Position your practice to market it Define your practice’s unique benefits to set your mission


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Issue 9 - July2004

Position your practice to market it
Define your practice’s unique benefits to set your mission
By Sharon Houchin

Even the most experienced chiropractic practitioners often make a common marketing mistake: They shortchange the value of developing their mission and positioning statements.

Of course, it’s only natural to want to jump right in and advertise to bring new patients in the door. But this can be a big mistake.

Before you can successfully market your practice to others, you must clearly define for yourself the unique benefits of your practice. When you react to a short-term situation by immediately advertising, you step into a defensive marketing mode.

Instead, take the time to develop effective mission and positioning statements. This step can help you:

• Build your patient base;

• Portray a professional image;

• Communicate ethically; and

• Involve your staff.

Here are some tips to get started:

CRAFT YOUR MISSION
Make your mission statement unique to you and your practice. It should be broad but not vague, specific yet flexible, personal yet understandable to all. Get started by following these simple steps:

1. Identify what initially drew you to be a chiropractor.

2. Identify what services you’d like to offer in the future.

3. Combine the two statements into one phrase. With a little tweaking, this can be your mission statement to share with staff and post in a prominent place.

Here’s an example of how one doctor developed his mission statement:

When Doctor L was in a car accident five years ago (before he was a chiropractor), he sustained massive injuries and was told he would never walk again. After exhaustive care at the hands of many medical specialists, Dr. L sought the help of a chiropractor.

In six months, he was able to walk with ease. This was such a life-changing experience that Dr. L quit his job as a teacher and went to school to become a doctor of chiropractic. Dr. L used his experience to develop the following mission statement:

“To use chiropractic care to help heal people who suffer injuries related to accidents and promote better health in all my patients.”

POSITION YOUR PRACTICE
Your practice position is your identity in the marketplace — how you want your potential patients and colleagues to view your practice and services.

It’s different from your mission statement because while your mission statement is about you, your positioning statement is about you and your prospective patients. A positioning statement should relate to the types of patients you would like to appeal to.

Here are three steps to guide you:

1. Start with your mission statement. Now think about your prospective patients. What are their needs? What do they think about chiropractic? Don’t be afraid to ask a few people to answer these questions.

2. What do other chiropractors in your community say in their advertising? What do people think of them?

3. What is most unique and special about your services?

Here is how Dr. L transitioned his mission statement into a positioning statement:

Starting with his mission statement, “To use chiropractic care to help heal people who suffer injuries related to accidents and promote better health in all my patients,” Dr. L considered his potential patients.

In Dr. L’s community, many business people use the freeways each day and accidents are frequent. Dr. L noticed that though a few of his colleagues specialized in personal injury, none appealed directly to the goal-oriented business professional. Thus, Dr. L developed the following positioning statement:

“Turning accidents into achievements”

This statement tells prospective patients:

• Dr. L is adept at treating accident victims;

• He strives to help patients achieve better health, even if they’ve been in an accident; and

• He wants to work with patients toward their health goals.

What’s your position?

If you’re hitting a brick wall in developing positioning ideas for your practice, consider how your practice may already be unique. For example:

POSITION: ACCESSIBLE
• Are people in your area frustrated by restrictive office hours?

• Do you carry a 24-hour pager?

• Are you available after office hours?

• Do you welcome walk-ins?

If so, you may enjoy success by being known as the “Accessible Chiropractor.”

POSITION: AFFORDABLE
If you practice in an area suffering from economic difficulties, you may want to consider positioning your practice as affordable (but not cheap). You can position yourself as a DC who provides patients with financial options, such as multiple-payment options, so cost is not a barrier to care.

POSITION: AUTHOR OR EDUCATOR
• Have you published a book or articles on chiropractic?

• Do you live in an area where education is valued?

• Do you give presentations at colleges and area universities?

Positioning yourself as an authoritative source can build credibility and prestige in your practice.

POSITION: BACK AND NECK SPECIALIST
• Are your prospective patients conservative about chiropractic care?

• Do you have significant expertise in treating back and neck pain?

If you chose to devote your practice mainly to problems of the back and neck, this position may be for you.

POSITION: ACCEPT DIFFICULT CASES
You have the knowledge, credentials and experience to treat tough cases. You are looking to build a practice that goes further than routine problems. You can position your practice as one that can tackle difficult cases while enhancing your credibility with all patients.

POSITION: DUAL PROFESSIONAL
• Do you have skills in addition to being a chiropractor?

• Do you have training as an acupuncturist, massage therapist or other specialty?

• Are you also a lawyer?

The dual professional position can create a powerful one-two punch for your practice. This position can be especially effective in areas where patients are more accepting of certain specialties.

POSITION: FAMILY TRADITION
When more than one family member is involved in a practice, you can position yourself as offering a family tradition of care. This works well in suburban areas where family life is a top priority. Make sure you consider what other chiropractors in the community are saying, though, since this position is used often.

POSITION: HOLISTIC HEALTHCARE
• How many health food stores are operating in your area?

• Yoga classes?

• Massage therapy clinics?

If people in your area seek out natural health aids, then this position may be for you. Use your holistic philosophy and understanding of the body’s healing power to build your practice.

POSITION: ‘BEEN THERE’
This position is especially powerful if you are a former athlete or accident victim. Patients will more readily trust someone who has “been in their shoes.” Sharing your personal experiences will help build your credibility and your practice.

PUT YOUR STATEMENTS TO WORK
Your next step is to convert these statements to objectives.

Let’s take, for example, Dr. L’s mission and positioning statements of “To use chiropractic care to help heal people who suffer injuries related to accidents and promote better health in all my patients” and “Turning accidents into achievements.”

Dr. L may wish to set an objective: “To reach professional business people who need rehabilitative care and partner with them to meet their healthcare goals.” At this point, he would then move on to the tactics that could include not only advertising and promotion but also the services he offers, how he and his staff relate to patients, the professional image of his office space and more.

In developing your marketing program, it’s helpful to remember what Jack Reis said in Positioning: The Battle of the Mind (McGraw-Hill Trade, 2000): “If you try to be everything to everyone, you will end up being essential to no one.” By effectively developing or re-evaluating your mission and positioning statements, you can avoid this dilemma and successfully grow your practice.

Sharon Houchin is marketing communications editor for NCMIC Group, Inc. NCMIC provides malpractice protection for more than 50 percent of the chiropractic profession and offers an array of diversified financial services. For more information, call 1-800-769-2000, ext. 349.

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