Serving more people in less time

by Dr. Tony Palermo

I stumbled upon one of the simplest, most profitable new practice member strategies several years ago. The great news is that it is so simple and you can replicate my success as many of my coaching clients currently do.

The discovery

Joan was a member of my practice for several years. She loved the results that the chiropractic lifestyle provided for her. On several occasions she tried to refer her husband Dom into my office. He had an arsenal of excuses to rebut her referral attempts.

When Dom began experiencing symptoms he wasn't sure if he needed to see his family physician, an orthopedist or a chiropractor (me) for his ailing shoulder.

There was an added challenge. Dom worked the night shift. He was available when most of us are not! What appeared to be an obstacle soon became the seed of opportunity for me.

As his wife lamented about the challenge that Dom would have scheduling his initial exam I said, "Joan, let me call him tonight. After talking with him we may find that mine is not the office for him. What's a good time to call him?"

After dinner, I kicked back on the couch, picked up the phone and had a wonderful conversation with him. The conversation became a consultation. I asked him the same questions that I would ask him if he were sitting in my office. After 10 minutes on the phone I told him that his problem sounded like one of three possible scenarios:

1. There might be a challenge with the support system (muscles/ligaments or tendons) of the shoulder. If so, physical therapy might be a solution. I told him that I had a group to whom I could refer him for those services.

2. I explained that there might be an orthopedic problem with his shoulder. I assured him that I could refer him to a great orthopedist if that was warranted.

3. Lastly, I explained that there might be interference to the nerves that travel from his brain to his shoulder joint and surrounding tissue. In that case, I'd be his guy.

I further explained that the ONLY way to know for sure what the problem was would be through examination.

Dom explained that he could come into my office after work. That meant first thing in the morning. I told him I'd be thrilled to check him and since his wife was such a great member of the practice -- the examination would be on me. We ended our conversation with an appointment.

When he presented to my office, I had already filled out the consultation and "New Member Entrance Form" as a result of the information gleaned during our phone chat.

I brought him directly to the examination area and proceeded to evaluate his shoulder, his spine and the state of his nervous system. He had various areas of subluxation. After his ROF, he committed to and prepaid for the first eight weeks of care during that first visit!

A system is born

There was something different about Dom's exam. He and I had already discussed the challenge in a non-stressful environment. I know from my years of coaching professionals by phone that defenses are down due to the anonymity that the telephone provides. There is neither urgency nor distraction in the phone environment.

I began to aggressively market this "new" service to my practice members. I allowed them the opportunity to have their friends and family call to schedule the "Consultation By Phone." The CBP became a tremendous stress-free portal of entry for the skeptics -- as well as a great convenience for professionals with little time to spare.

As I perfected the art of CBP, I became proactive in the process. I now speak with every new practice member prior to presentation.

My practice members LOVE this service. I love the efficiency, the profitability and the level of service it provides. It's not unusual for new members to tell me that my initial call was the first time a doctor ever did anything like that for them!

I save an enormous amount of time and I am far more profitable as a result of this simple service.

For example, an "average" consultation can easily last 10 to 15 minutes. While this is important time with the practice member, it is not profitable time for the doctor. I say that because a chiropractor earns income for the elimination of subluxation, not the stimulation of conversation!

In 15 minutes I can easily adjust two families of four. That's a total of eight visits. With only one new member per day, that's more than $200 in adjusting services that is not being performed because of the time for consultation. At a minimum of three days per week and 50 weeks of service (allowing for two weeks of vacation) the average doctor is losing $30,000 per year performing consultations!

When you consider the benefits to both the practice members and the doctor, you can understand why so many of my coaching clients have run with this idea. Have fun incorporating this service into your practice.

(Dr. Tony Palermo practices in Bethlehem, Pa. His 100% cash, no insurance accepted, 100% referral-only practice requires fewer than 10 hours per week of his time. He balances his time with family and a limited clientele of coaching clients. NOTE TO CHIROPRACTIC JOURNAL READERS: If you're interested in joining Dr. Palermo for free "Chiropractic Mastermind" teleconferences to discuss topics from his columns, e-mail him at drtonyp@aol.com and type "Chiropractic Journal Reader" in the subject line. He'll let you know when his next session is scheduled.)