How Honesty Transforms Your Acupuncture Practice & Patient Outcomes
We've all been there….
You're in a consultation with a patient, sitting across from you, and you know you can help them. But you're reluctant to tell them that you'll need to see them two or even three times a week.
You're afraid they won't want to pay you…
So you sign the patient up to do one treatment.
Then you're anxiously treating this patient, hoping, maybe even praying, that you'll get some kind of result.
You pull out all the stops, you talk to them the whole time — trying to persuade them of how great the medicine is. Only to have them leave, saying “they'll think about it”.
And by this time, you’ve spent 45 minutes on a consultation and about an hour or more treating them. And you know what?
This patient will likely never return. They will never get the relief they could have. They will never let all their friends and neighbors know what acupuncture can do.
And you?…
You're left feeling rejected. Maybe a little depressed. Your confidence is shot, and you're gonna bring that energy into the next room with your next patient.
Now, let’s try a different scenario…
What if you were upfront and honest with the patient?
You outline a comprehensive treatment plan, twice a week for a month, or even three times a week for a month.
You're completely transparent and tell them exactly what this plan will cost. And you let them decide.
Truth is…
In about 10 minutes, they’ll most likely sign up and you get to work.
You won't have to scramble and try to fix everything in one treatment.
You don't even have to worry about the end of the treatment or about scheduling because they've scheduled out for the next month.
This patient is committed to getting better and they will take your recommendations seriously.
And at the end of the month…
You have a patient that's typically 70-80% better.
They're convinced that the medicine works and that you can help them.
You even get to move on to continued care to get more progress or maybe maintenance so that they can hold their gains.
You can see that in this scenario, you're left feeling confident, fulfilled, happy to be practicing. Your cash flow gets turned on its head because patients like this pay upfront, alleviating the constant money worries.
This is why you need to be upfront and honest with patients…
And I explain it further in this video.
In the end, this honesty approach is better for you, your patient outcomes, and overall, your practice.
Those who value your honesty will sign up. Those who don't are people who just simply want to “Try it”…
People who are looking for a miracle in one treatment. People who are never going to commit to actually getting better — and those are people you don’t want in your practice anyway.
This is what I teach in my Acupuncture Business Mastery program.
It’s designed for the Acupuncturist who’d like to take years off of learning how to run a highly profitable practice while taking back your time and freedom.
If that sounds like you, then click the link below to join the waitlist and you’ll be among the first to know when the next cohort begins.
See you around,
Steven Hoffman, L.Ac., Dipl. OM
