Give ’em what they want
By Michelle Geller-Vino

The most effective way to get new patients to your practice is to have a strong marketing plan aimed at increasing your visibility in the community. But once that marketing plan is put into action and new patients begin to roll in, the challenge then becomes one of retention — how to get patients to commit to a care plan.

If you want to keep your patients coming in, keep one mantra foremost in your office: Your patients are #1.

And since you would have no practice without your patients, you need to give them what they want.

You can have “the greatest hands,” the most up-to-date technology, and the best trained staff, but if your patients aren’t getting what they want from their visits to your office, they won’t stick around.

So, what do your patients want? They want:

• To know that their questions and concerns are important and will be answered thoughtfully and honestly;
• To learn about chiropractic and how they can benefit from becoming a chiropractic patient for life;
• To feel confident that they made the right decision in choosing you above others as their chiropractor; and
• To have a great experience that they brag about to friends and loved ones.

Here are some tips to help create a more service-driven practice so that your patients will continue being your patients.

1. Anticipate and answer questions. Communication is the key to building a successful relationship.

The time to start communicating with new patients is during their first office visit. New patients have many questions about you, your practice, and chiropractic in general. Sometimes, however, they may not ask those questions without being prompted.

Ask new patients if they have any questions. This shows them that their questions are important to you and that you are willing to take the time to listen and give them thoughtful and honest responses. It also shows them that you genuinely care for their well-being and that they are the true focus of your attention.

Asking about their concerns, then answering your patients’ questions are the first steps to establishing trust.

2. Before you touch, educate. Today’s patients are sophisticated. They want to know what is being done to them.

Explain what a subluxation is. Use visuals — such as videos or pictures of spines in different stages of scoliosis — to teach. (Visuals help patients comprehend information more easily than words alone.)

3. Be unique. Not all chiropractors are the same. Let your patients know that.

Some communities have very few chiropractors. Others have many. In 2004, respondents to the Chiropractic Economics salary survey (Vol. 50, Issue 6), said 16 chiropractors practiced within a five-mile radius of their office.

Your patients have a choice. Give them a reason to choose you over all others.

Study the competition to assess what they offer, compared to what you offer. Then become unique.

Some ways in which you can do this:

• Stay on top of technology. Modern equipment tells patients that are up-to-date and that they are worth the best equipment money can buy. Consider digitized X-rays, a computerized note-taking system, an interactive Web site, or a computerized adjusting unit.

• Offer additional services. Consider massage, acupuncture, exercise physiology, and nutrition. Chiropractic patients are typically open-minded when it comes to natural health care; why not make it easier for them to access it?

• Specialize. Treat patients in a specific demographic group, such as children or athletes. Or specialize in a variety of conditions, such as allergies, arthritis, TMJ, or scoliosis to distinguish yourself from the rest.

4. Give an experience to remember. The next time you are in your dentist’s office, look at the other patients in the waiting room. Some flip anxiously through tabloid magazines, while others pace back and forth.

People are apprehensive of dental work. They may also be apprehensive of chiropractic — especially if they are new.

Help alleviate the tension with a relaxing office setting that appeals to the five senses — sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.

• Sight. Make "smile" your staff's mantra.
• Sound. Play soft music, such as classical, jazz, or sounds of nature, to create a soothing and relaxing environment.
• Smell. Oil lamps and scented candles can be calming or invigorating.
• Touch. Select waiting room furniture for comfort and set the room temperature to a comfortable level.
• Taste. Make a pot of green tea available.

Take the ego out of your practice. Remember that your practice is not about you — it’s about your patients. Pay attention to what they want and they will return the favor.

Michelle Geller-Vino helps build practices from the “inside out” and offers staff training and marketing assistance. She can be contacted at 561-392-5206 or through her Web site, www.mgvmarketing.com.