It doesn't matter whether you practice in a metropolitan area, a rural area or within a farming community. A business can have 10 employees and still be receptive to a marketing program designed to improve the performance of its employees and reduce absenteeism.

These are the buzzwords to market to business and industry: "You can help reduce on-the-job injuries, improve employee performance and reduce absenteeism."

Businesses and industry want someone to show them how to actually prevent these injuries from occurring. Any program you bring to a company or business must truly focus on injury prevention. This is the winning angle for any successful business marketing campaign.

One would think that proper lifting and bending would make this come about, but if the emphasis is on how the job could hurt them, many people will think their existing problems result from their job -- which would increase Workers' Compensation claims -- which isn't your purpose or what you want your workshop to accomplish.

Corporations and businesses are extremely apprehensive about having someone from the outside (you) come into their company. They are concerned that your purpose is to promote yourself or your practice -- or that you'll present a program that is actually ineffective.

Keep in mind that if you present your program through the Human Resource Director and you do a poor job, you could put his or her job at risk. Therefore, you have to market your program in such a way that no confusion exists about what you are trying to do.

In the realm of working with industry, I have found two programs to be particularly effective: weight-loss programs and proper stretching and exercise programs. By most effective, I mean being the most welcomed by businesses and industry and producing as many new patients as possible.

These programs could actually reduce on-the-job injuries, improve the general health, and therefore performance of employees, which would result in reduced absenteeism.

Years ago, I used to market a stretching program based on the idea that athletes warm up before they perform in order to prevent injury. Many companies reported that when all of their employees were stretching for just 5-15 minutes a day, Workers' Compensation claims dropped 50%. The most significant result? Not only were back injuries and neck and shoulder problems reduced by 50%, but there was also a reported reduction by 50% in lacerations and in other non-musculoskeletal injuries.

This startling reduction in injuries and Workers' Compensation claims was attributed to stretching first thing in the morning, which increased employees' awareness, making them less apt to hurt themselves on the job.

The point is, if a company agrees to let you present your program, and if it's presented properly, you would truly be a benefit not only to the company as a whole, but to each individual employee.

The way to bring your programs into companies is to present your program to the Human Resource Director or owner, depending on the company's size. If you have a really good program, they will definitely want it for their employees.

The most difficult issue in dealing with businesses and industry is the question of the solicitation of new patients. Companies will take offense if you come into their location to simply push yourself and your practice.

Yet, you have to promote yourself to some extent, otherwise you will leave each program without any new patients. To resolve this issue before it becomes problematic, you should simply get permission from the company in advance to recommend to their employees a prevention consultation.

If you make it clear at the start that you are not going to be pushing for Workers' Compensation cases, but that you genuinely want to prevent people from getting hurt, you will gain their consent in advance and end up with a successful marketing program that produces for both the company and your practice.

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