Saturday 10 December 2011

How To Make Your Chiropractic Office Stand Apart From Your Competition!

So how do you set your chiropractic clinic apart from your competition?

First of all, before I go on, I would like to apologize to all of our followers for the lack of recent posting!  The reason why for this delay is because Promodocs.com has become so busy with our chiropractic poster orders that it, quite frankly, took us by surprise and we found that we were understaffed.  As such, all efforts were focused on poster production and filling out our orders and getting them out on time (with a couple delays here and there).

None-the-less, we are now fully staffed and orders are going out on time!
(p.s. thanks for everyone's support!)

Back to the topic at hand...

As everyone is aware, sadly, there is a fair bit of infighting with chiropractors.  "We're straight chiropractors.  We're the true chiropractors because we stick to the gospel of D.D. and B.J"  or "We need to change the name of chiropractic because there is a division between chiros and we need to deferentiate!" or "We are Mixed chiropractors and we are better than the straights because we offer more to our patients than just adjusting" OHHHH SHUT UP! ...BLAH BLAH BLAH.

TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS... IT'S ALL B.S.!!!

I can hear you all now... "What?!  How can he say that?!  I live and breath chiropractic!  That's a complete insult to me and all that I stand for!"

Well, suck it up!  Because whether you want to believe it or not, whether you like it or not... it's TRUE!

Let's face it, the only people that this matters to, is the chiropractor that you are sitting next to at the chiropractic seminar that you are attending.  

THE PATIENT DOESN'T CARE IF YOU ARE A STRAIGHT OR MIXED CHIRO.

The only concern your potential patient cares about is if you can get them better or not.  Right?  Of course I'm right... because that's the reality of the situation.  

Here is an example, much like chiropactors, dentists are a dime a dozen, right?  Sure they are.  How many times have you seen a dental clinic that looks just like the one down the road.  Pretty much every time.  And for most people, when they choose a dentist, if it's not from a referral, it's the "Cross-My-Fngers-And-Pray-That-This-Doc-Is-Good" maneuver and they walk in to book an appointment.

So going back to my initial claim... forget HOW you practice, because for the most part, it's meaningless to your patients.

To make yourself competitive in a dime-a-dozen market place and to get new patients banging down your door, you have to differentiate yourself from your competition.  How do you do that?  It's easy! YAY!

You have to figure out what your "Competitive Advantage" is.  That is to say, what is it that makes you different and better from the chiropractor 2 minutes down the road.  In other words ask yourself "Why would a patient want to come to my clinic?"

Is it because you are a super nice guy, that you're caring, that you are a straight chiro, mixed chiro, that you are the worlds best adjuster?  NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Well , if there is an award for the worlds best adjuster then YES that would be classified as an example of a "Competitive Advantage."  Following me?

Let me try to give you other examples (note: only use if allowable by your association)...
  1. In-home examinations if you are in too much pain to come in for a consultation.
  2. The only chiropractor that X trusts (eg. politician, sports celebrity, actor, sports team etc.)
  3. The only clinic that provides X technology/treatment to the community of {your town}
  4. The only clinic that  provide "Free Adjustment Fridays"
  5. The only clinic that provides 24/7 emergency Chiropractic care.
  6. Profiled in X (new report, paper/TV article) due to our effective treatment
  7. etc.
What do you offer that is different?  Again, "Why would a patient come to my office?"

When you figure out what your Competitive Advantage is, word it in a way that is eye-catching to your potential patients and put in on all your marketing material.  Have all your staff memorize it.  Teach your front end to tell potential patients who are on the phone, email or in your waiting room.  Make it second nature like breathing.


Wanna here something great?!

Your Competitive Advantage doesn't have to be something that is not offered by another clinic (i.e. only offered at your clinic)!!  If the other clinic is not marketing it (i.e. telling the people in your town what they do) no one will know about it.  So make the claim first!!  When you make the claim first, even if the other doc has been doing it longer, the general public will see you as the doc that offers it first and more importantly, the only one that offers it!  YAY YOU!

Remember, you clinic is a BUSINESS!  Yes you are a doc and probably a great chiropractor, but if  you're a great chiro and you have no one to treat, it'll be like you're the riches dead guy in the cemetary.

It's funny... as a chiropractor myself, I've gone to a number of chiropractic seminars where at the end of the seminar, chiropractors are holding each others hands  in some Chiro Unity Building Fest saying that we are all chiro brothers and sisters, but as soon as they go home to their practice, reality hits and they are back to bashing the chiropractor down the road because they are taking their portion of the patient pie.

It's not about loving or not loving your chiro brother and sister, it's about serving people and building and sustaining your Chiropractic business/practice!

So, just like any other business, you have to attract new business and to attract new business you have to set yourself apart from your competition... develop your "Competitive Advantage"

If you want to read more about "Competitive Advantage" I strongly recommend that you read the book "Creating Competitive Advantage" by Jaynie L. Smith.

Here's to your clinic success!

I'd love to hear your input.  Please leave your comments below.  Let me know if you agree or disagree.  If you have any questions about the above please feel free to email me at contactus@promodocs.com.

Check out our next blog post in 2 weeks!  Believe me...you won't want to miss this one!

I'll be talking about how, by the words you say about your clinic, you will drive your potential patients straight to your competition for care!!
 
Look for Promodocs on Facebook and Twitter for more practice building tips!







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