Dr. Perry Nickelston is a Chiropractic Sports Physician and Clinical Director of The Pain Laser Center, LLC in Ramsey NJ. He is Vice President of Practice Development and Sales for K-LaserUSA. World leader in high power Class 4 therapy lasers.
Lasers are a hot buzzword now. For the next few years laser therapy will appear high-tech to patients. They will be seeking this treatment option and you better be ready to offer it to them or somebody else will. You can enhance this process by branding your practice as cutting edge and state-of-the-art. Lasers help move your practice to a higher quality, volume and fee structure. Internal and external marketing will become much easier with the right laser therapy device.
Practice differentiation is as important as specialization in this era where consumers are provided with more healthcare choices than ever before. Successful practices stand out from the crowd through continual enhancement of the ‘business’ model by providing new and innovative services that the competition does not. How do you set yourself apart from the pack? To be successful in the real world, you need to have business smarts and marketing know how to attract clients to your services.
Among the challenges today are more competition, managed care, cheap tight fisted insurance companies and corporate downsizing mentality. Successful doctors quickly learn how to play the business game better. They formulate a marketing plan for success and don’t allow anyone to derail them. Rarely do they waiver in the face of adversity. They are not more talented, but rather more consistent. They lock onto success with inventive income generating solutions, offering value patients are willing to pay for. Implementing what I call “The Fab Five” is a key foundation to your marketing strategy.
1.Free Laser Day
The first promotion you run to integrate laser therapy into your office with a sonic boom is Free Laser Day. “In House” laser day is offered to existing patients and their friends and family members only. This makes it appear even more special to patients because they get the first opportunity to use this new technology. Believe me; patients remember these little things. How does it work? Create special flyers announcing the event and give one/mail one to all of your existing and inactive patients. Offer them a “Free Laser” treatment. Play up the event like a Grand Opening celebration. I guarantee if you will get at least 5-10 new laser therapy clients out of this promotion.
2.Open Clinic Night
This is a similar concept to in-house ‘Healthcare Classes” doctors use to educate potential patients about your services. If you already offer this class (good for you), now simply replace one or two of your classes per month with a “Laser Open Clinic Night”. The entire night is devoted to laser therapy. Do not mention other therapies, there will be plenty of time for that when they become your patient. Give a small presentation, offer refreshments and one FREE Laser therapy session. If you have the right laser device, they will experience an improvement from just one session. It’s what we in laser therapy call “The Wow Factor.” There is no print advertisement as powerful as a first hand ‘Wow’ experience with laser therapy.
3.Unique Marketing Messages
Lasers give you a competitive advantage by creating a unique selling proposition -“USP”. Every successful company in every business has a USP, something that makes it appealing above all others. I like to think of a USP in another way, as your “Unique Marketing Message” (UMM). That’s really what this is all about, marketing your services and getting patients in the front door. You can’t heal them if they don’t come to see you, right? A Unique Marketing Message for laser therapy should clearly state who you are, what problems you solve, what solutions you provide, what benefits you offer, what results you produce, what guarantee you give and what is unique and special about your particular service. Positioning is the foundation on which you will build your practice. What is your business identity? Imagine being the only pain relief laser center in your area? Now that’s unique.
4.Niche a Niche
The first rule of marketing success is not to market your service to everyone. Pick a niche. According to Webster’s Dictionary a niche is ‘a position or activity that particularly suits somebody’s talents and personality or that somebody can make his or her own.’ This is a major key to marketing success. Your service becomes more desirable. People want to buy things made just for them…that solve their unique problems. Your name spreads rapidly. People in groups talk! If you’re good and you provide services for a specific niche, your name will travel fast. It becomes easier and less expensive to prospect. Most niches have a list of members or list of people. Instead of spending money on mass marketing, you can spend the money on getting your message to just the right people in your niche who want to hear your message. Some examples include: shoulder injuries, knee pain, sports injuries, carpal tunnel, etc. Pick one and master it, then move onto the next. It's that simple.
5.Public Speaking
Public speaking is the ‘Secret Weapon” to building a professional business. It will be one of the most important things to do with your success in your lifetime. It will allow you to achieve your purpose and help as many people as possible. Fancy “Yellow Page” ads cannot compare to the close personal connection established with potential clients at a lecture/workshop. That connection builds trust and trust builds your practice.
Your main job in public speaking is to get new patients, and sell laser therapy treatments in your office. It’s not just about educating people. It’s about building a successful practice. Booking speaking events about laser therapy will be easy because it is a new and exciting technology that patient’s want to learn more about. Unfortunately, most doctors don’t implement this strategy out of fear. The fear of public speaking is ranked higher than the fear of death. Use this fear to your advantage. Most doctors will be too afraid to implement this strategy, so the market will be all yours. Everything in life you desire lies just outside your comfort zone. The quickest way to overcome any fear is by action. Do the thing you fear the most and the death of fear is certain
You have to sell yourself and your services; otherwise you go out of business. Resenting promotion is one of the greatest obstacles to success. People who have issues with selling and promotion are usually broke. How can you create a large income in your own business if you aren’t willing to let people know you, your product, or your service? What you see, you remember; what you do, you understand. The key to success is action! Doing “The Fab Five” guarantees you laser marketing success. So get out there and just do it!
Dr. Nickelston is clinical director of The Pain Laser Center in Ramsey, NJ and is VP of Practice Development for K-Laser, USA. He can be contacted at 1-866-595-7749 Ext. 102 or website www.k-laserusa.com.
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