By Chuck McKay

Like most clichés, the advice to “get your name out there” keeps being repeated because there is, at its core, a grain of value.

No one calls if they don’t know you exist.  Until people ask for you by name, you’ll be limited by the law of averages as you play “Yellow Pages roulette.”

But a name without a solid image attached to it in people’s minds is just more clutter.

Are you old enough to remember record stores?

Big rooms with belt-high shelves displaying record album after album after album. Close your eyes and remember your favorite store. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

Remember your favorite section. It may have been Rock, or Blues, or Show Tunes. First you’d find the section, then you’d browse through your favorite artists looking for new music. Occasionally you’d pick up something that caught your attention from an artist with whom you weren’t familiar, but it was in your favorite section, and probably worth at least a cursory glance.
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By Chuck McKay

When you recall a patient, does she know what will happen if she ignores the appointment? If she’s not in pain, and you can’t explain why she needs to come back, the odds are that she won’t.

As an ethical practitioner you wouldn’t have scheduled a recall unless there was more to be done to protect her health. Its your responsibility to see that she takes treatment seriously. Does she know what will happen to her if she ignores the appointment?

Tell her. Something bad will happen. Something very bad.

Is your dental patient a smoker? Does she know that smokers are more susceptible to damaged gum tissue and receding gums? Is she prepared to undergo extensive oral surgery which may become necessary if the roots of her teeth become exposed?

Does your dermatology patient understand the danger of permanent scaring if her acne goes untreated? Does she recognize the risk of not removing necrotic tissues?

Is your opthalmology patient aware that dimming of vision and loss of peripheral vision are likely to result from hypoxia caused by her untreated low blood pressure? Can she continue to work when she’s denied a driver’s license?

Is your podiatric patient aware that her plantar fasciitis, left untreated, can cause painful bone spurs to form on the bottom of his heel? Does she understand that the sooner treatment is started the more successful that treatment is likely to become?

Remind her, in minute detail, the risks of letting her condition go untreated. Then remind her again.
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By Chuck McKay

This question is basic, and fair. And it always puts you on the spot when you try to answer.

As a doctor of optometry, you can’t simply quote a price. There are too many variables. Yet, the more you attempt to explain, the more it sounds to the prospective patient as if you’re hedging, which never inspires confidence.

Sometimes price is a sensitive issue. Other times it’s much less so. Will you refuse to have your transmission repaired because the mechanic tells you it’s going to cost $900? The average high-speed Internet home connection is roughly $500 per year, and yet each year more people determine high speed to be a necessity. And have you looked at your own cable/satellite television programming bill lately?

People will find a way to pay for what they feel is important.

Is vision important? Absolutely. With an economic recession looming, however, we can expect price to become a much bigger issue for some people. Some will never find your prices acceptable. Others will, provided that they see the value in your services.
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By Mike Keesee.

In the pioneer days a new doctor would come to town, “hang out his shingle,” and the resultant word-of-mouth in the community was enough to keep him gainfully employed for the remainder of his life.

In many communities it still works that way. In those communities there are more people looking for a primary health care provider than there are doctors willing to accept new patients.

Not all doctors, however.

Not all dentists, or optometrists, or chiropractors, or physical therapists, or nurse practitioners have a waiting list of new patients, hoping to become “accepted.”
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By James Erickson.

There are a ZILLION ways to increase new patient flow. Not literally of course, but there are more ways than 20 pages of 12 point text can hold, let’s put it that way.

To have a steady flow of new patients ready, willing and able to pay your fees (and I hope your fees are HIGH so you actually enjoy practicing dentistry), you have to do what is often referred to as economical, innovative, simultaneous, massive action.

You CANNOT do just one or two things at a time and expect to have more patients than you can handle. It doesn’t work that way. You have to be overwhelmed and wondering where to put those that are calling… You have to have an abundance of patients demanding your services. This happens when you get off your rusty dusty and DO/GET more than one way working for you… Preferably a half dozen or more since 2 or 3 will carry the weight/freight and deliver the large majority of those patients you need.

Here are 4 of the 14 ways to increase new patient flow. (more…)

by Todd Brown

Imagine, for a moment, being able to look into a crystal ball and determine, with relative accuracy, the likelihood of whether your chiropractic marketing and practice are going to dominate your geographic area and niche or fall prey to competition. I’m sure you’d agree, that would be a pretty valuable chiropractic marketing crystal ball. Well, even though no such ball exists, we do have a set of simple, yet rarely understood chiropractic marketing tools, that give us a similar level of foresight into your practice’s future.

Two key chiropractic marketing metrics.

Used in combination, these are an incredible indication of how well your practice is going to do in the future, how competitive you can really be in your marketplace, and what you can expect out of your practice in terms of financial growth. Once you understand these two chiropractic marketing metrics, how they work together, and what actions you can take to impact them, growing a dominating chiropractic practice begins relatively simple.

What are the two chiropractic marketing metrics I’m referring too? I’m glad you asked. When combined, your cost to acquire a new patient and the lifetime value of the average active patient tell us almost everything we need to know about your chiropractic practice. Before I explain why, let’s lay out some simple definitions of these two critical numbers.
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By Chuck McKay

Have you ever given any thought to franchising? Some of the most successful companies don’t expand by building more stores. They sell franchises.

The franchisor sells a recognizable name with its accompanying goodwill.

The franchisee buys a system. He pays handsomely to use the names, and proven systems of such companies as Hardees, 24-Hour Fitness, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Baskin Robins, or One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning.

Those systems provide consistency. Consistency in product and service, and consistency in customer contact. Including marketing.
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By Shaun Kirk

The most frequently asked question we hear is, “What is the most effective way to market my practice?” The answer to this is both simple and not-so-simple.

The simple part is that you should market your practice at every possible opportunity and from every position in your clinic, and you should market to everyone who either has the potential to be a patient, or has the ability to refer you a patient. (more…)

By Chuck McKay

It’s an advertising truism that people would rather conduct business with someone they know than with a stranger. My colleague and Wizard of Ads ® partner, Michele Miller, recently wrote of a personal experience that illustrates this tendency. I wrote about it myself a few years ago.

In his book, the 4-Hour Workweek, Timothy Ferris points out “Most people will choose unhappiness over uncertainty.” This is a practical observation which reinforces the second level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – the need for safety and security.

It’s the reason people stay in jobs they hate, keep going to the hairstylist they don’t much like, or continue to use the services of your competitor. They don’t necessarily like him, but they don’t know anything about you. Under those circumstances they aren’t likely to choose you, are they? (more…)

by James Erickson

Here ’s the scenario: You’re booked 1 and a half months out, new patients are calling (about 1 a day) you just can’t seem to catch up with all the treatment you have diagnosed…What do you do?

Well, the answer I get most often is to STOP MARKETING. Why have patients call when they have to wait 2 months just to get in for their first appointment. It seems better to stop marketing, and start up again when you need patients.

There is one very important thing to consider when you decide to stop marketing. Some call it the snowball effect, we call it MARKETING MOMENTUM.
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By Samuel Awosolu

Online blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject such as sports, news, music or a hobby.

Most blogs online function more as personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on photos, audio podcasting, videos, or all combined together.

Many physical therapists who have private practices, physical therapy products, and continuing education courses can use blogs to keep in touch with their readers or create a community of readers interested in their subject matter.
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By Ingrid Cliff

Your dental practice, or optometric, chiropractic, or physical therapy practice is a business, which will thrive when you meet the wants, desires and needs of your customers/patients.

You already know this is much harder than it sounds. Each person is totally unique. If you look at their individual wants, desires and needs you will never be able to satisfy them all and you will go broke trying.

This is where statistics comes into play. Any time you get a large enough group together they will begin to form a statistically coherent pattern.

You can use this pattern to gain a little glimpse into what is going on in your patients’ heads. That is the purpose of things like census data – to look at big enough groups of people to help governments make appropriate policies.
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By Chris Barr

Every growing practice needs a steady stream of leads and new patients that not only generate revenue, but help advance your practice through word of mouth. It is essential to clearly define your practice on all advertising materials and during consultations to help build your brand and lend credibility to your practice.

Many chiropractors make the mistake of trying to be everything to everyone. Doing so can lead to confusion between you and your clients and less effective treatment programs. You will find that focusing your practice on a few specific treatments will lead to higher response rates in advertising, more streamlined office operations, a better sense of the demographics in your area, and higher profitability.

For example, your first marketing campaign may consist of full-color newspaper inserts sent directly into homes of potential clients. Let’s say you design your flyer to cover every symptom you can think of - herniated discs, sciatica, bulging discs, neck pain, rehabilitation, workers comp, and carpal tunnel syndrome. While you may think it is a good idea to inform your patients of every symptom that you treat, this is not a good move from a marketing standpoint.
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By Lance Van Arsdell

As physical therapists we can either take the time to do warm fuzzy “paperwork” that will make our patients love, remember, and reimburse us directly or we can do the onerous paperwork required by third “party” payers. We can invest time congratulating our patients on birthdays and wishing them well on holidays or spend our holidays checking how much of our hard-earned money is in the “60-90″ day “bucket”.

I have done both and know which I prefer.

Cash practice physical therapist Linda, of Spokane Valley, WA, says, “I could not stand to do the kind of paperwork that involves working with insurance companies. I’m not sure that I’m smart enough [She is very smart!] to read all those manuals and do all that kind of work. I would much rather write birthday cards and Christmas cards than deal with the insurance companies. I don’t know how therapists stand to do that… I am booked out in my office for three months.” She accepts no third party payments. She has no accounts receivable. Besides a tiny yellow pages ad that’s all the “marketing” she does.
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By James Erickson

Dear Dental Practice Marketing Expert,

I am tired of having to offer discounts and such just to get new patients in the door. I want the patients to see how trustworthy, and honest I am, as well as how much experience I have (I’ve been in practice 35 years). How can I convey this through my dental advertising?

Signed, Average Frustrated Dentist

Dear Average Frustrated Dentist,

While it would be nice to simply go on the seniority principle when we promote dental practices, that is not the type of society we live in anymore.
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By Chuck McKay

Service organizations, like Rotary, Optimists, Lions Clubs, or Kiwanis are typically made up of local business people, and usually meet weekly. Each organization has a constant need for “programs” - roughly 20 minutes of content as part of their regular meetings. This is where you come in.

This is your opportunity to let the members get to know you. There are two things you must do to make this investment of your time worthwhile.

1.Find some development within your specialty that is not common knowledge. For instance, a dentist might discuss the difference between having your teeth whitened in his office and buying whitening strips at the drug store. A chiropractor could share the recent double blind U of Chicago study showing that spinal realignment lowers blood pressure. An optometrist could explain how bi-focal contact lenses work.

2.You must make one-to-one contact with individual members of your audience.

The first step provides the rational reasons people will use when they choose your services in the future. The second step, though, is the critical one, which most speakers miss.
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By Dr. John Hayes, Jr.

Probably, quite a bit, because the beauty of private practice is that you tailor it to your likes, dislikes, hours, procedures, etc.

Extraordinary practices communicate this to their patients and their community by effective “positioning”. But most offices never effectively communicate this, and thus they leave a tremendous marketing opportunity on the table.

And I am not talking about big buck campaigns here, just simply what your staff and your patients perceive, as to why they should be in your practice and refer patients to YOU!
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By Chuck McKay

Some dentists live in a community where patients have very few other dentists to choose from.

Practitioners in that situation can be dreadfully uninformed about business, and still use their dental license to create a comfortable living. They simply hang out a shingle, and are inundated with work.

Most dentists, however, find themselves in more competitive situations. They have to face the same regulatory and legal issues, capital investment decisions, and marketing challenges faced by every other small business.

The biggest marketing challenge is attracting new patients. Let’s look at how it’s done in other professions.
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by: Erika Trimble

If your goal is to have more clients and more freedom, and to build a truly prosperous business, this simple 5-step guide will show you how. Follow these steps, and watch your client referrals and revenues double.

1. Identify a target audience to which you want to market.

You cannot market to the world, so choose an audience which you know has a need for, and could derive great benefit from, your services. Consider who you truly enjoy working with, and what your special service strengths are. Then, identify your ideal clients: those who need your services, are easy to find, have the means to make the decision to use physical therapy services, and whose problem your services will solve.

2. Research your target audience to understand what they want and need.

In your research, find answers to these questions:

—what keeps your target audience from enjoying life fully

—what is your target audience afraid of

—what are their top three frustrations

—what trends are occurring in their businesses and lives

—what do they desire most

—where do they typically go for help?

When you have answers to these questions, you’ll know how to market to your target audience, what to say to them, where to reach them, and how you can help them. (more…)

By Steven L. Brown, MD., PhD.

Patients today have learned that doctors are just like any other group of people. Some of us are good, some are bad, and some are mediocre. The most discerning patients (and those are the ones we all want) evaluate us the same way we have evaluated each other since our training. How would your patients rate you in these five areas?

1. Thoroughness
When I was an intern, one of my residents told me that there were only two reasons not to do a rectal exam: 1) no finger and 2) no rectum. Do you still demonstrate the same thoroughness you did as an intern? Do you ask about the patient’s entire medical background, or pretend you can get away with only focusing on the presenting problem while ignoring the rest? Patients know that the best doctors want to get the whole story.
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