This is a reply to a question sent to me concerning Spinal Screenings. I send my answer and requested Dr. Abrams also reply. Below is his answer: My name is Dr. Geoff Abrams. I am a chiropractor in the pittsburgh area and one of Dr. Margolies's old students. His class was great. In fact I still am reading that book Smart Start for new ideas. I must have read it a half dozen times or so. Anyways, I am responding to an inquiry from Dr. M about spinal screenings. If you had to put all of your eggs in one basket to start up a practice---it would definately be the spinal screening basket. I know Dr. M says it is a combination of all sorts of events and all, but when you have no money, no affinity for an area and little patience---let the games begin and feed yourself to the wolves. What I mean is that you need to surround yourself with people. I started my practice 4 months ago and the spinal screenings have the highest return of anything that I have done. You always get one or two from a screening. Occationaly you end up doing a screening and coming home with nothing, but even then those ones can be good too for connections. So here is what you do: if you are near a mall, do it there, they are awesome. If not, do street fairs in the spring, health fairs for large corporations( talk to the human resource departments of companies to find out when the dates are), grocery stores----try to get at the end of the produce section( this is where most people enter when they enter the supermarket), a lot of times the pharmacy in the grocery store is required to do a promotion--- we as chiros fill that promotion by doing the blood pressures etc.... Only go to the pharmacy section if they won't let you in anywhere else in the store. Higher return rates in other places in the grocery store. rule of thumb--- ALWAY PLAY DUMB AND ASSUME THE PERSON IS COMING INTO YOUR PRACTICE, YOU'RE JUST THERE TO SET UP AN APPOINTMENT TIME!! This may sound funny and deceiving, but this will help you in the long run. Take the bull by the horn and sign people up and assume that you have the right to screen in that persons business. Hey, you are a doc offering a free health screening. Your time is worth something. They shoud be happy you are doing this. You are doing them a favor!! Keep this in mind!!! While at the screenings--if you can't land the person as a patient--try to find out where they work and tell them you do lectures as part of your community outreach program. I just landed a talk doing just this. Always remember--it's not what you do, It is just that you do! For more info .. send a request to: Dr. Geoff Abrams (Da207@aol.com)