Dear Doctor:
As we wrap up the first half of 2005, let’s look at what we’ve accomplished so far this year, what we planned to accomplish, and what course corrections or reprioritization will focus us and move us more definitively in the direction we desire.
It’s that willingness to review and reset if necessary that separates the dogmatic from the determined. Don’t just carry on blindly, learn to re-evaluate so you can redirect your energy to maximize your results and minimize your stresses.
One of the simplest and most overlooked areas to investigate is your new patient generating mechanism. Chiropractors seek new patients for two basic reasons, to help people and build their practices. Yet, the systems and activities you plan to attract new patients are rarely calibrated, refined and reorganized – and the primary reason for that oversight is the typical scheme for new patient procurement in chiropractic offices. The doctor waits until he or she needs new patients, then plans and executes some sort of strategy, new patients come in, and the doctor takes care of those people, until the next time the practice drops a little and the process starts over again. This futile rat-on-a-wheel behavior yields average results at best – but there is a better way.
Look back over the first six months of this year – where did your new patients come from? Where did the really good ones come from? Which new patient generating activities were productive, and which ones were not? Most chiropractors never really look at this information – yet it can save you time, money and wheel-spinning if you analyze your marketing data and refine or change out any strategies that aren’t working, and emphasize and amplify the ones that are.
This simple tool is used by big industry, who spend billions on marketing – you can reshape your marketing efforts until they are smooth, efficient, and as predictable as possible. You can then reclaim any wasted resources and re-invest them in more profitable areas, streamlining your whole operation and probably giving you back some capital and free time you were otherwise squandering.
I call this process “building a new patient machine” – in future columns, I’ll address the four main gears to the new patient machine – targeting ideal patients, building capacity to handle what you attract, setting intelligent, manageable goals, and designing effective marketing calendars. It’s a winnable game, you just have to learn to play it well.
Dennis Perman DC, for The Masters Circle
PS Our third quarter seminar, “Hands On Success”, will evolve your self concept as a chiropractor – just call 800-451-4514, or go to www.themasterscircle.com for more info.
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