The answers seem to be divided between people who:
Charge high fees and want to put their fees on their website. Their reasoning: They don’t want to waste anybody’s time if their fees are too high. The people with this line of thinking get most of their new patients through referrals anyway. I’m not sure if their website is a major source of new referrals.
Charge low fees and put their fees on their website. Their thinking: by charging lower fees, they’ll get people who are worried about affordability, or price shoppers.
Don’t want to put fees on their website. These acupuncturists seem to want to focus on healing and getting better. Can’t put a price on that, and they want to avoid being a commodity.
All of these acupuncturists have well-reasoned opinions. It seems to depend on your specific situation. I’ll write up something interesting about it on Friday, but I wanted to ask you a question first.
You see, there’s one thing you should add to your website if you possibly can. Testimonials.
So far having testimonials on your site seems to get really, really good results - period. I’m not sure of the specifics yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if having them can more than double your results. So far every acupuncturist I’ve talked to with testimonials is seeing results. I’ve only heard from one acupuncturist who’s not getting patients from his site. It’s not the testimonials though - it was due to a problem with Google.
So, inquiring minds want to know…
Do you have testimonials on your website? Have patients mentioned them to you? And have adding the testimonials made a huge difference for you?
Quick question - do you put your fees on your website?
Most acupuncturists I’ve seen don’t - some people actually use Google Analytics to track how their web visitors look through their site. The “fees” page is often the top exit page for the site - meaning when people see that page, it’s the last page they look at.
It’s possible that when they see the fee, the web visitor decides to make an appointment, and that’s why they stop at the fees page. But it’s far more likely that they decided to look elsewhere.
I haven’t heard from any acupuncturists who have successfully posted fees on their sites, except for a few community acupuncture practitioners. Their fees are obviously lower, so price isn’t going to be as much of an issue.
A little while ago I asked for people’s questions about marketing acupuncture. If you have specific questions about growing a successful practice, please post a comment and I’ll try to answer it. The best question gets a free copy of Try It On Everything.
However, I just found out that the Try It On Everything folks are letting you set your own price. It’s a good video - reminds me a little of The Secret, with more of a documentary style. Check it out - you may be able to use this in your clinic!
I haven’t been writing much lately because my focus has been on a couple of new projects. They’re getting more exciting the closer I am to finishing them. But I’d like to get back in the swing of things by writing for you.
It occurred to me that you may have problems or questions that I’ll answer only by accident. Why not make it happen on purpose?
Lexie Bennetts, L.Ac. of Colorado sent me this (Thanks, Lexie!). I believe this is the first time ever that acupuncture has been given any kind of federal coverage, apart from acupuncture in the military. You can send letters to your senators and representative using AAAOMs fast and easy letter-writing tool.
Don’t stop there. Get your patients, family and friends involved!
The Details
The AAAOM (National Acupuncture Association) is issuing a call to action letter writing campaign in support of HR 646. We are at the forefront of a momentous change in U.S. healthcare, and acupuncture and Oriental medicine is an important part of this crucial transition. In supporting and passing HR646, we are creating a firm foundation for our profession to propel from alternative medicine to mainstream, and we need everyone’s voice to make it happen!
WHAT IS HR 646 AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? [Read more →]
I just wrote about how domain names (web addresses like AcupunctureClinicWebsites.com and Google.com) are commodity products, so there’s no reason to pay more than the minimum.
Unfortunately, if you don’t stand out, people will try to pay YOU the minimum. Everyone can compete on price, and try making up for the lower price by selling more. It’s a horrible way to make a living.
So how can you stand out? Here’s a few ways:
Specialize.
I’ve already written about this, but specialization almost always justifies a higher price and commands more respect. The only downside is if you’re excluding too many patients who aren’t seeking your specialization – especially if you live in a sparsely populated area.
Your Message.
A message that resonates with people gets attention. It could be as simple as giving a talk at an organic grocery store, and saying “If you’re buying organic food, why wouldn’t you want organic medicine?” There’s always a way to make people think. Find it.
Patient Experience
Pay attention to all parts of your patient’s experience. Paying attention to small details makes people think. Dan Clements at Alternative Health Practice.com talks about doing this with quarters.
http://alternativehealthpractice.com/2008/05/the-unexpected-joys-of-great-service.html
Have an Enemy
Controversy gets attention. Having a shared enemy bonds you with your patients. Many patients try acupuncture after being severely disappointed with the Western model of medicine. Why not explain just why they were disappointed by drug therapies and surgery?
Personality
I know quite a few acupuncturists that succeed mainly through their force of personality. Some are people persons. Some are not. But all of them convey excellence and that the patient is in good hands.
Second – GoDaddy has no problem with seizing your property (domain name), then charging $200 or more to let you tell them why they should return your property. If there’s any question at all about your website – fairness goes out the window. As GoDaddy’s head attorney notes:
Jones pointed out that GoDaddy’s terms of service say the company “reserves the right to terminate your access to the services at any time, without notice, for any reason whatsoever.”
Avoid GoDaddy and Register.com at all costs – because they’ll cost you.
So what’s the alternative? I personally like namecheap.com. They offer domain names at a good price, and you can always search for “Namecheap coupon” to get a further discount. Also, they’ll offer you one year of privacy for free.
What would you be keeping private? Well, every domain has contacts for administrator, technical, registrant and billing. Usually all four are the same – and they include your email address. Of course, there are automated programs to scan your domain contacts, and save your email address for spamming!
(This is one of the main ways that your email address can be collected for spamming. Another good way to get spammed is to put your email address on your website, instead of using a contact form.)
Namecheap’s privacy after the first year is just $3 or so a month. GoDaddy charges about $11, and they make it darn near impossible to remove. You MUST remove GoDaddy’s privacy registration before you can choose another registrar – they probably make this difficult on purpose.
Be aware – don’t be overcharged by something you don’t quite understand. Pay the right price for your domain name!
Here’s a great idea from Jeffery Grossman of Acupuncture Media Works. Dan Clark of Lotus Spring Acupuncture has been using this with success. Anyone else?
Here’s what Jeffery says:
Acupuncture Happy Hour sessions are 20-minute ear acupuncture treatments, for $20, given in a group setting. I started doing it for a few reasons.
1) It’s a great way to show people how quickly acupuncture can reduce stress and anxiety and,
2) It’s a great way to break the “I never had acupuncture and am afraid of needles” ice.
The first time I held an Acupuncture Happy Hour, 6 people showed up and 3 of them opted for further treatments! With such a great return I decided to do one the next day. This time 10 people showed up and 4 of them opted for more care.
So, in two days, just by putting out flyers and not much more than that, I got 7 new patients. Not bad for a few hours of business canvassing with flyers.
Here’s what I did:
I created a flyer (we have a few promotional templates on our site)
I went to local businesses within walking distance and told them about the event and invited them over
I asked local businesses if I could place a few flyers near their cash register where they would easly be seen
I had a local massage therapist stop by to give chair massages
I had the Acupuncture and Stress PowerPoint playing in the treatment room
Everyone left with a special envelope including a few friends and family health passes, top 8 reasons to try acupuncture bookmark, and the referral stimulators. Having your de-stressed patients spread the word is a sure way to long-term referrals.
Through education, marketing and holding an Acupuncture Happy Hour you will be able to help shift that paradigm and provide a calmer, more peaceful world, one patient at a time!
Yours in health, practice growth and a stress-less world.
This is from an Arizona based acupuncturist. If you know anyone looking to practice in Arizona, please leave a comment and I’ll put you in touch. If you think you’ll ever want to sell your practice, you may want to read her questions. They’re pretty good:
“I am looking to sell my acupuncture and herbal medicine practice, due to my spouse’s relocation to another state for work. Since I have not bought or sold a practice before, I don’t know how to decide what it’s worth. I don’t own a building, so in essence what I am selling is my patient records. Questions I have include the following: [Read more →]
Just a quick note… I recently had a website client email me to tell me that she’s closing her clinic so she won’t need a website anymore.
I woke up in the middle of the night with a realization. I blew it. Here’s why:
If you have a clinic, it’s actually worth money to someone other than yourself. If you move, you can sell or even GIVE your patients to another acupuncturist. Especially one just starting out. Some established acupuncturists would want to help your patients a few days a week.
Most medical, chiropractic and dental practice sales are often based on a certain price per patient file. Current patients are worth far more than inactive patients. Sometimes the inactive patients are thrown in for free. Other times it’s based on earnings/cash flow.
If you’re thinking about moving or closing your clinic, PLEASE share or sell your patients to another acupuncturist. You’ll be doing the new acupuncturist a favor, your patients a favor, and even yourself a favor! I’ll help you do this for free, just contact me.
Mason McClellan and Amy Galvan are both acupuncture students who aren’t licensed yet. But they already have patients!
Mason is in partnership with his wife Sandra. Mason and Sandra set up their website months before, and share space with a chiropractor. On their first day of seeing patients, they saw one private patient and one that followed them from the school clinic. They sold a package so the day’s revenue was $880. Not bad for a first day! Congrats, you two!
Amy Galvan sent me some emails, that frankly, read as one big testimonial for my books. So I’m slightly embarrassed to show you them. But I’m impressed because I never thought of building your practice LONG before graduating from school… So I’ll share some excerpts where she’s taking action in hopes they inspire other students: [Read more →]
I’ll admit it. I can be very blunt. I have to work at diplomacy, instead of just saying what I have to say. Sometimes people appreciate directness, other times it can get me in trouble.
Today I think I’ll get in trouble. I might as well have fun with it, so here goes.
I don’t like most doctors much as a professional group. They mean well, but for such educated people, they’re surprisingly ignorant. Most of what they know and apply on a daily basis has been literally brainwashed into them by drug company reps.
You think I’m exaggerating, don’t you? I’m not, and I have proof.
That article shows exactly how doctors are manipulated - including brainwashing. You may be surprised to know that the Chinese are the best at brainwashing in the world. What they’ll do is subtly reinforce views by having someone write or explain something that they don’t believe in. The brainwashing technique in the article is that of the drug rep playing dumb and having a doctor explain research to them.
I’ve talked to a doctor about other parts of the article. The drug companies buy and aggregate prescription data from pharmacies so they actually know exactly how many prescriptions each doctor is writing, and for what brand.
If they don’t like the doctor’s prescribing habits, they can have a talk with them.
One doctor told me she finds it “creepy”, and “can’t believe this isn’t illegal.”
Doctors also are required to have ongoing education. Guess who provides the education for free? The drug companies, of course.
So why am I mentioning all this? Simply because Western medicine and the drug companies have a monopoly on the minds of the public. Health care is OWNED by Western medicine.
Even worse, the drug companies have a monopoly on the minds of doctors. Drugs are the only solution. I’ve talked to several doctors about this, and they’re not really happy with their ability to treat people.
Acupuncturists, on the other hand are universally happy with their ability to treat people. Even so, you as an acupuncturist, are nearly a nobody when it comes to health care. The public thinks of you as a last resort.
This is beyond retarded.
As an acupuncturist, you work with the human body’s self-healing abilities, which have been developed over millions of years of evolution (or by God, if that’s your belief). However, the public trusts doctors, and by proxy, drug companies more than their own self-healing abilities, and your ability to promote healing.
I keep on having discussions with acupuncturists and other health professionals about the need to put Western Medicine in perspective. Dan Clements over at AlternativeHealthPractice.com compares it to negative campaigning. It’s building yourself up at the expense of someone else.
I see how he could think that way. About 2/3rds of the acupuncturists I’ve talked to agree with him. They would prefer not to mention Western medicine at all.
But the fact is, there’s a huge downside to drug-based Western medicine, that few know about. Patients don’t really understand that all healing has to come from within – their body’s self-healing abilities. They don’t understand that most drugs only treat the symptoms and don’t cure anything. They also don’t understand that all drugs have side effects.
So when you talk to patients about healthcare, remember, you’re actually fighting a monopoly. You do need to be able to explain what true healing is, why your technology works even when modern drug technology doesn’t. (You do use technology to help people. Read the definition.) It also helps when you talk about Oriental medical concepts in a way that doesn’t alienate patients. I cover all this extensively in my book, with a lot more diplomacy.
I’ve been talking with Chris Kresser, who writes articles for his site, The Healthy Skeptic. He’s a very interesting guy. Completed the pre-med requirements, then actually talked to doctors about what it’s like to be one. What he heard horrified him so much that becoming an acupuncturist instead!
Chris has made some good points lately about how it’s not doctors that are the problem, it’s drugs and the drug companies.
Obviously, it won’t work to go around telling doctors they’ve been had. Or telling them they don’t really know what they’re doing how to help people heal. So what’s your approach to working with doctors? How do you educate them about yourself without being threatening?
Also, how do you fit yourself in your patient’s minds so they consider you as a viable alternative to Western Medicine? A first resort instead of a last resort? I have my own ideas outlined in my book, but there’s more than one way to do things.
The best part is, it’s passive income. She’s setting up things once, but will be paid for them with almost no ongoing work. She provides a valuable service by sharing her expertise and recommending products/services that will help her website visitors.
The book, Never Market Again is simply the best way to get more patients. No need to sell or spend a lot of money - your current patients will bring you new patients, guaranteed!
The second best way is to have a website. Just one or two patients will pay for the site for a full year. Since most sites get that many a month, it pays for itself, and then some.
Usually you'll have to pay hundreds of dollars to have one set up, then pay $10 a month. Even then, it costs money to make changes, add photos, or generally make your website fit you.
