exclude you from being in the excellence category. Everybody enjoys saving money and taking advantage of getting a deal on a service or product. There’s nothing wrong with that. However, people will usually buy coupons at a huge reduction in price simply because it is a good deal, not because they require your service or product. People are buying the prod-uct or service not because they value or need you, they are buying it because it is cheap – they may not return to your business if they, later, have to pay regular rates because they have not been taught to value your service. Carlton have established an unchanging value that is now associated with them. A drastic reduction in cost for any one of these products would cause them to lose their value. (It is important to note that even though Christian Louboutin may have an end-of-season sale, the shoes will never be drastically reduced at higher-end stores!) THE VALUE OF NOT WAVERING YOUR VALUE Carefully read the names in the follow-ing list: BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Dior, Tom Ford, Christian Louboutin, Rolex, The Four Seasons, Belvedere Vodka, Starbucks. What did you notice? If you study the names in the list above, you will observe that the compa-nies and products are known for things such as better-quality materials, taking more time to make their product and higher manufacturing and service stan-dards. They have a solid reputation for all this and, as such, top value is associated with their product or service – they don’t need to underprice or discount in order to get your attention as a consumer. Then there are companies that offer a similar product or service at a lower price or that discount their prices. As the con-sumer, how does that translate for you? For example, if you receive a coupon vÀÊ7>}b;>}ÊvÀÊÇÓÊ«iÀÊViÌÊvvÊÌÊiÌViÊ you to stay at The Ritz-Carlton, or per- >«ÃÊ>ÊVÕ«ÊvÀÊÇxÊ«iÀÊViÌÊvvÊ>Ê«>ÀÊ of the famous Christian Louboutin shoes or a Dior handbag, do you not stop and question this? I don’t know about you, but I would think twice about making a reservation, or purchasing those products. My first thought about The Ritz-Carlton would be is there something wrong with the room? Or are those Christian Loubou-tin shoes and the Dior handbag actually knockoffs? And when is the last time you saw a coupon for a Ferrari at even 25 per cent off? The answer is never because brands such as Ferrari, Dior, Rolex or The Ritz-www.canadianchiropractor.ca ESTABLISHING YOUR VALUE Why do Rolex and Ferrari cost more? In simple terms, they spend more time developing their product. Take this phi-losophy into a clinical setting. When a patient enters your treatment room, they want to get better and they chose you to get them to that point. There are a num-ber of things you can do, and offer, in the time that they are with you to best reflect not only the cost of the treatment but also the value of it. For example, if you can provide more to the patient during their visit they will value the work that you do. I know it may seem trivial, but asking how they are and actually listening is key. Always leave the patient with a new study you’ve read or a workshop you are taking – showing your patient that you continue to improve yourself demonstrates that you are evolving to better their health. Also, take a minute to show a stretching exercise and provide more hands-on care with soft tissue work or other modalities versus a standard adjustment. This will maximize your value. BE A TREND-SETTER IN YOUR COMMUNITY We make decisions every day, from the food we eat to the coffee we drink to the type of doctors and professionals we want to be. Create and define a culture unique to who you are and what you want people in your community to see you as. For example, being an animal lover, I introduced a therapy dog to my clin-ic. He is a toy poodle named Nitro and patients of all ages love interacting with him. Some only schedule appointments when Nitro is in the office. This creates a unique and relaxing environment and provides a platform to help the commu-nity with local animal rescue shelters and other programs that improve the well-being of animals. Provide more to the patient during the visit; for example, show them a stretching exercise or provide extra hands-on care. ONE FINAL THOUGHT There is a distinct difference between not being able to afford something and not being able to value it. There are people who may not be able to afford to buy a new Ferrari but can certainly value and appreciate that which makes a Ferrari a work of art. The same goes for the service you offer – someone may feel they cannot afford it, but they understand its value. Then there will be those individu-als who look at a $9,000 Rolex and say, “What a waste of money. I bought a watch for $11 and it works great.” To make a statement that a Rolex is a waste of money is a comment that under appreciates and devalues Rolex. That person obviously does not value the fact that the watch was hand-made and assembled by the best watchmak-ers in the world with the utmost preci-sion and the finest of materials. Here is my point: Rolex does not worry about underpricing or employing cost-re-duction tactics to entice those people who do not value and appreciate their work. And neither should you. If you make a decision to be the best in your community, the first step is truly valuing yourself as a health practitioner. If you take pride in your work and value what you do, others ÜÊÌ°ÊU CANADIAN CHIROPRACTOR \*5,9�f;!5'534 s
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