Over the last few days, I have seen a Facebook post going around of a clinic's ad that says, something to the effect of, "Unlimited Chiropractic Care for ONLY $49.00!" (similar to the ad above).

And a ton of chiropractors jumped on the thread... some bashing the marketing campaign and some supporting it.

Those that were knocking it stated that it was devaluing chiropractic, that it was an insult to the chiropractic profession and that it was sending out the wrong message about chiropractic.   Whereas those that were in support of these clinics/ads were saying that by providing such an offer, it makes chiropractic more affordable and therefore assessable to more people.

Now, I should state that I have never used this type of marketing and I don't think that I would have ever used it if I still practiced.

Promodocs is very excited to announce that they are presently developing groundbreaking chiropractic website designs that are truly revolutionary! 

In this economic time, money is an issue for everyone... and so you might ask, which method of payment will my consults be more likely to accept in order to undergo care?
Pay per visit or in installments.

Well the answer depends on a few factors...

1. Perceived Value.
2. Demand
3. Financial Status.

Perceived Value:

Perceived value is the view that your consult has on your offering.  Do they see value in what you are offering?  Do they think that chiropractic will help them?  If so, do they see it as a "short term fix" or a "long term fix"?  Is it worth their time?  Is it worth their money?  Do you "sell" them on chiropractic, do you "over sell" them on chiropractic or do you make them want to "buy" into chiropractic?

Demand:

Are there patients in your waiting room and treatment rooms when your consult comes in?  Does your clinic look quiet?  Does your front end staff look busy? Do you have a waiting list?

Financial Status:

Simply... does your patient have the income to pay for treatment?

Although there are other factors, I feel that these are the most important factors, but often your consults' financial position tends to be the biggest factor in the decision making process... or is it?

Your goal typically is to have your consult realize the importance of chiropractic and that money is of little importance.

Have you ever wanted something so badly, say some exciting new gadget,  you can't really afford it but somehow you scrape up the money and get it?  Well you're driven to do this because of the messaging that the company has put into their marketing.

A consult will react the same way... make them realize that they have to have your care.  Now, don't sound like a used car salesman and of course, NEVER be dishonest.  Instead, stress the importance of chiropractic and  make your patient realize that their health is an INVESTMENT, not an EXPENSE!

So if you have addressed the above factors, that is to say,  you have a great looking clinic, a "perceived" busy clinic, you've emphasized the importance of chiropractic care, you've not oversold chiropractic, you've made your consult understand that their health is an investment, then you have made finances a non-issue!

Remember this one important note...

So never sell or over sell chiropractic.  The more you sell or over sell, the less credible you look and the less likely a patient will undergo your care.  How do you oversell something... you just keep talking and talking and talking about how great chiropractic is.  When you think that you have talked too much, you have!

So if you have everything in place, finances should never be an issue.

Having said that, due to these economic times, money issues are generally to be top of mind for any purchase.  But to decrease the fear of spending,  people like security.  One of the ways that you can offer them that security is to provide them with the option of paying per visit.

The great thing about having patients pay per visit, is that they are more likely to start care due to the level comfort of being able to discontinue care without any hassle (i.e. having to go through the refund process after paying in installments).

While your new patient is now under care and has that level of comfort, you can gradually teach them and reinforce  the importance of chiropractic care, following through until their treatment plan is over and the importance of maintenance care.

People are generally more receptive to information gradually being presented to them, than having a shot gun approach... especially when they may have a certain degree of apprehension in their "purchase".

If you are having difficulty in having your consults pay in installments, try having them PPV.  The chiropractors that have contacted us (contactus@promodocs.com) for advice on this matter, have boosted up their consult to NP by 80-90%.  But not only this, by gradually educating their patients (and by gradually, I mean talking chiro every other visit or so), they have also skyrocketed their conversion for maintenance patients.

I hope this helps!




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