Beware of Chiropractic Coaching Fraud

By Matthew Loop, DC

Within the last two years I've been a speaker at countless chiropractic seminars and homecomings, and I hear countless horror stories of recent grads and experienced doctors who have been victims of bad chiropractic coaching and useless management consulting. If something sounds like it's really too good to be true, then we have to trust our instincts on these things. When a DC joins one of these useless companies for fear of failure, it can have some serious consequences. There are some real "piranhas" out there that feed on desperate chiropractors, and it's time someone put a stop to it.

If you join a consulting group, make sure they have plenty of value to provide to you rather than just empty promises. Personally, I feel than many are overpriced and are just out to make a buck and could care less about the average chiropractor. I say this because some chiropractic practice consulting groups are using marketing tactics and strategies that died in the 1970's. The world changes periodically, not to mention the people in it, so it's important to find a company that's adaptable to the new ways of marketing and doing business in today's high-tech age.

If you need help from a professional to get your chiropractic practice reaching its ultimate potential, you need to first ask yourself what specific areas need help. You don't need a "blanket remedy" that generally puts more life into your business; you need specific tools that combat your specific problems and concerns. Odds are, you need help with marketing and bringing new patients through your door. These are the most common things. Since your business is probably already in danger of sinking to new lows, you need to get new patients through your door ideally using free marketing strategies. In fact, you not only should you use free marketing strategies, the best strategies available today are absolutely free. You have no reason not to use sites like MySpace and Facebook, which have endless potential for branding yourself and expanding your business in your local area.

When times are rough, it's the innovators and creative marketers that survive and prosper. But if you turn to a chiropractic consultant to show you these cutting-edge methods, you're throwing your money away. None of them are trained or knowledgeable of how to use Web 2.0 and social media to get your business on the fast track to success. And if any of them say they know the best methods and they've been using them for years, you're falling right into a scam!

Here are a few tips to consider when choosing a practice management company. Make sure they have real-life testimonials from previous clients. Secondly, see if they specialize in what you are looking for. You don't want a "jack of all trades, master of none" chiropractic coaching group. If you want to market your practice via the internet, don't choose someone that focuses on screenings are dinner-talks. Lastly, make sure they are adaptable and staying abreast of new trends in the internet and the world. Not only that, be clear that they have an exact, proven strategy to implement them within your practice.

If you want to start advertising today for free online, I recommend you start with YouTube.com, Myspace.com, Wordpress.com, Facebook.com, Digg.com, EzineArticles.com, Free-Press-Release.com, and Twitter.com. This is the very first step to unbelievable success. And it's as simple as a click away.

Now, I could've mentioned about a hundred more, but begin with these ones first. These Web 2.0 sites are free to use and can bring you truckloads of new patients and other sources of income if you learn the basic and advanced strategies of how to harness them. I've noticed that about 95% of the chiropractic profession is still in the dark about how to use social media to blow the doors of their offices.

I'm not saying that every chiropractic consultant is a complete fraud. There are some who deserve their respect and their techniques are proven. When you want to find one that's truly worth their weight in salt, ask your colleagues for recommendations. That way you know you're getting someone who is the real deal. However, make sure they're experienced in today's new and thriving market; otherwise, they're a waste of time and money.

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