Let’s be honest.  You can have an awesome chiropractic office, a warm and friendly staff and your chiropractic techniques can be “off the charts” wonderful, but some patients might never experience your excellent care if they never get past the initial exam or the report of findings.

Conversion techniques are not usually discussed here because that is a subject that is handled in chiropractic coaching or mentoring sessions.  So just to be clear, this isn’t a tutorial on how to convert a new patient to care during the report of findings.

You see chiropractic marketing is doesn’t end when the new patient comes into the office.  Instead you will actually be building on the marketing used to get that patient to set their appointment.

We can never assume that any new patient has ever been to a chiropractic office before.  Therefore all of your knowledge and recommendations fly right out the window if the patient doesn’t digest all of the information given in the report of findings.

That’s why it’s important to focus on some very basic fundamentals of communication during the initial exam and during the ROF.

Slow down – Speak slowly so the patient can absorb what you are saying and allow them to take notes if they need to.

No Greek Speak – Medical terminology is a foreign language to most people, therefore words like “subluxation” and terms such as L1 or C2 won’t make much sense until you explain them to the patient.  Sometimes visual aids are great.  Something as simple as a clothes pin and drinking straw can communicate the effects of a subluxation.

Make Eye contact – When you are not looking at the patient’s film during the findings, make eye contact with the patient.  This builds trust and authority.

Be Compassionate – You are a doctor and your diploma on the wall is proof, however you are also someone’s child, someone’s spouse and possibly a parent.  So put yourself in their shoes, how would you like to be talked to if you were sitting where they are?

Be Firm, Kind and Confident – If you think animals smell fear wait until you get in a room with a new patient and their spouse who is not so on board with this whole chiropractic thing or the parent who has brought their child for the first time.  Being kind and confident will calm fears and win over the biggest skeptics.

Build Confidence – A lot of times what has been detected in the exam might not have been the reason people have come in for an exam.  This can be stressful for some people that might not have been aware they had serious health issues. This can cause skepticism, disbelief or fear wondering how or if these issues can be fixed and can they afford to begin treatment for these problems.  Some docs like to share the good news before they share the findings, but how or when you decide to let the patient know that their health issues can be address and treated in your office, is up to you.  Just know that encouragement goes along way when people are faced with making big decisions like spending money and committing to the time to come in for the treatment you have recommended.

Have a plan – Let your patient know that a member of your staff has already worked up their specific care plan complete with several payment options based on your findings and that they will be in shortly to explain all of the options and set the appointments.  Having a timeline gives people the confidence they can get through their treatment plan and enjoy a higher quality of life because of the care they receive in your office.

Allow time for questions – You’ve just laid out a lot of information in a short amount of time, make sure you give the patient time to ask their questions.  You might have encountered those patients that have the “deer in the headlight” stare, but once the fog lifts they will have questions.  Reassure them and let them know you will be happy to answer their questions after they’ve had time to think about what you’ve just gone over in your report.