Toot Your Own Horn!

The importance of self-promotion is the topic of the opening chapter of the book Guerilla Publicity.  And while it is critical to success in business, I must admit that I have a problem with promoting myself.  I am almost embarrassed when I have to write a promotional piece for some educational tool, pamphlet, book or booklet that I’ve written.  When I look at our profession’s great self-promoters, I see materials and services that are not nearly as good as FACE’s, but that sell millions.  People speak all over the world because they ask to be put on programs.  I have never done that.  I figure if people think my books and materials are good, they will buy them.  If they think I am a good speaker, they will ask me to speak.  People tell me I am modest to a fault.  Nowhere is being modest to a fault more obvious then in building a practice.

I like to think that people are attracted to humble people, that they refer people to those who are good technicians and those who understand and explain the philosophy of chiropractic well.  But these are not a substitute for strong, blatant self-promotion.  Nothing takes the place of yelling from the rooftops that you’re the best chiropractor in town and everyone should come to your office.  It’s great to promote chiropractic but I have found that most people who come to my office come because of me (or one of my associates) rather than because of how great chiropractic is.  After all, almost every person who comes into our office passes at least one other chiropractor along the way there.  People who refer others don’t refer them to the closest chiropractor, they refer them to us.  So there is no doubt that self-promotion is important to building a practice.  The question is how do you do it if you are inherently shy or humble?  When people go into the used car business, they expect to have to be a self-promoter, “doctors” do not.

So what’s the solution?  Sometimes you hear people say they had to “swallow their pride.”  Well in this case you need to swallow your humility.  First, find a reason why people should come to you rather than any other chiropractor.  Promote your unique selling proposition.  We promote the idea that we are the most caring chiropractic office because we allow everyone to pay whatever is within their means.  (We have a box on the wall.)  Figure out what you have to offer people, then promote it. 

Keep in mind with all your promotions that you want your name before the public.  One simple way to do this is to use your name to identify your office.  I am amazed at how many people do not do this.  I know I’ve said this before but it bears repeating.  When I walk into the post office, the clerk (a practice member) says, “Hi, Dr. Strauss.”  I want everyone in that line to say to themselves “Oh he’s the chiropractor.”  If I went by Levittown Chiropractic Center rather than Strauss Chiropractic Center, no one would know who Dr. Strauss was.  You want your name associated with chiropractic.  There is a great article by B.J. called “Selling Yourself” in the Bigness of the Fellow Within.  You should all read it.  It’s great to be humble, in fact it’s important to have humility, but if humility is preventing people from getting into your office you need to set it aside a little.  One of the great things about straight chiropractic is that by its very nature it is humbling.  You don’t heal, you don’t cure, you perform a very small but life-saving service.  Don’t be afraid to tell people about it and how they should get that service from you.  Peoples’ lives depend upon it.