals and all else will follow.

Ed Petty

*References:
•http://www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/stakeholder_trends_insights/sustainable_brands/study_81_consumers_say_they_will_make_
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahlandrum/2017/03/17/millennials-driving-brands-to-practice-socially-responsible-marketing/#61519f914990

Links to special promotions article and list of special promotions

Special Promotions-What They Are

List of Special Promotions-2018

May is Good Posture Month

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May is Good Posture Month.

I am not sure who claims this … the ACA (American Chiropractic Association) and ICA (International Chiropractic Association) used to, but after a fast look at their websites recently, it doesn’t look like they do anymore. Plenty of other websites do, however.  See below, for examples.

Posture is a big deal, apparently, from a clinical and health point of view. Patients should know this.  But patients are also concerned about their appearance and no matter how much you spend on your clothes, nothing looks good when you have poor posture. There are also mental ramifications to poor posture as well. So… lots of good material here to promote and help your peeps!

Use this event as a reason to encourage your patients to bring in their family and friends. You can change the flier to a community ad for anyone to come in. Use the sample poster and edit to suit your needs. Hang it in your office, fold and include in patient statements, include in your newsletters.  Use the promotion all month, or just for one week to make it more “special.”

Attached is a sample poster flier in Word and in PDF format, also an article I wrote on this event some years ago for some more ideas.

Carpe Diem (Seize the Day…and the month of May!)

================

Useful links:

http://posturemonth.org/posture-month/

http://www.whathealth.com/awareness/event/correctposturemonth.html

http://www.straightenupamerica.org/

Sample Poster (PDF)

Sample Poster – Customizable (Word – active clients)

Science Facts on Posture

Chiropractic Wins in Wisconsin

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On April 16th, 2018, Governor Walker of Wisconsin signed into law legislation that removed the arbitrary, higher National Board of Chiropractic Examiners scores and in the process completed the six-year project by the members of the Chiropractic Society of Wisconsin to end the efforts to block young chiropractors from entering Wisconsin.

The higher exam scores were enacted in 2012 in Wisconsin. The National Board of Chiropractic Examiners’ passing scores were 375 on both parts in 2012. But applicants in Wisconsin now had to get a score of 438 on the third part and 475 on the fourth part. Maryland required 438 on the third part, and North Carolina and West Virginia require 475 on the fourth part, but no other state requires both, said Horace Elliott, executive vice president of the national board, according to Dave Walburg of the State Journal in Madison (See link below) .

Under the guise of raising standards, the higher scores were initiated by the Wisconsin Chiropractic Association.  The result was to discourage new chiropractors from practicing in the state. With no real marketing to bring more chiropractors into Wisconsin by the WCA, it is obvious that the intention of the WCA was to limit chiropractic utilization. And it worked. New chiropractors being licensed in the state decreased.

Quoting from their press release, Steven Conway, D.C., the Executive Director of the C.S.W. said: “I personally believe the most important moment of this six-year project for the entire chiropractic profession in Wisconsin can be summed up with one of the key and deciding moments related to the first efforts by the CSW to remove the Wisconsin exam.

“I vividly remember a meeting with our legislative champion. The WCA had put on a very successful, full court press using all of their resources to stop the CSW’s efforts. I was told that the game was essentially over as the WCA had convinced the legislative leadership to keep the flawed Wisconsin exam and that the CSW should stand down. However, I knew that as an organization we could not quit on these young doctors or quite frankly our profession, so I let him know that the chiropractors associated with the CSW never quit on what we believe in and instead of folding we did just the opposite and increased our efforts.  At the time, we didn’t know how we were going to win; we just knew that losing was not an option we could accept. That underlying purpose to fight against all odds resulted in a victory for the chiropractic profession and the hundreds of young chiropractors who had to suffer through the failed Wisconsin exam.” (Link below.)

All members of the CSW should be congratulated for their dedication and hard work in achieving this win for chiropractic. In this time of increased opioid use, non-drug solutions are more important than ever before. Chiropractic has always been a popular and effective choice for the residents here in Wisconsin and the CSW has done them a great service helping to bring more chiropractors to the state.

Of special note is own Mr. David Michel for his generous work in personally working with the CSW as a member of its Board of Directors. I know he has unselfishly put in long hours over the years to help and all of us at Petty Michel and Associates commend him… with pride! Yea Dave!

Below are some links to more information about the history of this fight.

CSW press release

Report from State Journal in Madison, 2013

 

33 Principles of Chiropractic

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“I tend to approach things from a physics framework. And physics teaches you to reason from first principles rather than by analogy.”
— Elon Musk

(Elon Musk’s grandfather, was a chiropractor (Palmer grad., 1926) from Minnesota, and his great grandmother was the first chiropractor to practice chiropractic in Canada.)

Below is a link to a poster you and your team can refer to that lists the principles which form the basis of chiropractic.

Principles are basic: if you understand them then everything else makes more sense. If you really understand principles, you can develop your own effective procedures in administration, marketing, and patient care.

Principle: a comprehensive and fundamental law, doctrine, or assumption.

These 33 principles were published in 1927 by Dr. Stephenson. However, according to Rob Sinnott, D.C.:

“…these 33 principles were the result of decades of effort and consideration. It is also now clear that they were not first written by Dr. Stephenson. As a matter of fact, most of these principles are contained in other language in D.D. Palmer’s 1906 and 1910 texts long before Dr. Stephenson’s well-known effort.”

You may already have these 33 principles hanging in your team breakroom and refer to at your team meetings.
If so… great! Let this then just be an encouragement to continue.

However, if you are not, then please do so.

The chiropractic profession operates in a different model of health than the medical model. In fact, it could be said that the chiropractic system operates outside of the conventual commercial matrix that persuades people to seek symptomatic gratification through pharmaceuticals, bad food, and often, bad culture.

But grassroots trends are on our side. Organic food sales have been booming and people want natural, sustainable solutions. New yoga studios are sprouting up even faster than essential oil representatives, both of which emphasize natural health and “P.T.C.” – “present time consciousness” (an old Dr. Jimmy Parker acronym). And our professional athletes and their teams standardly utilize chiropractic services.

The world is catching up to chiropractic. It wants what you have and have had for over 100 years – natural health and health freedom.

Even though these principles may seem like “old news” in chiropractic and not high-tech, they are, in fact, just catching on. But you must own these principles and this niche in the market-place — and teach them to your team members – and your entire practice family. Do so to improve everyone’s understanding of health and to increase their motivation to improve it. But teaching it also benefits your work in practice management.

You want to get everyone on your team playing in the same ballpark, working in the same model of health and business. Going over these principles will help create a positive team culture that will improve practice performance.

Ed Petty

References:
http://www.elonmusk.info
Interview by Chris Anderson (@chr1sa) is editor in chief of Wired 10/21/12
Textbook of Chiropractic Philosophy, Vol.1, Rob Sinnott, D.C., DPhSC

Download the Poster now:  The Thirty Three Principles of Chiropractic-2018

Facebook versus Email and “Conversational Commerce”

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It’s a New Year!

And if you are just reading this in March or September, it’s a new month or a new week!

Whatever time of year it is, it is always time to get the “Word” out your servcies.

It’s time to tell everyone in and around your office and community — about your chiropractic and professional services and how they should get them now!

But what is the best way to do this?

Well, obviously, with each person you see when you are seeing them. You – and your health team – have a captive audience. Sometimes referred to as “Table Talk,” this is your way of educating your people at the time of service.

You can augment this with new patient workshops that motivate, educate, and entertain your people. It is a free class but is part of their treatment program because you have found that people “get better faster and stay healthier longer if they get a better understanding of the health process we are doing together.” Also…“It assists with your treatment program and you get a better return on the work you put in. It is just a good investment!”

Then…don’t forget your team. They need to hear about the successes and case stories of how their office really helps people.

But your patients aren’t always in your office. What then? Shouldn’t your conversation with them continue? Other vendors are certainly getting their “word” out. Pharmaceutical ads are pervasive.

What about people who have not discovered you yet – how do best tell them about how you can help them and why they should see you?

Many of you make posts on Facebook in hopes that this will help market your services.

Does it?

What about email? Some of you subscribe to template emails that go out to your patients. How is this working?

I have some strong feelings about this subject — but first I wanted to see what others have said and what the studies show. Here is the question:

Which is the better medium for marketing:
Facebook or Email?

Which works better?

According to most of the surveys that I have seen, email is the winner.

But comparing both mediums is like comparing apples to oranges — both work depending on how much time and expertise you put into it.

But it stands to reason that if you have someone’s email, they are a subscriber and have given you permission to address them personally.

From a sampling of various studies and surveys (references at the end of this article):

“Where is the first place you go online in a typical day?”

  • Email 58%
  • Search portal 20%
  • Facebook 11%
  • News site 5%
  • My company’s website intranet 3%
  • other 3%

“Where do you look when you want a deal from a company that you know?”

  • Email: 44%
  • Company website:43%
  • Search engine (e.g. for coupon codes): 6%
  • Facebook: 4%

Email reaches 79% of the people you send it to (this is the global average inbox placement rate). On the other hand, Facebook’s organic reach has declined to about 1 to 6%, depending on your total number of fans.

So the stats and studies seem to show that you are going to get a better ROI from email.

Over the years, I have observed that patient referrals, patient visit average, and reactivations improve with regular emails.

Facebook and social media can help create familiarity and trust. From this you can direct people to your website for upcoming events or information. You can also buy ads that target specific types of potential patients and set up workshops or make special offers. I have seen this work on occasion very well

But the algorithms, or computational rules, for Facebook and other mediums are always changing and what worked last month may not work this month. Currently, Facebook is becoming more of a “pay to play” medium – peppered with inspirational forwards and political rantings!

With email, you own your list and make your own rules. Plus, it is nearly free.

Email is a direct and personal letter from you to another person.

It is authentic and genuine. It is the reader – and you, personally. It is not manufactured “health news” which is just a mash-up of articles from 1998.

In this busy and more automated world, genuine communication is becoming scarcer… and more valuable.

The biggest challenge is simply getting the email out.

Actually, this is the big problem with all of your marketing – who is going to do it — and when?

We have found some simple procedures that work for getting this done which I offer below. But first, let’s look at the future.

The Future: Trending…

The future medium will continue to be more direct communication for selling. The trendy term is “conversational commerce.”

“Consumers are increasingly relying on messaging apps for all forms of communication, whether personal, business, or commerce. … Messaging apps are becoming the preferred means of communication.” (emarketer)

Messaging is personal, it is one to one.

According to a research commissioned by FacebookIQ and Nielson:

“53% of people are more likely to do business with a business they can message.”

 

This means, when people visit your Facebook page, if they can chat with you personally, half of them will be inclined to come in for a visit.

You can take a look at a couple of applications – Chatfuel and Manychat – for inexpensive chat programs that you can add on to your Facebook.

You can also ask your webmaster to install a chat system on your web site. An example is websitealive.com.

But the force of all this is personalized communication, something that emails and sales letters and video letters have always done and continue to do better than Facebook.

A few weeks ago I received an email newsletter from a yoga instructor I have followed off and on for a few years. I had question so I sent her an email thinking she might answer it. She did. What’s more, she included a short personal video – directly to me! I am now considering buying her DVD’s when I hadn’t even considered it before.

So how are you going to “Get the Word Out?”

I recommend personally. One-to-one. In a conversation in the office and out of the office through email and maybe… chat.

A Simple Procedure to Get Your Emails Out

  1. Someone in Charge. Assign someone to coordinate your email messages and newsletters. (They can also coordinate Facebook and Chat.)
  2. Time to do the Work. Give them at least 4 hours per month to get it done.
  3. Monthly/Weekly Reports. Have them give you a monthly written report and review it with them. (Advanced: Include email stats and Facebook stats this month and if they are up or down from the prior month. Analytics!)
  4. Email Content. The email should have a 3-4 paragraph (or more) candid letter from the doctor written as if she is talking to “Mildred” or “Jeff,” or just to one patient in particular. You can call it “Health Notes from Doctor Ed.”Or, publish it as a short newsletter, and include a recipe (My Grandma’s Buffalo Chili. I don’t like it but everyone I have ever met loves it. In fact, my uncle claimed it got him his wife, Mildred. Here is a picture of Milly (lucky guy!)” [show picture]
  5. Dictate it on your way to or from work and have someone edit.
  6. Email Service. Use Constant Contact, Mailchimp, or another service and send out your mail.
  7. Frequency. Do this 1-3 times per month. Keep it simple.
  8. Promotions. Attach a monthly promotion to it every now and then.
  9. Funky Office Fluff. Add recipes, success story, local news, or other interesting notes every now and then. (Think of over the back yard fence, neighbor to neighbor, chatting about local news.)
  10. Continue the Conversation. But most important is continuing your conversation with patients. The email is just you continuing your “Table Talk.”
  11. Messaging! Add a messaging application to Facebook and to your website.
  12. Don’t Get Addicted to Social Media. Don’t get sucked into Facebook drama!*

Remember that a practice is a network of relationships built and sustained in part by communication. Now and then attach a promotion to your email and this is one of the least expensive forms of marketing you will ever do.

Keep the conversation going…and going and going.

Till next time,
Ed

(*Facebook Drama. Social networking definitely has positive uses. But, according to one of its founding executives, it has negative effects. In an interview at Standard School of Business, Chamath Palihapitiya, (known as “C.P.”) who joined Facebook in 2007 and became its vice president for user growth, says that he feels tremendous guilt for the company that he helped make. Facebook, and others he says, have succeeded by “exploiting a vulnerability in human psychology.” “I think we have created tools that are ripping apart the social fabric of how society works,” he told an audience at Stanford Graduate School of Business. He hasn’t used it for years and won’t let his kids use it either!

“The short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops we’ve created are destroying how society works,” he said, referring to online interactions driven by “hearts, likes, thumbs-up.”

It is a great interview that you can watch or listen – link at the end of the article.)

https://www.campaignlive.com/article/facebook-study-53-consumers-likely-shop-business-message/1404632

Email Marketing vs. Social Media: Is There a Clear Winner?


https://www.mailmunch.co/blog/email-marketing-vs-social-media/
http://image.exct.net/lib/fe641570776d02757515/m/1/SFF1-TheDigitalMorning.pdf
https://returnpath.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/2015-Deliverability-Benchmark-Report.pdf
https://support.getresponse.com/uploads/2016/01/The-State-of-Email-Marketing-by-Industry-January-2016.pdf
http://image.exct.net/lib/fe641570776d02757515/m/1/SFF14-The2012ChannelPreferenceSurvey.pdf

11 Reasons Why Your Email List Beats Social Media


https://manychat.com/
https://www.websitealive.com/alivechat/
https://www.emarketer.com/Article/Digital-Content-Advertising-Key-Revenue-Generators-Messaging-Apps/1013247#sthash.OEDM1ML5.dpuf
https://www.campaignlive.com/article/facebook-study-53-consumers-likely-shop-business-message/1404632
Talk on social consequences of Facebook. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMotykw0SIk

The Merry-Go-Round: Planning for a Prosperous Practice in 2018

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Progress in practice is made by steady persistence and passion.

In Angela Duckworth’s new book, she calls this “Grit.”

Think of evolution, think of growing crops… think of growing children!  Whether it is child development or practice development, growth is achieved through steady and unrelenting nurturing and adjusting according to circumstances.

I recommend you take some time to do some planning before the New Year gets in high gear. January and February are good months to do this.  Do it by yourself – and do it with your team. But…

Don’t reinvent the wheel… Just make it go faster with less effort.

 The Vital Few

A few of our actions are always more productive than most of the other actions that we do. Unfortunately, we can get distracted and spend far too much time on activities that, in retrospect, just don’t give us that much of a return.

The “vital few” actions that have helped you the most will be camouflaged, even countered, by the “trivial (but useful) many.” This is a term used by Nathan Juran, famous for his approach to business and quality improvement and the Pareto Principle.

And, I would like you to consider this: In many respects, your business has succeeded in ways that – perhaps – you have not yet recognized.  Therefore, I don’t recommend abandoning all you did last year and start chasing the newest “shiniest” procedures that seem appealing.

The key is to dust off all your actions from 2017 – review everything you did — and see the great things that worked and the victories you and your team achieved.

Then, just find better approaches to do more of this!

Diamonds in Your Office

The idea of having diamonds in our backyard, a story made famous by Russell Conwell (1843 – 1925) of the 1800s, applies. There are many variations, but it goes something like this: there once was a man who wanted more wealth, so he sold his house and left in search of diamonds. Years later, penniless, he happened back to his village where he roomed at a shelter for the poor. The shelter was supported by a grant from a local resident. In inquiring who the resident was, the diamond searcher discovered that it was the person to whom he had sold his house.

One day he paid a visit to his old house, now renovated into a beautiful estate. He talked to the new owner who told him that he had become rich. He said that when he bought the house, he needed to do some digging in the backyard where he discovered thousands of diamonds.

The moral of the story is obvious: you already are rich – you already have the diamonds. You just need to polish them.

Many of the components of your future success are already in your office. But we overlook them, or use them once and then forget about them, like teenagers looking for the next new article of clothing to make a fashion statement.

As entrepreneurs, creatively – we are all looking for that next dopamine high… and seek the next new “shiny” thing.

You have a show on the road. Just make it better. Make it fresh. Set a new standard, and make a new game to “level up!” Add a few new things here and there, but keep doing what is working.

Looking for Your Diamonds

Review what has been working for you. Reaffirm it and keep at it. Look at what hasn’t worked that well and fix it so that it does, or drop it like barbell that you have been holding over your head for too long.

By yourself, and later, with your team, here are some areas to look into:

____1. Review Your Mission Statement. Does it apply? How? Does it need to be customized? Beyond your mission, what is your WHY? Does the mission satisfy this?
____2. What Are Your Outcomes? For example: “People relieved of pain, healthier, educated so that they can and will continue to improve their health… and refer others?” You can also define Minimal Viable (Valuable) Outcomes, e.g., “A patient who accepts care.” Etc.
____3. How Is the Office Vibe? This is determined by your values and how everyone is living up to them. Are these values posted for all to see and check how they are “measuring up?” Are they defined? Do we need to add more, change some, delete some? Should we better define each value? Should we add:

• Trust. Are we worthy of trust with our patients and ourselves?
• Mission Oriented. Do we help each other cheerfully achieve our mission – each day?
• How well are we living up to these?
• How can we live up to these better?

____4. How Were the Numbers? Up, or down?

• When the numbers went up, what did, or didn’t we do? How can we improve upon this?
• When the numbers went down, what did, or didn’t we do? Should we improve or discontinue those actions?

____5. Individual. What can each one of us do professionally this next year to improve our ability to contribute to our team and its mission?

Some of this should be on simple, brief checklists and memo’s. Add it to your Practice Playbook. Document it so that it can be referred to for training and coaching in the future.

Merry-Go-Round

Imagine that your practice is a merry-go-round, the kind you find at children’s playgrounds.

It takes a lot of energy to push it and get it going. But… once it is moving, it takes less effort to gradually get it going faster. And faster! And faster…

Take some time to review how you are pushing your merry-go-round. What procedures worked better for pushing it faster? Focus on these… Makes these better.

Go faster… and push less.

And as you do, watch those, including yourself, hold on tighter and smile bigger.

Enjoy the ride!

With admiration,

–Ed

November and December Marketing — and Your Higher Purpose

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Petty Michel Associates Practice Promotions

November and December are special times for patient marketing, whether you are promoting to prospective patients, active, or inactive patients.

Usually, we have found that internal marketing is better during this time of year as you don’t need to compete with commercial businesses as they slug it out in an advertising frenzy. You can prepare now and schedule your external promotions and community services for January and February. Of course, if you see an excellent opportunity for external marketing now, take it. But the primary focus should be internal for these two months.

November and December are “cozy” months. In North America — we have Thanksgiving. This is a time we give thanks for all our blessings and gifts and family and friends. It is a time when people feel grateful. Christmas is also a time of good cheer and giving, as is Hanukkah and other holidays.

And, for some of you, it is also the season of the yearly hunt — when you bring home the ring tail pheasants, the turkeys, and “da ‘tirty point buck.” (Wisconsin-ese for “the 30-point buck.”)

Your promotions should align with the spirit of the season to be most effective. Donation drives are often held. There are many churches and associations in your town that need help as they prepare to assist the less fortunate.

“Toys for Tots”, “Food for Families”, or “Coats for Kids”, are many popular promotions by local media stations. I don’t doubt that they are helpful, but I do sometimes question their sincerity.

Of course, you want more customers, that is the nature of business. But you must lead with your mission statement first.

Any promotions should stem from your higher purposes.

The Higher Purpose Company
In The High Purpose Company, (Arena, 2007) Christina Arena reports on her team’s study of 75 companies’ efforts at Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

She shows how corporations, by doing good, by providing better conditions for employees, more sustainable sourcing of raw materials, and contributing to beneficial causes in their communities, generate more income.

“The central findings of my research can be distilled in the following way: superficiality fails whereas authenticity prevails. Companies that falsely approach corporate responsibility as a form of marketing, public relations, or even philanthropy don’t produce the most meaningful results. In fact, they often waste their money and create additional liabilities. Conversely, companies that truly approach the practice of corporate responsibility as a fully integrated business strategy, wisely investing in profitable solutions to meet unmet social and environmental needs and problems find their performance greatly enhanced.”

According to the Harvard Business Review, business spent more than $15 billion in 2016 on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs. (Davidson, July 7, 2016) And according to, Linda Novick O’Keefe, founder of Common Threads, “that number is rising as businesses see signs that investments in CSR improve company performance, talent recruitment and retention. (O’Keefe, 2016) “Giving in Numbers”, a study published by the CECP that analyzes giving and corporate societal engagement trends, revealed companies that increased giving by at least 10 percent between 2013 and 2015 actually experienced upticks in revenue and pre-tax profit, while all other companies saw a decrease in both.”

Your “WHY?”
Marketing must be honest, and it has to tell why you are doing the marketing. As Simon Sinek reminds us:

“Very few people or companies can clearly articulate WHY they do WHAT they do. By WHY I mean your purpose, cause or belief – WHY does your company exist? WHY do you get out of bed every morning? And WHY should anyone care?

People don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it.

All organizations start with WHY, but only the great ones keep their WHY clear year after year.” (Sinek, 2009)

I recommend finding charities or causes in your community that your patients care about. That you care about. Then, go talk to the head of the charity yourself – get involved – personally. Emotionally.

One office paid their staff for one hour for every two hours they went out of the office and worked on a community project.

And it doesn’t have to be charities. A Kid’s Day with “Saturday with Santa” can be a ball. One office holds a patient appreciation party with their patients each December with a Christmas Elvis impersonator singing Christmas carols. The one I attended was packed, and a little wild. But everyone talks about it for the rest of the year.

Your patients, and your neighbors, want what you want – a better and healthier community. Communicate that in all your promotions and you’ll get better results, and have more fun.

And, many thanks for you do from all of us at PM&A!

Ed

A list of sample promotions on our web site – see reference below.

References

Arena, C. (2007). The High Purpose Company. Harper Collins.

Davidson, R. H. (July 7, 2016). CEO Materialism and Corporate Social Responsibility.        Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation. Retrieved from https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2016/07/07/ceo-materialism-and-corporate-social-responsibility/

O’Keefe, L. N. (2016, Decembr 15). CSR Grows in 2016 as Companies Embrace                Employees’ Values. Huffington Post – The Blog. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-novick-okeefe/csr-grows-in-2016-as-comp_b_13657368.html

Sample Promotions. Chiropractic Practice Marketing Ideas For 2016. Retrieved from   www.pmaworks.com: http://pmaworks.com/observations/2016/09/20/chiropractic-practice-marketing-ideas-for-fall-2016/

Sinek, S. (2009, September). Simon Sinek How Great Leaders Inspire Action. Retrieved    from TED Ideas Worth Spreading:  https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action

The Real Reason For Low New Patients

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Why Two Chiropractic Doctors Couldn’t Grow Their Practice

A few years back, a long-time client of ours gave me a call and said that he had hired two new doctors.  He asked if I would visit his office and see if I could help them grow their caseloads.

I told him that I was happy to pay him a visit.  A month later, I was touring his office and interviewing his team.  I then went out to lunch with the two new associate doctors.

I got to know them and asked them questions.  They were not shy about their goals. They told me that they wanted a “high volume” practice.  They boasted that they felt that it would not be difficult to see as many visits per month as the senior doctor by the end of the year.

They went on about philosophy, BJ Palmer’s “Green” Books, clean food and wellness. Both were young and looked fit and seemed eager.

They said that they wanted marketing help. They talked about how they had been working on social media, but felt that the owner doctor wasn’t supporting them enough by buying advertising.  It wasn’t blatant, but they seemed to be blaming him.  I acknowledged this and said that was something we could look into.

I knew that their practice statistics were very low. I told them that marketing comes down to caring about people – caring enough to talk to them, and caring enough to be honest about how you can help them.

They nodded like zealots. “Absolutely!”

I then said:

“OK, look around this restaurant and describe a possible health issue with some of the customers. Just pick one and do a very preliminary screening based upon the way they are sitting or walking.”

This didn’t go as well as I had thought it would. Both doctors, I discovered, didn’t look at the fellow customers in the restaurant.  So, I prodded and finally got one of them to mumble a possible health issue with someone who was walking out.

I then asked each for their business card. Neither had one on them.  I paused to give them a look: “What?”

I had taken a couple of their cards each before lunch and placed two of them in front of each doctor.

Then I said:

“I liked what you both said about wanting a large practice and wanting to help more people. I would like to help you. So, to start, I would like you to get up from this table and find someone in the restaurant, introduce yourself, and hand out your card. If possible, make an appointment for them to come see you.”

They both looked at me as if they saw a ghost.  Gripped by fear, they both slumped down in their chairs. Neither would do it.

Seeing this, I suggested they talk to the cashier or waitress, or the manager.  Now the fear turned to a dismissive attitude, as if this exercise was beneath their dignity.

We ended lunch and went back to the office. We met with the owner doctor and discussed the situation. Over the following weeks the two doctors agreed that the relationship wasn’t working out and decided to leave on good terms to start their own office.

— — —

You don’t have to be a hyper-extroverted charming salesperson to be an effective marketer. In fact, this may act against you. The largest office I have ever worked with was seeing over 2,000 visits per week.  And the owner was serious and gruff, and talked like an angry fishing boat captain.

Marketing starts with a burning desire. It begins with an almost obsessive drive and purpose to help others by getting them into your office.  Marketing then depends on your belief and confidence in your skills and service. And it hinges entirely on how much you really care and empathize with each patient or prospective patient. And then, there is the effort you put in. You gotta do the work, and this means sometimes long hours, long weeks, and long months.

And as the C.E.O of your business, it also means getting the rest of your team to feel the same.

Again:

  1. Desire. Drive
  2. Confidence and belief.
  3. Compassion and empathy.
  4. Effort. Work. Sweat!

There are thousands of different methods to market your services. These may include “social media,” big goals, and “philosophy.” They may include newsletters, workshops, or back to school promotions. But in the end, marketing is communication, whether done electronically, through print, in groups, or one on one.  It is always and especially – one on one. In time, you will find what works best for you.

But no number of manuals, books, or coaching will do a damn thing for you if you don’t have the desire, the belief, the empathy or put in the work.

Patient Education: A Simple and Fun Method for Chiropractic Offices

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Patient education is definitely a clinical function.  But… it is also good marketing.

And note that your entire office IS the marketing department and each team member has a marketing role.

To help everyone on your team better participate in patient education, use this simple and fun method:

Get a whiteboard and place it where patients can see it.  Assign someone to write something on it each day so that your patients, or you, can comment on it.

For example, you could write:

  • What does this mean?

“Pain is the last to show
… and the first to go.”

This will be a cue for the doctor or a team member to talk to your patients – and can also provoke your patients to talk to you.

Here are some other examples:

  • “What does a chiropractic ADJUSTMENT do?”
  • “How is pain like an iceberg to your health?”
  •  What does A.D.I.O. mean?

At your morning team meetings, or weekly meetings, go over each subject so everyone has a better idea on how to educate patients on the topic.
For active PM&A members, go here for a more complete list:  PMAmembers.com

The 3 Key Ingredients to Motivating Your Chiropractic Team

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Most of your staff are not engaged in the success of your office.  Most of them JUST DON’T CARE. 

At least that is according to a 2015 Gallup report that interviewed over 80,000 working adults.

The report showed that there are twice as many “actively disengaged” workers in the workplace as there are “engaged” workers who like their jobs.   The percentage of U.S. workers in 2015 considered engaged in their jobs averaged 32%. The majority (51%) of employees were “not engaged,” while another 17% were “actively disengaged.” (“Actively disengaged” means that they are actively sabotaging their work.)

But let’s say your office is different, which I am sure it is.  You are motivated enough to read this article and I am sure that is reflected by your team as well. But all the same, take a look with me at the level of motivation of your office.

How was your last team meeting?  Were you there? Was everyone sitting on the edge of their seat and contributing new ideas and plans on how to reach new goals in the office? Or, were most everyone pretty silent?

Sure, your employees smile and look busy when you are around, and often work hard and they do care.  But really, how much?

What would your office be like if the motivation, creativity, and level of pro-activity was always very high at “10,” or even ranged from 7-10?  If they felt that it was “their” business, where they took responsibility for the quality and quantity of outcomes, and regularly worked to improve the business – and themselves?

I have been reviewing the subject of motivation for some time, from my own experience over the years and from what social scientists have reported.

I have incorporated certain principles into a new system of business management that are specifically designed to unleash everyone’s innate motivation – including business owners like you!

Motivation is the foundational in a chiropractic office, or dental office, acupuncture – even with therapists and other service firms. It is a bedrock for any healthy practice and business.

Here is one very useful principle specifically about motivation and how you can use it to generate more engagement – and productivity — with your team.

3 Goals System of Business Management: Principle #5

Self-Determination and Motivation

Everyone wants their own sandbox to play in.

You do. This is one of the reasons you went to school – and why you started your business.

We all want to have something that we can call our own where we can create and demonstrate our competence. What we get in return is feedback that we can do something good, that we have power, that we can make something beneficial happen, that we can … make a positive difference.   If only to ourselves, we can say: “Look what I did. I did this. This is my creation.”

You can see it in children, for example, when they bring you their colored scribbles on crumpled pieces of paper to proudly show you their great work of art.  This is their sandbox.

Of course, we all work for money. But we also have deeper motivations that if tapped into and nurtured, can be very powerful.  By harnessing these motivations, and then linking them with others who have a shared goal, we can create a dynamic team driven business that is very profitable.

This has been explored by social scientists who have studied what has come to be called Self-Determinism Theory.  I have also seen it in action. Essentially, it states that we all have innate drives and inherent needs that motivate us to be more self-determined rather than determined, or controlled by, outside forces.

External motivation, like the fear of being fired, can only motivate us so far. Threats, criticisms, negative reinforcement may produce short term action, but in the end, they demotivate, or worse.

The level of employee motivation has a tremendous influence over the success of your business. 

An unmotivated staff, one that only becomes engaged to the level of “I will perform just good enough so that I don’t get fired or criticized,” will weigh the office down.

Self-Determinism Theory (STD) has three components, all of which easily apply to your business. These are:

  • Autonomy
  • Competence
  • Relatedness.

And by the way, while reading this, consider how this also applies to you as well!

Autonomy

You do not want your treatment plans second-guessed by a clerk in an insurance company. Neither does your front desk want you breathing down their necks about where all the patients or practice members are, or why they used the blue pen.  You should train and educate your team, but then get out of their way and let them succeed or fail.

Think of helping a child ride a bicycle. Sure, they will need your help for a while. A push now and then. Perhaps some training wheels. But you will have to let them fall down a few times and allow them to get the courage to get back on the bike and succeed. You can continue coaching them to improve, but you must let them go.

Even if you see employees appearing idle, or having brief personal discussion with another employee, back off. Tolerate minor errors. Give your team some rein.  Come back around later to coach them and train them to improve. Mostly educate them on the mission of the office and of their roles, and get them to understand what outcomes they are supposed to be producing. Once they see that the statistics measure their performance, they will be more self-directed and want to do all they can to win the game!

We all want to be free to create our own enterprises, even if we work for someone else. As long as what we do is in line with the purpose or mission of the business and our role, there should be no problem.  This helps us demonstrate our competence, which is the next element of Self-Determined Theory.

Competence

Doing a good job, all by itself, is its own reward. It pushes away self-doubts and shows us, and others, how good we really are. It is positive reinforcement.

And the better we can do a good job, the better the results will be, which demonstrates to us just how awesome we truly are!  Plus, as we increase our skills, we also will find that our duties are easier to perform.

Your team wants to improve their skills. Help them do so.

Sign them up for seminars, webinars, give them monthly reading assignments, and give them a coach or three of them.  But this has to be done in conjunction with your supervision. You will need to guide them through the training so that they see how it applies to their roles and the business as a whole. Quiz them on what they are learning and have them give presentations to the team on what they are learning.  The old maxim applies: “to teach is to learn twice.”

And where possible, make sure they earn certificates and can wear pins or insignia that testify to their competence. This goes along with Game Theory – people win at one level and then want to go to the next level. They want their “badges.”

Business owners throw staff into their jobs and expect them to produce with little or no training. Without exception, the offices I have seen that provide more training and coaching for their team — do better.  Companies spend an enormous amount on employee training. $161 Billion in the U.S. last year (trainingindustry.com). And, it pays off.

One study showed a comparison between car companies and how many hours they trained their new employees: Japan spends an average of 364, Europe averages 178, and the United States – 21 (Pfeffer –The Human Connection).

And you can guess which country has cars with the best frequency of repair record.

Children want to be super heroes and wear their capes.

Don’t we all!

Relatedness.

This is the feeling of being connected – and there are two aspects to this.

Family. First, “relatedness” is the feeling of not being left out of the “loop” and of being included. Staff meetings help with this as does the general work environment. This is the sense that we are in this venture, job, and profession together. That we are part of a family.

Keep your team involved with your decision making. Give them some of the issues you are dealing with and encourage their input. They are stakeholders – it is their office too!

Greater Purpose. The other aspect of relatedness is that people generally want to be associated with a greater purpose. The more that each member can connect to the greater purpose of the group and make it their own, the more motivated they will be. Taking it a step further, if employees have higher goals of their own that coincide with the organization’s and they are allowed to pursue them within the organization, there would be no reason for employees to work anywhere else.

Train your team, let them own and creatively improve their own areas – and help to do the same for the entire office. Nurture camaraderie and a spirit of family – and always remind them – and yourself — why we are doing what we are doing.

Do this, and not only will your business be more successful, but you too will be more motivated and have more fun in the bargain.

#   #   #

Self-Determination Theory: Basic Psychological Needs in Motivation, Development, and Wellness. Ryan, R. M. & Deci, E. L. (2017) and Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Self-Motivation Paperback – August 1, 1996
© Edward W. Petty,    From the upcoming book: “Three Goals:  A New Practice and Business Building Methodology That Is Simpler, Faster, And More Effective and Fun than What You Are Doing Now.”  By Edward Petty, due to be published sometime before the Singularity. © May, 2017

Our Shallow World – and What Your Chiropractic (Acupuncture, Dental, Medical) Patients Really Want

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We live in a shallow and superficial culture. It is fast talking, faster messaging, with abbreviated emotions and texts.

No one seems to really care, or takes the time to care.

Communication has become digitized and synthesized. We forward messages from some people we know, and from many we don’t, to people we know, and to many we don’t. We are addicted to our smart phones and “phub” each other. (Phub: The practice of ignoring one’s companion or companions in order to pay attention to one’s phone or other mobile device. Google.)

We buy things from “clouds” that seem to know what we want, as if they had been eavesdropping on all our personal affairs.

The Age of Artificial Intelligence that cares more for us than people who “friend” us is growing faster and faster.

Yet, somehow, shallow works. It is practical. It is fast and efficient. When I ask you “how are you?” I really don’t have the time to hear about how your kids did at their Christmas play, or how you like your new socks. I have my own deadlines and have to go.

We are caught up in minimal viable encounters. They are functional, but they provide the only the minimum amount of care. Any less, and there wouldn’t be any service at all. They are “duct tape” solutions.

This is our life now. The fast, the short, the immediate.

For all its practical aspects, this is the first goal in any business exchange. We must provide the outcomes and services that are initially wanted by our patients. This is a “drive through” consumer culture that moves quickly for things that are wanted. In return, business is trained to provide the minimum quickly, efficiently, and yet is still valuable.

But just because our society is shallow, does not mean that your patient is.

This may be the culture in which they have adapted, but privately, your new patient might not have been satisfied with the services they have been receiving from others. And as the expert and professional, you know that it is likely that they have been short-changed on their care.

No doubt, your patient wants relief – now. But if you want to know the truth, they probably want more than just a quick-fix.

Your patient is looking for someone who genuinely cares. They are hoping to find someone who listens, empathizes, and someone they can trust to help them get what they really want.

What do they really want?

Ask them:

What is most important to you about your health?

Then, find out why.

This is a broad and open ended question. It takes the both of you through the quick-fix drive-through to get to, finally, what they really want.

If I have a painful tooth, I would see a dentist to at least treat it enough so that it wasn’t causing me discomfort. But if the dentist asked me what I really considered important about my dental health, I might say that I would like cavity free teeth that never caused me pain. I would like all my teeth and gums to be healthy and look good until I am at least 105.

The dentist would then repeat back to me what I said that was most important about my dental health so that we could agree that this was my goal — something I wanted. With this disclosed and agreed upon, we could now dig into my history and perform the exam to see what was going on that was causing the symptoms.

Once all this was done, he would explain to me not only what was causing my pain, but what I needed to do, in the long term to get my mouth 100%, which we already agreed upon I wanted.

I definitely don’t want or need a hard sell for something I am not sure I need.

But if you find out what I really want and let me know that you can deliver, you won’t have to sell me. I am already motivated.

Confrontational Anxiety

Confrontational anxiety is that stress you, and your patient, can feel when discussing the length and expense of your recommended treatment plan. But it melts away and evaporates if you work towards what the patient really wants.

There are many different approaches designed to help get the patient to agree to a more complete treatment plan, including scripted words or phrases for the doctor and staff to say. Ultimately, the patient must trust you. They will have to understand what is causing the symptoms, what it will take to get better, and the benefits to be had. In the end, you will want to work out your own procedure. (Give us a call, we can help!)

Realize that your new and prospective patient is just barely trusting you, as it is. They would like to trust you more. They hope for more than just a “pop and pray” (“…and hope that they pay”) treatment and adjustment from you. What they usually offer you, or present to you as a new patient, is a symptom that may have deeper causes. Their condition is probably not new. They likely have had it, or some aspect of it, for some time. Only when it becomes more acute do they come to see you.

The analogy of the iceberg is useful.

Your patient wants relief, but also wants everything in life that the pain hampered or prevented. This might include less recurring episodes of pain, the ability to resume their hobbies and sports, improved performance in life activities, stronger immune function, better balance, increased knowledge to improve their health, more happiness, better weight management, and more energy. You can and should make a list of at least 10 benefits that come from a patient completing their treatment plan.

I buy a new car not to just have a better ride, but to feel that I have a better life. I pay for a cleaning service because I want a cleaner house, but deep down, I really do so because I want a happier wife.

Patients are too often short-changed because of a culture that is fast and shallow. You don’t have to be – and you can give your patients complete and thorough care. This is what they want – once they understand their condition and what you can provide. And, once they trust you.

Be interested in your patient and go deep to find out about their health, their history, and what they really want. Then, educate them on how the both of you, working together, can best help them get what they really want — and what you want and can deliver.

Ed Petty© Edward W. Petty, From the upcoming book: “Three Goals: A New Practice and Business Building Methodology That Is Simpler, Faster, And More Effective and Fun than What You Are Doing Now.” By Edward Petty, due to be published sometime before the singularity. © 2017

 

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Chiropractic Spring Marketing

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chiropractic marketing with petty michel
(Free sample marketing planner below.)

Practice marketing may not be entirely what you think it is.

 

If you are having challenges with your “marketing,” or you just want to generate more new patients, you need to consider something.

There are many good and great marketing activities you can do. (You can go to our website under “Free Resources” and find buckets of marketing. And, for those of you who are active members, there are mountains of even more marketing programs for you on our Member’s site.)

There are many paid programs you can purchase that explain different methods of generating more new patients. You have seen them, perhaps purchased them: DVD’s on dinner talks, workshops on how to present to businesses, Facebook and print advertising programs, and automated newsletters and Facebook posts.

These all can be useful in generating new patients, but the results often fall short from what the few successful doctors who promote the programs claim. This is usually because there were two major components missing in the marketing.

When doctors return from marketing programs, I like to ask them what they thought of the material.

“Yes, I liked it. It was good info. Learned a lot.”

“Great.” I say. “So, who is going do it?”

“Well, Susan can do it.”

“Oh really, when? She has a backlog in insurance and is working overtime trying to work with your sketchy notes as it is.”

“Hmm, well, we’ll hire someone.”

“Great. Who is going to train them? You?”

Not trying to be a jerk, but part of any good consultant’s job is to provoke analysis!

Besides the marketing event or procedure, there are two other critical elements to practice marketing that have to be included for the promotion to work. These are not always taken into account.

This was the basis of the Marketing Manager System I wrote and published some 17 years ago.

Most companies, as Simon Sinek talks about in his TED talk*, boast about what they do, or how they do it. It is all about them. Look at us!

But the better companies talk about WHY they do what they do, and they do it for YOU. They do it for your kids, grand kids, community, and the betterment of the world.

This is practice marketing. It is personal. You tell people why the heck you do what you do — and you say all this with genuine care and confidence – in your own VOICE. You do this in your newsletter, in your talks and in your ads. The best marketers do this – often naturally.

  1. So, the first missing component that must be included with your marketing is motivation. Marketing must have a mission and it has to be embraced by everyone on your team.
  2. The second missing component is organization. The events and procedures must be assigned to different people with enough time for implementation.

Complete practice marketing then, has three major components:

  1. Motivation. Why. Make sure you and your team WANT more new patients. Get that accomplished first. That may take a while. An office staff and doctor who are backlogged with their paper work, already working full time and more, who also may have a few inter-office unexpressed grievances, confusions, or doubts about your service or you… no matter how many programs you sign up for, nothing will work.
  2. Organize. Then, work out who will be doing what. Spread the marketing around to everyone and put someone in charge just to coordinate.
  3. Marketing Procedures and Events. With the above 2 components in place, you are now more likely to “rock” your marketing efforts more successfully.

Increase the WHY, increase the CAPACITY, then yes, please — lots of marketing activities.

Let the party begin!!

Ed Petty

Spring Marketing Planner- (DOC) Sample Marketing Planner for Spring

*TED Talk link: www.pmaworks.com/observations/2011/02/10/leadership-in-chiropractic-the-golden-circle/

Chiropractic Patient Reactivation Program and Sample Postcard

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We recommend offering a special promotion to patients who have not been active for 6 months or more.

The links below will take you to a couple of articles describing procedures that can be used to encourage less active patients to come in to see you.

The Reactivation Program has a number of sample letters and a sample postcard and the Reactivation Card is a sample post card that can also be customized for your email newsletter.

Sample Reactivation Postcard – Sample postcard layout and instructions on how to customize your postcard.  Information can also be used for email notification.

Reactivation Program An article on the importance of regular reactivation program.

Best Wishes for your New Year!

How To Make Your Chiropractic and Natural Health Lending Library Work

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lending-library

A natural health lending library is a very practical marketing tool – if used.

A lending library is a collection of books, DVD’s, and other information that you can loan your patients. It is part of an ongoing patient education program. The better your patients understand what you do and why you do it, the more likely they will be to stick to a long-term care program and to refer their family and friends for services.  Patient education, compared to other marketing activities, is not that expensive.  It has a good ROI!

Download a list of suggestions here for your chiropractic or natural health care library.  [Ideas for your Lending Library]  Please give us your suggestions as well.

This all is logical, right?  We all know this.

So…why is it rarely done? Most of the offices that I have seen with lending libraries have them on the bottom shelf in some corner of their office filled with books from a garage sale and old VHS video cassettes.

Everyone knows patient education is important. Like the Spinal Care Class, or new patient education class, everyone knows this is good for the patient and helps the office grow. Right?

Funny story… I attended a small get-together of chiropractors one evening here in Southeast Wisconsin. The presentation was given by the lead doctor of a multiple doctor office. Great doctor, nice practice. He had been in practice for years and looked weathered and ready for retirement. The talk was how to give an effective Spinal Care Class for new patients. The presentation was full of practical content. The only thing… the doctor wasn’t that cheerful about his presentation.

After he finished, and as he left the front of the room looking down at the floor, he muttered, as if passing on a confidential apology to another spy… “But we don’t do the classes anymore.”

So, no need to fool ourselves here. It might be just easier to buy some nice posters and be done with it.

Ah, but there is a trick to making your lending library work… and patient education in general work!

The lending library is primarily for YOU — and each member of your professional team.

We have been looking at it all wrong.  The lending library is a reflection of YOU!

If YOU study, and if your support team studies and learns, you all will be so enthusiastic about the information that you will insist that your patients learn this information as well.

Be curious and ask yourself some questions. For example:

  • Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to significantly lower blood pressure. Do your patients know this? How does it work?
  • Why do some intervertebral discs degenerate and others (in the same spine) do not?
  • Do your patients understand the myth of cholesterol, heart disease, and how statin drugs may be causing some of the symptoms they are coming in to see you for?
  • How is the adaptive immune response affected [during “cold and flu season”] by the adjustment?
  • Is the average time for a whiplash patient to achieve maximum improvement 7 months 1 week? If so, why? If not, what is it?
  • Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for rheumatoid and/or osteoarthritis conservatively cause 16,500 Americans to bleed to death each year. Do your patients know this? Do their families?
  • Glutamate and aspartame can cause chronic pain sensitization, and removing them from the diet for 4 consecutive months can eliminate all chronic pain symptoms. Do your patients know this? Do their spouses? *

Read a book, watch a video, question authority, ask questions — seek the truth. Get excited about learning new things about your profession.

DON’T GET BORED. If you are bored, quit and go home!

Otherwise, be grateful for the opportunities we all have to learn and expand our knowledge and understanding of the services we provide and the world in which we provide them.

Be curious.

Ultimately, you sell yourself before you sell your services. How can you sell a care class or an extended treatment plan if you are not truly excited about them?

Learning new aspects of chiropractic, health care, wellness, sickness, the sickness industry, how your patients are being manipulated and exploited… all this should agitate you one way or another.

For example, I watch Vaxxed – the movie — and then listened to Dr. Andrew Wakefield and Brandy Vaughn (former Merck employee) talk on YouTube about the movie and how they are now being covertly and overtly intimidated to shut up.  If this pharmaceutical company is trying to help members of your community get healthier, why are they now attempting to squash dissent and in such a sinister and yet powerful way? I can’t help but wonder: just how powerful are they at manipulating public opinion? How are they influencing my community and my family?

If you look further into the effects of pharmaceuticals, from Vioxx to statins to MMR and vaccines, and explore some of these questions, you can’t help but feel compelled to educate your patients on how to keep their children healthy and free from a toxic environment.vioxx

Some of the most successful offices I have seen have spent untold sums on going to seminars (and on coaches!). The verysuccessful can be reckless with book buying and webinar watching and seminar attending.

Continuing education isn’t just for re-licensing seminars. How dull!

If you are not impatiently curious about different aspects of your profession – its science, its philosophy, what it is up against in the market place, you are becoming part of the problem.

Stay curious. Question authority. Study.

Do this:

Assignment #1. You. Order a book – or video- from Barnes and Noble, your local books store, or Amazon. Read most of it on a weekend or weeknight evening rather than watching TV.  Present what you learned at the next staff meeting and put the book in your Library.

Assignment #2. Your Team. Have your staff read a few chapters from a book, or watch a video from your lending library and then give a presentation about it at a staff meeting. Everyone learns and the staff member learns twice! Give bonuses for outside study.

Just like we work on our patients, just like we work on our business, we must work ON our roles as professionals and we do this by studying.

Then, no doubt, you and your team will be dragging your patients over to the lending library to check out the latest editions to your collection.

And your patients will know that they came to the right place. They may think you are all a little nerdy, maybe even fanatical about better health, but they will know that you sincerely care about them and their wellbeing, not just in collecting some money for some fast or rushed service.

Assignment #3. Stay curious and learn – and provoke others to do the same.

Sincerely,

Ed

See our attached list of sample books and videos for your Lending Library Ideas for Your Lending Library

Please give us your suggestions for informative books or videos!

*Questions taken from Dan Murphy’s web site.www.danmurphydc.com

 

Using the Power of Simplicity to Develop Your Practice

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“The way we’re running the company, the product design, the advertising– it all comes down to this: let’s make it simple, really simple.”     Steve Jobs  (Walter Isaacson) 1.

If you could simplify your business even more than it is, you would make more money and have less stress.

There is a direct relationship between simplicity and productivity, and an inverse relationship between complexity and productivity.

The most successful businesses have capitalized on this fact. This was one of Apple computer’s unique selling propositions – to focus on the simple and eliminate what wasn’t essential.

From its inception, the Apple Macintosh computer was designed with simplicity in mind.  Other companies have focused on simplicity: McDonalds order via drive-through, Ikea with its simple design, and Amazon with one-click ordering.

Simplicity Pays

Siegal-Gale is an international marketing firm that has studied simplicity in business and has been able to profile and rank businesses according to their simplicity. They call this the Global Brand Simplicity Index and have found that those companies that rank the highest, also outperform companies that rank as more complex. Their report states (2):

  • 214% – How much a portfolio of the world’s simplest brands has beaten the average global stock index since 2009
  • 69% – The percentage of consumers who are more likely to recommend a brand because it provides simpler experiences and communications
  • 63% – The percentage of consumers willing to pay more for simpler experiences

What Does This Mean for Your Practice?

You want to simplify the experience your chiropractic (or other) patient has in your office. From the first phone call, first appointment, examination, report of findings, patient finances, and scheduling, discover ways to simplify your procedures.

Your intake forms may be redundant or complicated, there may be too many rote statements or “scripts” for your staff to say to patients, or there can be extra pathways that your patients have to travel, like so many rabbit trails, where they can get confused and the flow slows down.  Staff, or doctors, may have too many decisions to make at each visit.

For example – what extra therapy should the patient receive? Not knowing, I have heard support staff simply ask the patient what therapy they wanted today, as if they were ordering a latte.  And as we know, there are definitely too many codes and documentation rules to follow for the doctor. Going total cash is one solution, but intelligent software, dictation, and scribes are other solutions.

Many, if not a majority of the more profitable offices that I have worked with over the years practiced what could be called “straight” chiropractic.  The straight practice (no additional modalities) works well, when it does, because its procedures and flow are simple. It is usually more profitable because extra overhead hides in the complicated.

Focus: Eliminate All but The Essential

Steve Jobs again: “People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.”— Steve Jobs, WWDC 199(3)

I am not advocating no supplements, no exercise physiology, no electrical therapy. But to be honest, how much of this gets used in your office? I know offices — right now, and have known hundreds more, that have equipment lying around unused or bottles of vitamins collecting dust on overlooked shelves.

444378-simplicity

You have to embrace first only those unique outcomes that you can deliver. Work backwards and add only the most critical steps. “Begin with the end in mind”, as Stephen Covey observed in high producers.

For the Chiropractor – Adjust

For a chiropractor, this means adjust. (For other professions: what is your core function?) One of the first doctors I worked with when I moved to Wisconsin in 1988 worked closely with Clarence Gonstead. His license plate read: I ADJUST. He had a full practice, chuckled a lot, and seemed to make a nice living.

Start with this first, and then add additional services carefully – if you want.

Educate – In and Out Of The Office

Secondly, educate. Educate your patients, your team, and your community.  But your education has to be simple.  Your message has to be concise. One doctor we have worked with over the years has a waiting list practice, with nonstop patient, and even some MD, referrals.   He doesn’t do a 4-day report of findings and he doesn’t do a 2-day report of findings on new or reactivated patients.

He just very intently adjusts and talks about the adjustment and what he is adjusting.  From there, he then also gets into other health topics such as toxins (vaccinations), nutrition and weight, and exercise.

This is a good model: start with your core service and move out from there. For chiropractic education, you can use simple metaphors like “pinched nerve,” “garden hose,” “rusty gate hinge”, and how the body fighting toxins creates heat (inflammation), etc.

And keep educating your patients with care classes, lending library, table talk, movie nights, special speakers, case histories, and testimonials.

And do this first and continually with your support team.  This is not done enough!

One method to discover what to simplify is to regularly practice your procedures. For example, do a rehearsal of what happens when a new patient comes into your office on their first day, 2nd day, 3rd day, etc. You will flush out confusions, redundancies, and extra motions that complicate the patient experience.

Outside of your office, the same applies. Educate your community on what you do.  What is your simple selling proposition that people want?

For example, someone asks you “what do you do?”: “Well…

we help to improve your health, we relieve your pain,

and we increase your game – naturally!

No drugs, no surgery, and we guarantee you have fun in the bargain.”

How’s that? A simple and a desirable unique selling proposition (USP). (You can use this in all your marketing communications – no charge!)

Make it Fun – and Have Fun

Lastly, there is fun. You can and should have fun doing this. And so should your patients and support crew.

Patients will mostly remember how they feel after leaving your office.  Was it a pleasant, enjoyable experience? Was it fun?

Practice life can often bring about a kind of serious hue over the office. Administrative errors, missed appointments, a dissatisfied patient, a staff member out for the day, too many bills – all of this can create an extra layer of anxiety or seriousness in the office.

Fight this by being grateful for all the wonderful outcomes of your patients.  Work on having a “the gratitude attitude.”

And as you simplify your processes, you will find that everyone’s attention becomes freer to enjoy helping each other — to help the patients.

Simple is more fun and profitable.

So here is a question for you: Which comes first, the fun or the smile?

Well, you can kick things off right now… right now with a smile.  Actually, smiling is simpler and requires less muscles than frowning.

Frowning is complex, so start right now by smiling.

Try it.

See? Already your business and life is simpler and better – and funner.

-Ed

MAGNET003

(To help you keep things simple, you can order two magnets of the above image for your office, courtesy of PM&A while quantities last. Click here to order.  We will mail them to you at no charge.)

For a printable copy of this article click [The Power of Simplicity]

Chiropractic & Practice Marketing Ideas for Fall 2016

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Autumn pumpkin background

(Download a PDF of this article)

3 Echelons of Practice Marketing: Motivation, Management, Procedures

Most attention is usually put on marketing procedures. That is fine but when marketing fails, it is usually because the procedures just didn’t get done, or only half done. And this is because no one was put in charge of them and given the time to execute them. Pretty obvious, but easily overlooked. This was the essential theme of the Marketing Manager System I published in 2000. It is out of print now but much of the info is on our PM&A Member’s site.

And underneath it all is motivation. Who really wants to do the marketing? You may get excited from a seminar or about an event you have planned. But motivation can dissipate quickly and too often we are not active enough in keeping ourselves and our teams passionate and determined about providing more and better service.

So all three levels or echelons of marketing need to be in place. What follows is a brief list to help you set up effective marketing activities for the next 4 months.

 

QUALITY SERVICE AND CARE COMES FIRST
It goes without saying but it needs to be said – from an executive point of view, quality care and service comes first. Ultimately, an office that gives “WOW” service and produces extra-ordinary outcomes generates enough word of mouth to create a waiting list practice. Think of Clarence Gonstead.

MOTIVATION
Plan weekly motivational talks at your team meetings and major motivational activities each month. These can be discussing case successes, watching Doctored, or doing a free clinic for the underprivileged. Keep the saw sharpened. Keep reminded of WHY you all are doing what you are doing and your greater purposes. This is the fire that drives the engine of your practice.

MARKETING MANAGEMENT
Someone to Coordinate
Delegate someone to be the marketing coordinator. You could have someone for just internal and someone for external events. These roles are only a few hours per week as coordination jobs. The actual work is delegated as separate duties so that everyone on your team has a role in marketing. Your entire office is the marketing department but it helps to have duties assigned just like you do for the front desk or billing dept.

So Many Procedures, Which Should You Pick?
Select the marketing activities that have worked for you in the past and add a few at a time. Pilot each and see what works better for you. Marketing is all about testing. Find out what works and then put it in a system. Keep it simple. Get your marketing systematized and departmentalized and delegated.

Time to Plan
Part of marketing management is setting aside time to plan and coordinate upcoming events. At least monthly, schedule time aside to review past promotions and plan new marketing for the next few months.

Calendar
Make sure you have a large calendar to post all of your upcoming promotions.

MARKETING PROCEDURES
COMMUNICATION CHANNELS
All your marketing does no good unless it is communicated. Marketing IS communication, so keep the communication going – in and out of the office. Make sure each month you promote via team members, “table talk”, e-newsletters, posters, Facebook, etc.

Recurring Procedures
The most important marketing activities are your usual, recurring procedures that you do on a daily and weekly basis. Many of these are already embedded in your routine procedures. Because they are done routinely, the usual and everyday procedures can be overlooked or not given the importance needed. For example, just answering the phone can make a big difference. Don’t let the routine become the mundane. Practice new ways to have fun with your recurring procedures.

Community Services
This is what I call the free or discounted services you provide in your community. Health screenings, workshops, networking events, setting up alliances with dentists, for example, or just conspicuously showing up at the Lions Club breakfast. I would delegate this to one person and give them 4-6 hours per week to schedule events and to help coordinate who attends these events. There is a good deal of administration in this role. I have seen events scheduled a year in advance that generated new patients and referrals from alliances that come in years after they were initially set up because the relationship was well maintained.

  • External Workshops and “Lunch and Learns.” Schedule external classes for January and February now. Business “Wellness Programs” or lunch and learns at the local YMCA or Senior center. Include massage to make it even more attractive.
  • Local Health Fairs. Contact all the locations you have held events in the past year and schedule events for the New Year.
  • Contact local businesses for health fairs in the New Year and get them scheduled.

Internal Workshops.
Internally, you can also schedule special classes over the next 4 months, including “Natural Approaches to Flu Prevention”, “New Healthy Ways to Lose Weight and Get Fit This Winter,” etc.

Google Reviewsgoogle-review
If you get 4-5 star reviews on Google, you will get new patients. This is proven. It is true. Assign it to someone and do it. Now. It may take a few months, but if you do it, they will come.

Patient Education: Table Talk and the New Patient Care Class
In my opinion, educating your patients is more important than adjusting or treating them. Not all patients are easy to educate, but all can be gradually persuaded to understand the value of your services: what they do, how they work, and why they are important. Educated patients refer more. They stay with you longer. They are more enjoyable to care for. And, most importantly they are healthier. Table talk is an excellent practice with each patient. But your new patient care class is a proven winner. It just takes your intention to do it. Two times per month. Do with the fervor of a Sunday sermon or with the frankness of a fireside chat with old friends. It will boost your practice and you. And… how much does it cost? That’s right… nothing.

Care to Share
There are many ways to do this program but I like it because it encourages your patients to help you get the word out about their successes so that others do not have to suffer as long as they did. It gets them to help their community. It taps into their greater purposes and gives them an opportunity to help others. Set up a monthly drawing and give away a modest prize or two. Enter the drawing by submitting a Google review, by bringing someone into the office for a no charge consultation, or by getting a workshop set up in their place of employment. Run the program monthly or every other month.

Special Promotions
These are the big events that can be fun and energizing which you hold in your office every couple of months or so. I list some ideas below.

OCTOBER
October is National Chiropractic Health Month. (The International Chiropractic Association and the American Chiropractic Association once recognized October as Spinal Health Month, but now it is simply called Chiropractic Health Month.) This can give you a reason to do many different promotions. For example:

  • A banner in your office for patients to bring in family members for a free “Check-up.”
  • Reactivation Month – send postcards to all inactive patients who have not been in for at least one year or more for free spinal checkup: “Chiropractic Check-up Time.” Use an image of an alarm clock.
  • The ACA has other suggestions on its site. (http://www.acatoday.org)

Child Health Day
Under a Joint Resolution of Congress, the President of the United States has proclaimed National Child Health Day every year since 1928. It was originally celebrated on May Day, May 1, each year until 1960, when the date was moved to the first Monday in October. Use this as a great opportunity to have a Kid’s Day. (Google it. Many differen sites offer suggestins.)

National School Lunch Week
National School Lunch Week takes place on the second Sunday in October (http://www.nea.org/tools/lessons/48412.htm ) You could have a workshop on fast and nutritious meals for kids targeting parents and moms.

Awareness Weeks
If workshops aren’t your thing, then set aside one week to focus on a particular condition, such as headaches and call it “Headache Awareness Week”, or “Pinched Nerve Awareness Week”, “Neuropathy Awareness Week”, etc. Schedule one a month where possible for the next 5 months as part of your Community Education Program. Detail procedure with posters in your Marketing Manager System Toolkit and on your PMA Members site under: “Community Education.” Offer free consultation, screening, and information regarding the condition.

Crazee Dayz
Select a day and make it special for your patients. Only one day a week is necessary otherwise it’s not special. It can be once per month or every week. Serve extra treats. You can have the staff dress out of uniform coordinated to the day. This can add some extra fun to the office and help with retention and long term referrals.

  • Muffin Mondays – Serve up a selection of health bran, blueberry, or gluten free muffins.
  • Two for Tuesday – Bring a friend for a complimentary spinal exam and offer the patient a free adjustment. “Two Fer Tuesday.”
  • Whacky Wednesdays – gag gifts for patients, “adjust-a-mints”, etc. (http://www.bannermints.com/)
  • Thirsty Thursdays — Organic apple juice served in plastic wine glasses with a sliced green apple on the rim. NA margaritas.
  • Fruity Fridays – Bowl of local fruit.

Chiropractic Opportunity Week (“The doctor is having a COW.”) (patient referrals and advertising new patients) Free consultation, exam, and x-ray if needed.

Hair Dresser/Beauty Salons/Spas

  • Offer a workshop on “How to Stay Fit While You Clip.”
  • Free massages (and screenings) for customers

Kids and Halloween Party
With Casper as inspiration, a kid’s Halloween party with a friendly ghost theme has the right mix of tricks and treats. Invite the young ghouls to come dressed up, but you can also have them make ghastly masks as part of the fun. Other ideas include spooky decorations, scary snacks and a friendly ghost hunt.

NOVEMBER
Thanksgiving Turkey Drawing Poster

  • Refer a friend and enter the drawing for a free turkey
  • Special for Organic Turkeys – announce in your newsletter
  • Make arrangements now with your local supplier

Thank a Veteran Day
Veterans Day – November 11. It is no secret that the physical and mental health support veterans receive is inadequate. This good time to set up a promotion honoring those who served. Special promotions including free or discounted services or donations to local Veterans organization. (More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_Day )

Donation Drives (patient referrals, advertising new patients)
Holiday time always brings an increased demand for helping those less fortunate. Within your office set up a collection area for any of the following programs and promote it in your newsletter.

  • Coats for Kids
  • Food for Families
  • Toys for Tots
  • Blood Drive
  • $25 in exchange for first day services.
  • Also, you can support drives at local church or gyms. EG “Free first day services for every donation a member of YMCA makes to the homeless fund.”

Deer Widows Week
During hunting season or first week of December offer complimentary massage for your patients who refer in a new patient

Girl’s Night Out
This is a shopping/gift exchange that can take place in your office. Have patients who have little businesses set up booths in your office and stipulate that they have to bring guests. Supply some refreshments and promote as great way to “Shop Local” for Christmas presents. Enlist the help of massage therapist, local spas and direct marketing consultants. You can provide free screenings.

DECEMBER
Holiday Coupons – Gifts Certificates (patient referrals)

  • Good for Massage, consultation, exam, x-ray
  • Denominations: Free, $25, $25 or food donation to charity.

Poinsettia Give Away
Give away free poinsettias, one per family. Include in the cards a gift certificate for family members or friends. (See Member’s site for gift card)

Saturday with Santa

  • Set up Santa in your reception room corner
  • Treats for the kids
  • Pictures with Santa
  • Free spinal check with Doc

Appreciation to External Referral Sources
Deliver a fruit basket or other present personally during December with a card of thanks and mention how you are looking forward to another year working together. This would go to any location where you had an external community services type of event, such as a screening or workshop. Include: “Looking forward to working with you next year.”

Health Never Takes a Holiday
Post a sign in your office in December that “Health Never Takes a Holiday” and review and re-schedule patients through December to January.

Giving Tree/Angel Tree
The Giving Tree/Angel Tree Project is a great way to bring community awareness to your office. It is a simple project that gets your patients be involved to help others where they might not otherwise have the opportunity to do so.

JANUARY AND FEBRUARY
Winter Workshops and Movie Nights – Internal
These, of course, can be done anytime of the year. Whether it is how to make organic soup for the week, or a talk on vaccinations with an MD, winter has been a good time for internal events. Weight loss, fitness, and food have seemed to be popular. These should be planned by December or even November. Ideally, plan your workshops with a guest speaker such as a holistic MD, biological dentist, midwife, etc.

We have a great deal of information on our PMA member’s site for those of you who are active clients, much of it compiled from the Marketing Manager System I published quite a few years ago. There you can find readymade posters and detailed information on how to do many of these projects.

Yes, I know some of the posters are old but we are not in the graphic arts business and neither are you. But they are on Word files and can be easily changed. A simple graphic and title is all you need with the specifics in bullet points. Depending on the level of your program, we can also put together simple posters to help promote your particular project.

If you are not active with PM&A, you can still find a great deal of info on our web site at www.pmaworks.com/observations.

With shared intentions to get more people healthier and smarter about their health!

Ed Petty
September, 2016

Thank You Linda Skiles for 15 Years of Dedicated, Caring, and Purposeful Service to Petty Michel and Chiropractic Offices Everywhere

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Linda Skiles

Linda Skiles

15 years!

 

Actually, seems much longer as our relationship goes back to the great and honorable Dr. Gaylord Culp of Lake Geneva. And what a grand privilege that was – he was a master Chiropractor.

And then I bumped into you again as the office manager at the renown Wheelock Clinic in Burlington. WI. A dynamic multiple-doctor office that is still going strong.

You certainly had good experiences with solid chiropractic with these doctors and at these offices so there was no doubt in my mind as to your credentials.  You were Chiropractic Assistant of the Year here in Wisconsin too… back a few years it was!

A person can have credentials and training but these are minor compared to the exceptional and outstanding qualities of character that you have demonstrated.  It is too rare to find people who have the personal ethics and courage and selflessness to continue to provide support services through thick and thin, day and night, when needed, as needed, year after year.

In a quiet corner of the world your industriousness has been unflagging…and directly and indirectly because of you and your work, hundreds if not thousands of people are living better lives through better chiropractic offices.

You are always ready to provide us consultants, our clients, and our company with fast service any time.

We don’t say this enough, but your continued support has made a difference to all of us and so many others. But here it is, on your 15th Anniversary:

Thank You Linda. We love you.

🙂