For all of you looking to earn more money in 2013, I am dedicating my article in this issue to the valuable strategies you can use to move your practice toward the cash based-model. If you have made the transition to a cash-only practice, I will cover the key components you should be using to keep your patients connected to your office, and most importantly, not let them neglect their health because of their finance.

Be Exceptional in Everything.

Look at the images in this article. Which retail store would you expect to pay more in? Which one looks more inviting to hang out in?

Use Retail Stores as a Model.

I like to look at the most successful retail stores to get a clue as to how I can market my office more successfully. After all, they spend the big bucks on market research to get an insight into what their target audience wants…and then they give it to them.

We can learn a lot from successful stores like Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s. Take a look at what sets these stores apart from retailers like Sears and JC Penney’s. Nordstrom’s has a live piano player providing the entertainment for shoppers; Bloomingdales has a cozy café that provides a great dining experience so shoppers do not get too hungry while shopping and want to leave the store for the kind of snacks they are accustomed to. The food is appetizing and high quality. The merchandise in the store is displayed in a very appealing way; from the carpets to the fixtures to the mannequins, everything says to the shopper, I am worth every penny you spend here. You feel comfortable in the store and it is a place you like to be if you are of a certain demographic (i.e.: have money to spend). You can model these stores to command a cash value in your practice as well.

Provide Services That Others Cannot.

Provide Services that Patients cannot get from the insurance-only-let-me-waive-your-copayment office down the street. Think about services you can provide that will set you apart from the other practitioners in your town.

Put an effective weight loss program into your practice, this is not covered by insurance, and will get your patients accustomed to opening their wallet in your office for services that are not covered by insurance, but will make them feel fantastic, and see the benefits of taking charge of their own health.

Face it, many if not most of our patients buy supplements from a retail store and they belong to a gym to promote their health, so they already are spending cash out of pocket on these services. You can put together a professionally supervised group nutrition and fitness program for your patients to participate in and they get better results, and they will love you for it.

Bundle Your Services.

Bundle your services together to create condition specific treatment protocols and wellness packages. Do some brainstorming and look at all of the services you can provide and put together as a package to create specific protocols and programs for your patients. If you are doing a weight loss program, bundle together a nutritional shake, supplements, an exercise class and perhaps a three times a week session on your vibrating platform to burn fat and build muscle. Include a sauna if you have an infrared sauna in your office. If you are helping a patient with adrenal fatigue, put together a package of care that includes a few massages, stress reduction classes, adrenal supplement protocols and any other thing you can provide in your office that is appropriate.

For those who have been following me a while I might sound like a broken record but here goes, niche your market. The riches are in the niches, and it is true if applied correctly. You can create several little niches here too, there is no rule that says you can only have one. Find a need and fill it.

The Essential Factor in Creating a Cash-based Practice.

An important element in transitioning to a cash-based practice is to create the desire in your patients for your services, keeping in mind the old adage, people buy what they want, not what they need. We know they need our services, and it is our job to make it easy for them to see that they want it as well.

Another essential factor in successfully creating cash-paying patients in your office is to set yourself apart from everyone else in your community that is doing what you are doing, by doing it better than anyone else. I am not talking about your technical skill (which is no doubt supremely important), but what I mean is the way you package the program and present your office. When your office, staff and procedures are saying to the patient every step of the process “I’m Worth It!” they will feel it and be willing to invest with you to preserve their greatest asset, their health.