Issue 5 - April 2003

Take three to grow
By Michelle Geller-Vino

New patient acquisition is the top concern of chiropractors. In the past, screenings, lectures and health fairs were enough to attract and keep patients. But what used to work well, no longer does.

Today, successful practices rely on more than tradition. Their growth is due to three things: modernization, sophistication and transformation.

Modernization
Chiropractors are notorious for driving up to their offices in brand new Mercedes and walking into offices that have adjusting tables from 1961. Have you walked into a new dentist office lately? They are clean, state-of-the-art palaces complete with computerized radiography, beautiful laboratories and comfortable reception areas. Would you let your dentist drill your teeth with a rusty drill?

Modernization means putting money back into your office to make it look like something special. New adjusting tables, new x-ray machines, even something as simple as new carpet – these things say a lot more to a patient than hearing the “safety-pin cycle.”

Using technology such as surface-EMG or computerized orthotic fitting tells a patient that you stay current with the latest information in chiropractic. Your patients, as well as insurance companies, require treatment plans based on objective necessity in order for them to follow through.

Sophistication
Audio-visual stimulation of television and the Internet entertain and educate people today. Take advantage of these media. Get rid of your old flip charts. They are probably torn up by now anyway. Use videos in your office, as well as computer-driven healthcare presentations.

Many companies provide beautifully animated software programs that help explain the causes of subluxation, the effects of trauma and the stages of spinal decay. You should avail yourself of all of the tools necessary to answer your patients’ questions in visual, auditory and kinesthetic ways. Use models, brochures and CD-ROMS to explain chiropractic to your patients, both new and old.

Transformation
Transformation is the process of getting your patients to adopt the chiropractic lifestyle. Do you realize that when patients stop coming in for care, they are basically saying that they would rather be sick, diseased and die sooner than continue to come into your office?

When you do outside marketing, let your audiences know that chiropractic is a life or death decision that should not be taken lightly. People have a choice in healthcare and they should be fully informed of all of their options. Exercise, nutrition, stress management, posture and nerve interference are all a part of chiropractic care. Let people know that you go much further than just “cracking backs.”

Take it personally when patients disappear. When you do your report of findings, don’t be afraid to explain the full effects of subluxation to your patients. Tell them the truth about wellness care, instead of leaving it for subsequent visits because you are worried what they might think about you. If you do not assist your patients with a lifestyle shift, you permit them to use chiropractic care as an “I’ll come in when I have pain again” modality.

Remember: Modernization, sophistication and transformation are the three keys to future success in chiropractic. Educate your patients using the most modern tools available. Speak to them as the intelligent individuals they are and do not shy away from helping each and every person who walks through your door leave their old health concepts behind and transform to a chiropractic lifestyle.

Michelle Geller-Vino is the president of MGV Marketing, Inc., based in Boca Raton, Fla. She consults with chiropractors to increase their community visibility, and her specialty is new patient acquisition. She can be reached at 561-392-5206; or through her Web site at www.mgvmarketing.com.