3 Practical Tips to Bring in More Patients this Week, the Introverted Way
Did you know that 30-50% of people are introverts? But what’s taught about how to grow an acupuncture practice often assumes that you’re an extrovert. The idea of always having to be putting yourself ‘out there’ can feel draining and exhausting. If you are an introvert and want to do less marketing, here are a few practical tips to help you be more effective with attracting patients to the practice.
Tip #1: Have a different way of introducing yourself instead of just saying “I’m an acupuncturist”. I was doing a book signing at an acupuncture conference recently and one acupuncturist came up to me who said “my patients are getting amazing results from this fasting program I’ve developed that has helped many of them get rid of chronic disease”. My ears perked up much more than if he had just said “I’m an acupuncturist”.
Another tip is to adapt what you say to the audience and situation. For example, if he were talking to a potential patient (vs myself who is a healthcare practitioner), it would have been helpful for him to bring up a few examples of chronic diseases. That way, it helps the listener get a better sense of what kind of chronic diseases the fasting program can help with.
Tip #2: Weave stories into your marketing. One of my acupuncturist clients came to me sharing his excitement with me the other day. He said that he followed the strategy I taught him and sent out an email that got him 5 appointment bookings. What contributed to these bookings? He weaved in a wonderful patient story about a patient who hadn’t been in for awhile and who came back recently. It was beautifully written using the Consistent Patients Formula for Introverts structures and he received a great response from his patients.
Do you regularly weave in patient stories and examples, plus even your own personal story and inspiration for what you do into your marketing? Is what you share communicated as if you were talking to another clinician, or is it told in a way that gets anyone without any previous experience with acupuncture excited?
#3 Increase patient retention. Do your patients drop off care once they start feeling better? Or maybe they don’t feel significantly better right away and think that acupuncture doesn’t work? It can feel frustrating because you know you could have helped your patients better if only they stuck with care. If your philosophy is that people would benefit from maintenance acupuncture treatments, your patients need to understand the value of coming back. One simple tip is to say at the end of the visit “this time, we worked on XXX. Next time, we’ll work on XXX”. This gives people context as to why to come back next time. Then get the next visit booked before your patient leaves the clinic.
Do you have a predictable way of marketing your practice to get the phone ringing? What is the most effective way to grow your practice, especially as an introvert? For additional practical tips you can use right away to grow your practice faster, join me on an upcoming free webinar “The Introvert’s Advantage: 3 Secrets to Filling Your Acupuncture Practice with Less Marketing.”
 Bio: Chen Yen, founder of Fill My Holistic Practice (and the Introverted Visionary brand) is an expert at helping acupuncturists grow fulfilling 6 and 7-figure practices in 1/3 of the time it typically takes, without having to do it the exhausting extroverted way. Having grown a 7-figure business herself, Chen believes that it is up to us to integrate the healthcare system and that Chinese medicine and other holistic options should become first line of care in this country. Many people need you–don’t be a best kept secret! For 6 & 7-figure practice makeover tips, go to: http://www.introvertedvisionary.com |
