In Part 1, we discussed how to attract more new patients by being what we called “weird” – as in positively unique (as opposed to just plain creepy).

In this article, I’d like to help you promote and position your weirdness so that you can increase the value in your community for what you do.

I teach my coaching clients, that there’s a 4 step framework to attracting the best quality and highest quantity new patients to your unique brand of chiropractic.  The coolest thing about this framework is that once you applied it correctly, it gives you the freedom to be you, as opposed to being a cookie cutter copy of what some practice management firm thinks you ought to be.  In other words, your weirdness is built in!

Lack of Strategy = Lack of Quantity and Quality NPs

Unfortunately, the vast majority of chiropractic practices take absolutely no time in strategizing their new patient strategies.  They make a dramatic mistake in assuming all new patients are good new patients.  And even among those who realize this is not true, precious few proactively plan to do anything about it.

If your practice is in the early stages, not strategically planning to attract the right new patients results in an acute lack of new patients.  If your practice survives long enough, this condition can become chronic.

For those businesses that have been operating for 5 years or more, the problem is still a threat but it becomes less about quantity and more about a lack of “quality” new patients.  In other words, in theory they are attracting enough new patients, but their new patient numbers never seem to propel growth and increased profits. This is because they are attracting the wrong kind of new patients. Poor quality new patients don’t stick around, they don’t pay and/or they don’t refer because they don’t appreciate what you have to offer.

Fix This First!

Before you spend another dime on the latest marketing gimmick, a website fix or advertising campaign, you must fix your strategy first. In order to solve your new patient problem (regardless of whether it’s due to poor quantity or poor quality), you must first analyze the flow of new patients coming into your office.

For example: Who or what is bringing New Patients to you?  What are the top 3-5 ways people become new patients? What is your single biggest source of New Patients?  Answer those questions BEFORE spending money on acquisition. Determine your strategy before unleashing the tactics to make it happen. Otherwise, you will have a patch job mess on your hands.

Set Your Strategy, THEN Seek Your Solutions 

It always works better to set the strategy then seek the solutions or tactics to make it happen.  Let’s take a common scenario.

Many businesses pride themselves on being referral only – as a New Patient solution or tactic, referrals are fine – perhaps even the best. Here’s the problem:  if you chronically lack new patients, then apparently that stream is not enough.  Similarly, if you have enough new patients, but the income from them is not sufficient, the referral tactic by itself may not be delivering high enough quality new patients. Either way, you begin to realize that referrals are just one particular component of the overall strategy that helps you solve the problem.

On the other hand, some practices engage in a shotgun approach to new patient generation. They try umpteen ways to get new patients but they are largely disconnected from an overall strategy. And unless they can truly identify what’s working best, they are wasting precious resources of time, effort and money.

Take watermelon man in the photo above.  He is drinking in the fruits of his labors not through one channel (for example, referrals) but through six.  If his strategic plan leads him to watermelons, he has dialed in to his target and enjoying as much of it as he can via 6 straws instead of just one.

Once you understand and assemble the right strategy for bringing in the right patients, then (and only then) can you “turn up the volume” to beginning increasing the methods or channels by which patients are entering your office. You begin to see which tactics are working and you assign more resources to those and discontinue others that aren’t working.

After all, if you are not into watermelon, why bother adding another straw.  And if like our friend here, you are really a watermelon fan, why limit yourself to just one straw?!

The “Or Else”

Most chiropractors I have met would love to do their business more on their terms.  They feel shackled by the insurance companies, by the economy or even by their community. You can break through any and all of these chains by better positioning your uniqueness.  You certainly cannot be everything to everyone.  Your weirdness will work – in fact, it must work – or else you will never rise above your present challenges.

The first step to celebrating your uniqueness, then is to assemble your your “weirdness strategy.” Next  begin analyzing how, when, where and why your best patients find you so that you can employ tactics to find even more people like that who love you for what you do!

The Elevate Your Practice Workshop

For those of you who would like more training in how to attract higher quality and quantity new patients (along with converting them to paying patients, delivering your care more efficiently and protecting your practice), check out our upcoming Elevate Your Practice ONLINE WORKSHOP.  Hope to see you there!