GETTING MORE CHILDREN CHECKED AND UNDER REGULAR CARE By Keith Wassung I have found that one of the critical keys to getting people to do what you want them to do (for their own best interests of course) is to position the new action or behavior in a way in which THEY think it was their idea all along. This is applicable not only in all aspects of a Chiropractic practice (from scheduling new patients, to getting families checked, to showing up for new patient orientations, for accepting care and referrals) but in all areas of life. Once you grasp this concept, you can move away from trying to move people to your way of thinking to where you lead them down a path of self-discovery and then arrive at the ideal destination on their own. They are less likely to have second thoughts or be susceptible to the opinions of others (usually well-intentioned but misinformed family and friends) This thread will take this concept and use it to show how to dramatically increase the number of kids you are checking and adjusting in your practice. SCENARIO Missy comes into your office as a new patient. You do a careful consultation and case history (I feel the CH is one of the MOST overlooked elements of the new patient process--more on that later) You are asking the right questions and in the right order. Missy is doing the talking and each answer, you follow it up with another question ( this is how you take a pain patient to a subluxation patient, but again, more on that later) You ask the questions and then LISTEN--with great intensity--NOT thinking about your next words, but really focusing on what Missy is saying and why she is saying it. NOTHING will build trust faster than focused listening. You finish up the consultation/CH and you have developed some trust and rapport with Missy---just by listening---your follow-up questions have shown her that you are listening to her ever word. (One of the biggest patient complaints about all doctors is THEY DON’T LISTEN TO ME) You look down at the intake sheet (which you carefully reviewed before even going into the room) and you know Missy has two children. You are done with the CH and are about to begin the exam, but before you do that, you open up her intake form to the page where lists her children and you say Missy (or Mrs/Ms) I see you have two children, may I ask you a few questions about your kids? You always ask permission--even though she has gained trust in you and even though you signed a form--Missy is NOT there for her kids---she is there for Missy--and no matter how well intentioned your motives are--if you go off a track about kids and Chiropractic---it can be perceived as bit….pushy. But...by asking permission…you defuse that perception. and Missy (out of pure curiosity) will say, Yes go ahead You ask Missy how important is it for your kids to have a strong, well-functioning Immune System. (We ask about Immune System because it is a tangible, people know there is a problem with kids immune health, they are searching online, they know about the peanut allergies and all of the other things--one of the fastest fields of publishing is on kids immune system boosting---they know there is a problem so when you ask them this---you have their ears and interest. Misy will replay That is very important Doctor X (and she may even explain her concerns, peanut allergies, etc) Let her talk without interrupting--does not matter what she says as long as she affirms the importance (and have never met a parent who didnt) You say Missy, I am glad to hear you feel that way about your kids…….One more question……pause……How comfortable are you that you (or you and your husband/spouse) are doing everything there is to do to ensure your kids have a strong and well-functioning immune system? DO NOT say ARE YOU DOING EVERYTHING, because that is a confrontational statement, asking are you comfortable---gives them some comfort/wiggle room that will lead them to the right decisions. Normally you get a blank, state for a few seconds--and then she will saying….:well, we try to eat good, lots of vegetables, exercise…….and she will eventually run out of things to say…..but she has never really thought about her kids and their immune system in terms of a total strategy..so it makes her reflect and be open to some new ideas. One she has finished speaking…… you ask (quietly) Missy, is that something you would like to talk more about----not now, maybe in a few days. I have never had them say NO. never, and I have had the same dialogue in many other places besides an exam/consultation room. You say great, I will get back to you on that---do the exam, schedule the report visit. At the report visit, (and the spouse should be there--and we can cover how to get them to have their spouse there on another thread, but you use the same concept of making them think it was their idea all along.) After her Report is complete and she has accepted the plan. You say Missy, do you have a few minutes to talk about your kids immune system? And they will say sure, and in some cases, they say --I was looking forward to that as much as my own report. Take 2-3 minutes and walk them through a couple of key concepts including: The modern birth process Birth related subluxations CNS/Immune System development Crawling and Immune System Function The role of symptoms in health How Subluxations affect the development of the Immune System (slideshare.net/keithwassung1/chiropractic-and-childrens-immune-system) You are asking questions and getting them to fill in the answer---The Chiropractic message is like a big box containing a jigsaw puzzle, they have all of the pieces, but they have never quite put it all together and seen the big picture. Our job is to help them put the pieces together. Once the conversation is completed--you say, Missy, Bill (spouses name, etc) Does all of this make sense to you? they say yes YOU: So Bill, Missy, in YOUR OPINION, do YOU THINK it would be a good idea to get your kids spines checked for subluxations I have never heard a NO Schedule the appointment. The real key to developing a huge referral pipeline network is to teach people how to refer, why to refer and then equip them with the tools to refer---and you always position it in a way that they think it was their idea all along. https://vimeo/107839264
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 13:05:37 +0000