The Time is Now Len Schwartz, DC chiropower1@home.com www.chiropowerinc.com Do you know that Harvard and many other top medical schools are teaching about „alternative¾ medicine, including chiropractic (even though chiropractic has nothing to do with medicine)? And, that more people are discovering the effectiveness of chiropractic care than ever before? If all this is true, why are chiropractors leaving the profession? Where are all of the new patients? The answer to the change in our society is ... EDUCATION! Have you seen the advertisements for natural supplements, and the infomercials about health and wellness? The words chiropractic and prevention are all over the place. People want to be told the truth about health and wellness and more and more people are getting into „prevention¾ mode. People don¼t want to take drugs anymore. „I¼m sick and tired of covering up the problem¾, said one of my new patients. I thought to myself, this is incredible, I don¼t have to educate them on the concept of correction vs. relief care anymore. The media is actually helping me convert my patients. They are right there with the changing of the times. As a matter of fact, they¼re leading the way. Today¼s preventive mindset has almost pre-qualified your patients for you. So I ask again, why are there so many chiropractors failing and leaving the profession? Have you ever seen or heard the commercials on television about new drugs? They have to declare the drug¼s side effects on national television. I thought to myself, why would they want to spend millions of dollars to advertise that their pill could cause a stroke, or make a man sterile, or cause birth defects? Then I got excited. I thought to myself, I can use their millions of dollars of advertising to my advantage. I¼ll just tell my patients about the terrible side effects, and hopefully they will tell others. I¼ll just educate them! The time to be in chiropractic is now. All you have to do is tell them the story. You are surrounded by advertising that can work to your advantage. Most chiropractors do not have a patient education system in place. Besides your hands, this is the second most important ingredient to building a successful practice. Education is marketing. Do whatever you have to do to tell your patients the chiropractic story, because they want to hear the truth. They need to hear the truth. They don¼t want to cover up their health problems anymore, and you are just the chiropractor to tell them why they shouldn¼t. Get pumped. Get excited. Take action. The time is NOW! ___________________________________ Selling Chiropractic Anthony Cifelli, DC acifelli.dc@home.com Before you get upset about the use of the words „selling¾ and „chiropractic¾ in the same sentence, think about this; are you asking probing questions outside of the patient¼s chief complaint? Do you ask them „How has this problem changed your ability to play sports?¾ or „Is it important for you to be pain-free since your job duties includes heavy lifting?¾ If you are, then you are selling. To understand what I mean, think of word „selling¾ in the context of communication. Wouldn¼t you try to „sell¾ someone on the idea of chiropractic over traditional care if you think it¼s more suited for that patient? If so, then you are selling the benefits of your service as compared to the other. What Moves the Patient? In the art of selling, the salesperson tries to uncover certain motivating factors often referred to as the buy decision. The buy decision is the ultimate need that must be met in order to „close the sale¾. For example, getting the „right price¾ or having a „buy now, pay later¾ type of deal is an important motivator. The buy decision is the single most important factor that drives the customer to select a particular product or service. In order to „close the sale¾, the successful salesperson will identify the buy decision and match the benefits of the product to the needs of the customer. By determining what the buy decision is, you will keep better track of your patients. Are you surprised when patients drop out of care? Do you know why? It is just as important to know why a patient decided on care as it is to know why they dropped out. Perhaps you learned a „scripted¾ report of findings in a weekend seminar. Did you perform it to perfection only to have your patients tell you they will have to „think about it¾? What happened? Did you deliver the message in the wrong way or did you simply try to memorize what you thought the patient needed to hear? Strengthen the Practice Chiropractors will enhance their practice when they learn what motivates the patient from the onset. In your pre-exam consultation, use questions that encourage the patient to give you the main reason they came in. This should be noted on the file as the patient¼s primary motivation. Making note of it will give you a starting point from which to dialogue. Be sure to update this factor because it will change once it has been met or not. Selling is part of everyday life. Some chiropractors „sell¾ the idea of paying cash for care while others „sell¾ pain care. Whichever you choose, just don¼t „sell¾ yourself short. If you want to have a practice with a solid base, you must develop the ability to employ positive selling and listening techniques. Your patients will thank you for it. Anthony Cifelli, DC is a practicing chiropractor in New Jersey and dialogue coach for doctors. He has 15 years of sales and marketing experience. Inquiries: acifelli.dc@home.com.