December 2004

Successful screenings

by Dr. David Singer

I'm sure most of you have tried screenings in one form or another. While some of you may be groaning or sighing, let me assure you, there's a right way to do screenings that has proven to be successful.

There's not much of a thrill in going out, screening 100 people, then spending the next week giving 50 people complimentary examinations and at the end of it, only getting three really qualified, good patients.

I know my goal from screenings is to find the people who really need chiropractic care. That means, going out and screening for people who would be the type of people to follow through and be good patients in your clinic.

In other words, successful screenings go beyond getting people to show up in your office. It's getting them to show up, recognize the need for care and be willing to pay you for care. Those are the type of people that are considered quality patients.

Two very important aspects of successful screenings are the greeter and the greeting. The purpose of the greeter is to get the people to simply stop and get them in communication with you.

We've found, through the course of thousands of screenings, that a healthy, charming, smiling, happy, outgoing woman is the key.

There's no question that women are a little bit nervous about being confronted by a man, even if he's handsome and charming. It doesn't make them feel comfortable to have a man as the first approaching individual.

On the other hand, men definitely react better to an attractive woman saying, "Do you have a minute to speak..." than they would being approached by another man. However, obviously, if you don't have anyone and you're the doctor and you happen to be a male doctor, well then wear a name tag and dress professionally, as expected of a doctor, so people will be less apprehensive about what you're doing there.

Now we're onto the next step, which is the greeting. You want to get people to stop by your booth to find out what it is you're doing.

You can use things that might be catchy such as, "Hi! We're doing a free stress computerized analysis here today. Do you have a minute?" Or you can try a different approach.

Try going up to passersby and asking, "Hi, do you know what we're doing over here?" By posing that type of question, you've created a mystery. Most people will pause for a moment and say, "no" and stop to find out the reason you're there. As you can see, an effective greeting is key because it's what actually gets people to stop and unless you accomplish that, the screening will not produce results.

Another key element to successful screenings is to do your screenings with a charity. Pick one that might be something the group you're dealing with will strongly support. If you're at a shopping center where there are a lot of parents, you might choose Child Find, or the local children's hospital. You could then tailor your script to say, "We're doing a screening today on behalf of Child Find." Any donations that you accept would go to the chosen charity.

Remember that once you stop a few people, everyone lines up. People love a crowd. They see something happening and they all get in line!

With screenings, as with all of our marketing strategies, our purpose is to get as many people as possible under chiropractic care so we can have a drug‑free world and a place where people are free from nerve interference and able to fulfill their health potential in life.

(Dr. David Singer is CEO of David Singer Enterprises [DSE] ‑‑ visit online at www.davidsingerenterprises.com ‑‑ a company offering an honest and ethical approach to building a practice through one‑on‑one consulting programs, products and practice expansion seminars. To receive "The Purpose Fax Newsletter," Dr. Singer's free fax info letter containing practice‑building tips and health research, call 800‑326‑1797, ext. 227. Leave your name, address, phone number and fax number and you will be sent a form that authorizes DSE to fax you a copy approximately every six weeks. Note: you must have a dedicated fax line, as this fax newsletter is sent automatically via computer.