Many erstwhile, truth-seeking D.C.s continually ask themselves where the next new patient will come from. When you as the chiropractor ask this question, you are already stuck in the "leaky bucket" type of practice. Traditional views and answers to this eternal question suggest advertising, marketing, and then creative sales.

As all chiropractors know, these concepts work on a short-term basis only and must continually be applied with diminishing returns. This is a large and unnecessary part of the overhead of many chiropractors.

Another problem is the type of patient this "attraction" yields -- a condition-based person only. What if there was a way for your patients to continually refer well and sick patients to your office?

Repositioning refers to the creation of a new identity of an old or existing concept. When a new identity is established it disconnects itself from the old beliefs, expectations, and attitudes of the old belief. As a chiropractor, one must accept and realize the identity of chiropractic in the public mind. At the very best, we are bad back fixers and at the worst, we harm people and children.

Failure to accept this public opinion of who and what you are will end up in frustration and burnout. You can talk, emote, and waste all your personal energy trying to convince people about chiropractic and the results will still be the same: lowered patient visit average.

Once you as a chiropractor accept the public opinion to be inaccurate and very damaging, the task becomes one of creating a new identity in the mind of the public, which allows chiropractic to stand for what it truly is, not what the medically dominated public wants it to be.

This new identity is Innate Intelligence/Vertebral Subluxation Complex-based and finds its new home under the wellness umbrella of health care totally accepted by at least 81% of today's society.

Under this new umbrella and with the traditional identity of chiropractic preserved, Chiropractic does not find itself either in conflict or competition with the medical/allopathic diagnosis-treatment short term non-vitalistic disease care trap.

By repositioning your patients to wellness it gives you societal permission to care for both well and sick patients. Every man, woman and child regardless of state of health rather than condition-based patients only. Doesn't that sound a lot better than competing with every M.D., physical therapist, and condition-based chiropractor? You can have 50 other D.C.s in your town and you will have no competition for these entirely different patients.

What kind of patients are the ones you will attract by repositioning your office to wellness? They are termed "category one" by marketing science. They:

*** are interested in family wellness on a long-term basis,

*** pay cash for their care if necessary; and

*** are proud of you, proud of chiropractic, and are continually referring in people just like themselves.

These are patients who not only refer in their whole family, but their sisters, brothers, mothers and fathers as well. And, they refer in sick and well people.

Gimmicks, freebies, mall shows, advertising, and all the other well accepted practice building concepts continually bring in people interested in the "traditional" view of chiropractic, the come in as a last resort for a crack or two...what have I got to lose routine.

People with this view of chiropractic will not refer in their families, have a very low medically dominated expectation and attitude of chiropractic, and will have a very short stay in your office.

Can you imagine being able to recognize and attract those who want wellness? Not losing time and energy with needless confrontation with those who are not interested in wellness?

The end result is that you have enthusiastic, proactive and positive patients.

Every time they see you in a different than office setting (shopping), you'll see them assume an up posture with excitement and enthusiasm. They have never been to an office like yours in their lives. When you have this type of patient in your office, a colony of "chiropractic advocates" is formed, made up of people who are busy constantly referring others into your office.

If you choose to go on doing what you're doing now and continue to seek the traditional view patients, you'll always be asking why your patients won't refer.

Learn the art of repositioning. And be free of the leaky bucket type of practice forever!