Marketing issues

[Guest guest]

A couple of technical points on marketing issues.

 

First, the idea of saturation does not really apply anywhere in the western

world, including San Diego, Boston, etc., The ideas that inform people to

accept CM as a rational choice have a market penetration that is so small

that what we are really saying when we say some place is saturated is that

the less than 1% of people who would consider seeking CM-related services

is too small to sustain attractive growth for the number of people who wish

to enter the market.

 

I do not doubt that someone who is good at what they do can have a

successful practice anywhere. As a one time practice management teacher, I

think it is great that the Blue Poppy folk are out there teaching people.

However, examined strategically, the question is what percentage of the

people who attempt to accomplish a successful CM-based livelihood are able

to. A profession cannot thrive unless it has enough economic impact and

social support to accomplish its own interests. That requires a professional

membership with enough time and money to support those interests.

 

Without changing the scope of awareness and acceptance of an idea, you

cannot change people's behavior. Both advertising or marketing need an

audience; both depend upon people's acceptance. The profession needs to

find enough common interest to support a global approach, an institutional

program that uses publicity and advertising to increase the " universe of

prospects " from which individual practitioners can draw with their own

efforts. Think, for example, of how the field would be if the number of

people who accepted CM as an appropriate choice were as large as those

who accept surgery. In a market of thousands, you need to be clever,

creative and lucky because the economics of promotion deny you so many

tools. In a market of hundreds of thousands, the " tried and true " of

marketing become available to anyone.

 

Bob

 

 

 

 

bob Paradigm Publications

www.paradigm-pubs.com 44 Linden Street

Robert L. Felt Brookline MA 02445

617-738-4664

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Bob,

 

According to Marilyn Allen, more Americans are interested in

acupuncture than any other single professionally provided health care

alternative. Perhaps the AT site has these statistics. Also according

to Marilyn, the average MD (may it's GP) is asked five times per day

if acupuncture might help the patient's condition. So I think the

number of potential " qualified " prospects out there is larger than

some of us think.

 

Bob