August 2005, #27 The Consultation, Part I www.MBAchiropractic.com A number of you are thinking, "I don't need to receive a newsletter about how to do a consultation with my patients. I need tips on how to get more patients!" However, there are many doctors who don't fully understand the significance of great consultations in their practice, so let's review some basics. Consult: "To ask for advice; to talk things over in order to decide or plan something; to seek an opinion from someone; to ask the advice of another; to turn to someone for information; or, to confer about something." Consultant: "An expert who is called on for professional or technical advice or opinions. A person who consults with another or others." Consultation: "The act of consulting; a meeting to discuss, decide, or plan something." With these definitions in mind we can say that a person comes to the doctor's office to "consult" with the doctor (the consultant) in the setting of a "consultation". The bottom line is that patients come to you for your expert advice and counsel, and with hopes that you will be able to resolve their concerns. Understand that you already have their confidence to some degree by the mere fact that they have come to your office. It is up to you to show your patients that you are the expert they thought you were (or better). There are several ways to accomplish this and failing in any of those ways could cost you credibility with your patients, resulting in patients who will not accept all of the recommendations you give them, or patients who decide to try the expert (another D.C.) down the street. Learning how to impress your patients with your consultations is vital to preserving and increasing the expert image they have of you. However, it is just one element to be considered when striving to give patients what they expect and demand. The following is a list of some of the other things you should immediately take care of: * Poor exterior office appearance (peeling paint, weeds, poorly kept parking area, etc.) * Poor interior office appearance (replace or repair worn carpet, torn wall paper, dust/dirt, damaged upholstery, etc.) * Poor personal appearance (sloppy dress, unprofessional hair, dirty shoes, poor personal hygiene, etc.) * Poor front desk service (chewing gum, unorganized, no smiles or eye contact, etc.) * Poor communication (poor grammar, unresponsive to questions, not listening, etc.) * Poor handling of billing (agreements not made up front, no follow- ups, rude/abrupt, etc.) * Poor office procedures (doctor behind schedule, paperwork lost, lack of recording SOAP notes, etc.) * Poor treatment procedures (always in hurry, same old routine, no re- exams, etc.) * Poor demonstration of confidence (hesitant to answer questions, worrisome face when patient complains, not quick to make decisions, etc.) * Poor lack of decorum (crude jokes, use of swear words, lack of respect, etc.) * Poor emotional intelligence (lack of perceiving patient's concerns, negativity, lack of positive influence on patients, etc.) Many of the new patients who come to your office have never been to a chiropractic doctor before. These patients are coming to you from many different sources. They may have been referred to you by their family, friends or neighbors. Maybe they didn't receive any positive results from other forms of treatment and then happened to see your ad for a "free consultation," and figured it was a good time to check out some alternative care without having to invest any money. Whatever brings the first-time chiropractic patients to your office, they all come in a little skeptical, very curious, and somewhat anxious about not knowing what's about to take place. In addition to understanding the emotions and thought processes that patients have upon coming to your office for the first time, you must also remember exactly why they are coming to you. They have PAIN! They want your HELP! They want RELIEF! They want ANSWERS! This is what they expect from you. Your patient's first visit or consultation is where you begin to fulfill their expectations of you and your service. Conduct a poor consultation and at best you will have a new patient who does not follow all of your recommendations, and at worst you will not see this patient for a second visit! SEMINAR: Personal Injury Seminar September 16, 17, 18 - Atlanta, GA Make your reservations now for the most-demanded Fernandez Seminar of the year. This is the Three Day Super Bowl of Personal Injury: "The Secrets of Attracting New Profitable Personal Injury Patients, and Managing the Super-Successful PI Practice." Your Super Bowl speakers will include Dr. Peter G. Fernandez, Dr. Michael Wax, Dr. Donald Ferrante, Dr. Jeffrey States, Dr. Brad Hayes and more. Each of these doctors brings to the table the best in personal injury knowledge and experience. To preview the class schedule and to learn more about the 74 PI topics covered in this invaluable three-day course... Call 1-800- 882-4476 TODAY or visit www.MBAchiropratic.com Hotel rooms are limited, so reserve yours now by calling Marriott Century Center at 404-325-4920. (Each seminar attendee will receive a Free seminar manual/workbook upon signing in - Last year's attendees received a manual of about 600 pages of instructor notes from 72 different classes!) DOCTOR'S CO-OP: What is one of the most critical mistakes employers make in regards to employees? It is not having adequate training manuals to help their office run proficiently. This creates frustration on both the employee's and the employer's part, and usually results in the loss of a potentially great employee. If you don't already have your copy, go now to Doctor's Co-Op at MBA Chiropractic to order your copy of Dr. Peter Fernandez' "Great Achievements for Chiropractic Assistants." This is a 7 course training/reference manual that also includes 7 exclusive practice building guides for the doctor. This is an A to Z program that will SAVE you thousands of dollars in lost income due to poor procedures, inadequate training and frequent C.A. turnover. BOOK OPPORTUNITY: "Neck Pain, Neck Pain ? You Don't Want It, You Don't Need It" by Dr. Peter G. Fernandez and contributing authors: has been scheduled for final edit and no further contributing author applications can be accepted after September 30, 2005. Imagine for a second, a book for the public, a book for all of your neck pain patients, a book to gift for reception rooms in medical, legal, dental and work place offices. Imagine a book for which you can be interviewed by radio/TV/newspapers, have press releases published about, and that will gain you recognition as the neck pain expert in your town. Book testimonials: "This book is an excellent way of building your name,brand and fame in your community. You become an instant expert, authority and trusted doctor because you are a published author." Dr. Len Schwartz,owner-CEO of ChiroPractice Marketing Solutions "Being published, as a contributing author, is one of the many ways you have proof that you are the chiropractic authority in your area. You now have, at your finger tips, a way to review the text, add your expertise you have gained over the years as a treating doctor and be appropriately recognized in a text book for your clinical experience. I recommend that you take advantage of this excellent opportunity now." David Borges, D.C., F.A.S.B.E., Instructor of ASBE Remember, you only have until September 30th, 2005. Go to www.NeckPainExpert.com today. SEMINARS ONLINE: We are now able to offer you "bundled" classes ? saving you time and money. Check out some the bundled program on Consultations: Excellence in Consultation Series, by Dr. Bill Cannister Sincerely, Dr. Peter Fernandez, DC and Thomas E. Cavanaugh, DC, MBA