With the chiropractic consulting and coaching that I’ve been doing recently, invariably the subject of getting new patients comes up. It may show up in the context of reduced insurance reimbursement or the revelation that the doctor is tapping his or her savings to keep things going.
Regardless of how it comes up, chiropractors get little comfort from my observation that “…you wanted a practice but you’re actually in a small business, facing the same challenge virtually all small businesses face: getting new customers.”
Only when you completely own this idea, make friends with it and cozy up to it, are you likely to escape the bondage of imagining you somehow deserve a constant stream of new patients simply because you endured four winters in Davenport. It may have worked that way 10-20 years ago, and your professors may have believed that, but those days are long gone.
Jettison the notion that marketing your practice is somehow dirty or beneath you. “But Bill, I didn’t sign up for this to become a salesman.” Really? Everybody is a salesman. Whether it’s the drug companies minimizing the unwanted effects of their concoctions or your seven year-old child who wants a later bedtime. Begin by abandoning the entitlement mentality and acquired helplessness learned from the days of low deductibles and $75 office visits.
While I rarely urge chiropractors to look outside themselves for solutions, part of the solution may reside with the person you’ve chosen to answer your telephone at the front desk. Especially, if that person has been with you five or six years or longer.
Turns out, your front desk assistant is the true gatekeeper of your practice. He or she is the “valve” that let’s in new patients, or subtly discourages them by how questions are fielded and their ability to establish rapport with what is increasingly a different type of new patient these days.
Many patients don’t have the financial reserves to deal with their unplanned low back pain or other health complaint. And if they do have some type of insurance, they’re clueless about its skimpy coverage and limited provisions. Not only is negotiating these waters difficult for even the best trained chiropractic assistant, the problem is often compounded by the reality that many CAs know that deep down they couldn’t afford the care they’re responsible for encouraging patients to buy!
Probably the most common, yet difficult question to field is the simplest: How much does it cost?
Granted, there is a lot of ambiguity at the moment about this issue. But that’s precisely why you’d want to button this down.
You might want to find out how your practice currently answers this question by enlisting a friend to serve as a mystery shopper. Feed him or her this and some other tough questions and discover if you have some training to do.
If I were in practice, I would want the answer to include some of these elements:
CA: “I think you’ll find that our prices are competitive with other chiropractors in the area. For some, the first visit can be as low as $95, especially if you have some recent X-rays. Those who have been in a major accident or who need a lot of diagnostic imaging find that it often ranges in the $275 area. But for most patients, it averages about $150. We accept the major credit cards and you should know that Dr. YourNameHere has never turned anyone away for not being able to pay our published fees. So, what would work better for you? Mornings or afternoons?”Before the Internet, many prospective new patients would put up with some tap dancing and being asked to divulge their contact details so the doctor could call them back later. Not so much anymore. Another, more willing, chiropractor is just a click away.
This mostly happens while you’re out of earshot. So, before you blame the economy, insurance carriers or the other usual suspects, start at the front desk. It would be tragic to learn that your new patient flow is being constrained by a loyal, well-meaning assistant, but at least you’d know.
If you find yourself in the market for a new chiropractic assistant, you might want to ask, “What’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever sold?” Whether it was boxed candy to finance band uniforms, Girl Scout cookies or the blue plate special, make sure they can sell—even if it’s merely an appointment to tour the practice and meet you.
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