Bone crusher knows how to sell

By ROGER BOSTDORFF

I affectionately call a chiropractor the “bone crusher.” I have been utilizing chiropractic service since I was 16 years old. I was playing baseball for the Pemberville Legion team. I was up to bat and the pitcher threw me a curveball. However, I did not recognize curve until I started my swing way too early. I stopped my swing, hitched and then hit a double to left field. Unfortunately, when I got to second for the double I could not stand up. I probably remember this event for two reasons, 1 – I could not stand and 2 – I rarely hit a double.

My brother took me up to the chiropractor. This chiropractor was very old and his hands were a mess. But he put a heat lamp on my back, spread something that smelled like Bengay on my back, then put me in a pretzel position and jumped on me. My back cracked like a potato chip. The next day I was good to go! That chiropractor was a miracle worker as far as I was concerned. He passed away many years ago. I subsequently utilized the services of a different chiropractor until two years ago when he retired.

Finding a chiropractor is like finding a barber or hairstylist. You need to be sure that when you leave you are going to look presentable or be able to walk out of the office. It took me two years to finally determine I had no choice. I talked to multiple people, received many opinions and finally pulled the trigger on one.

The guy was friendly, professional, and improved my situation. No one will be the miracle worker like my first encounter.

So you ask, what does this have to do with sales? A couple of days after my appointment I received a letter from the chiropractor. He thanked me for my business. He went on to explain that just because the pain has lessened or gone away, the issue still may not be totally fixed. My body is unique: (you can say that again) and it will heal on its own timetable.

The next paragraph is the ticket. He continued, “Chances are good that someone told you about chiropractic care before you scheduled your first appointment in my office … Is there someone you know who lives in constant, needless pain? Why not tell them about the care that you receive here and help me spread the good news about chiropractic. Again, thank you.”

I have been doing small business consulting for over 11 years. I constantly advise my customers to ask their satisfied customers for leads or references. Here is a guy that did this on his own and boy is it effective. This small businessman gets it.

Are you ensuring that you thank your customers for their business and then ask them if they know someone else that you should be helping? Are your competitors?

I think this chiropractor can fix more than just backs out of place. His approach can increase sales as well.

Roger Bostdorff is the president of B2B Sales Boost. He spent over 30 years with IBM in sales, sales management and general management. B2B Sales Boost is a consulting company helping organizations improve both their top line revenue and bottom line profits including sales improvement, personnel, conflict resolution, profit enhancement, succession planning, strategic planning and overall business processes. For more about B2B Sales Boost, visit b2bsalesboost.com or call 419-351-4347. To receive the B2B Sales Boost Newsletter, email roger@b2bsalesboost.com.