Adding Value to Your Acupuncture Practice - How to Change Your Mindset About Selling Products

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Decouple Your Time From Your Income
• Share the Richness of TCM
• Don't Sell. Solve the Problem.
• Conclusion

Introduction

You cannot treat acupuncture patients 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. As much as you'd love to share traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with everyone in your community, it's next to impossible to do so without sleeping, eating, and setting time aside for your own self-care. You take pride in the value of your service and in turn, your patients reward that value with cash, check, credit card, or even crypto.

Decouple Your Time From Your Income

Many acupuncturists grind through their days packing in as many patients as possible. The unfortunate reason for doing so is that, as an acupuncturist, you probably don't get paid unless the client walks into your office and gets treatment. If you don't sell any TCM products, your sales are directly tied to your service. Therefore, you've either unknowingly, or knowingly, tied your value solely to your physical presence. While this can make you proud, it can also be exhausting. In addition, if you are away from your office, both your value and your income stream drop to zero until you return. That is stressful!

Share the Richness of TCM

I hear all the time how acupuncturists don't want to be salespeople. They don't want to force sales of products onto their customers. They fear becoming a slimy salesperson. "I'm here to provide a service, not push products!" is a common statement. It's such a boundary-defining sentence. I, personally, think that taking this stance likely keeps you from providing the true value that you WANT to offer your patients. You got into this business because you want patients to see the value of how TCM care can improve their lives. So, why limit yourself to just acupuncture? I'm sure you have quite a grasp of the Chinese medical theory behind the use of needles. Why not use it to add value to your practice?

The problem with the above acupuncturist is that they are looking through a figuratively microscopic lens. Acupuncture does not exist by itself. Although it can be practiced by itself, it is part of a multifaceted system called traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which involves modalities like herbal medicine, tui na, cupping, gua sha, moxibustion, and more! When a practitioner only performs acupuncture, they effectively obscure the broader view of TCM. This view limits the skillset of the acupuncturist, which in turn, limits the type and quantity of patients that will walk into the office. If your practice is so busy that you need to turn people away, then you may not need to share the rest of the medicine with your clientele. But, I'm sure that there's a percentage of your community that could be benefitting from TCM products. It won't take much extra time on your part. But, the impact you can have outside your clinic will grow. Imagine increasing your revenue by 1 to 20% while keeping your practice at current capacity. This is how to increase your value without increasing your time in the office. Besides, if you sell products you believe in, it's not like selling at all!

Selling products should not be seen as slimy. It should be seen as showing your customers another branch of our TCM, which involves the consumption of herbs and herbal formulas. Of course, it should always be the customer's decision to reach out and grab it. Your integrity, professional knowledge, and honesty is what should lower the branch towards them. Sounds lovely, yes?

Don't Sell. Solve the Problem.

Instead of calling it sales, let's call it what it really is. It's creating a mutually beneficial solution to a problem using your expertise and getting paid for it. This is precisely what you do when you perform the service of acupuncture! That's how you added value. Want to know exactly how?

• You added value by knowing when to recommend products to your patient.
• You added value by seeking out and selecting the right products for the patient.
• You added value by making the recommended products available to your patient.
• You added value by explaining how the products will help the patient in conjunction with your acupuncture services.

I don't know about you, but if you helped me find pain relief with a combination of acupuncture and a solid, all natural & organic topical pain relief cream, I'd pay you for it!

Conclusion

It all boils down to value. If you only provide value to your patients when they walk in the door, you could be missing out on providing value outside of the office! By selling products that complement your practice, you are providing value to your clients outside of the clinic. Plus, when the client looks at the product you sold them, they are reminded of you and the value that you've given them! Surely, you have just become an even more valuable part of your patient's life now!

If you don't know how to start selling products, try our Retail Starter Kit. It has everything you need to start selling the #1 all natural topical pain relief cream in your office today!

If you already know that Battle Balm fits your target market, apply for a wholesale account here.