Marketing strategies for these times
By Bob Levoy

Business guru Tom Peters said at a seminar that private practice owners must create something special to stand out in a world of surpluses.

He noted that we live in a surplus society, which is a society full of similar companies employing similar people, with similar educational backgrounds and experiences, with similar ideas, producing similar things, with similar quality, and similar prices.¹

He was talking to physical therapists. But his description of a surplus, commoditized society is equally true for chiropractors.

The solution in both cases is differentiation.

THINK SMALL

At one time, the mass market was every chiropractor’s target population. However, today’s best strategy is “niche marketing.” This means targeting a specific population of patients, identifying their needs, and then addressing those needs more competently than anyone else.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car is a well-documented example of this strategy. Instead of competing for the highly lucrative frequent-traveler car renter, Enterprise caters to the occasional renter — the infrequent renter.

Usually, this is someone in need of a car for a few days while his or her car is being repaired. This is a person who is not likely to want to travel out to a Hertz or Avis airport location to rent a car for a few days use.

The single most significant characteristic of Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s strategy has to do with its choice of customers. Everything else flows from this decision. The infrequent renter typically has a unique set of needs that aren’t well met by the competition.

These are the needs Enterprise has chosen to meet, and they are meeting them better than their competitors can. (Enterprise Rent-A-Car has nearly $7 billion in revenues.)

Action step: Give some thought to the niches within chiropractic on which you might focus — exclusively or otherwise. Sports Medicine? Industrial Medicine? Personal Injury? Perhaps patients with special needs that are not being well met by other chiropractors?

If you’re the only practice in town, you can be all things to all people. But if you’re in an urban area or in a community with more than two or three other chiropractors, consider the many benefits of setting yourself apart.

THE TOP 50

Do you know the identity of the 50 best patients in your practice? Those who have been in the practice the longest? Who bring their entire families to you? Make the most referrals? Spend the most on your services? Does your staff know them?

Imagine this scenario: One of the top 50 calls your practice, identifies herself, requests an appointment, and is asked by your receptionist, “Are you a patient here?”

Action step: Hold a staff meeting to identify the top 50 patients in your practice — using whatever criteria you think are relevant. If you have a really large practice, go for the top 100. If smaller, target the top 20. These are your practice’s movers and shakers.

Keep a list at the front desk. Put an easy-to-spot code on their record or computer file. And give these patients extra-special treatment at every opportunity.

Juggle your schedule if necessary, to arrange appointments at their convenience. Or come in early or stay late to accommodate them. Go to whatever lengths necessary to give them the best possible service. See them on time. Provide personalized attention.

And if your receptionist doesn’t recognize the name of a caller, instead of asking, “Are you a patient here?” suggest she ask, “When did you last see the doctor?”

Reality check: In the best of all worlds, every patient deserves V.I.P. treatment. However, the peaks and valleys of most practices make that difficult. So start with the top 50.

Bob Levoy is a seminar speaker and writer who focuses on the healthcare industry. His most recent book is 201 Secrets of a High Performance Dental Practice Elsevier/Mosby (January, 2005). He can be reached by e-mail at b.levoy@att.net.

¹ Tenuta CD. “What Makes Your Practice Special,” Rehab Economics, Volume 9, 2:42.