Booking Yourself Solid An interview with author Michael Port I n business, it is common sense to keep doing what is working and to change what isn’t. In my practice, I’ve worked hard so that every week my schedule remains full. However, it was not until I read Michael Port’s Book Yourself Solid that I realized I was actually using some highly recommended approaches he personally addresses in his book. I would like to share some of these with you while addressing some others that are presented in the book. I had the privilege of conducting a live phone interview with the author, and I asked him to provide insight on how we, as chiropractors, can start and continue to book ourselves solid. WHO WANTS TO BUY WHAT YOU ARE SELLING? Marketing and sales is not about trying to convince, coerce, or manipulate people into buy-ing your services. It’s really about making people who need your services aware that you exist and telling them where to find you. Those who are looking for your services should make up your target market. Port says, “There are two reasons why your target market goes in search of your services. The first is to help with things they would like to move away from such as pain, dysfunction and illness. The second is things they would like to move toward such as relief from pain, return to func-tion and overall wellness.” You must offer what your potential clients want to buy, not what you want to sell or think they should want to buy.” WHAT WILL CAUSE SOMEONE TO PURCHASE YOUR SERVICE? If your potential clients are going to purchase your service and products, they must see them as “investable” opportunities. Port defines an “investable” opportunity as a feeling, on the part of your client, that the return they receive is greater than the investment they made. For example, the return will come in different forms, depending on what you offer, but the return is almost always financial or emotional. I see many self-employed patients who, without treatment, are unable to earn a living if they remain injured. These patients see an investable opportunity in making the trip to my office for care. On the other hand, someone who is in pain for many months finds value in spending money on a treatment that will improve their emotional well-being by taking away their pain. Port believes that our patients, like any consumers, wish to see an end-result that will offer one or more benefits, whether they be spiritual, financial, physical or emotional. WHAT IS THE KEY INGREDIENT TO BECOMING BOOKED SOLID? The most important ingredient in any relationship, whether it is personal or professional, is trust. Most recently, the best way I heard it described was by Stieg Larsson. “A relationship is built on two things, respect and trust. Both elements have to be there. And it has to be mutual. You can have respect for someone, but if you don’t have trust, the relationship will crumble.” Michael Port writes that although respect is important, there is a direct link between how much someone trusts you and how willing they are to use your service. I believe that trust and respect join forces the instant your patient recommends your services to others. A referral to your care speaks volumes about how much your patient values their professional relationship with you. FOUR OBSTACLES TO BEING BOOKED SOLID Being Unable to Simplify One of my favourite quotes is from Albert Einstein, who said: “If you cannot explain it sim-ply, you don’t know it well enough.” Port believes this is a significant barrier to business owners everywhere, especially chiropractors. “A primary reason that many service professionals fail to build thriving practices is that they struggle to articulate, in a clear and compelling way, exactly what 26 • Canadian ChiropraCtor | SEptEMBEr 2012 www.canadianchiropractor.ca Dr. Anthony Lombardi is a private consultant to athletes in the NFL, CFL and NHL, and founder of Ham-ilton Back Clinic, a multidisciplinary clinic. He teaches his fundamental EXSTORE Assessment System and practice building workshops to vari-ous health professionals. For more information, visit www.hamilton-backclinic.com. Anthony J. Lombardi, DC
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