Sponsored by RockTape
Healthcare is changing and the business of healthcare is beginning to look and feel like many other consumer-oriented industries.
It is time to recognize that your patients are consumers, and technology has changed everything. How they care for themselves, how they seek care, and how they discover and purchase the health and wellness products they buy have all drastically transformed.
This shift in the patient mindset means you can create new revenue streams for your practice that can protect you in a dynamic healthcare economy and help battle revenue losses you may be experiencing. While creating additional revenue streams for your practice can be challenging, if done correctly they will increase positive patient outcomes and patient loyalty.
Is your practice a destination for your patients to learn about and purchase the health and wellness products you use and recommend?
By speaking with chiropractors all over the country over the past 15 years, I’ve learned a lot about the marketing strategies and additional revenue streams in their practices. Without a doubt, their success with retailing depends a lot on the product research they do before deciding which products to retail, and the level of satisfaction their patients experience while using the products in their offices.
Recognizing your patients as consumers is critical for a successful chiropractic retailing program in your practice.
What to retail
Your patients are looking for innovative services and products that are unavailable in big box retail chains. They would much rather buy their health and wellness products from a trusted health and wellness specialist than from their grocery store. Focus on the high quality products that you use in your practice on a daily basis.
Also, focus on products that your patients use themselves on a daily basis. These can include nutritional supplements, topical pain creams, massage tools, kinesiology tape, arch supports, and even ergonomic supports. You won’t know what they use at home unless you ask, and you might be surprised by what you can offer them (that they are already buying) to improve the quality of products they use at home—along with your expert advice on how to use them. Creating home care programs for your patients improves their therapeutic outcomes and overall satisfaction with your care and patient loyalty.
Where to retail
Ideally, you are retailing the products you trust and recommend in a highly visible area where your clients spend most of their time. If the setting is intimate and approachable, your patients will feel encouraged to explore the products without pressure.
Can you create a designated space—even a simple shelf or display—in your waiting room or therapy room?
How to retail
The next time you visit a service-oriented business that sells products, such as your veterinarian, dermatologist, optometrist, or fitness studio, take a look at where and how they retail their products. The first step in becoming a successful retail destination for your customers is to learn from others’ successes.
A simple desktop merchandiser, located at your front desk or in your waiting room, is a great way to start small with a retailing program. The next step is to create a shelf display with the most popular items you offer in your practice. Consider this shelf your product ambassador. The shelf should be eye level, and preferably illuminated to give additional appeal. Your “store” should welcome customers to touch, feel, and test the products. Promotional material (posters, flyers, cards, etc.) and testers in your treatment rooms and therapy rooms are not only good to help pass time when there is a wait but are also an added incentive to buy.
Direct your patients to purchase the products you recommend. Medical doctors do this every time they write a prescription. Your communication habits are essential for retail success. While using a product on your patient, give them direction as to how you would use the product at home. When you design a treatment plan for your patient, include a home care program that incorporates the products you retail at your business.
You will need to change some of your communication habits for a successful retailing program. Your business is an infinite web of relationships. Your patients connect you to their networks when they are satisfied with your service. If your practice is a destination for them to purchase their health and wellness products, your practice will also become a retail destination for their family and friends.
Forget whatever stories you have told yourself in the past about retailing in your practice. What matters is the story you start telling yourself today. Stop battling losses in revenue and start creating new revenue opportunities. As a leader in your community and an authority on health and wellness, your practice is the best destination for your patients to receive the highest quality products on the market, along with your expertise. Healthcare is changing. Are you?
Alyson Evans, DC, sold her chiropractic practice and focused her energy on products and education that help chiropractors in their practice. Her passion has always been growing small medical businesses through innovative marketing and sales strategies. Today, Evans is the director of business development for RockTape. You can watch her webinar about medical retailing at rocktape.com/amp.
About RockTape
RockTape is a global leader in sports medicine products and education. Located in Silicon Valley, RockTape helps patients and athletes “go stronger, longer” with the world’s strongest brand of kinesiology tape, powerful pain-relieving topicals, unique evidence-informed education seminars, mobility tools, and joint support accessories.
