Selling the Invisible — Patient Education: An Inexpensive Marketing Procedure with a Big Return

Posted on November 10, 2020 by Edward Petty

[Link to a checklist of patient education procedures below.]

Educate your patients!

There are so many reasons why — let’s look at a few of them. Then, I will show you how your team can implement your patient education procedures.

1. Selling the Invisible. Unlike buying a refrigerator, your patients are purchasing something they can’t see.

They are receiving a service for which there are no concrete, tangible references for them to judge whether the services were excellent, complete, or long-lasting. Outside of immediate relief from their symptoms, they may wonder if you provided a great service, shortchanged them, or are recommending more than they need.

On the other hand, you know the length, breadth, and depth of what you provide. Virtually, you can see the outcomes, know the measurements, understand the symptoms and know what they point to. But to your patients… it’s all an illusion. They have to trust you and what you say.

Typically, once the symptoms are relieved, many patients believe that the condition is resolved. But through education, your patients can understand how your treatment recommendations are a pathway to fully resolving their condition.

2. Beyond Your Services – Your Patient’s Optimal Health. Beyond your services and the treatment program you suggest, your patients will benefit from general health knowledge. Health is a lifestyle, including exercise and nutrition, but the healthy way of living is distorted by unrelenting drug advertising and propaganda.

Low-fat diets, diet soda, statins and other drugs are still an accepted part of the conventional health model. Pharma is increasingly pouring billions into advertising — $328.6 billion in 2016 from $116 billion in 1997.(¹) In addition, there are untold sums spent on lobbying your elected officials and paying for their election expenses.

Health reality is being manufactured for corporate profits rather than for personal and family health and longevity. Your patients and neighbors in your community don’t have a chance without your calm teaching of the facts on how to achieve a healthy and long life.

3. Customer Education — From a strictly commercial point of view, other businesses are seeing the advantages of customer education. According to learning industry analyst John Leh, “In a world where customer success increasingly determines overall business success, customer education has become an imperative.”⁽²⁾

Studies support the idea that customer education pays off. According to studies by ThinkJar, a customer strategy consultancy, “Customers are thirsty for more information and knowledge.”⁽³⁾And a study by Eisingerich and Bell conclude that customer education improves the trust in the company.⁽⁴⁾

Major businesses are investing large sums in educating their customers, and a leading customer education platform, Skilljar announced it has raised $33 million in funding. That is a significant investment! Their goal is to provide tools to companies to better onboard, engage, and retain customers at a large scale.

So if you want healthier patients and a healthier community, and if you would like to generate more profit, simply spend more time educating your patients. It is not that expensive! But as with most value-added programs in a practice, projects rarely start, and when they do, they are abandoned almost as soon as they begin.

To avoid this, use a checklist!!

Download the Patient Education Checklist for some ideas on what you can do to educate your patients. Assign a team member this checklist and give them 1-3 hours per week to work on selected projects and report on them at your meetings. They can take on the role of Patient Education Coordinator and help everyone on your team up their game in patient education.

The more your patients know, the further they (and you) will go.

Ed Petty

1. Consumer Reports, January 14, 2019 
2. Avramescu, Adam. Customer Education: Why Smart Companies Profit by Making Customers Smarter.
3. Interview with Kolsky, Foundoer of ThinkJar. Huffpost, 10/15/2015
4. Andreas B. Eisingerich, Simon J. Bell, February 1, 2008 
Photo from UCLA

Selling the Invisible – a favorite book of mine by Harry Beckwith

Do You Want More New Patients? Use a Checklist! Here is How.

Posted on September 30, 2020 by Edward Petty

Around the year 2000, I published the Marketing Manager System. It was initially a series of binders (3) to help chiropractors with their marketing. I received many compliments and positive reviews from both doctors and staff on how it helped them. Palmer Chiropractic College ordered a few hundred of the binders.

A couple of years later, I converted it into a software program and sold it as a CD package you could install on your computer. After a couple of years, I had to shelve the product. I was not set up to stay current with the constant changes in both software and the Internet.

Still, the information is sound, and it continues to work. Much of it is on our PM&A Member’s site, and though the graphics are somewhat outdated, the fundamentals still apply.

One of the motivations for publishing the Marketing Manager System was to solve a simple marketing challenge almost every practice we worked with had. In fact, the problem was so simple that it is almost embarrassing to explain.

We would get a call from an office requesting “something” to “get their new patients up.” “Got an ad that is working?” would be a typical request. And we would often hear this after working out an effective marketing plan that had been working for months at generating more new patients.

“What happened to your new patients? They were doing very well, even increasing,” we would ask. But when we checked if they were still implementing the marketing plan we had worked on, the usual answer was “no.”

We would go over the action steps on the marketing plan with them. “Are you still doing X?” “Umm, no, guess we forgot about that.” “Are you still doing Y?” “Oh yea, well, the staff member in charge of that took on another role so she couldn’t do Y anymore.”

You get the idea. What worked gradually gets abandoned.

So, I came up with the Marketing Checklists. These were a comprehensive list of marketing procedures, several hundred all told. They were a compilation of marketing procedures that we had used or had seen others use effectively. The idea was that by using the Marketing Manager System, the office would put together its own customized marketing checklists using ours as a template and reference.

This brings up the subject of checklists. In 2009, a surgeon named Atul Gawande wrote a book about checklists called The Checklist Manifesto. Here is a relevant section from his book:

“What is needed… is discipline. Discipline is hard — harder than trustworthiness and skill and perhaps even than selflessness.

We are by nature flawed and inconstant creatures. We can’t even keep from snacking between meals. We are not built for discipline. We are built for novelty and excitement, not for careful attention to detail. Discipline is something we have to work at.

Good checklists, on the other hand are precise. They are efficient, to the point, and easy to use even in the most difficult situations. They do not try to spell out everything–a checklist cannot fly a plane. Instead, they provide reminders of only the most critical and important steps–the ones that even the highly skilled professional using them could miss.

Good checklists are, above all, practical.”

By the way, I cover this in my new book, the Goal Driven Business scheduled to come out in early 2021. I have learned how to make these checklists more practical and, well, Goal Driven! (I plan to update all of the Marketing Checklists into their new Goal Driven version next year.)

So, from the archives stored away since 2000, enclosed is one of the 13 marketing checklists from the Marketing Manager System. This one is on Patient Referrals. It lists just a few procedures you can use to help generate more patient referrals. Of course, there are many more, and I recommend you make your own checklist and review it every 3 – 4 months.

And that is the key: keep marketing procedures that are working – working.

To help you do this, list them on a checklist and review the checklist regularly to ensure that they are still occurring. Use the checklist like an assessment. Look at each successful marketing action and ask: “Did this get done all the time, some of the time, or oops! Hardly at all.” Make sure all marketing duties are assigned. Then, where needed, improve them.

Stay Goal Driven and help your patients do the same!

Download the The Marketing Checklist on Patient Referrals.

Momentary Affluence — or Is the Tide Turning for True Health?

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Edward Petty

Over the last few months, we have noticed that offices have continued to grow – some even breaking their previous records!

Why is this?

I have heard from doctors and office managers that patients may be hesitant to visit medical offices and prefer seeing chiropractors, acupuncturists, and other health-oriented offices instead. Are they just afraid of the COVID at medical centers, or are they truly seeking to improve their health and immune systems?

What have you heard?

I am going to guess that your practice is filling back up as well. What should you do to augment your growth, sustain it, and even increase it?

RETENTION AND REFERRALS

You want to think about retention and then generating more referrals – from patients and from community members. Consider the following:

First, don’t take this growth for granted. Each patient is unique and special and important. Provide world-class service and deliver world-class outcomes. In the end, this will ALWAYS be your #1 marketing tool.
Educate. I can’t stress this enough. Please… Inform While You Perform. Factual information is one of the reasons patients see you. You are independent. Your strings are not pulled by Merck, Pfizer, or WHO. You can refer patients to information on your services, on Vitamin D, Zinc, and yes, Quercetin. They can trust you for the unedited and unspun truth about health.
Communicate. Newsletters, workshops via Zoom, or in the office, outdoor events (staying in compliance with local ordinances – as you see fit!) – keep the conversation going. Maintain and improve the relationship with your patients.
Capacity. Do you need another provider? Another team member? Don’t overextend yourself, but also, don’t stand in the way of your growth.
Partner with other providers and businesses. Medical doctors are discovering that health solutions they have for COVID are being suppressed. The braver ones are speaking up. Doctors of all kinds, now more than ever, can share the same goal and help each other overcome similar challenges. Businesses as well, want practical solutions for their employees.
Make a List. Make a list of patient retention and referral generation procedures that have worked for you and review them often. In upcoming newsletters, we will brush off some lists from our old Marketing Manager System_sm that has hundreds of marketing procedures. You know many of them, but it always helps to be reminded!

You can also take your marketing a step further…

IT’S NOT WHAT YOU SELL, IT IS WHAT YOU STAND FOR

As a more aggressive approach, you may want to be more vocal in promoting better health in all its aspects, from what we eat, breathe, to the kind of health care we seek. In this regard you could take on the role of Health Rebel, or even Health Outlaw!

Your unique selling principle (USP) should include your noble purposes that sets you apart from comparable alternatives. Consumers are looking for businesses that take responsibility for social and environmental issues. And, according to several studies*, this is especially true for the younger generation – Generation X – those born in the 1990s. Speaking out for better health in your community and against toxic pollutants, for example, is not only a noble purpose but – if genuine, has practical marketing benefits.

There really are two sides in our health culture – one for optimal natural health of the planet and of our bodies, and the other as advertised by corporations.

Your community is bombarded with thousands of advertising messages each day, many of them promoting drugs and COVID hysteria fears. Advertising is a form of population control, which is an advanced science, and which may be used increasingly to motivate your community to consume more vaccines, including for COVID. Yale University, as reported by Mercola, is testing advertising messages to shame, embarrass, anger, and otherwise motivate people to take the vaccines.

And the campaign has already started. According to USA today, it is patriotic to get vaccinated.

And it is not just the push for vaccines. Corporate medicine has been discrediting natural health remedies, including chiropractic, nutritional supplements, and certain medical practices such as chelation for years. And outside of health care, we can see advertisements for the cancer-causing Roundup (with glyphosate), “foods” with toxic ingredients (e.g. aspartame), and the suppression of information about mercury, hexavalent chromium (as in the movie Erin Brockovich), and other toxins currently in our drinking water.

This is really your time. This is a contest for health independence from corporate tyrants that have set up laws to escape liability for their actions. But those of you in the chiropractic profession are used to the fray. Now, you are not alone. Other doctors are also experiencing suppression and personal and professional retaliation and are joining the fight.

The sales of organic food and supplements continue to increase. And based upon your practice returning to pre-COVID levels, the tide just may be shifting towards true health.

But only with all of our help.

Helping you to help more people,

Ed Petty, and all of us at Petty, Michel, and Associates

Mercola has a couple of useful booklets that explain how to deal with COVID. These are PDF’s that you might want to print and go over with your team and pass out to patients. How to Stop COVID reports by Mercola (https://www.stopcovidcold.com/covid-research.html)
Generation Z https://www.conecomm.com/research-blog/cone-gen-z-purpose-study

How to Defeat COVID: Be A HEALTH OUTLAW!

Posted on July 16, 2020 by Edward Petty

“I will sell Chiropractic, serve Chiropractic, and save Chiropractic if it will take me twenty lifetimes to do it. I will promote it within the law, without the law, in keeping with the law or against the law in order to get sick people well and keep the well from getting sick.” — B. J. Palmer

What is it with all the bad news ALL the time?

Well, here is some good news: across the boards, practices are returning to their pre-COVID days. We monitor our clients’ numbers closely, and we see offices meeting, and in some cases, exceeding what they did at the same time last year! A few others are even hiring more doctors and staff.

What? Isn’t the world coming to an end?

Hell no! And here is why: people like you, and your patients, are, and always have been, rebellious. Health rebels! You question authority. (How dare you!)

What we are witnessing, for chiropractors and other non-conventional health offices, is nothing new. The good news and benefits of real health care are never promoted, and in fact, are suppressed. Got pain? Here, take some opioids. Back problem? We’ll just do surgery. Too much weight? We’ll suck the fat out. (yuck) Arthritis? Here, have some Vioxx.

You know what real health care is – and isn’t. And you know what? So do your patients. You can’t fool everyone all the time. And I would say that much of the world is with you, despite the massive media slant towards drugs and population crisis control. People are aware of organic food, for example, and so organic products and food stores have had explosive growth in the last 20 years. And supplements! The supplement industry has also seen mega growth and is expected to grow over 12% this year, according to Nutritional Business Journal*.

People know what side you are on – their side. They know what you stand for – health. You are the health doctors, coaches, and teams — curious, caring, and independent. You aren’t beholding to hospitals, a bureaucracy, or drug companies. This is what Dr. Zelenko cited as a factor to help him, and his colleagues come up with an inexpensive antidote for COVID that is 80-90% effective – so effective in fact, other countries are adopting it. I strongly recommend his YouTube videos, especially the one with Del Bigtree. (Link below.)

Here are some suggestions to Fight COVID:
How to Fight COVID: Steps for Health Outlaws

Goal: Get more people healthier.
Stay on the offense. Stay true to your goal. Think about how you can help three times more people.
Don’t let the negative few outweigh the positive many. Keep in mind, only a small percentage of bad things cause the majority of the bad news. (Pareto Principle – 80/20)
Don’t get distracted by politics, or “I am right — you are wrong.”
Be nice. Understand people are confused and frightened. Don’t call people sheeple, cowards, or selfish killers.
Protesting is fine. Just don’t get side-tracked. Stay GOAL DRIVEN.
Keep studying what is working. Mercola.com, Highwire with Del Big Tree, ChildrensHeathDefense.org, and others.
Use your voice and educate others.
a. Use Table Talk, your most powerful weapon when combined with excellent service and outcomes.
b. Use newsletters. Genuine communication keeps the relationship and conversation going with you, rather than with the media or distraught neighbors or family members.
c. Post on social media.
d. Zoom workshops.
e. Podcasts.
Stay Well in Winter campaign. Consider promoting a health and conditioning program, Stay Well in Winter, to strengthen people for the seasonal flu and possible “2nd Wave” of COVID.
Join or create a Health “Rebel” Alliance. Network with other providers in your area and form a health “conspiracy.” Chiropractors, acupuncturists, Holistic MD’s, Naturopathic Doctors, Biological Dentists, Exercise Trainers, Organic Food Co-ops, to name a few. Lead the way.

The chiropractic profession has been the largest and most active professional group standing up for true health for over 120 years. Absolute American and homegrown, your profession has been genuine guardians of health, and has withstood every attack imaginable. So, all this pandemic stuff is pretty routine for you guys and gals. And if this has made you Health Outlaws, I know that sits just fine with you.

Loads of sincere respect and thanks for crisis medical teams, as always. But keeping people out of crisis, out of hospitals is your goal, and ours as well. We share this goal with you and stand with you to help more people become healthier.

Thank you for all you do.

Ed and all of us at PM&A

Del Bigtree and Dr. Vladimir Zelenko 45 minutes
Deal Big Tree “Crimes Against Humanity” – with Dr. Zelenko and others, full presentation. 2:16

Nutritional Business Journal.

Take the Middle Road and Educate.

Posted on May 15, 2020 by Edward Petty

“In other words, people may be dying for the need of Chiropractic, and yet they will refuse, unless they have been educated to its character and their need of it.”
B.J. Palmer (The Story of Selling Yourself)

I try to visit Facebook at least once a week. When I do, I sometimes see posts by others labeling the behavior of the public as “sheeple.” The term, I guess, refers to people acting obediently like sheep. The context usually includes those who believe that COVID-19 is a scam and view people who wear facemasks and observe CDC rules for quarantining as weak and stupid, and easily manipulated.

There certainly are indications, as well as precedents, that can support this view. The promotion of potential threats to generate fear has often been used to motivate people. Think of all the weapons of mass destruction that we were told Iraq had – which they didn’t have — that justified a 3 trillion-dollar war (estimated, Wikipedia) to the U.S. alone—not counting up to 400,000 killed. Someone made money off that scam.

There are over 100 cataloged types of biases, and we all have our own odd fears and weird ideas. Included with this is our basic “I-am-right” mechanism that makes others wrong and emboldens our ego.

Recently, I was talking to someone on their speakerphone while they drove in their car. They were wearing a mask and their voice was slightly muffled. I thought to myself that it was odd to talk to someone who was wearing a mask while in their car. Then, I was reminded that the person I was talking with has unselfishly devoted his entire life to taking care of his severely health-compromised daughter.

We all have our own stories and fight our own battles – with the best knowledge we have.

Another method to control people is to dissuade them from education and from learning to think critically and question authority.

So, I invite you to consider this as your #1 duty as a doctor – and as support staff — to educate your patients and community. Doctor, after all, means teacher.

People do not know what you know.

Perhaps they don’t want to know, are too tired, or seem too lazy to make an effort to learn. Maybe they have already made up their mind, and their view reinforces their own identity. But don’t give up on people — they are part of your family. They are your brothers and sisters.

Use newsletters, social media (even Facebook!), webinars, and especially Table Talk.

Educate because you care for people. Market your services from an attitude of compassion.

We are not sheep. We just don’t know. And regardless of what we say, privately, we look to you and your integrity — for your wisdom, your help, and your friendship.

The Story of Selling Yourself by B.J. Palmer

Time to See the World and Your Future Anew

Posted on April 16, 2020 by Edward Petty

I have been in touch with most of you and, for the most part, you all are doing relatively well during these days of COVID-19. Of course, the keyword here is… relatively.

Whatta time, eh? Historic, that is for sure. It will change our society and our world as nothing has since, perhaps, WW 2.

The Lighthouse in the Storm

Your role, right now, is so very important. Perhaps more than you know. Your patients have fears, questions, and doubts. Their parents could contract COVID, perhaps they could. They are out of work or soon will be, and there is the apprehension that all of this is a government plot towards totalitarianism.

With all the communication regarding our current situation, you have to remain as a calm source for sound, researched data that provides comfort and solutions. You will have to be a lighthouse in this storm.

YOU are independent. You do not work for a drug company, and you are not beholding to a boss that works for a hospital or a government agency. Therefore, when patients come to you with worries and questions, they trust that what you tell them is unadulterated, unbiased, and accurate information.

And even more, they hope that you genuinely care.

Time to See the World Anew

In some sense, the world is experiencing a big “Time Out.”

Perhaps we can all take this time to become closer to our families and friends. My daughter is cooking more, my son is homeschooling his kids, and I am practicing guitar tunes from my old 1960’s book of folk songs!

I notice on my walks and runs that here, in Milwaukee, the air is fresher, cleaner, and the sky is bluer. Less smog from our southern neighbors and nearby freeways and overhead airplanes. The difference is striking and one can only imagine what we have been breathing in all this time!

It is spring, you have a family and friends, and you have your own self. COVID-19 doesn’t change this.

Good to Great: Redesign your NEW Business.

But what I am most looking forward to is the NEW.

Right now, you have a unique opportunity, during this temporary slump, to reimagine and redesign your business.

You’ve had a good, perhaps a very good business before. But as Jim Collins explains in his book, Good to Great, good can be the enemy of great.

The Good is now the Old, and we have this moment to review our goals and engineer better pathways to them. Now, you can create the Great! This will be your new version of your business based upon all you have learned as a professional and as a business owner or stakeholder. This new version can be your best creation ever.

Over the next few months, we will be discussing this, and I and all of us at PM&A, look forward to helping you and your team create the business of your dreams.

Looking forward to the future,

PS Happy Earth Day!

Use Your Voice!

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Edward Petty

(Painting by Norman Rockwell, 1943)

When you engage in work that taps your talent and fuels your passion – that rises out of a great need in the world that you feel drawn by conscience to meet – therein lies your voice, your calling, your soul’s code. (Stephen Covey)

For many of your patients, it may be difficult to tell how far to take precautions regarding COVID-19. Who can your patients turn to for a frank conversation and useful information?

Somewhere there is a middle ground between stockpiling hand wipes, toilet paper, and hiding in your bedroom and showing up at the gun show for a family barbecue and square dance. People are looking for reasonable answers without feeling that they are fearfully overreacting, or pridefully underacting.

You have to be that middle ground – and you can be. You do not have a boss that is beholding to Merck, or a company whose board members belong to the AMA. You are independent.

Use your voice and be a source of reason and information. Get in the conversation. You are only beholding to your patients and your community. They know your kids, and you know theirs. You are honest, thoughtful, and know that we are all in this together. You will ask your patients for their best advice on plumbing, cars, taxes, and other life needs. They will seek your advice regarding the best health for themselves and their family. You rely on them, and they rely on you – this year, now, and in the years to come.

Now is not the time to cocoon – not for you. Now is the time to speak up – to stand up.

Keep your practice open, but if not, keep communicating. Aside from seeing your patients in person, you can consider other activities that do not require face to face encounters:

Use email and social media to promote health tips.
Schedule webinars for health tips.
Set up video or phone consultations. 15 minutes, $45 – $100. Send follow-ups and include in patient files. Offer discounts for patients who need it.
Staff and doctors call patients for courtesy consultations. See how they are doing. Give them advice. Schedule them for an appointment as needed.
Sell supplements at a discount if you can. (Suppliers may be backlogged.)
Let us know about other outreach services you are providing!

You are a doctor – an educator, a leader. This applies to your team as well – they, too, are leaders and educators. Your community needs you now more than ever. Years from now, it will remember who was there, who stood up, who helped.

Use your Voice! Download the Poster Here

Always communicating,

We, too, are here to help.

Has the Coronavirus Affected Your Practice?

Posted on March 10, 2020 by Edward Petty

How has the Coronavirus plague been affecting you and your practice…so far?

Most offices I talk to across the country seem to be doing just fine, thank you!

I ran across an interesting thread on a social media site for chiropractors and as a limited sample survey of how other offices are being affected, most report that they are also doing well.

I want to add a few thoughts from a marketing vantage point that might help. I am sure you are following the clinical aspects of this virus, but I have links below to articles from Bruce Lipton, Ben Lerner, and Joe Mercola that are very informative.

More importantly, a great link from our old buddy, George Carlin just to put things into perspective. So, you might want to save this email just for the links. (Gotta watch Carlin!… WARNING… as usual cursing included!)

So, marketing…

The idea of the Coronavirus is that it could kill you, or at least make you very sick. Consider these three promotional actions:

Safe Space. Promote your office as a Safe Zone. In your clinic, use plenty of disinfectant around the office. Let the patients see you wipe down tables, doorknobs, pens, clipboards, and have plenty of Purell (or something similar) around for hand wipes. This is to demonstrate that your office is taking all precautions to be a safe, sterile healing facility.

Get Healthier and Stronger. Secondly, promote the healing aspect of your services – how they can improve and bolster the immune system. The virus will have the most impact on the physically weak. Encourage patients to come in and get stronger in your safe space. (Ben Lerner has a good article about this – link below.)

Communicate and Educate. Use your “table talk” time, and through newsletters and other media, to communicate with your patients. Give them health tips regarding the virus. But also relay positive activities that are going on in your office – an upcoming talk, a community clean-up drive, a patient success or a new team member. This goes for your team as well – educate your staff. People tend to hunker down during a crisis, somewhat out of fear. Standup, standout and maintain your positive presence and leadership – keep communicating.

The viruses may be real and get transmitted from person to person. But ideas can do the same. So spread the word — communicate your office as a worry-free environment where people can become stronger and healthier – safely.

-Ed

Joseph Mercola Essential Nutrition to Protect Yourself From Coronavirus
Ben Lerner – 10 Important Studies On Chiropractic and Resisting A Virus
Bruce Lipton Coronavirus: Do Not Fear the Bogeyman
George Carlin – Germs (Youtube – 6:27 minutes)
Social Media Thread from March 9, 2020 (Below)

From a social media thread:

Chiropractors!! Is the whole coronavirus situation impacting your practice?! Or is it just me?

[March 9, 2020]

I’ve noticed that a lot less people are coming in for care, I’ve especially seen a decrease in overall NPs, is the trend global? related to coronavirus outbreak?? (people being in “survival mode” , or being more careful about their finances)? I’d love to know what you guys have noticed surrounding this issue? Cheers, Kir 2 days ago

ostninja
I’ve noticed a drop this week. I think it’s critical to wipe all surfaces with something that works and have hand sanitizer available. For reality and to create a safe space where they dont have to think about getting it from the table or face rest.
Everybody is concerned. I think it is people limiting their activities, worried about money, worried about the face rest. Let them see you wiping down face rest every time you finish. I’m wondering about sending communication detailing how we are protecting them and ourselves but I’m also wondering how useful overall that would be.

Kiirjava
Interesting… Thanks for sharing 🙂 that communication idea is actually brilliant!
It’s been a slow week so I’ll use this as an excuse lol · 2 days ago

lloydchiro
I’m just as busy as ever, and I’m in San Francisco. I imagine our town will get hit soon.

AshlamAllstar 2 days ago
CCCA here. Only a few one-off scenarios so far. One patient called to pause her treatment plan due to fear of being exposed and one came in with latex gloves, her own lysol wipes and a face mask. Otherwise, practice as usual, if not, a few more questions asking of the doctors’ opinion of the matter.
—-
DrGodzilla22
My practice had grown during since the news cycles started. Well educated patient are referring their friends and families.
—-
DrJayWill · 1 day ago
I’ve had the busiest week I’ve had in a while

The Sickest Generation and Back to School Programs

Posted on August 1, 2019 by Edward Petty

In late summer, many offices sponsor a promotion for children and their health. This is often in the form of a backpack check-up, scoliosis and posture check, or a school supply drive. The idea is to link the new school year with children’s health to better promote clinic services, generate new patients, and of course, improve the health of the kids.

It’s been my experience that these events are usually only marginally effective. Still useful, I feel that the real opportunity is being missed.

You could be getting more families under care. How?

Educate your families and your community on:

1. The results you deliver. How the outcomes you generate with children’s health are extraordinary. Use written and video testimonials and endorsements.

2. What you stand for. Today’s children face more challenges to their health than their parents. In fact, our children today are sicker than earlier generations. Learn about this and make it your anthem, a flag you wave. Stand up for the kids in your community, and you will earn respect and allegiance of parents. Be their guardians in health.

3. Provide special promotions and events. These could be workshops, screenings, or a special day of services with donations going to a local charity.

4. Alliances and Partnerships. It would be a good idea to create alliances with midwives, doulas, biological dentists, acupuncturists, and other professionals who share a similar concern and goal for healthier children. Invite them to participate in your events. Have them contribute a short article in your newsletter – in exchange, you could do the same with them in their newsletters. Create partnerships.

5. Schedule an event every two months, or every month. Never stop.

Your leadership, based upon your awareness of the health crisis facing our youth, is the primary element that will drive the success of your kid’s programs.

Read the following from the ebook, The Sickest Generation and follow the link below to the entire article, and other resources to become even more acquainted with the challenges the next generation of children face.

American children have never been sicker. Over half (54%) are suffering from one or more chronic illnesses, with the late 1980s and early 1990s viewed as the gateway period that launched the decline.
Many chronic illnesses have doubled since that time. The “4-A” disorders—autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, asthma and allergies—have experienced meteoric growth, affecting children’s quality of life and contributing to premature mortality. The spike in autism prevalence has been particularly dramatic, with prevalence as high as 3% (one in 34 children) in some regions. Pediatric autoimmune conditions also are on the rise.
U.S. children are far more likely to die before their first birthday than infants in other wealthy countries and life expectancy is falling, driven largely by rising death rates in adolescents and younger adults. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in teens, half of whom are reported to have at least one mental, emotional or behavioral disorder.
The proportion of public school children using special education services is skyrocketing, with estimates ranging from 13% to 25% of school populations.

Sincerely,

Ed Petty

To the ebook, The Sickest Generation and other references.

How to Deliver Goal Driven Extra-Ordinary Customer Service (Part 2 of 2)

Posted on November 13, 2018 by Edward Petty

“Our future will be our results.” Clarence Gonstead, D.C.

How do we overcome these barriers to extra-ordinary service?

Let’s first define “service.” Service in a professional service firm or professional practice includes two categories:

A. Outcomes. These are the results from the provider.
B. Customer experience. This comes from what the customer experiences as they move along their pathway through your business.

Let’s begin with your goals.

1. Define and Commit to Your Highest Goals.

To create world class outcomes and service, you first need to review your most senior goals. Then, you have to ensure everyone understands them, agrees to them, and commits to doing everything possible to achieve them.

Setting purposeful goals over a lunch meeting does not take into account the sacrifice and effort that will be necessary to achieve them. You may commit to your own goals, but like New Year’s resolutions to go to the gym, you get distracted and discontinue after a few weeks. Some of your team may say they understand the goals – even agree to them – but in fact are only passengers along for the ride.

So, you should review and recommit to your goals each week. Be insistent, allowing for shortfalls now and then, but not compromising in the long run. Be true to your goals or make new ones. Spend time on these three:

a) Mission
This is the purpose of your office. It should be short and to the point and should include something about excellent service and outcomes and helping as many as possible.
b) Core Values
These are the standards for professional behavior and performance. List what values you consider most important in providing health care.
c) Patient Outcomes
Define where you are taking your patients. Relief care only? Or are you taking them further to better health and wellness?

Be true to your goals.

2. Outstanding Outcomes Come from Expertise

Because of your clinical skill, you can produce wonderful outcomes. But can you do even better? Here are some masters in their field as examples of professionals that never stopped improving their craft:

Music: Pablo Casals

Pablo Casals was a cellist – regarded as the best that ever lived. He was born in 1876 in Catalonia, Spain. In 1963 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President John F Kennedy, and in 1971, two months before his 95th birthday, he performed for the United Nations and accepted the U.N. Peace medal.

Casals was talented, but he practiced daily. There is a story about Casals and his training regimen:

He [Casals] agreed to have Robert Snyder make a movie short, “A Day in the Life of Pablo Casals.” Snyder asked Casals, the world’s foremost cellist, why he continues to practice four and five hours a day.

Casals answered: “Because I think I am making progress.”

Food Preparation: Chef Jiro Ono

If you want and value good sushi, Chef Jiro Ono is your guy. He was 92 at the time of this writing. He still works in his small restaurant in Tokyo that holds only 20 people at a time. The waiting list can be over a year. Still, at his age, he works on perfecting every aspect of the sushi, from selecting the exact right fish early at the fish market, to the exact texture of the rice. And every night he considers how he can improve on that day’s production. He is considered the foremost sushi chef in the world. (Jiro Dreams of Sushi, David Gelb 2011 documentary, Wikipedia)

“Once you decide on your occupation… you must immerse yourself in your work. You have to fall in love with your work. Never complain about your job. You must dedicate your life to mastering your skill. That’s the secret of success…… Even though I’m eighty-five years old, I don’t feel like retiring.” Jiro Ono (Jiro dreams of sushi, 2011)

Health Care: Clarence Gonstead

Clarence Gonstead was a chiropractor, born in 1898 and grew up in Wisconsin. In 1923, Dr. Gonstead graduated from Palmer Chiropractic College and began practicing. In 1939, he built a new chiropractic office in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin.

Because of the growth of his practice, a new Gonstead Clinic of Chiropractic was completed 1964. It was a two-level facility with 29,000 square feet. In 1965, adjacent to the new clinic, a full-service motel was built. Gonstead’s reputation as a remarkable chiropractor had spread beyond the United States and he had patients flying in from all over the world. To assist these patients, he set up a limousine service between the Madison, Wisconsin, airport and the Gonstead clinic about 30 miles away. Patients with their own private planes could fly in and land at Gonstead’s personal airport located next to his home on the outskirts of Mount Horeb.

With no marketing, his practice grew so that that he was seeing over 250 patients per day, working six-and-a-half days a week. He often treated his last patient at 2:30 in the morning.

Gonstead studied and improved his craft. He was not, as a founder of a chiropractic college would later say, a “commercial chiropractor.” He was focused on results and said: “Our future will be our results.”

Eventually, he began teaching others his system which is now recognized around the planet as one of the most effective and popular forms of chiropractic technique. He encouraged other chiropractors to study and to “Practice. Practice. Practice. Never stop.”

So, be like Jiro, Pablo, or Clarence! Use “deliberate practice” and look to see how you can improve your skills and methods so that your customers can achieve their goals faster and better.

Never stop improving your craftsmanship.

3. Delegate Administrative Duties to a Goal Driven Team

It is almost impossible to focus on excellent patient outcomes and run a growing business at the same time. You need a strong support infrastructure. This means professional team members that are trained and motivated to apply procedures that are both simple and effective.

Chiropractic works. Not having a smooth-running support structure is the primary element that is in your way from developing your practice to its full potential.

This has been the major focus of our work over the last 30 plus years. We have found that the better the support, the better the outcomes and the happier the doctor and staff.

Improve your people and systems.

4. Create an Upbeat and Supportive Work Environment

“If you go into any organization that’s customer-facing, you can tell in five minutes when the employees are feeling abused. They retaliate on the customers.” Jeffrey Pfeffer, professor at Stanford University

The way the employees are treated directly affects the service that they will provide to the customer.

Sure, work can be stressful at times. Maybe someone snaps at someone else. This happens in any high-performance activity. But as long as we all share the same mission and values, we can address our personal slights to each other and move on.

It is everyone’s responsibility to create a cheerful work environment for each other. If you are having fun, so will our patients.

Smile more — and make work fun!

5. Give Your Patients Information. Educate Them!

“If I’d asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, ‘A faster horse!’.” Henry Ford.

Of course, you give people want they want – what they consider urgent and important.

But people didn’t want a faster horse, they just wanted faster transportation. Horse, car, airplane… they wanted to get to where they wanted to go – faster. They just didn’t know about how simple, fast, and easy a Model-T was.

You must show them through education that you have what they want and need.

Most offices provide relief. That is what the patient is aware of and willing to pay for. But since you are providing a product that is not tangible using procedures that are invisible, your customer may have a difficult time understanding anything beyond the “quick fix.”

They may know they want more but lack the understanding of what is available.

I know I need to pay my taxes, but what I really want is to pay as little as possible. I also would like to contribute to my children’s education. With some education, my accountant could make me aware of different strategies that would take me to my full goal.

“Customers are thirsty for more information and knowledge,” according to studies by ThinkJar, a customer strategy consultancy.

To deliver your best and complete outcomes, you need your patient’s motivation to do so. It is a path and a partnership that you travel together.

The better that they understand their condition and your unique remedy, the easier it will be for you to help them achieve the best outcome possible.

The more they know — the further they’ll go!

6. Making the Patient’s Experience Extra-Ordinary

Making the patient experience “WOW” takes a team effort.

If studies show that customers discontinue a service mostly because of a lack of interest on the part of the service provider — and your own personal experience validates this fact, then the solution is simple. Just be genuine and interested in your patients. Be empathetic. Take the time to be totally present, in the “now,” and have “present time consciousness.” You only have 1 patient, and that is the one you are with, or about to see.

Then, when you practice with your team at team meetings, focus on this: the level of honest interest, curiosity, and care.

Practicing scrapes off the “barnacles” that attach to us all as we soldier through our work days. Here are some training tips for working on improving customer service with your team:

a) Review the Customer’s Journey

Lay out the pathway to and through your services. Do this with your team.

This begins even before your patients contact you. Who are they? Mom’s, seniors, kids? What brings them to you? What other solutions have they tried before they came to you? Get to know them and empathize with their condition.

b) Flow Chart

Then, list the sequence of actions, or a flow chart of what occurs from first contact through their first service and leaving. Drawing this out with your team will expose many areas for improvement.

c) The Walk-Through

Against this flow chart, you and your team can now look at where you can add more benefits for your customers.

I have found that practicing a “walk-through” reveals many hidden plusses – and embarrassing weaknesses, in service. The doctor or a team member takes on the role of a customer. They then travel some portion of the patient pathway with the usual team in their roles, acting as if they are dealing with an actual patient.

You are guaranteed to find areas where service can be improved.

d) Add More Value

Bain Consulting, an international management company, identified 30 different elements of value relative to consumer needs in an extensive study. They categorized these customer values into four categories:

- Functional values, such as quality, variety, time efficient, simplicity, reduces effort, and reduces cost.
- Emotional values, which included entertainment and fun, aesthetics, rewards, and attractiveness.
- Life Changing values which included affiliations, community, and greater purpose.
- Social Impact. An industry example was Tom’s shoes, a shoe company that donates a pair of shoes to underprivileged for every pair purchased by a customer.

In their research, Bain noticed that the companies that had the highest ratings on the most values had more loyal customers than the rest. They also found that these companies had faster revenue growth than others.

Good service pays. Great services pay even better!

With this in mind, look again at your flow chart and notice where you can add more value to your services. Start with the direct service to your customer, the “functional” areas of your business. For example, how could your customers receive their services:

Faster
More conveniently
Less expensively
With less effort
With greater simplicity
Receive child care while in the office
And also acquire a understanding their condition and their care program

In the next category that Bain used, what kind of “emotional” values could you add, including:

Fun and entertainment
Rewards
Design/Aesthetics
Attractiveness
Reduced Anxiety

The next two categories relate to higher purposes. “Life changing” and “Self-transcendence,” including:

Affiliation/belonging – Create a wellness or health club, have patient barbeques and get togethers.
Social Impact – Schedule yearly events to help the less fortunate, clean-up drives, and health and environmental causes.

In the years to come, Customer Service will take the lead in all your marketing efforts and will be the factor that sets you apart from comparable alternatives.

Edward Petty

Goal-Driven Customer Service (Part 1 of 2)

Posted on September 20, 2018 by Edward Petty

“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!

Special Promotions: When Your Motive Meets Your Mission

Posted on May 21, 2018 by Edward Petty

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

Posted on May 1, 2018 by Edward Petty

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

Facebook versus Email and “Conversational Commerce”

Posted on March 15, 2018 by Edward Petty

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

Someone in Charge. Assign someone to coordinate your email messages and newsletters. (They can also coordinate Facebook and Chat.)
Time to do the Work. Give them at least 4 hours per month to get it done.
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!)
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]
Dictate it on your way to or from work and have someone edit.
Email Service. Use Constant Contact, Mailchimp, or another service and send out your mail.
Frequency. Do this 1-3 times per month. Keep it simple.
Promotions. Attach a monthly promotion to it every now and then.
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.)
Continue the Conversation. But most important is continuing your conversation with patients. The email is just you continuing your “Table Talk.”
Messaging! Add a messaging application to Facebook and to your website.
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

November and December Marketing — and Your Higher Purpose

Posted on November 1, 2017 by Edward Petty

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!

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

Posted on August 17, 2017 by Edward Petty

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:

Desire. Drive
Confidence and belief.
Compassion and empathy.
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

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Edward Petty

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

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

Posted on March 15, 2017 by Edward Petty

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.

© 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

Posted on February 9, 2017 by Edward Petty

(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.

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.
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:

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.
Organize. Then, work out who will be doing what. Spread the marketing around to everyone and put someone in charge just to coordinate.
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/

Oklahaven “Have A Heart” – 2017

Posted on January 9, 2017 by Linda

Oklahaven, a non-profit children’s chiropractic center has been dedicated to making sick children well using natural, drug-free chiropractic care for over 55 years. To help fund their efforts the Annual Have A Heart Campaign is held in conjunction with Valentine’s Day each year.

It’s not too early to start planing your own “Have A Heart” Campaign for your office bringing a global awareness of the power of chiropractic for the children in your own community while helping out a greater cause!

If you’d like to participate, a complete marketing kit is available directly through Oklahaven simplifying the event preparation for your marketing coordinator.

Click here for a pamphlet with more details or visit the Oklahaven “Have A Heart” web-page.

RETENTION AND REFERRALS

You can also take your marketing a step further…

IT’S NOT WHAT YOU SELL, IT IS WHAT YOU STAND FOR

Here are some suggestions to Fight COVID: How to Fight COVID: Steps for Health Outlaws

“In other words, people may be dying for the need of Chiropractic, and yet they will refuse, unless they have been educated to its character and their need of it.” B.J. Palmer (The Story of Selling Yourself)

“Our future will be our results.” Clarence Gonstead, D.C.

1. Define and Commit to Your Highest Goals.

2. Outstanding Outcomes Come from Expertise

3. Delegate Administrative Duties to a Goal Driven Team

4. Create an Upbeat and Supportive Work Environment

5. Give Your Patients Information. Educate Them!

6. Making the Patient’s Experience Extra-Ordinary

a) Review the Customer’s Journey

b) Flow Chart

c) The Walk-Through

d) Add More Value

In the years to come, Customer Service will take the lead in all your marketing efforts and will be the factor that sets you apart from comparable alternatives.

Why Customer Service is SO Important

Customer Service Now

Customer Service in the Future

The Future Belongs to Those Who Provide the World Class Service

Six Barriers to Extra-Ordinary Service

1. Organizational demands eventually wear down the provider into mediocrity

2. Hubris

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

4. Culture – Our Shallow World

5. The Invisible Product

6. Not Yet a Champion

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

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

The Future: Trending…

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

A Simple Procedure to Get Your Emails Out

Why Two Chiropractic Doctors Couldn’t Grow Their Practice

© 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

(Free sample marketing planner below.)

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

It’s not too early to start planing your own “Have A Heart” Campaign for your office bringing a global awareness of the power of chiropractic for the children in your own community while helping out a greater cause!

Here are some suggestions to Fight COVID:
How to Fight COVID: Steps for Health Outlaws

“In other words, people may be dying for the need of Chiropractic, and yet they will refuse, unless they have been educated to its character and their need of it.”
B.J. Palmer (The Story of Selling Yourself)

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