January 2006

The relationship‑driven practice

by Dr. Timothy Gay

You have many varieties of patients that visit your office for your services. Some may come in because they saw one of your external promotions or advertisements. Others may come to your clinic due to a discount program they heard about or saw in an advertising piece you ran in a newspaper.

Wherever your patients are drawn from in your area, only one type of patient stays with you for the long haul, and that is the patient you build a bond or relationship with.

Many doctors have a tendency to take the path of least resistance to gain new patients with the use of marketing and advertising gimmicks. Some of those gimmicks include a type of discounting to attract patients, or outrageous advertising touting a new machine or practice protocol that will build their practice.

Doctors have forgotten the lost art of providing extraordinary service and value that patients are expecting. Relationship building begins with what you give patients before they come to your office.

It starts with the front desk chiropractic assistant who has them on the phone assuring them they have made the right decision to come to your clinic. The business side of practice is obviously important, but not nearly as important as building the patient and service relationship. Service is what everyone expects when they go to a restaurant or department store, and it should be no different when they come to see you.

In fact, this is the most important part of building your relationship with the patient in front of you right now. Patients who are attracted due to external marketing are not the same as those coming from a direct referral. I know that's not "genius," but if you are basing your practice predominantly on external advertising, your practice foundation is like an inverted pyramid. Patients coming in are like a leaky bucket ‑‑ they are leaving and not coming back. Relationship building does not mean you need new friends. It means that you want to develop a doctor‑patient bond based on their patient needs, not your companionship.

Relationship is association or an affiliation with someone based on a common connection. Some of these common connections are due to the atmosphere in your office. What kind of music is playing? Is everyone in the office excited about the practice and truly happy to be working there? Your practice is built on the staff and the doctor being on the same page for patients or a morale issue may develop.

Relationships between the doctor and his or her team are equally as important as those created with patients. Patients can sense when there is something wrong in the office and they will discontinue their care because of it.

Do you do the little extras that show you genuinely care about your patients ‑‑ fresh flowers, limited waiting time, water dispenser, giving them the benefit of the doubt, remembering them on their birthdays or holidays, creating newsletters, delivering something to their home, nice pens, giveaways that are inexpensive but something they can use ‑‑ any special gift that will remind them why they have selected you are their chiropractor?

If you want to keep your patients, get to know them as individuals. In the consultation, go over the points necessary for you to understand your patient as more than just a bag of symptoms. Doctors who know how to communicate know that listening is far better in the beginning than over‑selling chiropractic. To build a higher level of trust with patients, you must truly listen to their needs. They will give you several cues that will provide you with the insight you need to build the relationship. Make it all about them and stay focused on their condition and getting a result.

The relationship‑driven practice will eliminate the need to discount services, look for special attention grabbers that might stimulate your practice on a short‑term basis.

You may find the need to increase your external advertising budget. Patients want your undivided attention, and in order to maintain the relationship, there should be no distraction during the time spent with that patient. In all aspects of your life, you should be building strong relationships with as many influential people as you possibly can. Building relationships with other like‑minded chiropractors in your area and reaching out to the masses that need our services is an important part of a practice‑building network.

Being a part of the World Chiropractic Alliance gives you that opportunity. Becoming ‑‑ and staying ‑‑ involved is the only way we can achieve the goals that have been set out for this profession. Our potential and ability depends on every one of us contributing to the improvement, wellness, and health of humanity. You never know whose hand you may shake that could belong to a potential new patient or someone who will help shape or change your life.

(Timothy J. Gay, DC, is a 1977 Palmer College graduate and chairs the WCA Council on Chiropractic Mentoring. Founder and director of Ultimate Practice Systems, a chiropractic management and consulting company specializing in personalized chiropractic consulting [on the web at www.ultimatepracticesystems.com], he is a highly respected and nationally recognized speaker. Dr. Gay holds several seminars around the country on a variety of topics and may be reached at 866‑797‑8366, or ultimatepractice@sbcglobal.net.)