Making Deals, by Dr. Ogi Ressel

Monday, March 30th 2009

Warm hellos to everyone!

I need to address a topic which can leave a doctor feeling humiliated,
disrespected, and cause him/her to have low self esteem.

Lets' talk about making deals with your patients - and I've talked to
scores of doctors where Let's Make a Deal  isn't a reality game show.
No. It's their office procedure.
And when making deals becomes the norm, your staff loose all
credibility - they simply can't keep up with your constantly changing paradigm.

There are essentially two type of deals that are made in your office:
1.  You want the patient to stay under your care so you make a deal
he just "can't refuse"...
One doctor once said this to me: "Dr. Ogi, I don't have many new patients,
few regular visits, and my CA makes more than I do. I don't understand it.
I give my patients amazing deals which they just ‘can't refuse,' but they do.
What am I doing wrong?" If they sign up for 10 visits with me, I give them
an 80% discount.... But no one takes me up on this amazing offer."
I said: "Are you insane?"

OR: doctors increase their fees because they know that they will make deals
with their patients and the eventual final fee will be negotiated and reduced.
The patient will feel satisfied knowing they were able to negotiate a good
price for their care...and the doctor is happy knowing that the final negotiated
price is what they would have charged anyway.
Isn't that just wonderful? Right.

2.  Your patient wants you to cut a deal on your fees.
Here's the way this usually works: The patient is often "surprised " that
your fees are "so high." Of course you then feel a bit of guilt setting in
and this is a prime factor in the negotiation process. The doctor does
not feel worthy of his fee.
The mindset is L.A.C.K. What a terrible way of practicing! The patient states
that your fees are just too high, or that they simply "can't afford it" and
they so badly want to be under your care. They have no money for their
health because they just purchased a condo in Florida, or their boat, or plane,
or that badly needed cruise. ..the list is endless.
The ball is now in your court. So you compromise because you do not want
to lose these patients and their fee.

Have I missed anything?

The problem with this type of deal-making is that it leaves you, the doctor,
feeling really cheap. And your whole world then becomes one of "Let's make a deal".
That's stressful!...and you start you feel like a hustler, not a doctor.

You come home feeling tired, have lack of purpose, low motivation, you
are stressed out and you play "carpet" for your patients....And wonder if this
is what you first envisioned when you started practice.

I know what you are going to say. Save it. It is true, sometimes, there
are people who need help. I totally agree. Notice the word I used: SOMETIMES!

....and all of us try to help our patients, SOMETIMES. But when "sometimes"
becomes "all the time", or "always", or "most often" , you have a problem.

I've said this before, if your patients try to make deals with you, there is a reason:
They do not see you as the best. To them, you are just an average chiropractor,
one of the many that they can choose from in your town. ( please don't feel I
am being degrading - simply honest) That is the crux of the issue. Ask yourself
this question: If you were the best brain surgeon on the planet, would you make
deals with your new patients?
Would you? I doubt it.

You have to get this: If your patients saw you as the best in your city/state/county,
they would not try to make deals with you. Absolutely not. Why? Because you
exude confidence. You carry yourself with a power and certainty that only
those who are the best have. ...And your service is worth so much more than
the paltry fee you charge! And your community knows that!

So...if you are fed up with being average I invite you to join me. My mission
is to have you become the best, so that you can help as many people in your
lifetime as you can - especially children.

Please call me and become the doctor you've always wanted to be!

Warmest wishes,
Dr. Ogi Ressel