If you are a new member and are on a tight budget, I strongly recommend that you focus on these few things first…
- BIG PICTURE – If seeing under 50 visits a week, only be open Mon-Thur afternoons.- That way you can “check in” with me on the phone and work ON your practice in the mornings.
- POSITIONING/MESSAGING – Make sure that you position you and your practice properly. It is crucial that your practice name, business cards, office appearance (including newsletter binders in waiting room, Dometags on doors, Modern Physician Letter counter display), and your appearance (clinic jacket) are spot on. For help with all of this, call me.
- PRICING – Don’t undercharge, don’t overcharge. Also fewer/no modalities is best, especially if you are starting a practice from scratch. $35 per visit in areas with home values of $300,000 or less. $35-$40 per visit around home values between 300k-500k. $40-45 for 500k-750k… You get the idea. If you charge over $60, you are probably insurance-dependent and have a stalled practice. These types of offices are profitable up to a point but after that, are very difficult to grow profitably.
- RELATIONSHIPS – Make sure that every new patient (and every person you know locally) is getting the blog and newsletter mailed to them each and every month. If you can’t afford to go back 12 months with both mailings, send the inactives just the blog postcard. BUT… New patients keep getting mailed 2 times a month…forever. You CAN afford to do that.
- PHONES ANSWERED LIVE – Forward to your cell after hours for now.
- CALL ME – Once a month or at least listen to the recorded calls.
If you are low on money, you should be high on time. You can spend money or time to build your practice. To spend time, hand out 10 business cards a day and if you can get their cards, great. Snail mail the blog postcard each month and email them through ChiroTrust. Use the business cards in The Vault.
That’s really it. 🙂
If you do EVERYTHING above, YOU will be a lot more productive. And that’s how you “produce” patients.
