COLUMN BUSINESS TALK The elusive patient referrals P How to make people like you BY ANTHONY LOMBARDI atient flow determines practice sustainability, but new patient referrals drive practice growth. There are essentially two reasons patients refer you to new patients: Patients like you, and patients love your product. These reasons are outlined in the NY Times bestselling book Word of Mouth Marketing -How Smart Companies Get People Talking by Andy Sernovitz. I first interviewed Andy back in 2012 for a piece I wrote called, “Creating a Stir.” However, since that time the importance of mastering how to obtain patient referrals has elevated because there are now more chiropractors than ever before. The competition for new patients is so great that some chiropractors are in business while others are not. Natural selection economics is taking over and only the strong practices survive when the patient flow of their peers dries up. I’ve also become more assertive with my advice in the last five years. I feel that I have been able to practice what I preach. From 2012-2017 I have attracted over 3,000 new patients to my practice – a model of consistency. I genu-inely enjoy helping other DCs. The problem? Other DCs, in many instances, are unable to help themselves. I believe that in 2017 the greatest limiting factor to chiropractors’ success will be their unwillingness to listen to those who can do it better than they can. Many times I observe chiropractors new and old who are in need of help. However, they find it very difficult to let go of their old way of doing things. Clinically speaking, those who are in the know can make assessment or treat-ment suggestions – but those DCs in need tend to revert back to what made them unsuccessful instead of applying new ideas. Those 3,000 new patients I attracted didn’t happen by accident. It came from countless hours of studying, shad-owing and having conversations with the likes of Dr. Ale-jandro Elorriaga, a sports medicine specialist and program director in contemporary medical acupuncture at McMas-ter University, Dr. Andrew Dunn, DC, and Dr. Mark Scappaticci, DC. I was a blank canvas and I modelled myself after what they did until I had matured enough to begin expressing my own individuality. If they recom-mended to do something a certain way – by golly I did it that way. I did not ask questions, or modify the recommen-dation – I did it that way without reservation. So do you really want to be successful? If so, it is essen-tial to listen to those who have accomplished what you aspire to attain. Patient care is a social occupation. It’s a continuous exer-cise in public speaking to an audience of one – your patient. Patients need attention and they need to feel that they are special. One of the greatest compliments a patient ever said to me was that out of the thousands of patients under my care, when they come in for a visit I make them feel like they are my only patient. No matter how good your clinical skills are, if you cannot carry on an interesting social in-teraction with your patient then they may never stick around long enough to realize that you can help them. In plain language, if you are not a good conversationalist, outgoing or personable, then chiropractic may not be for you. But there’s hope: In 1936, Dale Carnegie wrote an award winning book: How To Win Friends and Influence People . In it he outlined key ways we could stand out and, in essence, become more likeable. I have encapsulated the most im-portant points for clinical practice: Be genuinely interested in other people. • Remember names. According to Carnegie, a man’s • name is to him “the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” www.canadianchiropractor.ca Make people like you DR. ANTHONY LOMBARDI, DC, is consultant to athletes in the NFL, CFL and NHL, and founder of the Hamilton Back Clinic in Hamilton, Ont. He teaches his fundamental EXSTORE Assessment System and conducts practice-building workshops to health professionals. Visit exstore.ca for information. 12 Canadian Chiropractor February 2017
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