There are two subjects that are required in order to move potential patients from a “no, I’m not sure that acupuncture can help me,” to “yes, I think that this is the right choice for my healthcare needs.”
Here are the Two Green Lights of Acknowledgement. Green is good, it allows things to flow well and when you have acknowledgement, you have agreement. When you have agreement, you have a new patient.
- Agree or Disagree. The first thing that you need to do is to get your patients to acknowledge and agree that they have a problem. Potential patients often ask what acupuncture is and what it can treat, and acupuncturists ask these potential patients what they have wrong. When asked what you do, or what acupuncture can do, you should answer their questions and then ask if they have had any health problems over the past 5 months.
- I have the answer for you. The next thing you need to do is to get them to realize that you have an answer for their problem(s). The goal is to get them to call you, or best of all, get them to come into your clinic for an evaluation. Once they are in your clinic, it is you goal to get them to stay for more care.
It can go like this:
Potential patient (PP): “Hey, you’re an acupuncturist! Wow, I know so and so, who knows so and so, who has tried acupuncture and it worked really well for them. What does it do?”
You: “That’s wonderful, isn’t it amazing how this ancient form of healthcare can help so many people in so many ways?” Tell me <their name here>, are there any health conditions that you may be concerned about?”
PP: “Well, not really. I feel fine, no problems here!”
You: “That’s great <their name here>. You must be the picture of health. Can I ask you a few questions? Do you sleep well? Do you ever get any headaches? Do you ever get any pain, stiffness or discomfort? Are you stressed out?” If they answer that they feel fine, give them a business card or a brochure that talks about what acupuncture is, and what it can treat, tell them that “it’s wonderful that they feel so well, and if they ever need any care or if you want to know if acupuncture can help with specific symptoms of signs, do not hesitate to contact me, and if they know anyone who may need to get well and stay well, give them my card and have them call me.”
The goal is to try and have them bring up a health condition that they are concerned about. If they do, then:
PP: “Well I have had a few headaches in my time. But no big deal.”
You: “Wow, let me share with you something that I think is important. You may think that headaches <or whatever condition they mention>, are no big deal. But, if you had tooth pain that came and went and came and went, on and off for months, would you ignore it? You may, but, over time, it may manifest into something more severe, like a cavity or worse, or the need for a root canal.”
“Now, I’m trying to change your mind, and I am not saying that your headaches are something to worry about, but if you knew that there might be a way to eliminate your headaches, and potentially detect what may be a small problem now, before it becomes a larger one, wouldn’t you want to know? I may have the answer for you and your health care needs.”
“Well, I invite you to come on in to my clinic so I can take a closer look at your problem. If I were standing in your shoes, I would do everything I could to protect my health before it got any worse. So, what I am offering is…<make an offer they can’t refuse-see our website in Tips and Free Stuff section and look for Health Pass Information>
The goal is to get them to acknowledge that they have some sort of health problem. Once you get them to the “Yes, I do have <headaches, digestive troubles, etc…>,” you then need to get them into your clinic for an evaluation, and eventually for care.
This is all really good stuff, but shouldnt it be under your “free stuff” link instead of on a blog page? LOVE your stuff, checking it out for the first time.