Issue 8 - June 2004

Consulting requires speaking ‘business'
By Theodore F. Oslay, DC

Industrial consulting can provide an additional income stream to your practice with a minimum amount of time and a maximum amount of exposure to people who are likely prospects for chiropractic care.

But getting into industrial consulting takes more than walking into a company and saying, “I’m a chiropractor and I’m here to help you.” You have to show companies how you can help them — and that requires speaking their language — money.

To “speak” that language, use a four-step process:

1. Identify the problem. Even if your industrial contact says, “We want a lifting program” or, “We want a stretching program,” probe to define the problem. Ask, “What is it you want to fix? Why is it a problem? What does it cost you?”

2. Establish an objective. Every problem generally has a number of possible solutions. To decide which solution is the best one for the situation, find out the company’s objective in solving the problem.

Does the company want to reduce direct costs? Decrease lost-time and restricted work days? Improve workers’ compensation reserves for musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) or other ergonomically related injuries or illnesses? A combination of these things?

Not only is understanding the objective crucial to developing an appropriate and cost-effective solution, it is also essential for you to justify the solution. You will use this information to measure a return-on-investment.

3. Develop a solution. The solution, obviously, depends upon the problem and its objective, as well as your capabilities.

4. Demonstrate how the solution meets the objective. This requires calculating costs (see sidebar) and a plan to measure ROI.

You can predict an ROI and identify ways to measure it, based on the outcomes your program aims to achieve.

For example, a lifting program may aim to reduce the cost of back injuries and lost work days caused by these injuries. Or, a workstation set-up training program may aim to reduce neck and eye strain in due to computer usage and medical costs associated with these injuries.

Measure the impact of the program on the specific measure and then calculate ROI from the point when you gave the training, over a set period of time. You'll calculate outcomes — and that's what "business talk" is all about.

Dr. Theodore F. Oslay is a recognized expert in the reduction of industrial injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, shoulder, neck and low back injury correction and prevention. He has served on the ergonomics subcommittee of American National Standard Institute (ANSI). He can be contacted at 815-756-1600 or oslay@shawneelink.net.