Chiropractic practices that use a lot of brochures, enjoy a lot of new patients. Yet, there is a sizable number of chiropractors who either don't know how to use brochures or are irrationally constrained from exploiting their brochure rack because of a handful of myths or false beliefs.
Turns out, there are a sizable number of chiropractors who believe that handing out brochures to patients is self-serving, egotistical, unprofessional or a desperate act of someone who can't deliver the goods. So he or she must resort to pandering and cheap promotional schemes to get new patients.
Nothing could be further from the truth. But if you believe that, you'll virtually ignore your brochure rack, your practice won't have the significance you crave and you'll merely limp along, barely surviving rather than abundantly thriving. All this because of your wrongheaded beliefs about those colored pieces of paper in the Plexiglas compartments hanging on the wall of your reception room! Here are the most significant myths and some new ways to think about patients and brochures. There are seven of them:
The Patients-Don't-Need-Brochures Myth
I know. Your consultation is spellbinding. Your examination is jaw dropping. Your report of findings are mesmerizing. And your adjusting skills are legendary. Thus, it can be assumed that patients are able to make a compelling case for chiropractic care without any visual aids.
Wrong.
If you have the courage, ask a couple of patients how they describe chiropractic to others. And if you're brave enough, ask them how they'd explain how chiropractic could help someone with stomach problems or some other visceral or organic health problem. The blank expressions or pathetic gurgling you hear coming from their mouths should cure you of this wrong-headed notion instantly. Sure, giving patients brochures can enhance the referral process, but you actually help patients from feeling inadequate. Your patient brochures can solve an embarrassing problem for patients. Patients need brochures to support their decision to consult your office. Then there's the popular...
The Patients-Don't-Read-Brochures Myth
It's true. Some patients won't read them. But think about it. Why should they? They're already receiving chiropractic care. They're sold. They're showing up just as you asked. Your brochures are for people you haven't met-people that patients know, but you don't. Yet.
So sure, you may find some of your brochures in your parking lot. Or they'll be pitched onto the backseat of their car. No problem. Because it's a numbers game. Some of your new patient "seeds" will fall on rocky soil or be eaten by the birds. But others will land on fertile soil and produce a 10-, 30- or 100-fold return. Naturally, it's impossible to know where each one will land or who, if anyone, it will reach once it leaves your office. That's not your concern. There's a simple method of increasing the likelihood of them reaching their intended target, which I'll cover in a moment. But your responsibility is merely to faithfully broadcast seeds. Then, there's...
The Brochures-Are-Expensive Myth
Frankly, this is a stretch, but I meet chiropractors who do the math and wince a bit when they compute the per unit cost of a brochure.
Ironically, this belief is often held by chiropractors who squander hundreds of dollars on ineffective yellow page listings, have an expensive website they rarely even mention to patients or practically "give away" their care by belonging to HMOs. These are the same chiropractors who go to the Warehouse Club and buy a lifetime supply of maraschino cherries or the institutional sized container of olive oil-both of which will spoil long before they're used.
When you consider how much energy goes into researching, writing, designing and producing brochures, they're quite a bargain. Especially when you buy in bulk. While usually sold in packages of 50, most of us who supply brochures to the chiropractic profession extend discounts when you buy 200 brochures or more. This can lower the cost to less than 30¢ apiece. How many chiropractic "seeds" at 30¢ each would you need to distribute to manifest a new patient? Twenty? Fifty? Whatever number you choose, when you consider your case average, it's an incredible return on your investment.
Turns out not handing out brochures is what make them expensive! And if you're like many chiropractors, you have closets, cupboards and drawers bursting with them. Now, if you're not hoodwinked by this one, you're probably crippled by this one:
The I-Don't-Know-What-to-Say Myth
This brilliant showstopper virtually guarantees your brochures become tired and dog-eared and your rack rarely needs replenishment. It's a convenient excuse that keeps your practice from assuming its fullest potential.
While I'm loath to supply a script, only because it invites the same problem you've had with other scripts (they don't work, they're not authentic, it's not me, etc.), here are some words that you could say while reaching for, say, a headaches brochure or some other symptomatic-oriented brochure from your rack and handing it to the patient:
"Hey, this month we're trying to help as many people with headaches as we can. If you know someone plagued by frequent headaches, I hope you'll send them our way. Or have them come along with you on a future visit. And if they live in some other town, we'll use our referral directory and find them a great chiropractor."
If you aren't creative enough to put this simple message into your own words, it could mean you're using your creativity to imagine the worst-case scenario: patient rejection, where the patients says, "No thanks."
Now remember, you're not asking them to hog tie their friend and bring them in or even asking them to divulge the name of a headache sufferer! You're merely making a friendly suggestion and handing them a piece of folded paper. Zero risk. Which often prompts brochure myth number five.
The Patients-Will-Reject-Me Myth
The fear of rejection is a mighty thing. It stopped us from asking that pretty girl to the high school dance and it helps keep your practice modest and unthreatening.
Look at it from the patient's point of view. It's simply easier to take your brochure than concoct an excuse and create some drama. Nevertheless, many chiropractors won't even get near their brochure rack for fear that by acting on their desire to spread the chiropractic message, they'll feel the same feelings they felt when they were rebuffed back in high school.
If this fear has you in bondage, you just need a rejection line or two ready to go so you can save face. My guess is that you'll never need them. But be prepared so you can put this unfounded concern behind you. Here are a couple of ways of responding if patients won't take the brochure you offer them:
"Darn! I bet my buddy I could handout 25 of these today. Are you sure?"
"Oh come on. These brochures don't do anyone any good in this rack."
"Do I have to grovel? I always get so embarrassed when I beg."
"Did I mention it's free?
"I'm only asking because our million dollar ad campaign isn't working."
"Just do what my wife does. Throw it over your shoulder into the back seat when you get out to your car."
Have some fun. After all these are just brochures! Another common myth about brochures is...
The Handing-Out-Brochures-Exploits-Patients Myth
You beast you, preying upon poor, defenseless patients to do your bidding and grow your practice. How could you? Imposing like that. And for your own personal gain to boot. How self-serving! Okay, a bit over the top, but you get the idea.
If this myth has constrained you, then you're overlooking a critical detail. By making it more difficult for patients to refer others, you deny them the profound joy of helping someone else. That's the right. By not using your brochure rack, you're making it more difficult for patients to taste the same high-octane fuel that motivates you! By being stingy with your brochures, patients lack the reminder, the language, the tool and the personal satisfaction that comes from helping others by telling them about the best kept secret in health care.
Shame on you. If you want to change the world, make it easier for patients to change their world. And finally there's...
The Handing-Out-Brochures-Is-a-Sign-of-Lack Myth
I'm not sure where this wrongheaded idea comes from. Perhaps from the same place that the "If-You're-a-Good-Businessperson-You're-a-Poor-Adjuster" myth comes from. Or the "All-I-Have-to-Do-Is-Hang-Out-a-Sign-and-Patients-Will-Appear" myth. Apparently, so the thinking goes, if you have to do anything to promote chiropractic or your practice, you must not be a very good chiropractor.
So, while you're at it, make your telephone number unlisted, remove any practice signage, get rid of your business cards and go back to chiropractic college. Because as we all know, if you have to promote yourself, you must not be very good.
Need I go on? If any of these seven myths about brochures strikes a responsive chord, and my explanation hasn't lifted its emotional charge, I strongly recommend that you investigate EFT, Emotional Freedom Technique, NET, Neuro Emotional Technique or a similar approach that will help you be more resourceful when interacting with your brochure rack.
What to Say and Do
Okay, with this background established, let's hand out some brochures! Here's a simple seven-step process:
Step one is to have a supply of brochures on hand. You don't necessarily need a brochure rack; you just need some brochures that are largely congruent with your philosophy. Tragically, this is where many chiropractors will refuse to present professionally created brochures that are perfect... except for say, one word! Now certainly that's your choice, but this level of dogmatism is largely lost of patients. Ultimately, you have to decide if a brochure has to reflect your practice 100% or whether you can tolerate a brochure that comes close-especially if the nuance would be likely lost on a layperson.
Additionally, make sure your brochures feature color pictures, which makes them more believable. And be certain they are written at the 8th grade reading level, or lower, so they're easy to read.
Step two is to know your brochures. If you're like many practitioners, you bought your original stash of brochures years ago and keep reordering them without reading them in light of what your practice is today. So, go on a field trip to your reception room, or wherever you keep your brochures and reread them. While you're at it, identify the most important sentence or photo caption in each brochure. I'll explain why in a minute.
Step three is to commit to handing out a certain number of brochures per day and who in the office is going to do it. Many chiropractors start with three-a-day. If you could get into the habit of handing out three brochures a day, in a month or two you're sure to see a measurable up tick in the number of new patients. But to hand them out, they need to be handy. If you have a brochure rack, it may be in the wrong place. Or maybe you need a reception room brochure rack and an adjusting room brochure rack.
Step four is important. Track who you've given brochures to. Use some address labels and make a list of the 10 or so brochures you intend to give out with a little check box in front of each title. Stick it on their travel card or some other document you see on each visit. Systematizing this simple procedure will pay huge dividends and avoid the embarrassment of, "Hey, you gave me that brochure last week!"
Step five is the actual reaching for the brochure and what you say in the process. You remember how we did it with the headaches brochure. Here's another approach. This time using a brochure about children and chiropractic. It could go something like this:
"I'm so delighted chiropractic care is working for you. Did you know chiropractic works even better and faster for children? Maybe you know a child (or grandchild) that we could help that would avoid some of the long-standing problems we often see in adults. And if they live in another town, we'll consult our referral directory."
You may have noticed the reference to someone in another town, in both this and the previous headache example. That's to communicate that you're interested in helping others, not necessarily yourself. If you're constrained from handing out brochures because you're afraid it will be seen as self-serving, adding the out-of-town reference will avoid most of this irrational guilt.
Step six is to open the brochure while you're explaining your interest in helping others and underlining or highlighting the most important sentence or photo caption, closing the brochure. And...
Step seven is to write the person's name on the cover that you want the brochure to get to. Now, if the patient doesn't reveal the name of someone they know who complains of headaches or has a child or whatever, write your patient's name of the cover. This critical step transfers brochure ownership. Since you've wisely imprinted your practice information on the back cover, it's your brochure. For a better likelihood of it reaching its intended target, write someone else's name on the cover. Oh, and then be sure to give the brochure to the patient!
And that's it. If you have a brochure rack, you're sitting on a gold mine of new patient possibilities. But to do their job, they must leave your office and get out into your community. And your currently active patients can do that, and will do that, if you'll just remove it from your brochure rack and hand it to them.
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