Want to attract new patients? Before you launch a newsletter or a website, you have to start with yourself
By William N. Willis, D.C.
In nearly two decades as a teacher of chiropractic students and a practice management
advisor to scores of field doctors, the most frequently asked question has always
been the same. For those just getting in the field it’s “How do
I get patients?” For those already in practice it’s almost always
“How do I get more patients?”
In other words, how do I persuade someone to come to my office, sign up for
care, and then pay me for it? The answer is simple: You ask them. It might seem
obvious, but this process quickly gets tangled up in our psychological distress
at the prospect that we’ll be rejected, or that somehow it’s not
“professional” to recruit patients. We might have to get into marketing,
or—heaven forbid—sales.
Here I’m going to let you in on a terrible little secret—everyone
is in sales in one way or another whenever any kind of transaction takes place.
People never do anything or make any purchase unless they’re “sold”
on the idea of doing it.
Sales is nothing more than a communication that informs someone about a product
or service and how it might be of benefit. It’s not about tricking someone;
it’s about meeting someone’s needs in a way that’s beneficial
to both the provider and the recipient.
The first rule of the game in sales of any kind is that it’s all about
numbers. Only a select percentage of customers will be ready—financially,
psychologically or intellectually—to buy what you have to sell. No matter
how much you think that what you have is for everyone, it isn’t—at
least not today, or this month or this year, if ever.
That’s why when someone says “No,” you say “Thank you,”
and move on to the next prospect—the one who is capable of appreciating
what you have to offer.
Finding special people who will become special patients—your patients—is
going to require work. You have to ask and keep on asking. Only a few people
will say yes, so you have to reach as many people as possible in as many different
ways as you can.
In sales the saying goes that you will get a “no” 12 times before
you get that first “yes.” After hearing that, a new salesman set
off calling on prospects. When his boss saw him again later that morning he
asked how he was doing. “Fantastic,” the novice said. “Only
three more no’s to go.”
The personal approach is the best and most effective means for attracting patients.
Attending meetings such as Chamber of Commerce mixers and civic club meetings,
doing spinal screenings and making yourself a part of the community is vital.
Your physical presence is the main weapon in the arsenal of practice development.
Everything else is built around you.
As you gather business cards through networking, or names and addresses from
spinal screenings, put them on a mailing list for your newsletter. Doctors often
tell me that newsletters don’t work. They’ll usually say, “I
mailed out 10,000 copies and didn’t get a single patient.”
I’m not surprised. If you bulk mail newsletters to people who don’t
know you and didn’t ask for your material, they are going to see it as
just another piece of junk mail. The use of newsletters has to be carefully
planned and distributed according to a deliberate plan.
The purpose of the newsletter is always to reinforce your message. It should
only go to those who already know you and want to receive it. Your patients
should be on the mailing list and you can also use it as means of reinforcing
your connection with people you meet. In fact, set a goal to add the names of
all the people you meet during the normal course of the day. After getting someone’s
business card, immediately send them a personal letter reminding them of your
meeting and enclose a copy of your newsletter. This connection may result in
that person becoming a patient and/or a referral source.
Some doctors create highly polished, glossy productions loaded with full color
photographs, while others produce a simple, one color job that’s really
just a one-sheet flyer. Whichever approach you take, make sure it’s tasteful
and professional.
It shouldn’t break the bank or take up too much of your time. After all,
your job is caring for patients, not writing articles and taking photos. Hire
someone to do it for you—perhaps trading services with a patient who’s
a writer or graphic designer. You can also buy ready-made newsletters loaded
with informative articles on health and wellness. For a fee, they will put your
photograph and clinic name on the newsletter so it looks as if you did it all
yourself.
While newsletters have been around for a long time, web pages are the latest
thing. Today, a majority of the population has Internet access either at home,
work or both. People are increasingly turning to the web for answers to all
sorts of questions—particularly related to health and wellness. Having
your own web page establishes you as a professional who is keeping up with the
times and providing information in the way the public wants to receive it.
As with so many new developments, they can help you if they’re well done,
but hurt you if they aren’t. Hire an expert to design and maintain the
site. The most important goals are that it be easy to use and that it looks
simple and professional.
It’s a great place to present your qualifications, office procedures and
polices, pictures of you and your clinic, and articles on chiropractic and other
health-related topics. Contact information, including address and telephone
number should be prominently displayed on every page. Give them an e-mail address
where they can request more information.
Some doctors provide email versions of their newsletters that are distributed
on a regular basis—postage free of course.
Here again, take a page from modern trends in business. Companies that once
kept all their activities in-house—from maintenance and housekeeping to
human resources and accounting—are outsourcing them to specialists so
they can concentrate on their core business. Your core business is chiropractic,
so stick to it.
You can purchase ready-made yet customizable web pages from companies, or you
can hire a good designer. The latter route will perhaps give you a more distinctive
look and better reflect your unique personality and practice.
Newsletter and web pages can help you to attract and retain more patients—if
they’re used as supplements to a personally directed practice-building
program. After all, there’s no substitute for you.
About the Author: William N. Willis, D.C. is a veteran writer, practice
management consultant, teacher and practitioner. A 1977 graduate of Life University,
he founded and operates a highly successful practice in Kennesaw, Ga. Drawing
on his personal experiences and study of hundreds of successful doctors, he
has distilled the essence of high-level practice and personal success. Over
the past two decades, he has taught these secrets to thousands of chiropractors
and chiropractic students through lectures, seminars and as a member of the
faculty of Life University and Life Chiropractic College West. He is the author
of the forthcoming book “The Essential Secrets of Practice Success”
due out this fall. You can address inquiries to Dr. Willis via e-mail at drbillwillis@aol.com.
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