Doc,
I woke up to this email in my “inbox”…
HI Ben,
I’m intrigued by your marketing. I have been a chiropractor for 30 years and have seen over the last year my number of new patients decline. I noticed your mission statement that there are no long term treatment programs. Do you not believe in wellness or maintenance care? Just curious on your philosophy, before I start your program.
Thanks,
XXXXXX, D.C.
XXXXXX Wellness Chiropractic
Can you guess why this doctor’s number of “new patients” are down?
Just by this email, I can.
Here is my response to what he said and seems to “believe”…
1. “I have been a chiropractor for over 30 years…”— Thirty years in any industry doesn’t guarantee ongoing success. Most businesses do worse over time because they fail to change. Today, because of insurance and the Internet, consumers are very demanding. They know what they already want. Decades ago—in the days of $100 deductibles and $5 dollar co-pays—almost every Chiropractor could succeed. Thankfully, those days are gone. Maybe now more Chiropractors will earn the trust needed to build their practices.
2. “Have seen over the last year my number of new patients decline.”The words,“Have seen”…as if he is the observer of something totally outside of his control.“Over the last year”proves my point and proves that he is no different than his patients. He waits a year to consider doing something about it. It is what it is. Build a practice around “it”.
3. “No long term treatment programs”— Inaccurate statement. The ChiroTrust pledge says “No UNNECESSARY long-term treatment plans…”. There’s a difference.
4. “Do you not believe in wellness or maintenance care?”— Why should this doctor care what I “believe” in? To build a practice, focus in on what CONSUMERS believe in and reverse engineer your business, your practice name, and your marketing to be congruent with that—NOT what you or I “believe in”. Nobody cares. People buy what THEY want based on what THEY “believe”.
5. XXXXXX Wellness Chiropractic— I “X’d” out his name and the first word of his practice name to protect his identity but what I can say is that the first word of his practice name is as damaging as the words “Wellness Chiropractic”. New patients who are NOT referred in (and new patients who ARE) don’t come in wanting “Wellness” care. There is no market for it. Just like this doctor, they have a symptom and are considering some sort of treatment. Any practice name that includes “wellness”, “family”, or any other word that creates confusion or controversy repels, NOT attracts.
In summary…
This doctor is a good guy and can find thousands of doctors who share his viewpoint and concerns, which is meaningless.
Until he and they share the viewpoint of their patients, and position themselves and market accordingly, in today’s market, they will see their profits shrink and feel their frustration rise.
