Q:

Dr. M

Thanks for all the help in the past but I have a new problem. I put my ballet boxes out 
and got 30 names. I called each person and had 8 say they would show up tonight. I 
called 7 days in advance and sent a letter out the following day with map and time. Not 
a person showed up. Did I miss something? Should I call the day before and mail an 
additional letter what? Are screenings better for attracting new patients then have them 
come to the workshop.

Thanks in advance for your help


A:

Thanks for the e-mail. First don¼t get down on yourself for the results .. the fact is you 
did something and now it has to be done better. Generally when you give something 
away for free it has less value. Screening are usually more effective if you request 
someone to pay $10 or more to a charity when making the appointment for the office .. 
people follow the money trail. As far as a box and names being placed there .. you 
have less control and therefore the response may also be less. What worked for me in 
the past was to call these people a day in advance and remind them about the dinner and 
explain that you are paying for their meal and wanted to know if they prefer any drink 
or if they wanted a vegetable plate rather than the meal that would normally be offered. 
For example .. I used Shoney¼s a lot and their menu prices were okay offering a few 
meals at the same price. When calling these people I literally gave them the choice on 
the phone and ended with who else do you think you can bring .. be sure to let them 
know it is for adults only and they have to attend the discussion on time to receive the 
meal. In other words the call was just used as a reminder but having them think you 
were paying for the meal and getting some order gave them urgency to attend. Of 
course, you didn¼t pay in advance but you did take their order and reminded them 
when they did attend. 

During a workshop or screening the reason people do not show up in the office was 
the lack of value. It is imperative to bring the reality of chiropractic to them and let them 
understand that they need to determine their stress level and the evaluation is a must. If 
this point gets across well ..they will respond. 
Also .. if you plan on doing workshops in the office .. offer a pizza and drinks. Use 
the coupons to get two large Pizza for one and be sure to advertise food being served. 
You can also buy inexpensive finger sandwiches from any supermarket. Often this will 
attract them as well. Also .. create a survey for workshops and be prepared to offer a 
variety of subjects. Just keep on keeping on .. add the Pizza and call a day in advance 
to remind them and in this case „are you allergic to pizza and what drinks doi you 
prefer.¾