Attract More Patients: Master the Art of Public Speaking

Are you having trouble finding new chiropractic patients? Incorporating public speaking into your marketing plan might be just what you need.

Think about how many new patients you could attract if you gave 100 speeches each year. For example, let's say you spoke twice per week to different groups with between 50 to 100 people in the audience. This would give you exposure to anywhere between 5,000 to 10,000 potential new patients each year.

The people in each audience would see you as an authority figure in your field. And because most groups will allow you to speak between 30 to 60 minutes, you would have enough time to gain their trust and answer many of their questions.

Common Barriers

Now, if public speaking is such a great marketing method, what do you think is the No. 1 reason most chiropractors don't use public speaking? Actually, there are two reasons:

1. The fear of speaking in public is one of the most common fears people experience.
2. Most people have never been told public speaking is an extremely effective marketing method for attracting new patients. So, they've never looked into using public speaking as a strong marketing tool.

But let's not focus on the why not; let's focus on the why and how. There are "five" important elements you will need if you want to use public speaking successfully to grow your practice:

1. A Specific Goal or Reason

For example, you might have a goal of attracting 100 patients each year as a result of giving speeches. You might want to earn an extra 100,000 dollars in the next 12 months. Each chiropractor might have a different goal, which is fine. Determine your goal, and be specific.

2. A Slow and Safe Way to Practice Your Speeches

This requires practicing or rehearsing very short speeches in small groups. As you become comfortable with one- or two-minute speeches, you will have the confidence to try longer speeches.

It is also important to rehearse in small groups and "gradually" try speeches in larger groups. Traditional public speaking classes make the mistake of putting a new speaker in front of a large group of people for 15-30 minutes. This is the reason such classes have a very high dropout rate. It is much more effective to practice public speaking in small groups that allow each person to develop public speaking skills at their own pace.

In addition, it is critical to practice speeches that will attract new patients to your office. Many traditional public speaking classes also make the mistake of having you practice speeches about current events. This type of rehearsing will not prepare you to give important speeches about chiropractic topics.

3. The Intention or Willingness to Speak on a Regular Basis

To give between 50 and 150 speeches each year, you will need to commit to giving a specific number of speeches each week. Keep in mind that in order to be motivated to give many speeches each year, you must be sure you have a specific goal you want to achieve (see #1 above). You also have to get used to giving speeches in a slow and safe way (#2 above). If either of these factors is missing, you will not be willing to make a strong effort to find many speaking engagements.

So, start setting specific goals you want to achieve and determine how many speeches you will need to give in order to achieve your goals.

4. The Business Side of Public Speaking

I'm talking about your need to think about strategies that will make your speeches more profitable. To do that, start thinking about the following questions:

• Where should I speak?
• What kinds of groups do I want to speak to?
• Should I speak to certain kinds of associations, corporations, organizations, conferences, conventions, colleges, churches, government groups, different industries, nonprofit organizations, associations and organizations for different kinds of professionals, etc.?
• Does my speech topic interest the kinds of groups that I am trying to contact?
• Why should different groups want to hear my speech?

It is extremely important to develop a smart business plan for attaining profitable speaking engagements. This is also the point that you will determine if your speeches are producing: referrals, more new patients, consulting jobs, requests for you to speak at different groups and great business contacts.

5. The Decision to Incorporate Public Speaking Into Your Marketing Plan

This is where you commit to either use public speaking or not use public speaking in your marketing plan. At this point, you will have to be honest with yourself and decide if you are "really" going to look for speaking engagements.

If you only give a few speeches in a 12-month period, then it is obvious that you have made the decision to only "dabble" in public speaking. But if you give 100 speeches in your first year or two, you will soon discover that public speaking is a powerful marketing tool for your chiropractic practice.

An Extra Tip: Stick With It!

If you decide to start giving speeches, be sure to use this marketing tool for at least six months. Many chiropractors try to give speeches for one or two months and then quit. Public speaking, like other types of marketing, takes some time to figure out what works and what doesn't work. So, make the decision today to become a more successful and well-known chiropractor by using public speaking.