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Tag Archives: Marketing
Where Is Your Chiropractic Marketing Department?
Excellent Service in Your Chiropractic Practice is Marketing
Here is a little exercise that can boost your new patients and improve the quality of your patient care. And create a little more excitement in the practice in the bargain.
First, let’s review a couple of wise words about marketing:
1. Jay Levinson, from his book Guerrilla Marketing.
Marketing is everything you do to promote your business, from the moment you conceive of it to the point at which customers buy your product or service and begin to patronize your business on a regular basis. The key words to remember are everything and regular basis.
2. Peter Drucker, Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices (p68)
Marketing is so basic that it cannot be considered a separate function (i.e.,a separate skill or work) within the business, on a par with others such as manufacturing or personnel. Marketing requires separate work, and a distinct group of activities. But it is, first, a central dimension of the entire business. … Concern and responsibility for marketing must, therefore, permeate all areas of the enterprise.
What Levinson says is that marketing is EVERYTHING you do consistently.
Drucker says that while there are specific marketing activities, marketing is too fundamental to have its own department. It is a “central dimension of the entire business.”
Yes, there are specific marketing activities to help your chiropractic and healthcare practice, some of which you delegate to advertisers, such as Internet marketers. Larger offices hire field representatives. I have hired and trained practice marketers who effectively generated new patients from external activities.
However, most of your practice marketing comes from the actions you and each team member take in the office. This is true in ANY business, but especially in chiropractic or smaller independent healthcare offices.
A common misconception is that some vague or distant marketing department or advertising company takes care of marketing and is not a “central dimension” to each person’s job.
Every position in your office has a marketing component. It comes with the role of a team member. Doctor, front desk, billing and patient accounts, therapy, rehab, and anyone who is on the team, is a marketer.
So, where is the marketing department? It’s your entire office! Here are a few marketing activities each team member can do:
- Be genuinely interested in each patient.
- Honestly care for how each patient is doing.
- Do your very best with each patient with Present Time Consciousness.
- When and if appropriate, invite your patient to bring in a family member or friend for a scheduled consultation or event.
- Congratulate patients for any success.
Then, there is a list of specific marketing activities you can do: newsy newsletters, internal and external events to the office. You can find many of these suggestions on our blogs.
HEALTHCARE TEAM MEMBER MARKETING EXERCISE
In your team meeting, have each team member present at least two types of marketing actions they can do from their position every day.
Help them with this. If you have time, have your team practice their marketing procedure with each other.
As an added emphasis, consider that now that we are in the world of AI, real-life human interest and live communication is more valuable than ever. Believe it or not, one of your key marketing “niches” is just your plain ol’ non-hyped interest in the other person. Never fake that. In our ever-increasing sterile and digital world that is becoming more robotic, less human, and less spiritual each day, genuine human communication is more valuable than ever.
Don’t ask for where the marketing department is,
For it resides within thee!
Always selling health,
Ed
P.S. By the way, I left out telling jokes as a marketing action! One office up “nort” here in Wisconsin, I swear, generates new patients with the doctor’s Ole and Lena jokes! This may not be appropriate for your office though! (lol)
OLE AND LENA (A favorite!)
Ole and Lena got married.
After a beautiful ceremony and a fun but modest reception, they got in Ole’s car and headed out on their honeymoon.
When they reached Saint Paul, Ole put his hand on Lena’s knee.
Lena said, “Ole, we’re married now. You can go farder den dat.”
So Ole drove to Duluth.
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If your practice-building efforts aren’t taking you to your goals, there are reasons — many of which are hidden from you.
Find out what they are and how to sail to your next level by getting and implementing my book, The Goal Driven Business.
The Goal Driven Business
By Edward Petty
Use the Learning Pyramid for a Better ROI in Your Chiropractic Healthcare Practice
Don’t complain. Just train
“Over the long run, superior performance depends on superior learning.”
— Peter Senge
As the Clinic Director of your chiropractic and healthcare practice, you instinctively know that if you are not continually improving the service to your patients and potential patients, they will go to practices that are.
In fact, if you do not provide the BEST outcomes and service in your area, patients and potential patients will look for other practices that are the best, or at least better than you.
The BEST health care practice wins in the long run.
So, how do you get to be the best?
By constant improvement!
This was the concept the Japanese pushed in the 1970’s with their cars. They called it Kaizen.
Speaking of Japan, there was a study that showed how many hours employees trained over a 6-month period. Japan spent an average of 364 hours, Europe averaged 178, and the U.S. a paltry 42.* I discuss this more in my book, The Goal Driven Business. (pg 156)
The formula for improvement is simple: study and train.
The purpose and goal of training is improvement. This is why professional athletes and musicians constantly train. They do this for improvement and, ultimately, to bring about a good return on their investment.
Improvement has a definite ROI! A study by the Associate for Talent Development found that companies offering comprehensive training programs have 218% higher income per employee compared to those without formalized training.*
But what are the best methods for training — reading, listening, podcasts, seminars?
USING THE LEARNING PYRAMID TO TRAIN YOUR CHIROPRACTIC TEAM
The Learning Pyramid* illustrates the percentage of knowledge retained through various learning methods. Here are the typical percentages associated with each method:
- Lecture: 5%
- Reading: 10%
- Audio-Visual: 20%
- Demonstration: 30%
- Discussion: 50%
- Practice by Doing: 75%
- Teaching Others: 90%
This model emphasizes active participation in the learning process. Teaching others or practicing by doing, leads to higher knowledge retention rates compared to passive methods like listening to lectures or reading.
If you take your team to a seminar, do it for camaraderie and the sense of being part of something bigger. It can be motivational. But then, ensure that they take notes from one of the presentations and then teach it to the rest of the team at the next staff meeting.
Another angle is to have team members select a chapter from a book you all are reading (from your Lending Library!) and then have them teach it to the rest of the team a month later.
Train on your procedures every month. For example, you could demonstrate how you would like a patient to be positioned on a therapy table. (Get it recorded for future reference!) Then, have a staff member demonstrate the procedure back to you. You can also pair people and role-play the procedure. Do this for any of your office procedures. For those of you in group practices, doctors can practice their procedures.
BALANCING INFORMATION WITH PRACTICAL APPLICATION
The idea is that there are two sides to the learning coin: the information side and the practical application side. You can’t learn how to throw a fastball from reading a book. You must find a baseball and someone brave enough to catch your pitches and practice throwing hundreds of times. However, a book may have useful information on improving your throwing technique from those who have done it more than you.
It is best to go over the idea of training and improvement with your team first so they understand what you are doing and why.
Keep training fun. Your manager should ensure that training occurs every month.
And like Clarence Gonstead said:
“Practice. Practice. Practice. Never stop.”
“Our future will be our results.”
Keep training,
Ed
P.S. Who was Clarence Gonstead, D.C.
References:
ROI on training. An Evidence-Based Look at the ROI of Investing in Training (mentorgroup.us)
Clarence Gonstead https://www.gonstead.com/
The Learning Pyramid the learning pyramid – various percentages of retention. (thepeakperformancecenter.com)
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If your practice-building efforts aren’t taking you to your goals, there are reasons — many of which are hidden from you.
Find out what they are and how to sail to your next level by getting and implementing my book, The Goal Driven Business.
The Goal Driven Business
By Edward Petty
How to Make Better Use of Patient Reviews
In Chiropractic and Healthcare Clinics, Patient Reviews Are More Than Marketing
One of our chiropractic clients just sent me a patient review.
It expressed a profound improvement in the patient’s life. It was moving!
I am sure you have similar reviews.
Patient testimonials are useful in marketing and demonstrating your credibility. There is software that captures and encourages positive reviews, and you can just ask patients to write something about their wins. You can also record the patient talking about their health success in a short video. These can be included on your website, social media, and in your newsletter.
MORE THAN MARKETING
But testimonials and reviews are more than marketing.
FIRST, they are a personal statement sincerely expressed by your patient. Your patients courageously express their wins so other people can learn about them. They are standing up for themselves and the doctors and staff that helped them.
This is not a small thing — you should personally acknowledge any review you receive.
SECOND, you and your team may not always see or appreciate the outcomes of your combined work. Aside from providing clinical services, there is also scheduling, payments, note-taking, patient communication, and marketing. Plus, everyone shares a hundred other administrative tasks. All of this eventually results in a great result for your patient.
In college, one summer, I worked in a cannery. I was a “tray boy,” I put trays of empty cans on a stand and then took them off once the cans were filled with fruit (pineapple) from a conveyor belt that never stopped. That’s all I did. I never saw the completed canned products, their labeling, or even enjoyed eating them. I was basically a robot, a cog on an endless conveyor belt.
Similarly, team members can focus on their specialties and not always see the transformative results they are helping to create with patients. Work can become routine, just an assembly line that never ends.
LASTLY, the testimonial describes your WHY.
The idea of “Why” was popularized by Simon Sinek and his Ted Talk and posted on YouTube in 2009. He uses a 3 ringed circle to illustrate this idea.
The outside circle describes WHAT the business does. The next inner circle describes HOW the business does what it does. And the innermost circle describes WHY the business does what it does.
“Every single person, every single organization on the planet knows what they do, 100 percent.
“Some know how they do it … But very, very few people or organizations know why they do what they do. And by “why” I don’t mean “to make a profit.” That’s a result. It’s always a result.
“By “why,” I mean: What’s your purpose? What’s your cause? What’s your belief? Why does your organization exist? Why do you get out of bed in the morning? And why should anyone care? … the inspired leaders and the inspired organizations — regardless of their size, regardless of their industry — all think, act and communicate from the inside out.” *
Everyone in your office, patients, staff, and perhaps people in your community, know WHAT you do. You provide health care. Some of your team members might know HOW you do it – what procedures you use and how they work for patients.
But to have a fully engaged and motivated team, and even a patient community, you need to keep connecting them to WHY the offices does what it does. And not just the office “mission statement,” but WHY this is your mission.
IN YOUR OFFICE
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Thank each patient for their review.
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Connect team members and their work with the clinic outcomes and patient successes.
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Connect everyone, including yourself, with the WHY of your services.
Ed
P.S. IN OUR OFFICE:
When the doctor sent me their patient’s review, I realized that, for all of us at Petty Michel & Associates and our Goal Driven Training, this was our WHY as well.
—————————————————-
If your practice building efforts aren’t taking you to your goals, there are reasons — many of which are hidden from you.
Find out what they are and how to sail to your next level by getting and implementing my book, The Goal Driven Business.
A Health Challenge for Your Chiropractic and Healthcare Office
A month promotion where everyone wins
A local hot yoga studio where I live usually sees their numbers drop in the summer. So, a few years ago, they instituted a solution to lowered attendance: The Yoga Challenge. Attend 30 times over the summer and be eligible for a trip with your guest to a week of Yoga at a retreat in Costa Rica.
I know the owners, and the program has been overwhelmingly successful.
Why is this?
Well, obviously, a week paid for in Costa Rica can be a wonderful experience and so is an appealing goal. But much more than that, there are the intrinsic rewards of personal achievement and playing for a bigger goal. 30 visits of hot Yoga over three months is an accomplishment – you couldn’t help but get in better shape — if you didn’t become dehydrated and wrinkled like a dried prune.
COULD THIS TYPE OF PROMOTION BE USED IN YOUR CHIROPRACTIC OR HEALTHCARE CLINIC?
The short answer is … YES!
We have worked with clinics that have had success with versions of this program.
Essentially, a Challenge is a game and we all like games!
Whether it’s puppies, babies, or the Olympics, the gaming spirit is part of our makeup. Can we win? Can we achieve it? Let’s go for it.
Computer games include the concept of gamification. (Fun Fact: The computer game industry is expected to hit $282 billion in 2024)* That does not even include revenue from professional sports or racing.
I cover all this subject in my book, the Goal Driven Business , and how to apply it to everyday practice.
AN EXAMPLE – ONE-MONTH CHALLENGE IN YOUR OFFICE
You could meet with your team and discuss different versions of a “Care to Share Better Health Challenge.”
The goal would be to have fun getting healthier, helping others get healthier, and maybe win a few gifts!
“By accepting this Challenge, you will get healthier, help others get healthier, and maybe even win gifts!
To participate, patients receive tickets for completing health-oriented accomplishments.
Here are some examples of health-oriented activities:
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Attend one of our Wellness Classes. (2 tickets)
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Bring a guest.(2 tickets)
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Post a review of our services.(2 tickets)
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Keep all of your appointments. (3 tickets)
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Refer a friend to a no-charge consultation with one of our doctors. (2 tickets.)
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Exercise at least 3 hours per week (12 for the month). (3 tickets)
Tickets are entered into a drawing for several possible prizes at the end of the month.
CHALLENGE FOR YOUR CHIROPRACTIC AND HEALTHCARE TEAM
What makes a program like this work is that it is also a game for your staff. If specific goals are met, then they, too, receive awards!
Everyone is in the game!
A Challenge will need planning and lots of cheer leading! As with any internal type of promotion, it depends on the level of synergy in the office.
Talk it over with your team and customize it. Make up your own Challenge. Set goals for visits, class attendances, introductory consultations, and/or new patients.
And, let the games begin.
Ed
*Reference: Gamification Fun Fact – https://www.statista.com/outlook/dmo/digital-media/video-games/worldwide
UPCOMING EVENTS
We have two upcoming events for you.
Improving Your Collections. On Tuesday, June 25 at 12 (noon) Central Time, Dave Michel and Lisa Barnett will present a free webinar to subscribers to this newsletter and our clients: The 6 Critical Components to Improving Your Collections. Click below to sign up.
Practice MBA for your manager (and you!). Our 2nd Practice MBA session for your manager and you as a clinic director is getting set to start later this summer. The results from our last one continue to be inspiring. One mature clinic I just checked in on yesterday has its revenue up 21% this year. If you are interested and not yet on the waiting list, please click below to find more info and reserve your space.
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If your practice building efforts aren’t taking you to your goals, there are reasons — many of which are hidden from you.
Find out what they are and how to sail to your next level by getting and implementing my book, The Goal Driven Business.
Summer Chiropractic and Healthcare Marketing. Get Outside!
Eighty percent of success is showing up
Summer is a great time to promote your chiropractic and healthcare services. Winter hibernation is over, as is the enforced isolation from COVID, and people are out and about.
Communities are coming alive with farmer’s markets, bicycle riding clubs, coffee shop meetups, parades, art shows, and fairs of all kinds. You got yer Lions Club pancake breakfasts, church barbeques, donation drives, and 5-Ks.
Online social networking is fine, but it is extra powerful if backed up or done in conjunction with people and events locally in your community. In Real Life!
You can just show up and meet people. Let them meet you like an elected official when they run for office. (It is an election year!) You can also get a picture taken of the event and then use this in your internal promotions. That’s me in the photo above a few years back when I jumped into our local 4th of July parade and had my picture taken with our state representative, Sheldon Wasserman, M.D. (He told me his mom sees a chiropractor, and I didn’t care about what political party he was part of.)
You can get a list of upcoming community events from the Chamber of Commerce and schedule a screening, talk, or information booth, or volunteer your help in a charity drive. You can also just show up. Be neighborly.
There is often a run or walk as part of a donation program during the summer months where you and your staff can participate. We have seen offices proudly wear their office t-shirts and recruit many patients to do the same. Encourage and support your team members to participate on their own.
I’d assign a staff member or two to find events and opportunities to join. Make it a team activity.
You can power up all your activities by partnering with other local businesses.
And take your cards. As the old timers told me, the old school technique of practice building was “WOC – Whip out Card!” It’s physics: you put out energy and communication, and it will return to you.
When you are networking, you get to know people. Be interested in them and their interests. Then you can hand out your cards. You can also hand out coupons for a screening or workshop at your office.
As Woody Allen is to have said:
Eighty percent of success is showing up.
You can’t lose. It’s Summer. Get Outside. Enjoy the freedom!
And seize the day!
Ed
—————————————————-
If your practice building efforts aren’t taking you to your goals, there are reasons — many of which are hidden from you.
Find out what they are and how to sail to your next level by getting and implementing my book, The Goal Driven Business.
An Inexpensive Method to Improve Chiropractic and Healthcare Patient Engagement
How to Keep Table Talk Going
The new staff member said she could help with marketing by posting photos on Instagram and Facebook. The doctor said great!
I noticed a photo of a patient or the doctor with a short comment for a few weeks.
I usually had to search for the image. It often had a few likes or hearts. Maybe 5 at most. Then it stopped. The staff member had taken on other duties.
I had been asking the doctor to send regular email newsletters to his patients. He didn’t seem that interested, but we said we would help him put them together which would cost less than $100 per month.
He got us the content, and we put the newsletter together and sent it out. On the 1st day, over 500 people opened and looked at his newsletter. These weren’t strangers. These were patients who knew him, liked him, and trusted him. Most of them just hadn’t been in to see him for a while.
Linda, our manager and service coordinator, just conducted a quick survey with some of our clients. She found that the offices that consistently send out personal email newsletters have all had a positive impact on their practices. They have improved patient referrals, reactivations, and patient engagement.
Some of the responses included: “Increases volume.” “Patients refer.” “They love the recipes.” “[Patients] come into the office and comment that they saw a particular condition talked about in the newsletter that the office was not aware the doctor could help them with.” “Great response when promoting [a new service].”
Social media platforms are entertaining. They have to be because they are in the advertising business.
But unless you pay them for ads, your posts are shown at the whim of the platform. You have no control. Your readers are entertainment seekers and, even if they see your post, are often distracted by other posts and ads.
I have seen ad agencies use social media effectively to generate leads that become new patients. It can be pricey but worth it if done correctly. Done now and then, expert advertising on social media for a special offer for a limited time can work.
But if you do not regularly send personal newsletters to your patient base, you are wasting some of the goodwill you have generated over the years.
A CHIROPRACTIC AND HEALTHCARE PRACTICE IS A NETWORK OF RELATIONSHIPS
A practice is grown and sustained through communication and service to your network. The quality and quantity of your network, and how engaged it is with you, is your practice goodwill.
We are now in the age of Artificial Intelligence. Communications are manufactured. In other words, more and more communication is just plain fake.
But you are not fake, and neither is the easy dialogue you have with your patients. More than ever, people want authentic communication and relationships. Social media posts and ads just can’t compete with your short personal newsletters.
Here’s some tips on how to get your personal newsletter done fast:
SETUP
- Email Coordinator. Assign a team member to help you with the newsletter. Give them 1 hour per week to do so.
- Email service. Use an email service like Mail Chimp, Constant Contact, or others. They will assist with the setup. Have the assistant complete the setup and update it monthly.
CONTENT
- Table talk. Think of a patient that you often see in your office. Imagine talking to them about a subject that you are currently thinking about. It could be headaches, low back pain, nutrition, posture, or really anything you’re feeling passionate about.
Now, write about 2-3 paragraphs as if you were writing a letter to them about your thoughts. (Link below.)
- Recipe. People love these. Always introduce a recipe and personalize it. “This was my grandmother’s favorite rabbit stew.”
- Success story. Introduce it: “Mildred did great.”
- Promotion. Every few months include a special promotion.
You can certainly add other elements. But the most essential component is your original message. It is YOUR VOICE that keeps the conversation going.
Effective newsletters will improve patient retention and patient referrals and reactivate inactive patients.
Nurture and sustain the relationships in your practice.
And seize your future!
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Sample message from the doctor for the newsletter
“You know, when I was driving to work this morning I saw this fellow bent over with a walker walking down the sidewalk. I bet if I had seen him 10 to 20 years ago, he wouldn’t be in that condition.
It’s the whole idea of a hinge. If it isn’t used much, it will rust and get stuck. Your vertebrae are like hinges. You gotta keep them moving otherwise they will get stuck.
Exercise helps. So does stretching.
But now and then your hinges (vertebrae) can get stuck, and that’s when you wanna come on and see us.
Keep moving and stay unstuck, and have a great June.
Dr. Bob Marley”
Related articles for chiropractors and independent healthcare practices:
https://www.goaldriven.com/post/sample-patient-group-activities
https://www.goaldriven.com/post/part-2-of-the-best-known-marketing-secret
Call Your Mom
Women, in general, see healthcare providers including chiropractors, more than men do. (The ratio is about 60% women and 40% men.)*
This week, hand each person in your office a flower and ask them to give it to their mom, or a mom. And if they are a mother, give them two. You could make a deal with your local florist and in return, post a sign on the flower vase stating where the flowers came from. Always try to create alliances with local businesses!
And, call your mom. I know, not all of us can. So, thank the moms you do know.
They take care of us and our future.
Here’s to moms!
Ed
*https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/complementary-alternative-or-integrative-health-whats-in-a-name
Another post on moms! https://www.goaldriven.com/post/call-your-mom
2 Simple Tools for Marketing Success
At least half of your marketing success lies in how it is organized and managed. Short-term advertising or special promotions can work. But like a sugar rush, they don’t last.
Good marketing is planned and consistent. Marketing by the latest bright idea, or what your school chum is doing in Kankakee, is, at best, a short-term fix. So, use these 2 tools, and over the next 6 months, your new patients and returning patients will improve.
Your Chiropractic Practice Marketing List
Make a list of all your successful marketing procedures and events. Organize it by daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. You could have 20 procedures or events, from calling the new patient after their first adjustment and treatment, visiting external referral sources, your monthly newsletter, and a reactivation campaign in October as part of National Spinal Health Month. You can even include smiling! 😊
Give this list to an assistant to manage. (Download a free sample below.)
Then, review it every month. Ask these questions and take action as needed:
- Were these items completed?
- How did they work?
- How can they be improved?
- Should we consider pausing one or adding another?
Your Healthcare Practice Marketing Calendar
While your Marketing List includes most of your recurring actions, the Marketing Calendar shows your future scheduled special events. This would include upcoming events such as workshops, a special promotion like a food drive donation, a paid advertising campaign, a patient appreciation, or a booth and march in the town parade.
This is your plan for the next 2-4 months. Update it at least monthly. Post it in a communal area for the entire team to view.
Why post it?
Remember- where is the marketing department? That’s right – THE ENTIRE OFFICE! So, everyone has a role in “selling health.” Everyone is in the marketing department.
Just do these two actions – review your list and complete the actions on it, and schedule your marketing events on a calendar and complete them – and your new patients and returning patients will improve.
Persistence and Discipline
While these tools are simple to use, your challenge will be to keep using them. This will require persistence and discipline. As I recall Harvey Mackay saying, “Knowing what to do is not the same as having the discipline to do it.”
Keep doing what works and schedule your success.
Seize your future,
Ed
Download a sample Marketing List of procedures and events. [Marketing List]
See also
The Flywheel Theory of Practice Marketing For Chiropractic Practice Marketing and Health Businesses
More marketing for less effort in your chiropractic practice
There is good marketing, better marketing, and best marketing.
There is only one kind of bad practice marketing.
That is … NO marketing.
Unfortunately, “no marketing” is too common. The typical scenario in many chiropractic and health offices is this: “Numbers are down. Let’s do some marketing.” After a great effort and expense is made, the numbers go up. Then what happens?
Everyone becomes so busy that there is no time for marketing, and marketing gets tossed aside like an old pair of worn socks.
This contributes to the Practice Roller Coaster. First, there is some marketing. Then there isn’t. Then there is, then there isn’t. Up and down.
Good marketing requires regular attention and action. Like making a cake or cooking a steak, you must pay attention and make adjustments. You can’t turn on the oven, then turn it off to watch your cable program, then turn on the oven again.
THE MERRY-GO-ROUND FLYWHEEL
Remember those merry-go-rounds on playgrounds? Everyone would get on, and one person would push. With the same amount of force applied consistently, the wheel’s speed would increase. Just using an even push, the wheel moved faster and faster until kids started screaming and falling off. Great fun!
What would have happened if the person pushed the wheel a few times and then let it stop? Then pushed it and got it going again. And then let it stop.
All the momentum that accumulated would disappear. Then, getting it going again would require more force. What a waste of energy! And how exhausting to start it up again!
Of course, once it is moving, it doesn’t take much to keep it going or even get it to move faster just by steadily applying force.
Effective chiropractic and practice marketing is just the same. The merry-go-round is like a flywheel. A flywheel is a “mechanical device designed to store angular kinetic energy in a rotating mass.” (Wikipedia) It is used in various engines and has several uses, but primarily, it keeps the momentum, or the energy, going.
Jim Collins refers to the Flywheel effect in his book, Good to Great. “Each turn of the flywheel builds upon work done earlier, compounding your investment of effort.”
HOW TO KEEP YOUR MARKETING FLYWHEEL GOING IN YOUR PRACTICE
- Make a list. With your team, make a list of key marketing activities that you have done that have worked. Keep it simple.
- Marketing assistant. Then, assign someone to keep track of these activities. They assume the role of marketing assistant. 1-2 hours per week. They essentially are project managers who ensure all marketing actions occur.
- Keep to a schedule. The time allotted to do the marketing must be maintained and not get hijacked by “urgencies.” The temptation will be there. Whatever time is scheduled, don’t allow this position to collapse into other departments.
- Monthly review and push. Every month, you can assess what actions seem to be working. Don’t be too eager to discontinue a procedure — some marketing takes time. Gradually, you can add more activities that are working. Keep pushing the flywheel!
We plan on offering a course on the Marketing Manager System for your marketing assistant later this year to help you achieve your practice goals.
GOOD TO GREAT – IN CHIROPRACTIC AND OTHER HEALTH PRACTICES
From Jim Collins: “Good to great comes about by a cumulative process—step by step, action by action, decision by decision, turn by turn of the flywheel—that adds up to sustained and spectacular results.”
Keeping the momentum going,
Ed
(c) 2024 Edward Petty
—————————————————-
If your practice building efforts aren’t taking you to your goals,
there are reasons — many of which are hidden from you.
Find out what they are and how to sail to your next level by getting and implementing my new book, The Goal Driven Business.
The Goal Driven Business, By Edward Petty
Build a Better Chiropractic and Healthcare Practice by Serving Kids
How and Why to Develop Your Chiropractic and Healthcare Pediatric Practice
Anyone who does anything to help a child in his life is a hero! – Fred Rogers
Last week I talked about the importance of caring for our children’s health.
Not only is it needed like never before, but the evidence is clear: chiropractic helps kids. For example, one study in 2019 of 2001 mothers showed that 82% reported definite improvement of their infants, and 95% reported feeling that the care was
cost-effective. *
The evidence is out there, and even more, so is the personal testimony of so many grateful parents.
But in addition, promoting better health for children in a chiropractic or independent healthcare practice can create positive effects on generating new patients and retaining existing ones.
Regardless of the demographics or niche of your practice, including care for kids can enhance your practice and attract new patients.
Here are some suggestions on how and why to do so:
1. Family-centered care. Emphasizing pediatric care creates a family-friendly image for your practice. Parents are more likely to choose a healthcare provider who can address the health needs of their entire family, including children.
2. Community engagement. Engaging with the local community through educational workshops, seminars, or events focused on children’s health can position your practice as a community leader. This involvement helps raise awareness about your services and can attract families seeking comprehensive healthcare.
3. Word of mouth referrals. Happy and satisfied parents are likely to recommend your practice to other families. Positive word-of-mouth referrals from parents who appreciate your focus on children’s health can improve new patient acquisition.
4. Specialized services for children. Offering specialized services or programs tailored for children’s health needs can set your practice apart. This could include services for issues such as:
o Posture
o Sports injuries
o Musculoskeletal development
o And other concerns, such as earaches, bedwetting and issues from toddler tumbles!
5. Educational Content. Share educational content on your website, social media, or through newsletters that focus on children’s health and wellness. Most people just don’t know how effective chiropractic can be for children. By providing valuable information, testimonials, and case studies, you position your practice as an authoritative source and can attract parents seeking reliable healthcare information for their children.
6. Collaborate with schools, daycares, and mother’s groups. Partnering with local schools, daycares, or community organizations to provide health screenings, workshops, or informational sessions for parents can create valuable connections and increase visibility in the community.
You might consider tying a kid’s promotion with a monthly observe or holiday. Each promotion could include a posture check or a free screening. For example:
- February 7th is National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Provide a special screening for girls in sports, or a workshop from a local athletic coach and yourself.
- March 17 is St Patrick’s Day. This is a great time to have a Leprechaun Appreciation Day. Bring the kids in for a screening and provide contests.
- April is Foot Health Month. For those of you that provide orthotics, you can have a foot scan.
- May. May is National Correct Posture Month. Offer posture screenings for the entire family.
There are many possibilities, and these are just a few. Work with your team and have your marketing assistant put together a plan for this spring.
And if you don’t have a marketing assistant or manager, you should! Please contact me and I can give you some ideas on how to develop this essential position.
Carpe Deum,
Ed
References:
*Maternal Report of Outcomes of Chiropractic Care for Infants: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0161475418301453
Pediatric and Prenatal Chiropractic Research
https://icpa4kids.com/research/
https://nationaltoday.com/national-girls-and-women-sports-day/
Goals for the Present
Goals are about the future.
But sometimes, they are about the present – and respecting the past.
December is one of those times. There’s a distinct vibration that moves in this time of year, subtle waves of friendliness that sparkle like Christmas tree lights. Almost an instinct — whether connected to a Sunday service before the 25th, a Jolly Old Saint Nick, the candles of Hanukkah, or the winter solstice, we feel a sense of fellowship during this time of year.
With the traditions of other cultures over the millennia, people have gathered with a Spirit of compassion and celebration. People even take time to pause in war.
One example was the Christmas Truce of 1914 during World War I, when soldiers from opposing trenches laid down their weapons and initiated an unofficial ceasefire. The truce began on Christmas Eve and continued into Christmas Day, with soldiers exchanging seasonal greetings, singing carols, and even venturing into no man’s land to fraternize with the enemy. Troops from both sides shared food, tobacco, and souvenirs and engaged in impromptu soccer games.
I think this speaks to our fundamental nature, that we are supportive and kind when unprovoked by the agitations of those who might profit from our conflicts.
As a practice and business goal for your chiropractic and healthcare office, I suggest that this week and next, focus on the present and appreciate the many accomplishments of the past year. Consider your blessings – your patients, profession, teammates, and family.
The Future Can Wait
For now, take time for some gratitude and have a cup of kindness and good cheer.
And play some Christmas jazz. Man!
Below is a link to some mellow Christmas Jazz – 4-hour playlist. Christmas Jazz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dbgx5ChU3ZM
Carpe Diem,
Ed
Don’t Let Old Acquaintances Be Forgotten in Your Chiropractic Practice
Strengthen Your Network in December
“Remember, George: no man is a failure who has friends.”*
Three weeks till Christmas!
Yikes! Let’s make the most out of this month before we get into the fast lane of the New Year.
Take this month to connect and reconnect: patients, referral sources, team members and stakeholders, family friends – those dear to us. Share some good tidings and joy. Here are some ideas:
1. Keep the show on the road. While ensuring that everyone has time off, try to keep the lights on, the tables warm, and the greetings friendly all month. Anytime you close for a period of time, you can lose momentum. If you are closed for a few days, PACK the days you are open with visits! Remember:
Health Never Takes a Holiday!!
2. Thank You’s to referral sources. Plan to get out and thank all your external referral sources. Show your appreciation: cards, cookies, and guest passes for intro services! Keep your network active. Remember:
“Your chiropractic healthcare practice is a network of relationships created and sustained through communication and service.”**
3. Thank You’s to your patients. Show extra appreciation to your patients. It takes some courage and effort to venture out to see you for care. They are taking responsibility for their health, even though they may not follow all your recommendations. Have an appreciation party, send out greeting cards, give away poinsettias to families, or offer eggnog and treats from a local independent store with the store’s promotional sign.
4. Your Team. Look at your Profit and Loss for the year. If you have any extra dough, privately reward individual team members with a bonus. If the cupboard is empty, let your team know, but give them something. And THANK THEM!
5. Your Family. Don’t forget your family! Heavens! They deserve something for putting up with you this year! (lol)
6. The Spirit! Lastly, be filled with the Spirit of the season. You can watch It’s a Wonderful Life with Jimmy Stewart. Again!
The New Year will come at us fast… so take this time to absorb all the merriment, comfort, and joy you can so you’ll start fresh and filled with renewed energy in January.
So consider the actions above and Don’t Be Forgotten!
Should old acquaintance be forgot – and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot – and old lang syne?
With friendship,
Ed and all of us at PM&A
*from the movie, It’s a Wonderful Life
** from the book, The Goal Driven Business
—————————————————-
If your practice building efforts aren’t taking you to your goals,
there are reasons — many of which are hidden from you.
Find out what they are and how to sail to your next level by getting and implementing my new book, The Goal Driven Business.
The Goal Driven Business By Edward Petty
Who Do You Work For in Your Chiropractic Healthcare Office?
Patients come second.
As a doctor, you work for your patients.
As a business owner, you work for the business end of the practice.
Both of these roles have different outcomes. As the doctor, your outcome is healthy and very happy patients. As a business owner, you want to see a profit.
When you begin your practice, you do so as a business owner and doctor. Any management or leadership you do is done from these roles. I call this an Entrepreneurial or Personality-Driven Practice. This is workable until you reach about 50% of your full capacity as a provider.
Beyond about 50% capacity, the practice needs focused leadership and management. It is time for you as the owner to step into the role of Clinic Director if you want your enterprise to continue to grow.
The outcome of the Clinic Director is not the same as that of doctor or business owner. In simple terms, the outcome is a well-run organization that provides excellent service at a profit.
So, who does the Clinic Director work for?
The staff! The employees. This is called servant leadership and management.
This is a major shift in mindset for most highly driven entrepreneurial business owners. But it can be done, and if done correctly, there is no limit to practice growth, prosperity, and independence.
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
Customers Come Second, Employees Come First
Year after year, Southwest Airlines ranks at the top for customer service and profitability over other airlines. And for good reason. They are excellently managed and led!
Their goals, purpose, and values are well-defined. They are a Goal Driven Business.
In their book about Southwest, authors Keven and Jackie Freiberg reveal that Southwest believes that the love and support they show their employees will be passed on to their customers. Servant leadership is a central theme.
Chapter 18 of their book caught my attention: Customers Come Second — But Still Get Great Service. In it, they say at Southwest, “Treat your employees with care and concern if that is the way you want them to treat each other and your customers.”
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW TO IMPROVE SERVICE AND INCOME IN YOUR CHIROPRACTIC HEALTHCARE PRACTICE
I use Southwest as an example, but there are many others.
In a smaller service company like a chiropractic or dental business, the doctor doesn’t have much time to be the Clinic Director or senior manager, isn’t paid (at least directly) for being one, and isn’t trained in management. Also, more than likely, doesn’t want to be a manager or leader. But what if there was a simple method to be an effective Clinic Director?
Well, there is. It is covered in my book, the Goal Driven Business, and is gone over in detail in our Practice MBA training program. In 2024, I will post more information on this subject and the Fast Flow CEO Method, as I am 100% certain that this is the stumbling block behind all stumbling blocks that keep practices from achieving greatness.
You can do this now:
- Define and communicate your goals and procedures. These need to be reviewed, in one form or another, by everyone weekly.
- Clinic Director. Set time aside as the senior coach of your team to develop your people professionally, and as you can, personally.
If you put your team first, they will put the patient first.
This is, when all is said and done, the Golden Rule.
Or perhaps… we could also call it the Goal Driven Rule!
Seize the Future,
Ed
*Nuts – Southwest Airlines, Keven and Jackie Freiberg
—————————————————-
If your practice building efforts aren’t taking you to your goals,
there are reasons — many of which are hidden from you.
Find out what they are and how to sail to your next level by getting and implementing my new book, The Goal Driven Business.
The Goal Driven Business By Edward Petty
Chiropractic Healthcare Patient Scheduling During the Holidays
Health Doesn’t Take a Holiday
[scheduling tools below]
Is this December going to be better than the one last year?
If so, you want to make sure that the momentum of your patient’s care does not slow down. You want to keep them on their healthcare programs these last few weeks of 2023 and into 2024.
It is a festive time of year for family, friends, and Auld Lang Syne.
But through it all, health does not take a holiday.
Your patients still brush their teeth, take showers, and sleep. They should also stick to their treatment program, their exercise program and stay on track to better health. You and your team can help them do this.
TWO GIFTS FOR YOUR CHIROPRACTIC HEALTHCARE PRACTICE
As a subscriber, I have two gifts for you that can assist you in helping your patients stick to their schedules. (Links to access them are below.)
-
A tent poster that says: Health Never Takes a Holiday. Download it and print copies for the front desk or other areas to remind patients that…Health Never Takes a Holiday.
-
A scheduling calendar for December. Linda designed a scheduling calendar for our clients.
She says:
“The goal is to keep your patients as close to their treatment plan as possible during the hustle and bustle of the holidays! I have used monthly calendars in the past and, believe me, they help with patients keeping their schedules.
“The link will take you to a sheet with 4 monthly calendars per sheet for December – a calendar for each patient to keep track of their schedules.
- Download and save the file to your computer.
- Customize your name on each section of the calendar.
- Print out the sheet and cut it into fours. Have a stack available at the front desk.
- Schedule the patient in your system.
- Write in the times of their appointment on the day that you are scheduling them and give it to the patient.”
We all can use support and help to keep to our goals. As long as you are friendly and have the patient’s health in mind, they’ll appreciate your scheduling efforts.
In fact, it shows you care!
Enjoy the Season – encourage your patients to do the same. Just lock in everyone’s schedule and help them keep it.
Seize better health throughout the Season!
Ed
Downloads:
—————————————————-
If your practice building efforts aren’t taking you to your goals,
there are reasons — many of which are hidden from you.
Find out what they are and how to sail to your next level by getting and implementing my new book, The Goal Driven Business.
The Goal Driven Business By Edward Petty
Don’t Turn Your Staff or Yourself into Bots in Your Chiropractic Healthcare Practice
Goals First, Then Procedures in Your Chiropractic Healthcare Practice
I asked the office manager if I could review some of the staff’s job checklists.
I had observed a staff member training another on how to use a therapy device on patients. Their attention was on the equipment, how to position the patient and where to place the electrodes.
So, I looked with interest at the job description and checklists about placing patients on therapy. The therapy checklist listed all the procedures – what wire went where, what position the patient was to sit in, etc. But something was missing.
The goal, the outcome, of the checklist was not defined.
There was no mention anywhere about the purpose of the therapy, what it does, why to use it. And worse, there was nothing about the patient as a person. The checklist did not say how to introduce the patient to the procedures – and how to educate them on what it does. It might as well have been instructions on how to hook up jumper cables, wire a sump pump, or fill out tax forms.
I went over this with the practice manager and later was told that the staff were now spending more time with the patients explaining therapy procedures.
GREEN AND CLEAN
There’s a deeper principle here. Steven Covey has a great video on getting his son to take care of the lawn over the summer.
Rather than giving him procedures on what to do, he pointed to the neighbor’s lawn and had him notice that it was green and also clean. He then pointed to their lawn, which was becoming brown and littered. He told his son that all he had to do was keep their lawn Green and Clean. He didn’t care how he did it. He might want to use a hose and sprinkler or use buckets. The specific procedures were up to him. But the goal was –green and clean.
It is an entertaining story on video — the link is below on our blog. The son finally got the idea and worked out how best to take care of the lawn.
GOALS FIRST, THEN PROCEDURES IN YOUR CHIROPRACTIC HEALTHCARE PRACTICE
Checklists are useful for training, agreeing on who does what, and preventing key procedures from being overlooked. Please use them. We’ve used them for 30 years. (If you need help please contact us!)
But they should always begin with the goal, the outcome of the sum of the procedures. What do these series of procedures produce – and what is their mission?
If you just focus on procedures, you and your team might as well be algorithms, computerized, and repetitive functions that occur electronically. Like an Internet robot or bot! By omitting goals first, you may minimize the innate creativity and power of everyone, including yourself.
On the other hand, if you challenge yourself and your team to define the WHY for each major and even minor procedure:
- The procedures will be better applied.
- You and your staff can find ways to improve the procedures.
- You will be touching upon and rekindling the innate creative force we all have.
- Your work will be more meaningful…
…and more fun.
Seize the Future
Ed
—————————————————-
If your practice building efforts aren’t taking you to your goals,
there are reasons — many of which are hidden from you.
Find out what they are and how to sail to your next level by getting and implementing my new book, The Goal Driven Business.
The Goal Driven Business By Edward Petty
Where Are the Leverage Points in Your Chiropractic Healthcare Practice?
Find them, invest in them, and see your practice improve.
One of the aspects of practice development that you become familiar with after 30 or so years in the field is the concept of Leverage Points. Once you can spot them and work out methods to take advantage of them, your practice significantly improves.
According to Donella H. Meadows, Ph.D., leverage points “Are places within a complex system (a corporation, an economy, a living body, a city, an ecosystem) where a small shift in one thing can produce big changes in everything.” *
HIGHER LEVEL LEVERAGE POINTS IN YOUR PRACTICE
Ms. Meadows lists 12 levels of increasing effectiveness where leverage might be found. The top levels that can make the most significant changes are:
- Goals
- The mindset from which the business arises from
- The power to transcend assumptions and accept new goals and values.
This is the Above Down Inside Out shift that can ignite the Innate power in a practice.
I have seen this when the clinic owner or team member becomes extraordinarily inspired and motivated, filled with a sense of mission. I also have noticed this in offices that shift from an entrepreneurial practice that is entirely dependent upon the owner to a systematized and goal-driven business.
TANGIBLE LEVERAGE POINTS
Adding a scribe or clinical assistant can be a practical example of utilizing a leverage point in a more tangible application. This might allow you to see an extra 10 patients a week and provide better service with less stress. In the end, you would have a positive Return on Investment for what you paid for the extra help.
Another example might be a situation where your front desk can’t keep up with check-ins, check-outs, call-ins, questions, data entry, cash collections, marketing reminders, and just being friendly. By adding the right person at the front desk, even a part-time during prime time in the afternoons, your volume might surge. (I have seen this.)
For a marketing example, you might be next door to a gym that sees hundreds of people each month. You could leverage your location with just a little effort to create a very beneficial relationship for their business and yours.
There are many examples of finding areas of your practice where the return will be positive when given more support.
LEVERAGING PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
In my experience, the number one leverage point is management.
As a practice grows, the admin tasks multiply exponentially. These start to fill up the doctor’s time, and eventually, growth hits a plateau.
By adding someone to take care of office administration or clarifying the duties of someone currently in that role, you can better concentrate on service, production, and leadership.
As a result, revenue increases and stress decreases. Proper training for the manager is essential and, unfortunately, usually absent.
As an aside, we are solving this now through our Practice MBA program. We are just a little more than ½ way through the training, and I am both impressed by their work and proud to be helping them become Goal Driven Managers.
But leverage points could be anywhere. Even between your ears! (haha!)
Look for where you might find a log jam or an untapped resource. Invest some time in supporting that area and see if that doesn’t make a big difference in practice.
You have untapped power in your business just waiting to be leveraged.
Ed
*Reference https://donellameadows.org/a-visual-approach-to-leverage-points/
—————————————————-
If your practice building efforts aren’t taking you to your goals,
there are reasons — many of which are hidden from you.
Find out what they are and how to sail to your next level by getting and implementing my new book, The Goal Driven Business.
The Goal Driven Business By Edward Petty
How to End on a Win Each Day in Your Chiropractic and Healthcare Practice
LOST KEY
Remember that time you were leaving for work in the morning and just as you were about to leave, you couldn’t find your keys? (It might have been your wallet, purse, or important papers.) As you tried to quell your rising panic, you thought – what if I am late? What about the patients? What if I have to call a cab, a Lyft or Uber? All the alternative scenarios and plans start weighing on you. Worried, distraught, you get ready to call the office when…there they are! Your keys, papers, the vital components to your daily life and you make a joyous reunion. And you are on your way.
That was a big win.
Five minutes later, you have forgotten the entire dramatic event. As if it never occurred.
FORGOTTEN DISCOMFORT AFTER FINDING RELIEF WITH CHIROPRACTIC CARE
Many patients who have had pains or discomforts for years, after finally experiencing relief thanks to your chiropractic care, take it almost for granted after a day or so. Even though it was a big win.
You, too, begin to experience the daily Miracles as Usual as commonplace. You and your team become accustomed to them.
And worse, we can let the “negative few outweigh the positive many.”
OVERLOOKING THE POSITIVE MANY
Our minds are wired, especially business owners, to be alert for dangers, threats, and failures. And because of this, we overlook the accomplishments, the successes, and the wins we all have.
They happen every day. We get work DONE… when we might have just let it slide. We take the extra time and make the extra effort, even as no one notices. We make it happen.
In an otherwise cold and frightening world, we help others through our actions — and even by our positive presence.
And the world reinforces the negative. Sensation drives all media. It “click baits” us, like emergency flagmen calling our attention to the as-yet-unseen car wrecks ahead of us.
But amidst the world’s chaos, the dramas of our patients, and the struggles of our own lives, we are here to help, and to whatever large or small degree we do, that is a win. We contributed something good into the world that day.
But our wins are easily overlooked. First, by ourselves, and second, by others.
LET THE POSITIVE WIN
So… don’t let this happen. You can change this! Change it in your practice and change it at home.
And if you do, you will create a more healing atmosphere in your practice and love in your life. Your day will end better, and your next new day will start fresh with greater cheer.
- At the office, after the day is done, ask the staff to tell you about at least one success they had! Listen. Applaud or cheer or hug. Hurrah! Tell them about an accomplishment you had!
- And when you get home, and get a moment with your spouse or kids, ask them to tell you about a win they experienced.
You are doing good work. You are helping people. So are others with whom you work and live.
Recognize and celebrate this, and at the end of each day, simply ask each person with whom you work to tell you and the others their win or wins and cheer for them. Let them do the same for you.
You deserve It – and so do they.
End on a win.
Ed
PS I was reminded of this at the recent Chiropractic Society of Wisconsin conference in Wisconsin. One very successful doctor with whom I had the privilege of talking to mentioned that at the end of the day, he would meet with his team and acknowledge a win each of them had. I too, years ago, had done this with a team I had worked with, but as the world turns, I’ve let this very successful procedure drop aside.
—————————————————-
If your practice building efforts aren’t taking you to your goals,
there are reasons — many of which are hidden from you.
Find out what they are and how to sail to your next level by getting and implementing my new book, The Goal Driven Business.
The Goal Driven Business By Edward Petty
End of Year Preparation for Your Chiropractic and Healthcare Practice
From the front to the back of your practice
As farmers know, you must plan ahead and then work your plan. That is part of the Law of the Farm we discussed last week.
This is a short and fast reminder of some activities to consider as we enter into the last two months of the year:
-
Marketing – The front end of your practice. Keep it hopin’!
-
Business — The back end of your practice. Organize for the future.
MARKETING YOUR CHIROPRACTIC PRACTICE
With good scheduling and planning, there is no reason for disappointment in production for November and December. To help keep the atmosphere thankful, cheerful, and productive, here are a few promotional ideas:
Thanksgiving (U.S.A.) Turkey giveaways have been popular with many practices. The basic idea is to refer a friend and enter a drawing for a free turkey.
Thank-a-Veteran Day. Veterans Day – November 11. Special promotions, including free or discounted services or donations to local veterans’ organizations.
Donation Drives. Holiday time always brings an increased demand for helping those less fortunate. Within your office, you can set up a collection area for donation programs in your area.
Girl’s Night Out. This is a shopping/gift exchange that can take place in your office that builds community and helps generate referrals.
Poinsettia Give Away. Give away free poinsettias, one per family. Include cards with a gift certificate for family members or friends for your services.
Your External Referral Network. Deliver a fruit basket or other present personally during December with a card of thanks and mention how you are looking forward to another year working together for better health. Your External Referral Network would include any person or organization that referred a new patient to you, where you gave a lecture or screening, or in any way directly contributed to your office.
Patient Appreciation. Have a party. Your patients are part of your practice and health community. They are a select group of like-minded health seekers. Bring them together, recognize their efforts to improve their health in 2023 and 2024, and encourage them to help others do the same. Everyone gets Guest Passes to hand out to family and friends when they leave. (I still love the Flying Elvis’ coming in for a big patient appreciation party one office used to have!)
CHIROPRACTIC HEALTHCARE BUSINESS
Once you get your marketing plan worked out and in gear, take time to review the business situation of your chiropractic or healthcare practice. These behind-the-scenes details are important but not always urgent! They are pretty obvious – this is just a reminder!
Accountant. You will want to meet with your accountant to review your financial statements, including your balance sheet and profit and loss. There have been changes to retirement laws, so check with them about how they may affect you. Review your tax situation and explore strategies to minimize it. Ensure that all tax-related documents and filings are up to date.
Legal and Licensing. Check the status of licenses and permits and renew them as needed. Consult with your attorney to review contracts and legal obligations.
Employee benefits. Consider benefit reviews as well as bonuses.
Payors. You’ll want to review your insurance contracts and dump any that don’t bring a good return.
Fees. Take a look at your fees and make any adjustments that are needed.
Compliance. This can be delegated, but ensure that you at least minimally meet basic HIPAA and OSHA standards. You can check with your local state association for recommendations for these and any other requirements.
Budget Planning. Work out a general budget for next year that incorporates all the findings from your financial review and business goals.
This is not a complete list, of course.
Preparation is working on your business, not just in it, but it is just as essential.
Let’s end the year prosperous and secure for the future.
Ed
—————————————————-
If your practice building efforts aren’t taking you to your goals,
there are reasons — many of which are hidden from you.
Find out what they are and how to sail to your next level by getting and implementing my new book, The Goal Driven Business.
The Goal Driven Business By Edward Petty
More New Chiropractic and Healthcare Patients Through Positioning
Positioning is a marketing term that refers to how your services are perceived in the minds of customers or potential customers.
For example, you get two different concepts when you think of a Timex $40 wristwatch and a $10,000 Rolex. In selling these products, advertising deliberately tries to position each in your mind so that they are different but appealing.
The fact is, they do about the same thing. But, positioning them can make each more appealing to different groups of people. In marketing Timex watches, for example, they might show busy people working or athletic people with a tagline that says: “takes a licking and keeps on ticking.” On the other hand, Rolex offers images of elegance or authoritative men in suits. Both of these appeal to different groups of people with different wants.
HOW CAN POSITIONING GENERATE MORE NEW PATIENTS FOR YOUR OFFICE?
Let’s start with the position chiropractic has in most people’s minds. According to a Gallup Poll in 2015, 60% of Americans think chiropractic is effective for neck and back pain. Only 11% disagree. The rest don’t know or are neutral.
That means that, in consumers’ minds, you guys generally have the position of treating neck and back pain. Here is one approach to using this:
NATIONAL PROGRAM – Spinal Health Month
You can position your services with a national health campaign. This is what Big Pharma did with the COVID jabs, and what they do with flu shots. It’s manufactured marketing, of course, and promoted authoritatively as part of a national program.
You can do the same! (An application of guerrilla marketing!)
And remember, your stats are better than Big Pharma’s and corporate medicine! (You should probably ensure that your patients know this.) While respecting the good work of individual MDs and certain medical clinics and organizations, which there now seems to be more of after COVID (E.G. FLCCC), keep in mind that the U.S. medical system comes in LAST compared to other industrial countries.(link below)
The American Chiropractic Association promotes what they call National Chiropractic and Health Month in October. Also, Congress recognizes October as National Spine Health Awareness Month. And although a bunch of MDs also promote this, you could use it. I recall when the ACA, and maybe the ICA, promoted October as National Spinal Health Month.
I don’t think it really matters. You can promote your own National Spinal Health and Fitness Month and position your services next to this campaign. We have done this over the years very successfully. Figure that your campaign is more helpful and therefore more legit than those promoted by the drug industry and its lackeys and mercenaries.
There are dozens of approaches to this. I’d be happy to spend a few minutes with you to give you some ideas that have worked. You could:
-
Send out reactivation letters. “It’s Spinal Check-up Time!” and offer a free screening, discount massages, or just healthy cupcakes.
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Put a banner in your office; “October is National Spinal Health Month — Schedule your family for a Health Check-up.” Print up a poster and fliers and encourage your staff to have patients bring in those they care about for a check-up.
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Send out an email promotion for this important national event.
ATHLETES
How about another example, maybe for November?
Despite the little medical emphasis on the importance of exercise, people are finding out on their own how vital physical activity is to maintain their health. To some degree, more people are becoming amateur athletes.
Go with this!
Position your services as designed to improve athletic performance. Stay in the Game Longer! Position your services next to famous athletes who testify how chiropractic was essential in achieving their accomplishments in sports. (Link to some chiropractic athletes below.) Promote the fact that all U.S. professional football teams have chiropractors. In fact, you can look up your team’s chiropractor. (link below.)
You could call the team’s D.C. and possibly get a quote or meet with them for a photo opportunity. You could meet with the local high school coach, promote this, and arrange screenings for their players.
By positioning your services next to successful high-performing athletes, the audience can easily make the association that your services must improve physical and functional performance.
So those are a couple of ideas for using positioning to generate more new patients, reactivate former patients, and keep the ones you have.
You’re the coach. Get the team in for care!
Seize the WIN!
Ed
Pro football chiropractors.
U.S. Health system ranks last.
Athlete quotes on chiropractic
Some promotional ideas for October:
Gallup poll on chiropractic favorability.
—————————————————-
If your practice building efforts aren’t taking you to your goals,
there are reasons — many of which are hidden from you.
Find out what they are and how to sail to your next level by getting and implementing my new book, The Goal Driven Business.
The Goal Driven Business By Edward Petty