As chiropractors, we have kind of a skewed view of what marketing is. It is changing a bit now, but for decades most of the self-styled marketing gurus have been training doctors to be salespersons in their own office. We have been taught to show patients x-rays, teach them about subluxations, and get them to sign up for lengthy treatment plans. This is not marketing, its sales.
Building a successful practice takes time. I have been to enough practice management seminars in my career to hear just about everything. I am sure most of you have as well. Who hasnt heard that story of a consultant taking a new client from scratch to 6,000 visits a week within ten days?
As the medical and spa industries continue to integrate services, staffing, treatments, and protocols, a respect for the talents of each discipline emerges.
BodyWorkAds.com has filled the need of a free classifieds site specific to bodywork, i.e. Massage, Chiropractic, Nails, Hair, Energy Work, and Skin Care. With free registration, professionals can place ads with uploaded images in their city's category.
In recent months, Chiropractic Economics has published news items that show a growing number of employers are interested in wellness.
Consider, for instance, these news items published in April of this year:
• Three-quarters (72.5 percent) of employers have or want to have a wellness program that utilizes a health-risk assessment, according to a survey by United Benefit Advisors. The survey polled 1,664 employers.
• More than 40 percent of U.S. companies have implemented obesity-reduction programs, and 24 percent more said they plan to do so this year, according to a report from The Conference Board.
If you plan to grow your practice, youll need to make some sort of presentation — formal or informal — to potential patients to receive a commitment. Getting that commitment is closing the sale.
When it comes to new patient recruitment, the old marketing methods of relying only on patient referrals and a big sign in front of your office are becoming a thing of the past. Todays successful chiropractor must drive the practice using sound business decisions and consistent marketing strategies.
Many doctors believe that if they could just get enough new patients, they would have a successful practice. However, things dont really work that way. Doctors tend to find their level of practice, consistent with the way they think and act, regardless of new patient flow.
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