Tag Archives: referral

The Hidden Power of Patient Testimonials in Chiropractic and Healthcare that Go Beyond Marketing

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women healthier and pain free after chiropracticIn this newsletter I was going to show you some neat tricks to improve team accountability. Accountability is a powerful and positive trigger that drives excellent practice performance.

But something happened just before I started the article.

I received a patient success review from a doctor we work with.

It read it and…WOW! What a success! What a Win! (It is below!)

And I thought – boy, this is really good for marketing. But reviews like this also have other practical uses in your practice that may be overlooked.

Mostly, these are marketing tools—patients give reviews to let the community know what you do. They’re legit and one of the absolute best methods to sell your services. I’m sure when you buy products on Amazon, you look at the reviews. Right?

But patient reviews have 2 other very powerful benefits that may be overlooked.

Two Hidden Benefits of Reviews in Your Chiropractic Practice

First, they reinforce wins for your patients. A patient comes in barely able to move. You adjust them. They get better. And then—they start to forget how bad it was. It’s human nature. We adapt to our new normal fast. Or their wins come on so gradually they don’t even notice the change.

When patients write their reviews, they reconnect with where they were and recognize where they are now. That testimonial becomes their documented “why” — why they’re investing in care and why they’ll stick with their treatment plan.

Second, patient reviews keep the WHY in mind for you and your team.

The daily demands and deadlines that are required working in a practice, for the chiropractor and staff, can bury the reason you work in this profession: to help people heal.

Reading chiropractic patient testimonials reconnects you and your fellow team members to your purpose and the purpose of the office. When Mrs. Johnson writes about finally holding her grandson without pain, or the athlete describes returning to their sport—that’s not marketing copy. That’s meaning. That’s impact.

That is the essence of health care.

The Joy of Practice

If you can stay connected to the wins of your patients, I think you’ll find that practice stressors, or “onset burnout,” will start to melt away.

So,

Keep generating patient reviews. And if you aren’t, do so.

Get them posted so your community can see what you do: website, social media, Google Business profile, and your newsletters.

Read them. At weekly team meetings, staff and doctors can take turns reading one or two patient successes. I have seen patients how up at team meetings and at spinal care classes to talk about their wins!

Patient testimonials aren’t just marketing assets. They’re memory landmarks for patients who might take their wins for granted.

They’re purpose statements that remind the entire team what you all are really doing there. They’re the antidote to the sometimes-dreary aspects of practice management.

So yes, get the reviews for marketing. But also share them with each other. Let them be the thing that brings everyone back to why you all do this work.

And stay driven to enjoy the wins,

Ed

The public patient review I just read.:

Doctor Max is an absolute miracle worker. He is the best. I went to him a month ago basically as a last resort. I had tried everything else, and I mean everything. When I went to see him, I could barely walk. I had to use a cane. Getting in and out of vehicles was soooo very painful. I had sciatic pain, lower back and hip pain and could not bend my knee at all. Regular doctors told I would need a knee replacement. Nope..,not doing that. Doctor Max took X-rays of back, neck, hip and knee. Immediately he had a course of treatment. Now, after 1 month of treatments, 3 times a week, the change is a true miracle. I feel like a new woman (and that is tough to do at 80 years old LOL). I’m still going in for treatments to continue healing to make sure my body stays in great condition. I am convinced, if I had not found Doctor Max I would be in terrible shape and facing a knee replacement I did not need to have. Not only is Doctor Max great, but his staff is wonderful.” Cindy B

A Health Challenge for Your Chiropractic and Healthcare Office

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Chiropractic Healthcare Caring to Share

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:

  1. Attend one of our Wellness Classes. (2 tickets)

  2. Bring a guest.(2 tickets)

  3. Post a review of our services.(2 tickets)

  4. Keep all of your appointments. (3 tickets)

  5. Refer a friend to a no-charge consultation with one of our doctors. (2 tickets.)

  6. 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

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.

—————————————————-

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.

goal driven business www.goaldriven.com
The Goal Driven Business
By Edward Petty
goal driven business buy now button

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

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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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Capacity. Do you need another provider? Another team member? Don’t overextend yourself, but also, don’t stand in the way of your growth.
  5. 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.
  6. 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 Systemsm 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

Family Referral Procedure

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A systematized procedure for generating more chiropractic patient referrals.

How many more patient referrals could you generate if you simply asked for them?

Sure, your patients refer others to you now, but how many more could you generate if you asked for them?

One of the best times to ask for referrals is at the beginning of care, just when they are starting to see some benefit. At this time, patients are excited about discovering your office and are more willing to tell others about your services.

This usually occurs between visit 3-8.  After about 3 weeks, the ”newness” of the experience can wear off and the patient can settle into a routine.

One procedure that we have seen effective is talking to the patient about a “Family Check-up Plan.”  We recommend that you present each patient with a “Family and Friends Guest Pass”, or “Get Acquainted Gift Certificate” for his or her family, and friends, good for a free spinal check-up as a routine procedure, usually on the 3rd visit.

Below you will find an example of a script for your chiropractic assistant, procedure notes, and an example of a gift certificate. You can edit the gift certificate and insert your office name and other information so that it is customized for your office.

SCRIPT AND PROCEDURE

Front Desk Chiropractic Assistant: After the 3rd visit, as the patient checks out, the Front Desk C.A. asks the patient:

“Did Dr. ABC mention our Family and Friends “Health Check-up Program?”

Patient: Responds.

C.A.: Explains or re-explains the program:

“Well, Dr. ABC wants to make sure that the family members of our all patients are properly checked for spinal related problems. We call it our Family Check-up Policy.

So many times he sees patients who come to us, in pain, who have spinal problems that could have been more easily corrected had we seen them sooner before they were in pain.

Now, there is no charge for this. Dr. ABC just wants to make sure your whole family is checked and healthy.

Any questions?

Patient Responds.

C.A. O.K. Here is a Gift Certificate you can give to a family member. It is good for (whatever you want to offer.) an 8-point spine and neck check-up and a consultation.
And, (smiling), as a bonus, we are offering a 15 minute massage from our massage therapist as well.

Patient Responds. That sounds pretty good.

C.A. Well, it gets better. This coupon is also good for any family member. You can even use it for a friend of yours too.

In addition, this makes you eligible for our Massage Therapy “Care To Share” Credit Program.  Every person you bring in allows you to receive a credit 15 minutes free massage on your account. This is our way of thanking you for sharing the benefits of chiropractic.

Patient Responds. Wow. That’s great!

C.A. Let me go over the card with you. (C.A. goes over how to fill out the card). Now, how many do you want?

Patient. Well let’s see, my son, my sister, and her husband. That’s three.

C.A. Great. Here they are. Let me initial them and get them numbered. Now they are good for 60 days. So try to encourage them to call and make an appointment before then.

[Makes a note on a log, usually kept at the Front Desk. Ask the patient about who the gift certificates are for.  Try to become familiar with the family and friends of the patient. Make a note of whom they are. In the following days, you can ask about these people again, showing interest and helping to remind the patient to bring their family and friends in for a health check-up.]

Patient. I will do it. Thanks!

NOTES:
Print the gift certificate on card stock and cut with a paper cutter. Your local copy shop can do this for you or you can in your office. The better you make the coupon, the more valuable it will be to the patient.

Only hand the gift certificate out to the patient personally. Never let them lie around or on the desk. Treat them as $100 bills.

If you miss the patient on the 3rd visit, ask them on the subsequent visit. Usually the 3rd to the 6th visit is the best time. The patient should start to benefit, and still be excited about the services he or she is receiving.

(For customizable samples in Word format, active PM&A and Marketing Manager System clients and members can go to the MMS Members web site.)

SAMPLE FAMILY & FRIEND HEALTH CHECK UP GIFT CERTIFICATE FILLED OUT.

Much more of this information can be found in the Marketing Manager System computer program.
Also, look for more free tips and tools to grow your practice. Link. Link.