If you are like most chiropractors, you would enjoy two things: more new patients and a more fulfilling practice. Part of the solution to getting these two things lies in studying Starbucks, doing simple math and a quick reality check.
Do You Think Chiropractic Is Only Effective for Back Pain?
Of course you don't, but most of the public, including chiropractic patients, thinks of chiropractic just as a remedy for backaches, pains and strains! And yet, if you were to scour the research on chiropractic, you would see dozens of studies indicating chiropractic's effectiveness for a multitude of conditions. The research is there. Many chiropractors don't know how to easily manage this large volume of information. Perhaps more importantly, most chiropractors do not know how properly to use chiropractic-related research to help them grow their practice.
The Reality Check
Let's face it: True practice growth and the opportunity to care for more patients can most efficiently be achieved through effective marketing. Nobody grows a practice by changing light bulbs, ordering supplies, managing employees or doing any of the myriad tasks we perform as practice owners. For that matter, the "build it and they will come" mentality of treating one patient at a time, and hoping they will all tell their friends, is about as pie-in-the-sky as it gets. And yet it never ceases to amaze me how many chiropractors suck up their time focused on everything and anything but systematically marketing their practice.
So let's throw in a little harsh reality here. The two places to dedicate your time, energy, creativity and hard work are 1) delivering the best care possible to your patients; and 2) figuring out how to broadcast your expertise to as many people as possible.
Now, if you know chiropractic is effective for more than back pain, but primarily treat only patients with back pain, you have dropped the ball on two counts. The first way you have dropped the ball is you are not delivering the best care possible, because you have left countless patients in the dark about other conditions chiropractic could help! Second, you are now "fumbling" more opportunities to grow your practice than the worst running backs in NFL history, all because of your failure to tell people the true value of chiropractic.
Mediocrity Bound
So, while you are busy treating all your back pain patients and letting many more patients slip through your hands, you are missing out on the new patient lifeblood of your practice. Undoubtedly, when you go over your numbers, you realize your income could be a little higher. And you notice there's room in the schedule.
Keep this up and soon enough you will begin to get frustrated with chiropractic. Remember back to when you were in chiropractic college. Did you dream of an incredibly average practice, consistently underbooked? Were your professional fantasies about helping only patients afflicted with low back pain and ignoring patients with all other kinds of ailments? Was your ideal income average or a bit on the low side for the profession? Of course not!
Somewhere on the way, we got derailed off the track to chiropractic practice success and fulfillment and headed straight for mediocrity. Now that I've played the Chiropractic Professor of Harsh Reality, let's just look at some simple math to get us back on the path to success!
Simple Math to the Rescue
According to several studies published on chiropractic demographics, between 91 percent and 99.5 percent of chiropractic patients present to our office with musculoskeletal problems.1,2,3 Children make up only 10 percent to 11 percent of all chiropractic patients.4 Approximately 68 percent of all chiropractic patients have low back pain as their reason for seeking a chiropractor.5
Examining only these three statistics, with the use of some simple math and logic, can help transform your practice, boost your income and increase your level of fulfillment in practice.
The above stats tell us three obvious things as chiropractors:
- We have room to expand our practice within the musculoskeletal realm to conditions other than back pain.
- Assuming that some of the 90 percent of adult patients we see have children, we can easily grow our practices by serving more pediatric patients.
- Chiropractic for nonmusculoskeletal conditions and/or wellness is a virtually untapped segment of the chiropractic practice.
Most of us know chiropractors in our profession who are concerned with competition or are fearful there are too many chiropractors. Taking into account the fact that chiropractors still see less than 25 percent of the population and the above three facts, it would appear fear of competition is quite unfounded!
You may say, "Well, of course!" or "I knew that!" But take a close look at your practice. Can you honestly admit that you are actively targeting one of these markets to grow your business? Knowledge is fine, but as Albert Einstein stated, "Nothing happens until something moves!" So, how exactly does one move a practice in the direction of increasing chiropractic market share? To transform your practice and take it to the next level doesn't require you to be the most creative, the most marketing-savvy or even the best DC in town. Just study others who have done it!
Creating a Chiropractic Starbucks
To witness one such example of professional transformation and a successful increase in market share, just look at Starbucks. Before Starbucks dominated the coffee scene, coffee typically was served only in diners, cafes, or gas station convenience stores. Cheap was the operative word for pre-Starbucks coffee. The cost was inexpensive, as was the quality. Grocery stores did not have a half-aisle dedicated to 37 different brands and types of coffee. Remember Maxwell House and Folgers? That was about it!
In its infancy, Starbucks started opening up stores outside of its initial flagship store (in Pioneer Square in downtown Seattle) and began the process of transforming the relationship we have with coffee. Prices and quality went up when Starbucks began serving up its unique coffee "experience." As time passed, Starbucks added more and more stores outside of Seattle and also added to its menu. Soon, you could find an assortment of coffees, coffee-type drinks, teas and pastries along with the good ol' cup of Joe at your local Starbucks. Before long, the chain began carrying non-coffee items such as Starbuck's dolls, espresso machines, mints and CDs. At the present time, you can find just as much or more non-coffee stuff for sale in Starbucks as you can the bean product that made it famous.
So, How Does This Relate to Chiropractic?
Part II of this article will go into the details, but I'll give you a hint at a key phrase we'll talk about in the next section: "Expanding Your Market Share."
In the meantime, here are a couple of homework assignments. First, think about things you can do today to free up some time out of your schedule. Could you delegate mundane office tasks that you are somehow still doing? Then do it! Second, once that's done, start using your newfound free time to start thinking about which untapped areas you'd like to focus on to grow your practice. Third, try to come up with some ideas for marketing these untapped areas to your current base of patients.
References
- Hawk, et al. Rural health research - factors affecting use of chiropractic services in seven midwestern states of the United States. Journal of Rural Health, 1999;15(2):233.
- Blais R, et al. How different are users and non-users of alternative medicine? Can J Public Health May/June 1997;88(3):159-62.
- Hurwitz, et al. Use of chiropractic services from 1985 through 1991 in the United States and Canada. American Journal of Public Health, 1998;88(5): 771-776.
- Lee. Chiropractic care for children. Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, 2000;154(4):401-407.
- Hurwitz, op. cit.
Dr. Tom Necela maintains a private practice in Washington state. He is also the founder of The Strategic Chiropractor, a consulting firm for chiropractors. Dr. Necela can be contacted with questions or comments via his Web site, www.strategicdc.com.