Tag Archives: chiropractor

Motorcycles, Natural Hot Springs, Sushi, and Chiropractic Philosophy – Wowee! What a Weekend!!

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In the natural hot springs.

In the natural hot springs.

I just returned from a few days in Costa Mesa CA.  I attended CalJam, a chiropractic philosophy/music convention, with Ed Petty from PM&A.   It was refreshingly different because of the focus on chiropractic’s unique philosophy combined with music.

The man behind it all is Dr. Billy DeMoss and his fun-loving personality really shows in the event. Check out my video of BJ Palmer resurrected.  [Longer Version]

Of course, I had to give Ed a lesson about why I’m called the “down-to-earth” doctor (www.thedowntoearthdoctor.com), a big part of it is going on adventures, so I took him on a high desert search for a natural hot spring called Deep Creek Spring. Yes, those are my feet in the picture.  Ed reciprocated by guiding me on a motorcycle tour one of the days – I drove my first Harley and now I’m hooked!  Thanks Ed.

My Harley in Laguna Beach, CA

My Harley in Laguna Beach, CA

As I listened to many of the greats like Dr Dan Murphy, Dr. Fabrizio Mancini, etc. I became even more grateful for the 25 years of tremendous success I’ve had in chiropractic. “Best profession in the world!” is what I told a 2nd semester student I bumped into there.  He was wondering if he made the right decision, given all the negative news circulating about the business of practicing lately.

The speakers were talented and the content inspiring, but it also became apparent to me, that the seminars of PM&A are better in the sense that they lack sales. What I mean is that all or most of the speakers at CalJam, as inspiring and fun as they are to listen to, have a hidden agenda – they want to sell me something. That’s one of several reasons why I stayed with PM&A as my practice management guide, and why I’m excited to now be a part of their team.

I teach a class around the country called Reclaim the Joy of Practice, based on my book of the same name (www.reclaimthejoy.com) for content, I’m always on the lookout for exceptional DCs.  I bumped in to Dr. Gerald Clum, president of Life West Chiropractic College.

Listen to his brief message in response to my question “What can chiropractors do to be more successful?”  LINK.

Doctor, how can you apply that message today?

A Reason Behind Your Chiropractic Marketing

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A fundamental component to marketing your chiropractic services is communicating a reason, rationale, or a purpose for why you are marketing.

For example, if a store has a SALE each month with a discount on some of their items, you might think: “So what? Just another sale.”  So the department store thinks up some reason for the sale. It could be “Back-to-School” sale, a “Food Drive” sale, or a St. Patty’s Day party.

This is why many businesses over the last 15 years have used donation drives, or special causes, to help promote their services. Buy a bottle of water at Starbucks and a percentage of it goes to poor African children.

This works as long as the customer thinks it is a legitimate reason, but as soon as they find out that it is questionable, they stay away.  The Starbucks Ethos Water program, for example, has been discredited for a number of reasons. First, the retail bottle goes for $1.80 but only five cents goes to African kids.   The water bottles are manufactured by Pepsi and do not contain recycled materials. Plus, plastic bottles are ecological problems as they are reported not do decompose for a thousand years.

Over the Holidays, many businesses have sales and claim it is in conjunction with “Food for Families”, “Toys for Tots”, etc.   These are now so numerous that one can wonder about the genuine nature of such campaigns.

But donation drives are great. They can be effective, as can any promotion. But for any promotion to be effective, it helps if there is a reason behind it that is appealing and believable to your market. You should be genuine.

We recommend that all of your marketing have a topical theme. In our marketing materials, we have many, from Organic Health Care Week (in conjunction with Earth Day), Mother’s Day coupon with flowers, Neuralgia Awareness Week, etc.

But behind all of these themes should be a more dominate reason for your marketing. The better your staff, your patients, and your community understand this reason, the more active they will be in responding to your marketing efforts.

What is the underlying reason for your marketing?

Money, of course.  More new patients? Of course. But, as a doctor, what is your reason?  We suggest you work this out and communicate it to your patients and staff, and even your community.

(For our clients, we have written a sample letter (Why We Promote – A Letter to Our Patients) which you may access on your Member’s web site under “New Stuff.” (need password.))

Asking Permission, Gaining Respect

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By Dr. Tom Potisk

Doctors of chiropractic appreciate respect as do patients. When a doctor acknowledges and recognizes that the patient may have limited time and money, a mutual respect develops and the situation becomes win-win. For example, when making a recommendation to a patient, ask “May I explain the tests that need to be performed today?”, and then “These will take approximately ____ minutes. Do you have time today?”

After explaining the results, a good follow up is: “Are you ready to start treatment today?” Then explain the treatment.

Far too often doctors get into a routine and they begin to assume that the patient wants what you’re about to perform. Asking their permission to proceed not only relaxes the patient but lowers your liability because you’ve gotten their consent.

Never assume that permission has already been obtained by staff. Ask “Has the receptionist explained our procedures and policies?”

For gaining referrals, avoid the harsh “Bring in your spouse and child for a spinal exam.” Instead ask, “Many of my patients bring their family here for preventive check-ups. Would you be interested in how that works?” The best time to ask this is when the patient has praised your treatment. As Doctor Sid Williams says, “Breed them while they’re in heat!”

For building a wellness care practice, a great question is “If there were a way of preventing this problem from reoccurring and avoiding new problems would you be interested?”

At the end of your practice day, reflect upon it and take notice of how many times you asked questions versus issued advice and orders. The ratio should be about 50:50. Don’t be afraid to ask your staff for their perspective of your performance. They are your best source of input and will feel honored by your inquiry.

In this era of managed health care and busy lifestyles, asking for the patient’s permission goes a long way in gaining their respect and building a joy filled successful practice.

Dr. Tom Potisk has been a client of PM&A for nearly all of his 25 year multi-doctor practice. He now works with PM&A and is soon publishing a book titled Reclaim The Joy Of Practice.