Issue 9 - July 2003

Featured DCs give their tips for recruiting and retaining patients
Tips from the tops

Success is often a subjective thing, but all successful doctors of chiropractic have one thing in common — they get patients in the door and keep them there. Several individuals featured in Chiropractic Economics’ Success Profiles have revealed some of the tips they use to recruit and retain their patients. We hope they will serve you as well as they did them!

Talk it up!
• Speaking is free, and it's effective. Get out into the public as much as you can. I give health talks at schools, churches and in the businesses of my patients. And I talk to people one-on-one whenever I can.

• Find your niche and make sure everyone knows about it. Develop your expertise — such as in orthotics, sports medicine or rehabilitation — and make your expertise known in your community and with your patients. As you become known as the “golf doctor” or the “orthotics specialist,” referrals will grow.
— Mark Strom, DC
November 2002

Tap into the power of your patients
Internal marketing is an untapped opportunity.
A few ways to capitalize on that area are:

• Quarterly mailings to central files. We do a mailing to all the patients we have had since we have been open. These mailings go out at the start of each season and are usually themed. The type of things we will send in these mailings will be: a letter sharing our purpose to help them and what’s new in the clinic; a warm connection with no marketing or special offers; or post cards with special offers.

• Research mailings on a specific condition. Our practice management computer program allows us to print lists of patients based on the condition they had. If we get new research, for example, on headaches, we write a brief cover letter, have the computer print letters to all our patients in the last 18 months with that particular condition and then mail the letter and the research to them. The letter is very short and simple: “Dear So-and-So, I came across this new research and thought of you and wanted to share it with you. I hope you are well. If you have any questions or if we can help in any way, give me a call.”

• Letters to new patients who did not receive our service. For patients who came in for a new patient visit but chose not to progress with care, we mail a brief letter each quarter. It is also short and simple: “When you first came to see us last June, you were suffering with back and knee pain. Your x-ray and exam findings concerned me, so I wanted to follow up with you and let you know I was thinking about you. Give me a call and let me know how you are doing or if there is any way we could help.”
— Steven Arculeo, DC
February 2001

Adapt your advertising to your community
Tailor your message and the medium to the size of the community. In smaller more rural communities, for example, a Yellow Pages ad may work effectively.

In mid-size communities, advertising in your local newspaper and buying spots on local radio programs can be effective.

In the larger communities, making yourself visible and accessible by giving lectures, appearing at expos and visiting health clubs can attract new patients.
— Solomon Cogan, DC
April 2001

Talks, tips and teasers
Each month I schedule at least one outside talk. At the end of the talk, I offer a gift — a complimentary exam (not including x-rays) or an exam with x-rays for $37 instead of the normal cost of $250. To get this gift, however, audience participants have to sign up at that time.

We also pass around a sign-up sheet to receive my weekly “Dr. Sully’s words of wisdom.” Those who sign up get health tips and we get their contact information so that we can keep in touch with them.

Inexpensive erasable whiteboards have become an aid to retaining patients. We put one in each of the adjusting rooms and write a different saying on them each week.

Curious patients ask about the sayings. For example, recently we wrote “champagne.”

What’s the significance of champagne? When we make an adjustment, the sound you may hear is nitrogen in the synovial fluid going from a liquid to a gas, just like the sound when a bottle of champagne is opened.
—Lynne Sullivan, DC
January 2002

Make the patient feel special
Everyone likes to feel special. And making each patient feel special is easy: Just bring up something that the patient told you on a previous visit, such as a wedding in the family, a visit to Atlanta to see the grandchildren or even an important blood test.

My trick for remembering: I write the event on a post-it note and affix it to the patient’s chart notes for the next visit.
— Craig Cook, DC
June 2002

Shop and stop
Some people shop for everything — including chiropractic care. When a “shopper” calls and asks how much our treatments are, I’ve asked my staff to give me the call. In addition to answering the shopper’s questions, I ask him what problems he is having. By redirecting the conversation I am able to show my concern for him and his problem.

I also tell the shopper if I think I can help. The conversation almost always ends in a scheduled appointment.
— Harvey Schwartz, DC
May 2003