Dear Doctor,
One of the most common challenges for chiropractors is finding the right
boundaries between being a caregiver and being a businessperson. Most of us got
into chiropractic with some predilection toward service and helping people,
often fueled by personal experiences that inspired us to action.
The problem for many chiropractors, though, is to institute sound business
practices without coming across as business-driven – in other words, to maintain
a purity of character around the healing process, while applying enough business
savvy to stay profitable and be able to come back another day to serve.
This conundrum is addressed effectively in a new book by Ram Charan, who
co-wrote the business classic “Execution” with Larry Bossidy. In his recent
release “What The Customer Wants You To Know,” Charan strikes at the heart of
the conflict in the committed doctor’s mind.
He talks about what he refers to as “value creation selling” – in other words,
showing the customer, in this case the patient, how buying is of value to them.
This is the missing link in the consciousness of the purveyor of chiropractic
services, as no ethics can be compromised in the name of progress as long as the
patient’s values and best interests are served.
Charan states, “The better you understand and meet your customers’ needs, the
more trusted you become. Over time, the barriers between your company and theirs
drop and you become a partner they turn to for help. Your success is a natural
product of the success you help them achieve.”
He further explains that to become a trusted partner to your client, customer or
patient, you need to understand their options and how they might include your
services, how their decisions are made, their own personal or group culture, and
their goals, both short and long term.
In a chiropractic office, this translates to comprehension of your patient’s
values and their sense of your potential contribution, their family dynamics,
the role that health and wellness play in their household, and what their short
and long term health objectives look like. It is also required that you are
aware of how your office could serve them in a special or unique way, so you can
demonstrate that your office is a right choice for them and for their family’s
needs going forward. Only when you fill in this kind of information, can you
match your services to their perception of their needs.
This may seem obvious now, but if you were to record yourself discussing the
need for care with most of your patients, you’d realize that most often you sell
based on your values, like freedom of nerve interference, spinal health, and
wellness. If the patient shares these impressions, then you’re on target, but
most patients have not evolved to that point, at least not in the beginning. By
asking questions, you can elicit what’s important to them, and you will be
delighted to discover how they respond when you make it clear how what you do
helps them get something that they already want.
If you want to have the most impact and influence possible with your patients,
use value creation selling – it’s the way to real partnership and full
engagement in your practice.
Dr. Dennis Perman, for The Masters Circle
PS Last chance to register for this weekend’s seminar in Santa Clara on
attracting the highest quality new patients – guest speakers Patrick Gentempo,
Bill Esteb, Tony Palermo, plus the TMC coaches -- for info or to register,
please go to www.themasterscircle.com,
or call 800-451-4514. Don’t miss it!
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