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Chiropractic
Advertising to Other Professionals
As a chiropractor it will be necessary for you
to regularly advertise your private practice to other professionals
within your
community. You should not limit the types of professionals you
advertise your
services to. The formation of relationships that ultimately lead to a
well
defined network of professionals that are willing to refer you patients
on a
regular basis will make it easier for you to build a successful
practice with a
high patient volume in the shortest period of time possible.
I would suggest that chiropractors market their
services to a dentist, neurologist, general medical practitioner,
massage
therapist, orthopedist, accountant, banker, stock broker, real estate
agent and
possibly some other local professionals. A group such as this will help
practitioners to create a well diversified marketing/referral network.
A doctor
should call a professional on the
telephone after first writing a brief letter to him or her which
introduces the
doctor and the professional services he or she has to offer. The
purpose of the
phone call is to invite a specific professional out to lunch so the two
professionals can get acquainted.
The lunch
setting is a wonderful atmosphere to
form a relationship with other people. This is a necessary step that
must be
taken in order that a chiropractor will be able to share important
business
related information with other professionals. A doctor should make sure
to
bring some business cards to the lunch date along with pertinent office
related
literature. Practitioners should also be prepared to explain to a lunch
guest
the value of their services and why it is important for the two
professionals
to regularly refer prospects to one another. In order for this type of
a relationship
to work it will be important to establish the understanding that there
will be
mutual benefit achieved for both parties involved. A business referral
relationship can only work over a sustained period of time if both
professionals are willing to refer customers/patients on a regular
basis. Also,
the chiropractor should pick up the check for the lunch bill.
Letter
of Introduction
The first
order of business you need to take
care of is to write a really powerful letter of introduction which you
will
then obviously send to the various professionals you wish to market
your
professional service to.
When you send
your letter you should make sure
that you mark on a calendar the date the document was mailed. Wait a
few days
and then follow up your efforts with a phone call to the professional's
place
of business. It is important to speak politely and always maintain a
very
professional demeanor when discussing a possible lunch date. Once you
have your
lunch date scheduled you should practice in front of a mirror what you
want to
say to your guest. Make sure you are able to clearly describe how your
professional services can benefit that professional's patients, clients
or
customers.
Meeting
When attending
your luncheon I recommend you
dress professionally for the occasion. You want to look the part of a
professional and you want to convey to others that you are
knowledgeable,
experienced and proficient at what you do. Perception is everything and
how you
dress will help others to perceive you in a certain way.
I believe it
is extremely important to become a
good listener when you are interacting with other professionals. People
in
almost every situation you can imagine love to talk about themselves
and you
must try to resist the strong urge to constantly talk about yourself.
If you do
your homework and are well prepared to present your business services
you will
no doubt make a great impression each time you schedule a business
lunch. This
will allow you to regularly establish a number of long term
relationships with
many professionals in your community.
Once you have
established a healthy referral
network comprised of local professionals you will be well on your way
to
building a very successful chiropractic practice that constantly
receives an
influx of new patients that are being referred from the local
professionals
within your community.
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