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What works? Encouraging new patients to walk into your office is not as simple as opening your doors — and keeping them as lifetime wellness patients may take some refinement. Chiropractic Economics asked a number of practitioners for their tried and true ways to make your client list grow and flourish. The contributing chiropractors we polled were (in alphabetical order by first name): An increased number of patient visits is invariably a sign of success, so how do you get those patients in the door — and once they are there, how do you keep them coming back? We asked some experienced practitioners what their thoughts and feelings were on patient recruitment and retention, and to share some mistakes they made along the way. GETTING THE PATIENTS Whether it’s continually educating the patients they already have, or giving outside talks and lectures to possible future patients, all of the DCs said that education was the best way to recruit. “The most effective patient recruitment technique is through patient education and lecturing about how the body works, and how effective chiropractic is, emphasizing the nervous system,” said Axelrod. Yachter conducts community speaking events/workshops at churches, businesses, schools, clubs, and civic organizations for potential patients, and at the end of the presentation, offers attendees to come to his office to have their spines evaluated for subluxation. Simply asking the patients you already have for referrals has proved to be another technique for patient recruitment. “In-house referrals for sure,” said Hubbard. He uses a seven-step referral program starting with a call and ending at a wellness workshop. “My CAs are the key to the success of that program. The wellness workshop weekly attracts half of the new patients per month. Word of mouth has been the greatest success, but I train my staff on it. Just asking the patient helps.” Chiropractors like Swain combine the two. “The most effective way to bring new patients to our office has been to continually educate the patients we have already established,” said Swain. “We constantly tell the chiropractic story and ask practice members who they know who could benefit from living a chiropractic lifestyle.”
LESSONS LEARNED Along with tried and true techniques, some methods do not produce desired results. As Swain put it, “I have tried many different marketing things, and I would not consider any of them failures, just lessons.” The Bagnells and Axelrod learned their lessons the hard way through advertising. For the Bagnells, advertising in local newspapers and running phone book ads just ended up costing them money in the end. Looking back now Bagnell said, “I would talk to other DCs to see how, or if, it is worth it.” Axelrod used over-zealous newspaper ads. Over the years it made him “realize that it’s about attracting new patients and not seducing them with silly gimmicks.” Kevorkian and Giuliano and Hubbard said that nothing has ever backfired, but Hubbard admits he has done a few without thinking them through. He ran a health ad in a start-up publication that promised everything and delivered nothing. “I now will call other DCs that have tried different things and see what truly worked for them.” Yachter warns of the danger of telemarketing. He once used a company with rude employees that ended up harassing a woman over the phone and created a bad situation in his community. “If you do telemarketing, make sure the company heavily monitors its employees and that the employees are well-scripted, polite, and courteous when calling into your community.” THEIR ADVICE The most important advice all of the practitioners gave was to tell the chiropractic truth and to be congruent in what you practice. “If your message is lifetime care, then live it and practice it. Don’t talk pain and relief if you are selling lifetime-care model,” said Hubbard. Swain believes that “practitioners need to know that persistence and telling the chiropractic truth is the best marketing there is around.” Another bit of advice is to “get out of your office, do talks, and tell the story,” said Kevorkian and Giuliano. The Bagnells agree with them. “Get out there and meet people face to face. Earn the trust of individuals. Build relationships with businesses and cross-promote each other. Be the best chiropractor you can be by believing in what you do and practicing what you preach.” The best advice of all — “Treat every person as though they are your mom and dad and let them feel that you really care. If they feel that, they’ll never want to leave,” said Yachter. “Hone your adjusting skills so you become excellent at delivering the goods; and if you combine all of this with the ability to passionately communicate the chiropractic story, you will never have a lack of success or abundance.” SIDEBAR: Insights on lifetime care |
• Dr. Brett Axelrod, Elmsford Chiropractic Health and Wellness Center, a family practice emphasizing wellness from birth, in Elmsford, N.Y. 
• Dr. Dan Yachter, Yachter Family Chiropractic Center, a family care and personal injury clinic in Lake Mary, Fla.
• Dr. Kari Swain, of Swain Chiropractic, specializing in chiropractic care for women, children, and families, in Altoona, Iowa. 
• Drs. Lawrence and Karen Bagnell, Bagnell Chiropractic Life Centre, focusing on pregnancy care and families, in Langhorne, Pa.
• Dr. Matt Hubbard, Convoy Village Chiropractic, a practice that promotes the chiro-practic lifestyle to families, in San Diego, Calif. 
• Drs. Peter Kevorkian and Patti Giuliano, Westwood Family Chiropractic, a family wellness practice in Westwood, Mass. 
Wendy Bautista is assistant editor of Chiropractic Economics. She can be reached at 904-285-6020 ext. 229 or Advertising | Classifieds | Cardpack | Datebook | Past Issues | Chiro History
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