Thursday, January 1, 2009

Beware of Chiropractic Coaching Fraud

By Matthew Loop, DC

Within the last two years I've been a speaker at countless chiropractic seminars and homecomings, and I hear countless horror stories of recent grads and experienced doctors who have been victims of bad chiropractic coaching and useless management consulting. If something sounds like it's really too good to be true, then we have to trust our instincts on these things. When a DC joins one of these useless companies for fear of failure, it can have some serious consequences. There are some real "piranhas" out there that feed on desperate chiropractors, and it's time someone put a stop to it.

If you join a consulting group, make sure they have plenty of value to provide to you rather than just empty promises. Personally, I feel than many are overpriced and are just out to make a buck and could care less about the average chiropractor. I say this because some chiropractic practice consulting groups are using marketing tactics and strategies that died in the 1970's. The world changes periodically, not to mention the people in it, so it's important to find a company that's adaptable to the new ways of marketing and doing business in today's high-tech age.

If you need help from a professional to get your chiropractic practice reaching its ultimate potential, you need to first ask yourself what specific areas need help. You don't need a "blanket remedy" that generally puts more life into your business; you need specific tools that combat your specific problems and concerns. Odds are, you need help with marketing and bringing new patients through your door. These are the most common things. Since your business is probably already in danger of sinking to new lows, you need to get new patients through your door ideally using free marketing strategies. In fact, you not only should you use free marketing strategies, the best strategies available today are absolutely free. You have no reason not to use sites like MySpace and Facebook, which have endless potential for branding yourself and expanding your business in your local area.

When the going gets tough, more creative and strategic marketers will see their businesses not only endure, but flourish during hard times. But the truth of the matter is that there are no chiropractic consultants teaching these important techniques. Not one! If you find a consultant who says they know all the answers and they've been doing it for a long time, they're lying!

Here are a few tips to consider when choosing a practice management company. Make sure they have real-life testimonials from previous clients. Secondly, see if they specialize in what you are looking for. You don't want a "jack of all trades, master of none" chiropractic coaching group. If you want to market your practice via the internet, don't choose someone that focuses on screenings are dinner-talks. Lastly, make sure they are adaptable and staying abreast of new trends in the internet and the world. Not only that, be clear that they have an exact, proven strategy to implement them within your practice.

Here are a few places you can go to today to begin to advertise for FREE on the internet. Go to YouTube.com, Myspace.com, Wordpress.com, Sphinn.com, EzineArticles.com, and Twitter.com. Trust me; you're going to be really happy that you did.

There are so many websites with just as much potential, but these are the best to start with. These sites are totally free, and the marketing power is the strongest in the world today. Within no time, you're going to have countless new patients walking through your door. Not only that, you'll have the opportunity to create multiple streaming income from other sources, only adding to the power of your business.

Just so it is understood, not all chiropractic coaching groups are frauds. There are a select few good ones that have proven themselves and have gained trust and credibility within the profession. Ask around to other colleagues to get honest opinions before you pick a firm. This is a big decision and has the potential to give your practice an incredible jump-start. - 16463

About the Author: