This easy-to-use web based software rocks!! Put a link to your schedule on your website, in your email signature, and printed on your marketing materials. It can handle multiple locations, multiple staff, and multiple services. Genbook can even require credit card capture before an appointment can be completed, if you choose– no more no shows!
You can set it to email you and/or text you INSTANTLY as soon as someone makes an appointment. Patients can only see the available appointment times. No more wasted time at the front desk– have a laptop at your counter and let your patients schedule themselves on their way out– it’s that simple!
Below are some tutorials I made on how to use GenBook. See for yourself how versatile it is!
I just finished a short but very comprehensive 25-page ebook on how to bring a surge of new business into your office using Groupon, Living Social and other “deal of the day” sites. If you ran one already and had a bad experience, don’t despair– it was most likely because you did not plan ahead properly. There are key strategies, I have discovered, that can make these kinds of promos lucrative.
The first couple I ran, I didn’t take seriously, and missed a lot of opportunity. I’ve used Groupon, Living Social, BuyWithMe, and Tippr in 2011, and now have “expert insight” on how these things work. I’ll share with you my secrets in this powerful ebook, which I’m offering for only $19.
A couple of months ago, I mentioned I was putting an eBook together that shows you how to properly use Deal of the Day sites like Groupon and Living Social to generate more business for your practice. Well, the reason why it is taking so long is because, three months after running my last one, I am still learning things on how to do things better. After all, there is no better teacher than experience.
For example, I tried three different upsell offers; two didn’t do much, but the third is selling like hotcakes. Want to know what it is? Then buy the book! 
There are many other things I found out after doing four deals of the day (Tippr, BuyWithMe, Groupon, and Living Social) that I will disclose; some of them can save you a lot of frustration and misery. Make sure you are opted into my list so you can get notified of when it comes out.
P.S. Today I sold two $300 packages to Living Social patients who came in for the first time. This is what it’s all about– converting those people into regular paying patients, and getting them to refer. But, it took me a couple of tries to get the right offer. This is critical; you’ve got to get it right from the early onset or you will squander a lot of opportunities.
Over the last 15 years I’ve had the opportunity to notice changes in attitudes that people have towards chiropractic. Here are my observations:
1. Many people still choose to see a chiropractor for pain. I think as a percentage of the population, it has remained flat over the last 15 years; probably close to 25% which is a decent number.
2. Likewise, many people still don’t choose to see a chiropractor because of a negative past experience, or because of something bad about chiropractic that they read online (stroke news article, Stephen Barret website, etc).
3. Fewer are interested in doing pre-paid “maintenance care.” Most are open to a short course of treatment with expectations of getting better, and then being discharged. Some, after reaching the results they are happy with, choose to come in when they feel they need to; about once a month to every couple of months.
The world today presents new challenges to small business owners in the service industry. The competition for a consumer’s dollar has greatly escalated, to the benefit of the consumer. You have to create a large perceived value in your services in order to win over your customers. Just look at how mobile phone companies are offering free cell phones with plans, and how others are giving steeply discounted services through Groupon and similar sites.
I think most of us know what a USP is: a unique selling proposition. In marketing, this means what you offer that your competitors don’t that gives you an edge; a reason for a consumer to see you instead of them. These days, you’ve got to find a way to offer more. You need a “wow” factor. High-end restaurants invest a lot of money in their decor, because they know that people dine out for the experience. You need to do the same for your chiropractic business. Brainstorm ideas of things you can add to your office visit that creates this “wow” factor; something that gets people talking.
I recommend that you brainstorm with people who are not like you, who can offer a fresh perspective. Here are some ideas:
- Free healthy snacks for early morning patients
- A vivid, vertical saltwater aquarium at your entrance
- Validated parking
- Shiatsu foot massagers in your waiting area
- An aquabed massager for patients to use after their visit
- Free Wi-Fi and laptop station in your waiting area
These little things can go a long way. If your patients find it fun to go to your clinic, do you think they will tell their friends and acquaintances? Sure they will! And, they will probably mention your office on FaceBook.
I think you get the idea. Get out of the plain vanilla mode, and into some Ben and Jerry’s. Remember, consumers have higher expectations these days; you’ve got to be able to meet them if you are to succeed and grow.
Using deal of the day advertising has changed dramatically since my first post on it last March. The main change is that these types of sites have sprung up like mushrooms in 2011. It started with Groupon, then Living Social. As a result, consumers have access to cheap services, any day of the week. There is no scarcity, and this hurts the merchant.
I ran an endermologie deal with Groupon last August. It caught me off guard, as it sold out (300 coupons) in a few hours and clogged my GenBook online scheduling system. I also made the mistake of not setting up my GenBook ahead of time properly, which resulted in some double-bookings which my receptionist had to spend lots of time to correct. But, two months later, things are humming along nicely. I’m getting about a 15% conversion rate, which is pretty good. I came up with a “Groupon only” client special, which many are choosing at around $700 a package.
This month, my Living Social Deal landed, and it, too sold out the maximum of 500 coupons. It was for a choice of a chiropractic visit, one hour massage, or weight loss consultation. About 90 purchased the chiropractic deal; 6 purchased the weight loss, and the rest the massage deal. This will probably be the last time I do such a deal, but I don’t regret it. It’s a lot of work, but it definitely brings in a lot of foot traffic into the office. Some of the massage clients are converting into chiropractic patients, but most just want a cheap massage and are off. Not all is lost; though, I am collecting their email addresses, and will launch our FaceBook campaign to penetrate through to their list of contacts.
The bottom line: the big deal of the day sites (the ones that bring in big numbers; i.e. Groupon and Living Social) will require you to offer a massage deal with your chiropractic offer. So, if you don’t have the capacity to offer massage therapy in your office, you cannot do a deal with these sites. Try Google offers, Amazon offers, and Trubates instead.
Secondly, don’t be afraid to negotiate a bigger cut. After all, you are cutting your services 50% for the deal. Demand a 70% cut, and go from there. You have therapists to pay, and laundry service for the sheets; not to mention your regular operating expenses.
Lastly, you must consider using automated, online scheduling. You want to dedicate as little as possible staff time scheduling these Groupon appointments; zero if possible. Save your staff for your regular-paying clientele. Don’t worry, this is the internet age we are living in; get with the times. After all, these folks are getting word of these deals online and are getting their vouchers emailed to them, so they have a computer, internet access, and are comfortable transacting business online.
Plus, online appointment scheduling systems will handle those appointment requests much faster than even two humans manning the phones. No busy signals and tied up phone lines; real-time display of available appointment times in seconds; emailed appointment reminders, and an electronic record of customers’ appointments so there is no way they can say you scheduled them at the wrong time. In fact, I make it a requirement for coupon purchasers to schedule their appointments online (it’s mentioned on the voucher), and I even tell them that if they call the office wanting to make an appointment. 100% of them said “ok, I’ll do it, thanks.” None have complained about it.
I will be coming out with a new ebook, “Using Deal of the Day Sites to Create a Surge of Patients” very shortly that outlines all the steps necessary to run a profitable deal; and perhaps more importantly, reveals the mistakes I made and what to do instead. It will include instructions, scripts, and the intake forms I use that are strategically designed to convert/ upsell. If you aren’t opted into my email list, make sure to do so to receive word when the ebook is ready.
Endermologie cellulite reduction continues to be a valuable asset to my business. When done right, it can provide a nice cash revenue stream and can also bring in new chiropractic patients.
I recently ran a Groupon special for three Endermologie sessions. Here’s a partial screenshot. Notice the “Sold Out” notification:
Groupon wanted me to set a maximum of 500 deals; I decided 300 instead. And, I’m glad I did! The minute the deal went live, my cell phone incoming texts went crazy. I wisely used GenBook online scheduling system to automate the large volume of incoming appointment requests that I anticipated. And, it worked like a pro. GenBook texts my cell phone whenever someone makes an appointment. It scheduled the max 14 appointments per day, several weeks on out, all without me lifting a finger. And the cost? At $29/month, that would be $1.00 per day. If I paid a receptionist $12/hour to do this, it would cost $96/day. What would you prefer to pay, $1.00 or $96.00?
Anyways, back to the Groupon deal on Endermologie. I admit I don’t make much myself on these deals, as Groupon takes a significant cut on the already discounted amount. The money is in the upsell– converting Groupon clients to paying for $900 packages after trying out the service. Secondly, converting them to massage, chiropractic, or weight loss clients.
Groupon is like the ignition that starts a fire– it can bring in a surge of business through your doors, but it is up to you to monetize that business. It seems easy, but be warned, you can screw things up pretty bad for yourself if you aren’t prepared.
I am putting the finishing touches on a new e-book, Turbocharge Your Chiropractic Office With Groupon that will explain in detail how I use Groupon to quickly ramp up business. It will reveal the costly mistakes I made (yes, even I make marketing mistakes 
), the things I did right; what worked and what did not work; pricing and upsell strategies; and forms and systems I use to monetize the business. If you wish to receive notification when the ebook becomes available, opt into my email list. As a bonus, you will get a Free, 75-page ebook on how to do internet marketing for your chiropractic office.
Want to know how I built and seamlessly integrated an Endermologie business into my chiropractic office? Here’s where you can find all my secrets. Imagine an all-cash business and NOT having to do SOAP notes! That’s the beauty of Endermologie!
If you haven’t tried GenBook online appointment scheduling and management, now’s the time. This $29/ month service can save you thousands of dollars in admin costs, not to mention the typical headaches that come with hiring employees. GenBook can handle multiple incoming appointment requests simultaneously (no busy signal like you’d get with phone calls), capture the caller’s name, phone number, email and insurance info; email and text you notification of the appointment a few seconds after the appointment is made; and email the patient a reminder of her appointment, with driving directions to your clinic. It can even capture credit card info, if you want it to.
Things have gotten even better since my first post on the cost-saving benefits of GenBook late last year. Since then, people have become more comfortable, and reliant on the internet to transact things. Almost all my patients rave of how convenient it is to make an appointment. But most of all, GenBook online scheduling works amazingly well if you’re doing Groupon, Trubates and other high-volume generating deal of the day offers. People who opt into these deal of the days sites are usually tech savvy and welcome the ability to schedule online. Simply include instructions on your deal of the day offer to have people schedule online, and watch the appointments roll in. You’d better turn down your cell phone volume because of all those incoming text notifications from GenBook coming during all hours of the day. My GenBook scheduled 26 appointments for me in the last week, without me lifting a finger (except to view the text notification on my cell phone). All in all, it saves me about $2,500 a month in payroll. Who couldn’t use $2,500 these days?
Here’s a little secret: I currently don’t have a receptionist. Neither do the other two chiropractors who work alongside me. We’d rather use technology, and save the money. What I did was record the following on my answering machine:
“Thank you for calling our office. We are currently assisting other patients or are away from the phone. If you’d like to schedule an appointment, please leave your name and number after the tone and someone will return your call very shortly. For faster service, you can schedule online at www.genbook.com (I have a unique URL I won’t disclose here), that’s (I spell it out phonetically). It’s very easy to do, and only takes a minute. We look forward to hearing from you.”
This has become so effective for me that I let the phone ring even though I am in the office and available!
So, check out GenBook today, folks. It can save you tons of money over the years; money that can be going towards your retirement.
I recommend this book whether you are struggling or not. It’s called The Sticking Point Solution and its written by one the the greatest business minds of modern times, Jay Abraham.
This book identifies “sticking points” that keep businesses from thriving, and tells you how to fix them. And, it shows you how to do this in a down economy.
The main idea is to abandon the approaches that do not work, and implement strategies that will make your business stand head and shoulders above your competition. You want to position your business as the most trusted place to go in your market.
Excellent reading, docs. Check it out.
Ok, I think most chiropractors know about Groupon, Living Social, BuyWithMe, and a bunch of other deal of the day websites by now. 2011 can pretty much be viewed as “The Year of the Deal of the Day.”
I still have two major massage deals (one a massage/chiro combination) set to run sometime next month with Groupon and Living Social. I set them up two months ago; it takes a while for massage deals to be broadcast due to the back up of these offers (the sites don’t like to run too many similar deals, as they fear it would hurt their merchant advertisers, but it is a mute point since other sites churn these deals out, too).
My take? The DOD rage is flattening out already. Merchants, especially restaurants, are finding that the DOD customer is not returning and paying full price, which is the whole point of doing these things since you don’t make much, if any, revenue from them, just a surge of new customers. They are hopping from site to site, buying DOD after DOD. They can sustain this because merchants are signing up with multiple sites. In other words, on ANY day, you can find a 50% off one hour massage in your area on one or even more of these DOD sites.
Have you run a deal of the day offer? I would like for readers to post their experience in the comment section. If you have, please share your thoughts.
Dr. Dan
I recently ran a Tippr.com special for three Endermologie (non-surgical cellulite reduction) treatments for $132. Normal price is $265. Out of the $132, my cut was $78 and Tippr took the rest for advertising costs. 26 coupons were sold, and I got a big fat check for $2,028. It closed a month ago, and so far less than 10 people redeemed their coupons. Some may not show up for whatever reason, but I still get paid. And, so far I’ve converted two to regular paying clients. In other words, the campaign cost me zero dollars upfront, and I’m already profitable.
Let’s face it fellow chiropractors, the landscape has changed. If you’re struggling to find new chiropractic patients, or if your NP/month rate has taken a nose dive, find another watering hole. That’s right, stop beating yourself over the head trying to get new chiro patients; think outside the box, offer related services and increase the size of your target market (last time I checked, the chiropractic market was still stuck at around 12% of the population). Since we are in the business of improving the condition of the human body, esthetic services are a logical choice. Chiropractic for fixing the mechanics of the body; esthetics for fixing the outer appearance of the body. It all makes sense. And if you position your office correctly and adjust your marketing, it will be a smooth transition.
I made things a lot simpler for you. I created a course called the EndermoCash System that shows you, step by step, how to start and run a profitable Endermologie cellulite reduction business. It contains all the knowledge I’ve accumulated over the years on how to run the business. You can basically fast track your business to profits by investing in this course, and be in the black your very first month.
Remove the mental barriers, and give it some serious thought. Office too small to offer Endermologie? No problem, rent another space and have a separate business; combine it with a massage therapy business while you’re at it to add a second revenue stream. Use that business to advertise your chiropractic office. Problem solved.
I’m convinced that being extraordinary instead of ordinary is the key to staying profitable in the years to come. This is only one solution. Can you think of others? Let your imagination run free, and you might come up with a fantastic idea.
Dr. Dan
Here’s one of those products that makes life a lot easier. It’s called Roboform, and I’ve been using it for a couple of years now.
Roboform is a software that securely stores all your internet passwords so that you don’t have to write them down on a notepad, or assemble them on an Excel spreadsheet (I know someone who did this and had his laptop stolen). Not only that, you can seamlessly log on to your password-protected websites (online banking, blogs, FaceBook, etc) through Roboform, and it will auto-fill your log in screen and you will gain access in 2-3 seconds. Click here for a clear explanation of how it works.
There are three main versions, RoboForm Desktop, which is good for one computer; RoboForm2Go, which installs and launches on a USB flash drive, enabling you to use it on any computer (great for traveling), and RoboForm Everywhere (which I recently upgraded to) which enables you to use it on any computer, and synchronizes your passwords for you. This version requires you to trust RoboForm with your passwords, as they need to be stored on their server; but of course they have security measures just as you would expect.
Before RoboForm, I used to organize my passwords on an Excel sheet, but got lazy after a while, and of course forgot lots of my login info. I found myself frequently re-setting my logins for many sites due to this. After RoboForm, my computing is a lot more efficient. RoboForm also allows you to create different identities: name, address, credit card number, billing address, and more. Now you can fill out those Amazon.com order forms in just one click!
So, if you are someone who uses the computer a lot, especially for shopping or accessing specialty information, chances are you will accumulate lots of login info over your life. Consider getting RoboForm to help manage all those hard-to-find passwords. Once you try it, you won’t be able to do without it!
If you’re ready to try it out, click here.
