Issue 1 - January 2005

How to build a practice in a hurry
By Herb Silverman and Hank Klobucar

1979 — After consulting and representing various chiropractors over the last eleven years, we have observed them, for the most part, using a “hit or miss” approach to building their practices. Through the years, several proven concepts have surfaced in this regard: A practice can be built faster and larger through lay lecturing and advertising.

LAY LECTURING

For economic reasons, it does not pay to give your talk to each patient one at a time. There are only so many 15 or 20 minute segments in a day. You must use them in the most efficient way possible.

Set aside one evening a week where you can hold a lecture for as few as one, or as many as you can accommodate. Answer all questions openly. The hour or two you spend will be the most valuable practice building project you will ever undertake. This is your chance to explain the basic causes of disease, sickness and disability. Your patients will realize that this time and ded-ication are more than most doctors provide in an open forum, discussing their patients’ health and particularly the preventive nature of chiropractic.

Lecturing is a very effective means of helping patients learn and understand, building yourself and your practice by teaching and securing these people into your practice. In time, you will receive untold referrals from this procedure and your practice will grow at a rate beyond your highest expectations.

ADVERTISING

Advertising is a broad subject and because it is so broad, the average chiropractor gets confused and starts taking “some of this” and “some of that.” Usually advertising is classified in one of three categories:

1. Institutional — selling your service or organization by way of book covers, calendars, phone ads and organizational pamphlets;

2. Broad, general media contact — billboards, radio, TV (these are good for large or multi-location operations); and finally

3. Immediate business letters — telephone book ads or tabloids.

The advertising technique that consistently seems to do the most good for the least cost is the newspaper tabloid, directed monthly to a particular newspaper’s circulation in your area. [Editor’s note: The authors are referring to a newsletter-like insertion into a local newspaper.]

Tabloid insertion lets pro-spective patients see testimonials of people living in their neigh-borhoods, perhaps in similar occupations, or even working for the same companies. You can announce your free lectures, x-rays, office hours, credit plans, third party payments, etc. in them. And you can write beautiful editorials about health care, reflecting the seasons of the year and the stresses of life in your very own words.

From a practice-building standpoint, these two things, lay lecturing and advertising alone, can take you right to the top.

A word of caution: Budget your money. Some practitioners run varying sizes of newspaper ads, radio spots and any other means that happen to come along. These may bring some results, but your goal is to get the greatest return for the smallest cost. Choose wisely.

If you are able to advertise and do it properly, you will grow at least five times faster, but if you cannot or will not, at the very least, use the lectures to save yourself time while building your ability and thought process in the largest non-medical healing profession in the world — chiropractic.