Enrollment is a concept that has a great deal of utility within the chiropractic profession. In this use version, enrollment does not mean selling; in fact it is fundamentally different than selling. It’s the idea that two parties can work together for mutual benefit in creating a better future than would occur otherwise. Sounds good, right? Here’s how to identify levels of enrollment and also to differentiate it from selling.
Enrollment vs. Selling
Most health care providers do not want to be perceived as sales persons, and with good reason. In very simple terms, all patients are buying services that the provider is selling, so it is in fact a sales environment. However, this can get out of hand quickly and deteriorate into something less than a professional relationship.
The first important distinction between these two concepts is that in a sales situation, the seller and buyer are not necessarily mutual beneficiaries. Their positions may be adversarial. It’s possible for this to be a win-win, but not necessarily, and maybe not often. In an enrollment situation, there is always mutual benefit and both parties are served.
The next important distinction is that in a selling situation, one party is acting on the other, imposing price, terms, etc. In an enrollment situation, both parties work together in order to create a larger good. Cooperation and mutual benefits are key.
A further distinction is a sales situation usually ends at the close of the transaction. An enrollment situation is relationship building, so there are usually longer term or repetitive interactions over time.
Levels of Enrollment
Enrollment conversations have several levels, and going up the scale means greater workability and greater large scale potential. In ascending order:
- Apathy: no interest, lowest energy, doesn’t care. This one’s not going anywhere.
- Antipathy: against it, vociferous, won’t cooperate or participate. This one may be worked into the next level through conversation and understanding objections and barriers.
- Grudging compliance: does not see the value or importance of the project, but will cooperate to the minimum extent required. For lower energy people this is a good target, at least at first.
- Formal compliance: sees value and benefit, and will cooperate to the extent expected only
- Genuine compliance: believes in the project, and will do everything expected and more, within modest limits
- Junior partner: committed, will work as hard as you do to bring the project to fruition.
- Senior partner. Owns the project, executes it as his own, will bring the end result to a completion, with or with out you.
Enrollment conversations
A simple way to use these concepts in your office is to engage in enrollment conversations with your patients. Remember that if you do not insert a different paradigm into their consciousness, they will default to the generic paradigm. In the chiropractic patient, this paradigm is typically one of disease management and pharmaceutical suppression of symptoms. It takes repetition and energy from the doctor to help the patient reach new levels of understanding and enrollment in a holistic paradigm.
An effective way to begin this conversation is with the phrase, “did you know…” This opens the door to conversations about interrelatedness of symptoms, chiropractic methods of care, and types of conditions responsive to this form of care. Its’ also a way to let patients know about conditions other than their own that have responded to care.
Another simple way to increase an existing patient’s enrollment level is to ask “What have you noticed since beginning care?” This encourages them to be observant and inquisitive and to look outside the obvious box of pain relief.
View the upgrading of your patient’s enrollment levels as part of their treatment plan for best compliance with treatment and best end results.