client base

[Guest guest]

Pete, I wouldn't send another dime on advertising to the public. If you

go after individual patients, of course you are going to waste money.

Instead spend some time and energy to network other health professionals

or just professionals who have a big Rolodex full of potential clients

for you. It would be better to get your teeth cleaned from every dentist

in town and give some cards out. Or start golfing, tennis or square

dancing for goodness sake. If only 2 percent of the people respond to

your marketing why not make those 2 percent people whose opinions count

in the community? If you insist on TV advertising, then aim it towards

MD's and how you can help THEM with your services... Believe me, I went

after the individual consumer and just got cranks for the most part,

desperate people looking for a bargain from a desperate practitioner. My

only real flow of clients has come from therapists of different ilks,

yoga instructors and from people in the community who other people

listen to.

best of luck,

doug

 

 

>

>Pete Theisen <petet wrote:

>Karen Adams wrote:

>

>

>>Hi all - am struggling with a business plan

>>

>>

><snip>

>Hi Karen!

>

>*This* again. What *is* booming is TCM *Education*, the schools cranking

>out graduates like popcorn. The government subsidizes the schools by

>guaranteeing the student loans.

>

>Each of the annual legion of graduates has to build a practice. Only 40%

>of the insurance company plans provide any coverage at all for TCM, and

>that is only for acupuncture, not the whole of TCM. Medicare does *not*

>cover TCM.

>

>There are essentially no TCM " jobs " . OK, one or two a year, but you

>won't likely be the lucky one to be hired fresh from school.

>

>I got help writing my business plan from SCORE. By all means write a

>business plan. Then whatever cash it says you need going in, multiply by

>twenty, no, fifty. Even that might not be enough. You go a long time

>before you begin to cover the expenses let alone make any money. You

>burn through cash until you become profitable, if you ever even do.

>

>There was a poll started on this list a while ago. Last I looked only a

>few are getting more than four new patients a month. More revealing is

>how long it takes the patient to feel well enough that he/she will " call

>you later " , the poll didn't address *that* problem.

>

>You spend $700 in promotion to get a patient, they pay you $200 and then

>they are better and don't need you anymore. TCM is great medicine, but

>an economic failure at this point in history.

>

>Regards,

>

>Pete

>

>

[Guest guest]

wrote:

> Pete, I wouldn't send another dime on advertising to the public. If you

> go after individual patients, of course you are going to waste money.

> Instead spend some time and energy to network other health professionals

> or just professionals who have a big Rolodex full of potential clients

> for you. It would be better to get your teeth cleaned from every dentist

> in town and give some cards out. Or start golfing, tennis or square

> dancing for goodness sake. If only 2 percent of the people respond to

> your marketing why not make those 2 percent people whose opinions count

> in the community? If you insist on TV advertising, then aim it towards

> MD's and how you can help THEM with your services... Believe me, I went

> after the individual consumer and just got cranks for the most part,

> desperate people looking for a bargain from a desperate practitioner. My

> only real flow of clients has come from therapists of different ilks,

> yoga instructors and from people in the community who other people

> listen to.

> best of luck,

> doug

 

Hi Douglas!

 

Well, I am about out of money now. I tried that years ago, never got any

calls at all. The big players are very well established in this town,

but I had to find that out the hard way.

 

You are quite right about the cranks.

 

Regards,

 

Pete