Foundation for Chiropractic Progress - THINK AGAIN About What Makes People Tick!

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Think Again About What Makes People Tick!

Date: 9/9/05

Chiropractors are well trained and well aware of the structure and function of the human body. They know all the physiological aspects of health and the symptoms and signs of diseases. They know what to look for during the process of diagnosis and are expert at treating neuromusculoskeletal health disorders.

But in the modern world of communications, even being an outstanding health care practitioner is not enough. To be successful, one has to understand what makes people tick . . . mentally. Oh yes, chiropractors know the beat of the heart is what pushes blood through the arteries to reach all the vital organs, and it is that “tick” that sustains life. But that’s not what I am talking about.

I’m talking about the “tick” that occurs in the brain ? the impulses that trigger all our senses and make people respond in certain ways; the words, phrases, colors and designs that motivate people; the myriad of external influences that affect people’s thinking, actions and responses.

Often I think, many health professionals, know too little about motivation. Perhaps they should learn a little more about the psychology of what makes people “tick.”

Advertising people know it well. And successful marketers practice it every day ? on you, on me, and on your patients. They know how to sell their wares and build their images. They know how to package their products and services in ways that are appealing to their consumers. They understand how to apply the benefits of their proposal to the self-interests of their buyers; to overcome fears and anxieties; and, to make their message coincide (not conflict) with the lifestyle of their prospect. They know how to contribute to the desires, ambitions and dreams of their target group. Call it brand-building, call it market presentation, call it marketing, if you like . . . but it is the psychology of motivation, and it is an art.

The most recent students of this art are the drug manufacturers. It is needless for me to go into the tactics that have been used by drug manufacturers in the last few years. You know them well. What you may not know is they are spending billions of dollars, and the return on their investment has more than paid off.

There must be something to the idea of communicating in marketing terms!

And there is; otherwise, communications would not be so vital a function to every successful company, organization and movement in freeenterprise- based countries throughout the world.

That’s what the exciting Campaign for Chiropractic, sponsored by the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress and underwritten by the chiropractic profession is all about. That’s its reason and that’s its purpose. It’s about putting chiropractic’s best foot forward and motivating consumers to consider doctors of chiropractic for their health needs. Not just seeking out a chiropractor as a last resort or using one because the patient is one of a small group of loyal advocates of natural health. Rather, it is that of using a chiropractor because he or she believes in the chiropractic physician’s ability to give results; because chiropractors are mainstream; because DCs are first and foremost in the consumer’s mind; because the consumer feels confident turning theirs and their family’s health needs over to a DC; yes, and because others will not look upon them as unorthodox for selecting a non-medical practitioner. (When you study motivations, you soon realize that most people want to go with the flow.)

Once and for all, chiropractic not only has a national marketing campaign but one that is psychologically sound. It speaks to consumers with a message that connects. It has the ingredients to make them “think again” about their health needs and how their doctor of chiropractic can benefit them.

This is a “thinking campaign” for a “thinking generation.” Appealing to a “thinking generation,” the Campaign for Chiropractic presents chiropractic aggressively on both an intellectual and emotional level. It gives chiropractic the opportunity to gain the broad media exposure and the consumer utilization it has always wanted.

Chiropractic has a unique opportunity to get our story heard and gain mass public acceptance. But we must also realize that time is of essence since other health professions are vying for position as well. If we do not build a position in the marketplace, we could miss the window of opportunity, and perhaps even lose the place we enjoy now.

Every doctor of chiropractic is urged to look around and recognize the fast changing of events taking place in our media-powered society; how fast old ideas and stagnant companies have faded, and how quickly new ideas and progressive organizations have risen to the top. Analyze what moves people, and think again about what makes people tick. If you do, you’ll come to the same conclusion as has the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, that a mass market communications campaign is not only needed, but essential.

The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress needs the commitment of _every_ _member_ _of_ _the_ _profession_ to sustain this all-important program. You are urged to enroll in the Campaign for Chiropractic now, and start enjoying its many benefits.

Gene G. Veno