How Lying Affects Your Chiropractic Business Success
February 18th, 2010 // 8:00 am @ Dr. Todd Osborne // No Comments
One of the biggest mistakes I see chiropractors make is lying to their patients! Yes, with every good intention of getting a new patient to accept care and get the chiropractic message across, they are lying to the patient. I’ve seen it hundreds of times when DC’s are doing their consultation, after finding out what complaint or condition has driven the new patient into their chiropractic practice, they make a statement in some way, shape, or form similar to this, “We can help you”. Seems harmless enough, and seems to give the hope to the patient that they are so desperately seeking, but the opposite is true because you are lying to the patient and that will never lead to good for your chiropractic success.
You get away with it because with the amazing power of chiropractic and removing subluxations you usually do help the patient, but what about the one you don’t? “But Doctor you said you could help me” is the statement that has you backed into a corner. Now you have to try to explain your statement, defend your position, etc. Not a place any of us want to be.
Besides the fact that it can back you into a corner on the occasional patient that you are unable to help, if just from a consultation you can tell them whether you can or can not help them, then why would you need to do an exam and x-rays? And why would the patient want to pay for such for you to determine if you can help them if you already know?? Can you see how this destroys the true reason for exam and x-ray? May be the reason you are getting so many questions about how much are the x-rays, or do I really need x-rays.
Stop telling the patient you can help them, when you do not know for sure yet! Yes I get the fact that nearly every patient that comes into your office is subluxated and thus you know you can help with the subluxation, but what if their complaint or condition that you are insinuating that you can help is not being caused by a subluxation? What if they have severe neck pain, and present in classic fashion, and you say the infamous “chiropractic can help you with that” and low and behold on x-ray you find a complete fracture and dislocation at C5-C6. (This recently happened to a chiropractor I know, patient had an accident 9 months prior, had been x-rayed at the ER!) Now what?
“I sure hope I can help you” is a much better and more effective way to present hope to the patient. Try telling the truth to your patients and see what happens.
For more chiropractic practice tips and points of view for success, please check out my colleague Dr. Chris Owen’s blog .
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