COMMUNITY REFERRALS By: Joel E. Margolies, DC Purpose: Referrals From Community Resources Definition of Referrals: A VALUABLE CONCEPT WILLINGLY SHARED BY ONE FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL Action Step: Create a Marketing Farm 5 - 10 miles surrounding your office Demographics: Marketing Components Retail .. Residential .. Clerical .. Labor Step 1: Who .. What .. Why Step 2: Where .. When Getting Started: Ä Designate a staff member as a Community Liaison Ä Create a Community Marketing (Referral) Farm by Ä Plotting a community map .. circle office 5-10 miles Ä Overview demographic potential .. who and where Decide areas to market and generate referrals Ä Drive around farm and collect data using these resources Polaroid camera .. camcorder .. pencil paper .. audio tape Ä Use Haynes Directory or Cross Reference Book InfoUSA: http://www.infoUSA.com Who: will help you get started Ä Create a Community Referral Data Bank .. label list From Marketing Farm Ä Begin communications campaign .. call and send Determine their interests and needs Cross reference your activity with theirs Be sure to request fax and e-mail addresses Proper spelling and titles Ä Staff meeting to discuss interests .. skills .. assistance Which staff member has specific skills and leads Who is willing to go the extra mile Ä Call and send material with goal towards group activity Share community projects .. food and charity drives Schedule continued programs months in advance Ä Utilize allies such as health oriented facilities Health spas .. sports club .. health food stores .. massage Ä Join a leads or networking group Monthly breakfast leads groups .. professionals clubs Speaker¼s organizatons Ä Community data = Welcome Wagon .. Neighbor lists Purchase lists and/or sign on with these groups .. educate Send welcome letters and follow up with phone calls Ä Don¼t forget to survey your patients for leads Weekly new patient and topical workshops Request guests and family attend Surveys should ask their assistance for referrals Ä Set aside time for timely office workshops with guests Create special workshops on community concerns Have guest speakers from the community Ä Set a timeline for completion .. names and numbers What: will keep their interest Ä Determine staff skills and interest .. decide referral topics What are they comfortable sharing Who in the community do they know Where can they lead you for referrals When can you make time available for them Ä Stimulate patient/community interest in Wellness Survey community for health and wellness issues Determine which workshop topics are hot Ask to speak at their work or social groups Establish on-going lunch and evening workshops Participate in community screenings and fairs Ä Gather data to keep them „on-line¾ with office news Download and clip wellness and ergonomic articles Create a number of wellness and ergonomic newsletters Send community fax .. e-mail .. snail mail newsletters Send your patients a monthly newsletters with news Include scheduled office and community workshops Ä Liaison person keeps interest alive .. bonding promotions Designated staff member keeps an outflow timeline Community updates are sent regularly Webpage is updated with new issues and promoted Local shops have updated handouts and flyers Ask merchants to place your event posters on windows Place flyers within customer bags Ä Participate with local organizations .. share skills Community outreach programs Health fairs and ergonomic programs Postural and Stress Screenings Volunteer services Ä Stimulate referrals from healthcare professionals joint workshops .. discount services .. mailing lists special events .. mini health fairs .. community drives Ä Provide ergonomic and wellness issues for media Determine which venues are available: Cable TV .. radio .. newpaper .. corporate newsletters Send timely articles and alert them to community projects Ä Use your webpage as an updated resource for news Advise community venues of current issues and news Ä Begin Lunch or Dinner workshops in local restaurants Collect surveys of local customers Call and invite for special workshops Keep prices within budget Ä Corporate break rooms Patients place flyers and handouts in their break rooms Prepare exercise and safety tip handouts Ask patients to distribute Why: others will refer to you Ä Golden Rule prevails .. people want to help others Patient and community education = increased referrals Place a strong value on our role -vs- the subluxation Outline possible referral sources to patients Ä Networking concept for mutual awareness Professionals network as a normal course of business Show interest in their business .. they will do as well Ä Corporations need to meet OSHA requirements Recent OSHA rulings require ergonomic awareness Corporations want to retain staff .. extra benefits Ä Civic organizations want to expand programs Fraternal groups .. Garden clubs need speakers Ä Unions need additional member benefits Write a monthly wellness and safety column Offer discount to their members Ä Health Food stores want mutual business Survey your local stores for recommended products Create a recommended product list with their store Offer reduced examination for their clients Have special events planned with them Request they place your flyers in their shopping bags Ä Healthcare Providers .. PCP .. Specialists Physicians have chronic biomechanical patients Specialists have chronic patients looking for alternatives OB/GYN have patients with chronic back problems Ä Local shops Hairdressers .. place flyers and handouts in their shops Auto body shops deal with PI cases Local hotels need chiropractors for guests Ä Sports venues .. golf .. bowling .. gymnastics .. tennis Create an alliance with managers Provide wellness handouts and flyers Focus member attention on improved performance Offer screenings during league nights Ä Health Spas = reduce risk and increase membership value Provide risk management classes to their staff Offer complimentary evaluations for their new members Establish Wellness Evaluations .. monthly or more Ä Churches willingly offer programs to parishioners Special groups .. Aging Gracefully programs Participate with their outreach programs and charity drives Special Church Day .. follow script Offer financial assistance to referred church members Ä Patients will network by opening venues for you Patients belong to above groups Ä Attorneys symbiotic relationship .. need local DC¼s Create Attorney Soft Tissue Workshops Offer workshop for their paralegals Create and send newsletters concerning whiplash Meet them in their office or take them for lunch Where: to expect referrals Ä Referrals should come from many sources and venues Ä Survey patients for leads .. work and social environment Create a survey and request every patient participate Ask where they work and if they belong to groups Which workshops would interest them and others Ä Medical referrals for biomechanical issues Gather PCP names and send introductory letters Gather specialist names and send introductory letters Allied healthcare providers: Podiatrists .. Psychologists .. Physical Therapists Massage Therapists .. Naturopaths Ä Hospital Emergency Rooms .. call .. send .. keep interest Gather a database and be in touch with them regularly Send introductory letter to ER director and head nurse Ä Patient home workshops .. fun and creative education Ask your patients if they can gather 5-10 friends Provide a comfortable Q&A about wellness issues Ä Municipal employees .. cooperative evaluations Police .. Fire .. Paramedics .. have great physical stress Teachers are on their feet most of their working day Clerical staff sustain prolonged wear and tear Offer a reduced fee for civil servants .. outreach program Ä Professional Lead groups use networking as resource Lead group breakfasts .. speaker's clubs Ä Fellow chiropractors will refer to you If you have a unique skill .. market it to fellow DC¼s Provide your address and technic to association members If you have unique diagnostic equipment let others know When: they should refer Ä Holiday and special programs along with all leads Year long programs in conjunction with community Join with community events .. children¼s parade Bazaars and fund raisers .. offer services Ä Establish quarterly Community Appreciation Days Twice yearly special invitations .. telephone campaign Ä Work in conjunction with interest group events Ä Continued exposure produces more referrals Ä New patient workshops with guests double practice Conclusion: Ä Persistence pays off Ä Keep the pipeline open Ä Death of marketing is the lack of follow through Ä Continue to explore new sources Ä Thank referral sources and have patients call Ä Send supplemental information to PCP's Ä Data resource: www.mindspring.com/~chirosmart The opportunity to turn a practice into a huge success rests with the level of the doctor's Purpose and Commitment to the Principals of Chiropractic Is Chiropractic a VALUABLE concept you are WILLING to SHARE With Others? Your success rests with your answer! 1 9