Maybe You Are Focusing On the Wrong Thing in Your Chiropractic Healthcare Practice

Your best marketing tool may surprise you

I was asked to help an office a few years back with their marketing. It was a three-doctor office.

Did we work on discount ads, promotions, talks, and social media? No! I am all for these approaches, but I wanted to look at something else first.

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Marketing begins with what you are putting into the market — your product or your service outcome.

In this practice's case, it was a "person who was healthier, relieved of pain, and had a great experience." A person who had a "Wow!" experience.

THAT is what we worked on. We role-played, reviewed Days 1 and 2, and discussed different cases with the senior doctor. We trained on techniques and reviewed clinical procedures.

The focus was on the doctor's services.

There was nothing really wrong with the quality of their service — they had been in business for many years. But after a while, I figured it would help to "sharpen the saw."

Yes, we also worked with the staff and ran some promotions, but the primary effort was to refocus the doctors' attention on their skills, training, and patient care.

And their numbers went up!

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I have seen this go both ways more than once.

Another example is a long-time client who has been using a new chiropractic technique for the last couple of years. He has told me how he finds this technique very effective and that he is getting the best results ever. His office has grown and stayed steady.

On the other hand, I see doctors too often become focused on scripts, office policies, or promotions. While these need to be addressed, they are not the purpose of the practice.

That is why I always stress the importance of getting one of your team members trained as a manager — even part-time. This allows you to delegate much of your management and marketing work so you can focus on providing superior service and generating extraordinary results.

If you focus on the quality of your care and get great results — if you get "Wow!"s from patients who exclaim about not only their outcome but the care they receive from you and your team — your numbers WILL go up.

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Take a few minutes to think about this. It is easy to get caught up in statistics and the latest management "operating system." Fine — that is part of running a business.

But first and foremost, review the quality of your completed cases — not just "visits." Then improve them.

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The Goal Driven System for Your Chiropractic, Healthcare, and Service Business

Our Goal Driven System includes a manager who supports the team, the doctors, and the patients -- and the marketing! We cover this in our book, The Goal Driven Business, which you can grab on Amazon.

You don't need a manager if you are at 50% capacity or less. But once you start hitting 60% or more, or have multiple doctors and providers, you should have someone to help with marketing and team support. It is not a bossy type of role, but someone who can pick up the odds and ends so you to keep your attention on patient results.

In the meantime, your best marketing is constantly improving the delivery of service to your patients.

That is your #1 goal.

Keep the "End in Mind," as Dr. Stephen Covey said!

Ed

P.S. We are rolling out our new and updated Practice MBA program for practice managers and clinic directors this fall — stay tuned!