Saturday, December 20, 2008

Chiropractic Consulting Warning

By Matthew Loop, DC

I talk to a lot of chiropractors every year at each of the many seminars I speak at around the country. I find that every year these chiropractors come to me with the same complaints about practice management consultants. These poor DC's are spending horrible amounts of money and still see their businesses hit rock bottom. Are all practice management firms a scam? Honestly, most of them are. They're sucking many chiropractors dry with their old cookie-cutter tactics that they've been using for over 30 years. They have no interest in changing their ways, and every interest in taking your money.

Now, I don't have a problem with paying for an expensive service as long as the use value of the system far outweighs the actual cash value that I shelled-out. This is how a good business owner should dictate price anyway. It should all be about providing massive amounts of practical use-value for your client or customer. Practice management groups and consultants who do this should be commended, but they are very rare. Most of what you will come across in chiropractic school when chiropractic consultants speak is BS filler and fear mongering. They have to scare you in order to get your business. This is a warning to stay away from sharks who use those methods.

When you're looking for a truly great chiropractic consultant or practice management group, you have to make sure they specialize in what you need. When a group claims to be able to solve everything, they aren't specialized enough to fix your problems. They're bandaging your leg, but it's your arm that's broken. Catch my drift?

You also need to find someone who has a true track record of satisfied consumers. You need to be able to read testimonials and meet people that have been helped by this group. If you can't find these things, you're probably reading scripted testimonials and seeing videos of actors playing "satisfied chiropractors". Don't be one of the DC's that gets the wool pulled over their eyes. Find the real-deal.

Start by doing an extensive Google search to get the real stats on these consultants. If you're looking for a chiropractic consulting coach who specializes in the only viable marketing strategy today of Web 2.0 and Social media marketing, you might want to search for "social media chiropractic marketing" and this very specific search might yield results that are actually of use to you.

Lastly, it's important to find a consultant that knows the most innovative marketing strategies. If they're stuck in the past, there's no way they can send your chiropractic practice successfully into the future. When it comes to your practice and making it more successful, the biggest issue is new patients. When you improve your marketing and get new patients walking through your door, your whole business will be transformed. This can only happen when you use innovative techniques, and if a practice management group claims to know it all, they most likely don't know this. Times are changing and consultant groups are not changing with them. Web 2.0 and Social Media marketing strategies have changed the face of business, and you're going to sink if you don't change too.

Ninety-five percent of chiropractic businesses don't know a thing about the power of Web 2.0, and the 5% that do are singing its praises. In fact, they're the only ones that are truly thriving right now, even in these hard times. When you choose to tap into the power of Web 2.0, you're putting yourself in the elite.

No one can experience the benefit of your expertise and practice unless they know you exist. There are probably countless people in your area right now who need your help but don't know you're there. Web 2.0 and social media marketing have the power to spread the word to these people, and increase your success during these hard times.

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