by Bruce Hurley
As business owners, we are so familiar with the benefits of our contribution that it’s difficult to look at ourselves from an outside perspective. This inherent lack of objectivity can lead to trouble, especially when it comes to the often vast gap between what we know about our contribution and what the public knows.
My business partner, Dr. Norton, spent decades honing his education skills to better inform his chiropractic patients for their own benefit. But the ignorance and misinformation wheels don’t stop turning and the result was a stark contrast between his valuable service offerings and the perceptions of the general public, who are woefully misinformed about chiropractic, just as they are uninformed about virtually every profession.
To highlight your overarching challenges and opportunities, start by checking out the dark side of The Force, which is a video of “man on the scene” interviews that highlights the public’s misconceptions about chiropractic.
How big is the gap between your contribution and the public’s perception of what you do? The “dark side” video above answers that question in a dramatic way.
If you’re a chiropractor, their responses will probably make you cringe, but the information gap is just as wide in virtually all professions. This video should validate for you at the highest possible level the importance of inspired outreach, passionate education, and connection as part of your job description.
Don’t get discouraged by this video–get mad, get motivated, and get going!
The light side of The Force can be found in these unrehearsed patient interviews from a random day in Dr. Norton’s patient roster. Some of these patients can explain the benefits of chiropractic better than many chiropractors we’ve worked with! In this video, we asked a sampling of Dr. Norton’s patients some questions to ascertain their level of understanding about what he does and their appreciation for how he does it. As you listen to their answers, try to appreciate how the same level of education would benefit the people you serve. If they can’t articulate their experience as well as the people in this video can, then you need to work very hard to ensure that they fully understand and appreciate the benefits of what you provide.
This video is about how to close the education gap between expert professionals and their public through education. As you watch, consider this: if you asked similar questions about your business, how well would you fare?
If you don’t like the answer to that question, it’s time to step into the world of continuous, high-level education focused on contribution to your audience. But fear not; this is not your high-school Chemistry teacher’s type of education (unless you had an awesome Chemistry teacher); this is personalized, interesting, and helpful information that produces measurable benefits for the audience. Approach it from that angle, and you will enjoy and benefit from the process as much as they will.
You are an amazing contributor and people all around you are suffering for the lack of your services. It is your moral imperative to reach out and connect with them at the highest level, educate them about what you do, and influence them to take action that’s in their own best interests. Knowing what you’re up against and what’s possible to combat it, you can now face the task at hand with your eyes wide open.
