A Letter To Acupuncturists – It’s Time To Make History.

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Dear Practitioners,

I'm contacting you again today because I just got word from a member of my insider's club that if the AAAOM does not send our letters to our representatives instead of our senators (as they are doing now) the Federal  acupuncture Coverage Act doesn't stand a chance.

I first learned of this important legislation yesterday from Kim Marin, AP, a Florida acupuncturist who is doing her part getting the word out. When I got word of this I stopped what I was doing and I forwarded you the e-mail, along with the direct link so you can keep the momentum going.

Today, I got an e-mail from Dennis Kinnane, OMD of California, informing me that AAAOM is sending our letters to senators instead of our representatives. This is what Dennis wrote to me when he received the same e-mail I sent you yesterday:

"Frank,
I have been spreading the word on this for weeks now.  The trouble with the AAAOM's "blast" is that when one goes to forward the letter to their representative the AAAOM has linked it to SENATORS.....Right now we need REPRESENTATIVES IN THE HOUSE....NOT SENATORS....  This bill has only 18 co sponsors at this time in the House and without several hundred it is GOING NOWHERE!   Please, contact AAAOM as I have just done also and let them know that it is critical to link this email blast to the person's local Representative NOT Senator at this time....
Thanks"
Dennis Kinnane

I just e-mailed AAAOM via their contact form and sent them the following message:

***IMPORTANT***
Ref: HR 646, The Federal Acupuncture Coverage Act
"I am helping spread the word among acupuncturist of this important legislation. I myself submitted the letter on your website. However, it has been brought to my attention that it is crucial the letters go to our representatives instead of our senators. The problem with AAAOM's "blast" is that when one goes to forward the letter to their representative, it is linked it to SENATORS.....Right now we need REPRESENTATIVES IN THE HOUSE....NOT SENATORS....

This bill has only 18 co sponsors at this time in the House and without several hundred it is GOING NOWHERE!   It is critical to link your email blast to our local Representative NOT Senator at this time."

Why am I telling you all this?

I'm telling you all this because if you don't do your part in helping push this bill through Congress, who is? I myself may not have anything to gain from it, but you do. If the acupuncture community pulls this off, it will make a dramatic impact on your business.

Of all the acupuncturists I e-mailed yesterday, only half of them clicked through to the AAAOM website. Frankly, I think that's pathetic. When I got Dennis' e-mail I was motivated once again to urge you to do YOURSELF a favor and push for this bill. You'll also be helping hundreds of thousands of senior citizens who can't afford your fees, who will benefit a great deal from alternative medicine.

Here's what you need to do right now--

1.  Contact the AAAOM via e-mail at info@aaaomonline.org

2.  Copy and paste the following text in the e-mail:

I am helping spread the word among acupuncturist of this important legislation. I myself submitted the letter on your website. However, it has been brought to my attention that it is crucial the letters go to our representatives instead of our senators. The problem with AAAOM's "blast" is that when one goes to forward the letter to their representative, it is linked it to SENATORS.....Right now we need REPRESENTATIVES IN THE HOUSE....NOT SENATORS....

This bill has only 18 co sponsors at this time in the House and without several hundred it is GOING NOWHERE!   It is critical to link your email blast to our local Representative NOT Senator at this time.

3.  Hit the "SEND" button

For the AAAOM to redirect the letters to our representatives instead of senators should not be a big deal. It looks like they use a service called "Rally Congress" that does this for them.

I want to thank Kim and Dennis for helping me get the word out to you. Now it's your turn to keep the momentum going. Alert your colleagues and friends and even patients. This will not happen without your support. You can do it!

Sincerely,

Frank Prieto

My Son Takes Me Fishing On Father’s Day

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On Father's Day I got the best gift you could give a fisherman. Deep sea fishing in the Florida Keys. It just doesn't get any better than that.

This is the view from the dock as we headed out early in the morning. You could see the ocean was flat and it was a gorgeous day.

Full throttle ahead to the fishing spot. Our destination was 35 miles out to a secret spot where the bottom drops from 1,500 feet to 2,500 ft. and beyond. At this drop there's an abundance of large fish, especially swordfish which was our target catch this day.

On our way out we ran pretty close to a thunderstorm. In the distance we could see a funnel cloud forming into a water spout. Water spouts are like land tornadoes but on the water. When you see one of these you should head the opposite way in a hurry. Luckily for us it was far away enough not to pose a threat. Check out the close up picture next.

I zoomed in with the camera to get a closer look and was fortunate to capture this image. You can see the entire water spout. You might think it's not touching the water because it looks like it's only half way down, but if you look real close at the surface of the water just below it, you can see how it's stirring up the water.

Luckily we had an experienced captain on board who navigated us to safety 😉

Here's the captain and crew. From left to right is my son Frank, with his friends Greg and Alex. I thought I was a good fisherman, but these guys put me to shame.

Here Frankie is rigging the bait in the hopes we run into a big swordfish. This is a dolphin belly that makes good bait for large fish. When I refer to dolphin I'm not talking about "Flipper". I'm referring to Dorado or Mahi Mahi. More about Flipper in a minute.

Securing the hook to the bait.

Here's the belly strip bait finished and ready to be taken down to about 1,500 feet.

To get the bait down to 1,500 feet is not an easy task. The current in the gulfstream is so strong you need heavy sinkers. Instead of lead sinkers which are more expensive, these guys make their own weights. The 14 inch long pvc pipes you see here are 4 inches in diameter and filled with cement. They insert a wire clothes hanger before the concrete dries to serve as a ring so they can tie it to the line.

This day they brought the rod with the electric reel. I guess they figured I might need a little help if we hook a big one and Dad tires out half way through. Of course this is totally absurd.
😉

After about 15 minutes the bait is finally down around the 1,500 foot mark. Now we sit back and wait while we fish on the surface for other species.

Here's a ballyhoo ready to be dragged on the back of the boat (trolling) to catch fish that feed on the surface like dolphin, wahoo, king fish, etc.

Before noon we get a hit on the surface and it's our first dolphin. Because it was Father's Day I didn't have to argue about why I should have first shot at the rod. Being an old fart does have it's privileges, you know.

Bringing in that dolphin was tough but somebody had to do it. 🙂

As if I wasn't having enough fun already, Greg yells out "Look, those are dolphins." The day was absolutely gorgeous at 35 miles out. The ocean was calm and I was having a great time, but the icing on the cake was just about to come. Sure as hell they were dolphins. OK, now I'm talking about "Flipper" dolphins. The ones you don't fish or eat. These porpoises where the most beautiful thing you could ask for on such a special day.

As we were moving slowly through with our baits in the water, they came swimming right next to the boat and gave us quite a treat.

There's something about these animals that is very special. They are smart, gracious, friendly and playful.

They gathered at the bow of the boat and swam right next to the boat for about 10 minutes. It was exhilarating for me to watch them honor us with their presence.

I couldn't stop snapping pictures. I was like a little kid at the Miami Seaquarium.

In case you are wondering the answer is no. They do not bite your bait. They are too smart for that.

They were so close you could literally touch them.

On our way back Alex got a hit on his rod and it was the second Mahi Mahi of the day.

Here's Alex with his fish.

One 18 pack of Miller Lite: $14.39

12 bottles of Zephyr Springs Water: $4.19

Fishing with your son on Father's Day: PRICELESS

PS-- When my son hears me bragging about how I taught him how to fish, he's quick to say I had nothing to do with it. So I've taken this opportunity to set the record straight. You see, I have pictures to prove it. Below you can see me teaching him how to fish when he was 3 years old and I still had dark hair. I will admit his fishing skills have greatly surpassed my own and nowadays I learn from him.

Oh... by the way. If you're wondering who the girl in the pink bathing suite is, she's the family acupuncturist. And yes, she can also teach you a thing or two about fishing.
🙂

Acupuncture Websites – CONVERSION is King

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Dear Practitioner,

Did you know there's a simple formula for getting quantifiable results from your online marketing efforts? The formula is TRAFFIC + CONVERSION = PROFIT. You must have traffic (visitors) coming to your web site in order to convert (sell) a percentage of them into booking an appointment with you. This is how you get a return on your advertising investment and build your practice.

You want to get a clear understanding of what a marketing strategy is and why it’s so important to your business. Strategy-- which is in essence your marketing MESSAGE— plays an important role in your acupuncture website CONVERSION.

You see, you could buy all the traffic you want, but if you cannot convert the traffic from prospective patients (prospects) to paying patients (clients,) you won’t get a return on your advertising investment. In fact, it’ll cost you money. This happens quite often and is the reason why many practitioners and small business owners reach the erroneous conclusion that advertising doesn’t work. However, if you have a strategy in place before investing in advertising, you’ll be way ahead of the pack and on your way to PROFIT. That’s how you beat your competition and eat their lunch. Oops, sorry. It’s my competitive nature that creeps out sometimes. I forget I’m talking to warm and fuzzy, touchy-feely acupuncturists.

OK, we know there are three important factors we must have in place (and in sync) if our acupuncture marketing efforts are to pay off. Those are, the right MEDIUM, the right MARKET and the right MESSAGE. Once you’ve built your marketing stool properly you’re ready to turn on the traffic and start testing your model. If you think about it, Internet traffic is no different than store front traffic at a retail store in the local mall. For example, let’s say 5,000 people pass by a store front on a daily basis. On the Internet this would be called impressions. The number of impressions is the number of times your ad or listing is put in front of a prospective patient searching for an acupuncturist in your area. Going back to the store example, if of the 5,000 passing shoppers 2% walk in the store, this means 100 people showed some interest in what the store had to offer. These 100 people are actual prospects (or leads.) On the Internet this would be a 2% CTR (click through rate) because your ad or listing was presented to 5,000 searchers and 100 of them “clicked through” to your web site hence the 2% CTR. The difference between your web site and the retail store is that the 100 people who clicked through to your web site are not prospects quite yet, they’re just visitors. If they enter their contact information to download your free report or e-book, or if they download your coupon for a free consultation or pick up the phone and call you, then they “convert” to prospects. Any of these three actions by visitors can be classified as a conversion. A conversion is any action you want your web site visitors to take.

You too can learn how to build an acupuncture marketing system that runs on auto-pilot. I teach this to the members of my insider's club.

Going back to the retail store example, if of the 100 people who walked in the retail store 10 make a purchase, the merchant’s conversion ratio is 10%. Is this good? Well, I don’t know. It depends on many factors. If the store sells high ticket items I would say that’s good. On the other hand if their average sale is small, I would say that’s not good because they’re probably not recovering enough revenue to cover their cost of doing business at the mall. Now stick with me here for a minute because I’m going to show you how a small increase in conversion can dramatically impact your bottom line.

5% is a BIG Deal

Let’s say that in the stores example the owner is breaking even at a conversion ratio of 10%. Remember, she’s only selling 10 out of 100 people who come in the store which translates into a 10% conversion ratio. So the owner wants to increase her conversion ratio and start making a profit. What should she do? Well, if she’s like most small business owners, she’ll want to increase store traffic. But if she’s thinking strategically, she’ll want to improve her conversion ratio first, because if she’s able to sell 15 people out of 100 instead of 10, she will have increased her conversion ratio to 15%. You might think 5% is not that significant, but that 5% increase in conversion represents an increase in profit of 50%. If she can figure a way to sell 20 out of 100 visitors she would be doubling her profits. Do you see why improving your CONVERSION is critical to your profit? If you’re converting 2 out of 5 patients and you make strategic changes in your marketing and you are able to convert 3 out of 5 patients, you just gave yourself a 50% pay raise. If you’re converting 5 out of 5, congratulations! You’re ready to turn up the traffic and make a killing. Of course 5 out 5 is not realistic in the real world. That’s a 100% conversion ratio. Let me put it this way— it is possible to convert 5 out of 5 which is 100% if you happen to do this on a particular day, but it’s impossible to convert
100 out of 100.

So what's the take away? Don't spend a single dime on advertising until you have an acupuncture marketing strategy in place.

Marketing Acupuncture – The Power of Testimonials

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Did you know that what people say about you is 10 times more believable than anything you can say about yourself?

It's true... That's the power of TESTIMONIALS.

Testimonials carry a lot of weight because you’re not the one tooting your own horn. Instead you have a third party telling the world how great an acupuncturist you are. Testimonials prove to others that your patients get results under your care and gives those looking for an acupuncturist in your area a good reason to book an appointment with you. Marketing acupuncture and testimonials go hand in hand.

You gotta see my acupuncturist!

You gotta see my acupuncturist!

If you already "proactively" ask for testimonials from your patients then you're on the right track. My advice to you is NEVER to stop this habit. This is a good practice to continue for as long as you are in business. The more testimonials you have the higher your credibility in the market.

Testimonials are one of the most powerful marketing strategies you could use to get quantifiable results. If you don't have testimonials I encourage you to start getting them right away because they will make a dramatic impact on your success.

This is one of the most effective marketing strategies where the return on investment is unmatched. Why? Because testimonials are free. I can’t think of a less expensive or easier marketing strategy where you gain credibility without paying out a single dime for advertising. Do you see my point?

Of course there's a right way and a wrong way to get testimonials. If you do it right you'll start to see how fast they pile up.

But if you go about it the wrong way you can put your patients in an awkward situation. Asking for testimonials at the wrong time is inappropriate, I think.

So what’s the right way to get testimonials? Here's a scenario...

A patient who's had 3 treatments comes in for a 4th one and shares with you that they feel so much better. They say they can't believe how acupuncture has relieved their pain, or anxiety, or whatever. This is the perfect opportunity to ask for the testimonial. How do you ask? You say something like this...

"You know Mary, I'm so glad you're feeling better. Would you mind if I used your experience as a testimonial on my website? I think others will benefit from reading how acupuncture has helped your condition. To protect your privacy I would only post your first name and the city you live in. If you don’t like to write I can write it myself and send it to you for approval. You can review it and edit it as you see fit. There's no obligation of course. If you don't feel comfortable doing it I understand, I just feel it would help others see how acupuncture can make a difference."

It is very likely Mary will give you a testimonial and so will the other 98% of your patients if you ask at the right time. Besides, you have nothing to lose. The worse that could happen is they say no because they're shy. But that's the exception to the rule. Most people want to help and will be happy to give you a testimonial if you ask for it when the timing is right.

Another easy opportunity for getting testimonials will come to you via e-mail. This is even easier than in person. Some times a patient will e-mail you saying how much better they feel. This is a perfect opportunity to hit the reply button and say; “Mary, can I use your e-mail as a testimonial on my website?” It is rare a patient will say no.

Don't lose the opportunity to ask for testimonials. Just make sure to ask for them when the timing is right and you’ll see how fast you gather them. Asking for them out of the blue is not recommended. I’m not saying it won’t work, but patients are more predisposed to give you a testimonial when they’re sharing how happy they are with the results they’re getting.

If you’re starting at ground zero and want to get warmed up practicing getting testimonials, you can approach your close friends or loved ones that have come to you for acupuncture. Just ask them for the testimonial. The more testimonials you gather, the more credibility you'll gain. Don't make the mistake of underestimating the power of testimonials.

I don’t think I need to say this but I will. Never fake a testimonial. You can spot a phony testimonial a mile away. Another thing to keep in mind is always use the person’s first name. Putting a persons initials at the end of a testimonial makes it look phony even if it’s not. If a patient refuses to use their first name in their testimonial and just wants to put their initials, accept the testimonial, thank them for it, then file it in the circular file. Most people will be happy to give you a bona-fide testimonial with a first name and city or town.

Speaking of testimonials, please feel free to leave a comment if you have a way of getting testimonials that works well for you. Your fellow practitioners will appreciate your input.

Frank Prieto

You Are Awesome!

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Validation is one of the most powerful things we have at our disposal to impact a person's life in a meaningful way. I think at some point or another, we all have experienced the feeling of liberation that comes from truly being validated.

Feeling validated comes in different forms. At times validation for me has been evident when I've had a haunch that something just wasn't right, and later found out that if I had only "validated" my gut feeling I could have saved myself a lot of grief.

But the validation I'm talking about today is the gift we all have of making a difference in someones life that will last far longer than chocolate or roses. The gift of true validation can last a lifetime.

Being that today is Valentines Day, I couldn't think of a better gift to give you than this short movie on validation. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I'll bet you a dozen red roses it'll put a smile on your face.

Oh... and before you leave please feel free to leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

Frank Prieto

PS-- I think you are AWESOME! 🙂

You Can’t Fix Your Marketing Until You Know What You’re Doing Wrong and Why.

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What is Branding or “Image Advertising” and Why You Should Stay Away From it.

If you watch the TV commercials you might think you have a good idea on how to market your practice. But the fact is you should never advertise like the big companies do because you don’t have the kind of money they have to throw around and “hope” it works.

The kind of advertising you see on television is called C & R advertising. C & R stands for “Creative” and “Repetitive.” You see, in the 1950’s when televisions were becoming a household item in most US homes, advertisers realized this was an incredible way to reach millions of potential customers all at the same time.

Pretty amazing huh?

Today we take that for granted, but if you were a marketer back then you’d do the same thing. They started advertising on TV because it was an inexpensive way to reach millions or consumers instantly.

That only lasted until the broadcasters realized they had a gold mine on their hands.

What did the broadcaster do?

They increased the prices of those TV spots to the point where the average company could not afford to advertise on television any longer. This now gave the large companies a competitive edge and an opportunity to monopolize the airwaves, and they did.

It was companies (still are) like Proctor & Gamble, General Motors and General Electric that became household names. But since TV spots were so expensive they had to compress their marketing message to 60 seconds or less.

In other words, they had to find “CREATIVE” ways to deliver their message in a very short period of time, and run those ads many times (“REPETITIVE”) so the messages would stick. That’s how jingles and slogans became popular.

This is also how BRANDING was born. Say it “creatively” and “repeat” it enough and consumers will eventually recognize and buy your “brand.”

Does this work?

It works if you have very, very deep pockets because Branding is very expensive. As a small business owner you don’t have the kind of marketing budget the giant companies have. So in order for your acupuncture marketing to be effective you have to use Direct Marketing principles that have been tested and proven and have been working since before television.

Acupuncture Marketing 2009

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If there was ever a better time for practitioners to get serious about marketing their acupuncture "business" is now. Yes, I know the economy is in the dumps. I'm not going to stick my head in the sand and pretend we're not facing some nasty times. But at the same time I refuse to participate in this recession.

Frankly, I'm sick and tired of the gloom and doom we get fed by the media every single day. While I understand most people are concerned over the economy, you have to admit that bad news sells a great deal more newspapers and TV coverage than good news.

Why is it you don't hear the mainstream media report that Amazon.com had it's best holiday season ever, with over 6.3-million items ordered worldwide on the peak day, Dec 15, 2008. No wonder Jeff Bezos was wishing everyone happy holidays.

Or that recession proof companies like Procter & Gamble, Costco Wholesale and Kraft Foods, along with Johnson & Johnson and Novartis had decent financials in recent quarters. Not to mention Walmart and McDonalds to name a few more. And then of course Google that continues to break records.

These days the story of the man with little education selling hot dogs on the side of the road during the great depression comes to mind. This fellow was doing just fine selling good tasting hot dogs everyday to passing motorist.

He was hard of hearing and had poor vision so he didn't listen to the radio or read newspapers. His roadside hot dog stand was doing great. He had purchased a larger stove and increased his meat and bun orders. He had put up signs advertising how good his hot dogs were, and he was selling more hot dogs than ever.

What happens next is the moral of the story. When his son graduates from college and meets up with him, the son says... "Dad, haven't you heard? We're in a great depression. Stocks have plummeted, banks have defaulted and people are jumping out of buildings" (or something like that.)

The man thought to himself that his son must be right, because he was educated, listened to the news and read the paper. So the man took down the signs and cut back on his meat and bun orders and quit standing by the roadside. His sales dropped dramatically and soon he was out of business. He said to his son, "You know son, you were right. We certainly are in the midst of a great depression."

I have a strong feeling this is a true story of that era. Many times our biggest obstacle is not the economy or competition, but the organ we carry in between our ears. Why is it some practitioners always do well, even in a down economy while others just scrape by?

I'm going to say something that is so outside the norm of your mindset that it may just go right over your head, so please pay close attention. If there's anything you take away from this post this is it;

You're not in the acupuncture business. You're in the business of marketing your acupuncture practice.

When you accept this truth you will see things start happening for you. There's a reason why an average practitioner with good marketing can earn two or three times as much as the experienced acupuncturist with little or poor marketing.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is this; "It's better to be better at marketing than to be better at acupuncture." Yes I know you may disagree. Please understand I'm not saying you shouldn't strive for excellence in your profession. What I am saying is that there's a lot of excellent acupuncturists with great healing skills that are struggling while other less experienced practitioners are doing very well.

The secret is in the marketing.

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