10 Practice Killers to Avoid - Here are #šs 1,2 and 3

Mark Sanna, DC ­ President
Breakthrough Coaching
www.mybreakthrough.com 
(800) 7-ADVICE

As I coach chiropractors across the country, I am constantly asked 
for cutting-edge marketing advice.  The game of practicing 
chiropractic has changed dramatically in recent years, and so rather 
than assemble a list of marketing "To Došs", I decided to offer you 
some tools to help you play a little hard ball.  The following items 
are entitled "Practice Killers" to avoid.  My request is that you keep 
an open mind when reviewing these lethal practice killers.  You will 
recognize some of them instantly as applying to your practice.  Most 
likely your first reaction will be to rationalize that they are not a 
problem for your practice.  You may also think that, given the current 
state of your practice, it is simply not possible for you to change or 
to do any better.  It is important for you to understand how 
unforgiving the marketplace is.  If you allow your rationalizations 
stand in your way, your practice will not grow to its fullest 
potential.  Your income will remain stagnant !
and any marketing effort you attempt will be doomed from the start.  
If you allow yourself the luxury of wallowing in your 
rationalizations, you will soon be stuck in your office, alone with 
your staff, along with all of your excuses and none of the success 
that you deserve.  You be sitting on the sidelines watching as your 
competition develops a competitive advantage and captures a 
greater and greater share of your market.  You will see those 
patients, who should have been yours, taken away by your 
competition.  The consequences of inaction are lethal.  You must 
learn how to identify and avoid these Practice Killers.

Practice Killer #1 Failure To Truly Serve The Patient

It's a strange fact, but patients can rarely tell the difference from 
the highest quality care and care that is just one step ahead of a 
lawsuit.  As a professional, you can make that distinction better 
than your patients.  However, when you render high-quality care to 
your patients, they will think highly of you.  This fact is as 
important as being an expert at your particular technique.  You must 
keep in mind that truly serving the patient has more to do whether 
the patient perceives that you did a great job, than whether you 
actually did a great job caring for him or her.  Every chiropractor 
knows colleagues who were not anywhere near the top of their class 
when it comes to their skills as a physician, who have great 
practices, filled with plenty of patients, generating excellent 
income.  You also know of colleagues who are exceptional 
technicians, who are just managing to "get by".  Why is this so?  It is 
most likely that the answer lies in the fact that the more highly !
skilled doctor simply has not learned to service his patients, while 
the less competent doctor has made an art and a science out of 
serving his patients.

Practice Killer #2 Failure To Make The Intangible Tangible

Perceptions are formed first and foremost based upon appearances.  
You know this fact intuitively, and it is backed up by solid research 
as well.  A cardinal rule of marketing is "the perception is the 
reality."  Reality is typically perceived through our senses:  what you 
can feel, hear, taste, see and smell.  However, a patient can't develop 
a perception of your services in this manner.  Patients can't try out 
your services before they make the decision to retain your services.  
Patients base their decision to hire you based upon intangible 
perceptions of your appearance, and the promise of hope you offer 
them.  Your ability to make your service tangible to your patients 
will greatly impact their perception of your value.

If a current or prospective new patient perceives you to be 
inattentive, inefficient or ineffective, he or she will act on the 
premise that you are exactly that.  The reality of the facts, what you 
have to offer and who you really are remains irrelevant, immaterial, 
and inconsequential to that patient.

Practice Killer #3: Failure To Differentiate

The services that you deliver in your practice are perceived by your 
current and prospective patients as commodities in the healthcare 
marketplace.  In most cases, you patients can choose another 
practice to receive the very same services that they can receive at 
your practice.  Remember, patients have a lot of choices.  If you 
desire to be perceived as something more than just a "member of the 
pack", you must learn to differentiate yourself in your marketplace.

Begin by asking yourself three questions:  1. "What special services 
does our practice offer that allow us to provide more value to our 
patients?" 2. "What is it that we do at our practice differently that 
creates value in the eyes of our patients?"  3. "How do we 
effectively articulate these differences."

The final question is the most key.  Having distinctions between your 
practice and the other practices in your marketplace is not enough.  
You must be able to articulate these differences to current, past and 
future patients.  To develop a real competitive advantage, be sure 
that you can articulate your unique selling position.  When you are 
determining how to best differentiate yourself from the pack, it is 
helpful to study the strengths and weaknesses of the competition in 
your marketplace.