Chiropractic Sales or Priority Adjuster?
January 21st, 2010 // 8:00 am @ Dr. Todd Osborne // No Comments
For years we have touted the importance of educating our patients about chiropractic. I am all about it, but over time I think we as a profession have lost the significance of doing so because we are so caught up in the insurance jungle that we are more focused on how do we get the insurance to pay for the care, or how do we get approved for the care the patient needs. Or worse yet, what do we do to fit into the insurance companies’ parameters.
It really comes down to this, every patient has their set of priority levels relating to their health and their money. Our responsibility as a chiropractors is to give the patient the information they need in order to prioritize correct. If we are able to “educate” or what I would like to call “inform” the patient properly, then their own priority levels will help them make the correct decision. I think we spend too much time as chiropractors trying to get people to make decisions on our own priority levels. It doesn’t have to be that difficult nor that frustrating to run a successful chiropractic business.
Take this example, if I were going in to buy a new computer, not having a lot of technical knowledge I likely have certain priority levels that will affect my decision making regarding what computer I buy. For instance I might have set a $350 limit of what I think I will spend on a new computer. I know some computers go for that, so that is what I want. Since I have limited technological knowledge, most things about a computer like speed, power, memory, etc are not a priority in my buying decision. At the time I walk in the store, money is the key priority. But once a salesperson ask if I would like help, I tell him I want a computer for $350 or less. He then says, why don’t you take a look at this I-Mac first, I see the price tag of $1500 and instantly say no, no I don’t want that. But the salesperson is persistent and I agree to allow him to “inform” me of what the I-Mac has to offer, why it is great value, and what it can do for me. Suddenly with more knowledge, my priority levels start to change. Why? Because I have the information necessary to make a well informed choice now, unlike before. I may still choose to go with the $350 Netbook, but at least I did so with the right information at hand rather than just leaning on the limited knowledge and priority level I walked in with.
My company makes this top priority with the patient, not forced, high pressure sales that are negative and frustrating for both the patient and the doctor, but highly professional “education” for the patient so it gives them the information needed to make an intelligent choice about their health. I always felt my job as a chiropractor was of course to find and correct a patient’s subluxations, but many times I didn’t get a chance to complete that job if I didn’t make it my responsibility to help them get their priority levels correct.
Doctors, if you can get your patient’s priority levels about their health in alignment first, you will find that getting them to commit to getting their spines in alignment will be much easier. Are you a chiropractic salesman or priority level adjuster?
Category : Blog &Featured Works &Practice Building
