How to Become a Successful Chiropractor by Using Public Speaking
PERSPECTIVE
Edward Martin
DC
Are your marketing methods failing to get you known in your city? Do you feel that your marketing doesn't really get the public to know you personally and as a chiropractic expert? Well, you are not the only chiropractor with these kinds of feelings. Many chiropractors tell me that they feel "invisible” to the public. These practitioners have great skills, but their marketing doesn't convince people to trust them.
Let me give you some examples of "invisible” and "visible” marketing. First, invisible marketing leaves you feeling that nobody knows you or trusts your treatment skills. Here, a good example is to try to imagine that people are driving down the street where they see your business sign. Now, besides learning that you are a chiropractor, what else does the public leam about you from this type of marketing? Were they able to get to know you as an expert in your field? Are you still an unknown professional who is basically "invisible” to them?
Let's try to analyze this topic a little deeper. There are many types of marketing and advertising methods that fail to introduce you personally and professionally to the public. People still don't know who you are, and they don't even know if they like and trust you.
This type of impersonal marketing doesn't tell people enough about you, and it will keep you invisible to potential patients. It also will not motivate them to find out more about you and your practice. So we have to change our goal or "marketing mindset.” We will need a more personal and visible approach to our marketing plan. Here, we have to show the public who we are and let them get to know us as trustworthy professionals. In addition, it is important to offer question-and-answer sessions so that people can understand how you plan to solve their chiropractic conditions.
At this point, let me introduce you to a second type of marketing, which is stronger, more personal, and allows you to be very "visible” in your city. This type of marketing is known as "public speaking.” Here, we find that giving speeches is very effective for attracting new patients because of the following reasons:
1. You can give speeches to different groups of people several times per week. Your staff can also be trained to give speeches in your city.
2. Each audience will see you as an expert in your field, and you will be able to answer their questions after your speech. Many groups will give you 15 to 30 minutes to answer their questions after you give your speech. In addition, you will be able to meet and shake hands with many of the audience members.
3. Many successful chiropractors try to give at least two speeches each week. This will result in you giving around 100 speeches in a 12-month period. Some speakers with large goals try to speak 150 to 200 times per year. In addition, you can also have your staff members trained to give speeches in your city. This would include other chiropractors who work in your office, chiropractic assistants, office managers, and secretaries.
4. Chiropractors have the choice of speaking to small and large groups of people. Many speakers have speaking engagements with groups ranging in size from 20 to 500 people. So start with smaller groups and gradually try larger groups of people while you become a more confident speaker. It is also important to expand your speaking engagements to the following kinds of groups, including corporations, associations, conferences, conventions, organizations, schools, and colleges and associations for other kinds of health professionals, as well as attorneys who have the ability to make referrals to you. This will take some effort and rehearsing of different "pitches” to acquire speaking engagements at good "targeted” groups for your speech topic. (Many chiropractors make the mistake of not choosing good "target markets” when they set up their speaking engagements). This is one of the big reasons that their speeches fail to produce good results. Here, you will find that they are wasting their time speaking to groups that are not really interested in their speech topic. It does take a lot of effort and work to find good "target markets,” but it will be worth it when you become a well-known chiropractor. In addition, your employees will help you with a lot of the busy work.
5.If you have a fear of public speaking, you can conquer your fear by practicing in small groups or seminars. Here, it is very important to rehearse "short” parts of your chiropractic speech while you are in front of a small group of people. As you become comfortable with short parts of your speech, you can gradually increase the length of time that you speak in your rehearsal sessions. I usually have chiropractors start by practicing one or two minutes of their speeches, and gradually, we can increase their speaking time as they become more comfortable and slowly increase the number of people whom they speak to in their rehearsal sessions. Traditional public speaking classes fail to help you develop and practice a chiropractic speech that you could start giving in the next few weeks. Instead, they usually have you speak to a large classroom of people about an irrelevant "current event” topic, which will not get you comfortable and ready to give a chiropractic speech in the next three or four weeks. We have to remember that public speaking is one of the most common fears for many people, so we need a smart strategy that can help chiropractors become confident speakers. Then they will be motivated to start giving speeches every week.
6.Start setting a goal of being a "well-known” and "visible” chiropractor in your city. Public speaking can help you become a well-known professional to thousands of people in your city and surrounding areas. Giving speeches can also help you make strong contacts with attorneys, physicians, dentists, and other health professionals who have the ability to send referrals to you. Lastly, speaking on a regular basis will make you a visible and recognized chiropractor whom people want to meet.
7. A few more bonuses that you may attain as a result of giving speeches on a regular basis include being hired for "paid” keynote speeches; receiving high fees for freelance consulting and training jobs in a variety of industries; and receiving many referrals for more speaking engagements and being asked to give seminars and workshops. Overall, you will enjoy being invited to speak locally and nationally at many kinds of events.
8. Let's conclude with one final point that demonstrates the power of public speaking. We will start with a "small” goal of speaking to 100 groups in a year, which would require that you give two speeches each week. Now, if you speak to 100 small groups that have around fifty people in the audience, you will speak to 5,000 people in a year.
So what if you continued to give many speeches every year? Can you imagine the number of potential new chiropractic patients that you might acquire by speaking to 5,000 people each year? Furthermore, when you are speaking to each group, your audience will get to know you, and they will start to trust you. They will also have a chance to ask you questions about their health conditions.
Now, this is just the beginning because you can always decide to get speaking engagements more often with much larger groups. You can also increase the number of speeches you give to the public and to professional organizations that have the potential to send you referrals. Finally, many of your office workers and staff members will also enjoy giving speeches because they will be attracting more patients to your chiropractic practice.
So, stop being "invisible” and choose to be a successful, wellknown chiropractor by using public speaking.
Dr. Edward Martin, DC is a chiropractor, motivational speaker and a public speaking & marketing consultant. Dr. Martin offers public speaking seminars and individual coaching sessions. He also offers coaching sessions on the phone for chiropractors and other professionals around the country. You can contact Dr. Martin at 818-314-2054 or send him a question on his website : www.SuccessWithPublicSpeaking.com
