A Reminder About Numbers
Posted October 26th, 2007 by Skip
Just to be clear...
If you want to do what we here are calling Community Acupuncture, you need to have large numbers of clients or you won't be financially successful.
To get large numbers of clients you must appeal to the middle, lower middle, and working classes of your town, city , and neighborhood.
To appeal to the middle, lower middle, and working classes, you must remove barriers that prevent them from feeling comfortable.
Most acupuncture clinics in this country have such barriers in place. They are geared to the upper middle and upper classes only. That is what we are taught in acupuncture school.
Again, you must remove such barriers.
Re: A Reminder About Numbers
I agree maybe it is not all about the decor, but about how we treat our patients and respect their needs and comfort levels. If they are here for back pain, they may not want to work on their digestion, and too much off topic conversation can sometimes scare them off. They may already be way outside of their comfort zone just coming to our office. So we need to let them unfold to us over time rather than overwhelm them with holistic concepts in the beginning. Has anyone else ever found themselves wanting to say too much in the beginning of a new patient relationship?
I'd really like to hear more opinions about this numbers topic- such an important idea for us starting-off practitioners.
Re: A Reminder About Numbers
I love the idea of making suree all of the barriers are down so that a working class person can find acupuncture to be accessible. However, something to keep in mind is that most barriers are not those of the aesthetic nature. I, for one, know that many working class people like to see the place where they are being treated as a "nice" place with the pretty waterfalls and whatnots. The accessiblity is in the outreach and the marketing, not so much in the pics and decor.
Just my take as a working class patient.
Re: A Reminder About Numbers
Dear Shara L.,
The wording of your post obviously triggered something for me, but I fully admit, it may have nothing to do with who you are or how you practice. So if the shoe doesn't fit....my humble apologies for any judgement you felt was directed at you...not my intention.
I also realized my statement on money could be refined...making money and serving others go hand and hand. They are of equal importance for the time being (i.e. the culture we live in). Unless we are able to feed ourselves and make a liveable wage, it becomes difficult to serve others, unless we are independently wealthy or have benefactors.
Community Acupuncture seems to have a better understanding of this equation...in a way which is not infected with greed. I think greed is one of the main reasons the conventional health care system in America is falling apart. Money is valued more than people. How could that possibly work in the long run?
The wording of your post seemed to really emphasize the money part of the equation to the exclusion of the caring and compassion part. It seemed to be shouting "me, me, me"....but of course, I don't know who you are, where you live and practice, or any other details. I'm just sharing my reaction to your words, not a judgment of you...if you can accept that distinction.
Are we ready to let go of this and move on? I'd love to hear more about you and your insights as a practitioner of Community Acupuncture , particularly in relation to Skip's original post.
Sincerely,
Jordan
Re: A Reminder About Numbers
The last two paragraphs of your previous statement are very judgmental in tone. What was your motivation for posting them?
Re: A Reminder About Numbers
hmmm....
Rereading my post, I don't see that I was judging anyone. I made clear that is each person's task to do for themselves.
Re: A Reminder About Numbers
Participating on this forum is like swimming with sharks.
Jordan Van Voast, you certainly are quick to strike (i.e., to judge by assumption).
Re: A Reminder About Numbers
Actually, the Community Acupuncture model, as I see it, is first and foremost about making acupuncture accessible to people....about bringing social justice to health care.
An important, but secondary aspect of the model (again, just my opinion), is that acupunks are able to make a sustainable living.
Certainly there are those who may see it as the latest gimmick to make a quick buck "off the working class", but that really misses the point, and if that is your true motivation (you really need to check carefully for yourself here), then I suspect in the long run you will fail.
Caring is palpable to people, and if you are only looking at them with dollar signs as they walk in and out of your clinic, your so-called practice of the healing arts is pretty shabby.
Re: A Reminder About Numbers
Since changing to the Community Acupuncture business model, I now have large numbers of clients. Yea!
A chiropractor told me that the Community Acupuncture business model is really based on the typical Chiropractic business model of having large numbers of clients and low prices. He said that by using the Community Acupuncture business model, which focuses on frequent and regular treatments, that I would make a lot of money off of the working class. He was right!
It really is a lot easier to make money off of the working class than it is to make money off of the middle and upper classes.
Re: A Reminder About Numbers
Okay, I have a comment/question that relates to this issue of removing barriers. We have a bulletin board that we post various community related items on - pamphlets from the local food coop, bus schedules, jokes, etc. and business cards.
On the one hand, there is the desire to create a community amongst one's patrons - the people coming in the door paying for treatment. Many of them work in the healing arts professions, though many of them charge rates that would make them inaccessible to many, but not all of our clientele.
Mostly, I've not attempted to play bulletin board cop and let anybody put their business card on the board. Those of you who are more sensitive to issues of class, what do you think of this? Do you see a potential booger that might make working class people uncomfortable?
Re: A Reminder About Numbers
Hi,
I agree that barriers need to be removed...Any further wisdom on what they are, and how to break them down?
Thanks much!
Re: A Reminder About Numbers
Thanks Skip. This is a great reminder. To look for the booger hanging down from our nose...but sometimes it's so darned hard to see, and yet everyone else can see it easily.
I'll never forget one day when I met a new friend and his partner on the street in India. I started talking about something. He listened for a short time and then interrupted to say with a completely straight face, "Jordan, you've got a stalactite of a booger hanging down from your nose." I thanked him and you. Do you see any boogers now? (You can private message me if you do). LOL
p.s. Perhaps you could elaborate a bit more on some of the classic boogers you've observed.... like Korben's mention of the multiple waterfall dioramas....though I suspect the internal (mental) boogers are probably far nastier than any sort of exclusive decor.