With only so many hours in a day, there is a cap on the revenue an acupuncturist can generate by way of appointments. Once your appointment book is filled, you can't really add more without burning yourself out.
Or maybe you fall into a different category and your appointment book is not full. In this case, you want to start thinking about ways to maximize your earnings from the clients that you do see.
The idea for both scenarios is the same; if your typical customer spends $60 on average, how can you increase this to $65? Let's look at how meaningful a small boost in the average spend can be. If you're treating four clients per day, five days per week, and you increase your average purchase by only $5, you're looking at making an additional $5,000 or more per year.
So, how can you increase your average purchase? One solution is to start selling retail products. It's a great fit because selling products along with your treatment does not require additional time and only requires minimum effort.
The bigger question is, what can you sell? There are three categories of products that have done well within acupuncture clinics: relaxation products, pain management tools, and health food and beverages. You'll want to select products that are a good fit for your business. For example, if you are working in a spa/relaxation setting, then pain management tools may not be a good fit. On the other hand, if you are working in a sports rehab facility, pain management tools would really compliment your services.
No matter what products you choose, only carry a small selection of items and a low inventory when you initially start selling (the last thing you want is a bunch of products stuck on your shelves). It should only take a few weeks to get a feel for what products are selling.
Products to Consider
Relaxtion products, such as candles, creams, body scrubs, room mists and eye pillows. The idea behind relaxation products is that the patient gets to take a piece of you home with them. They should be feeling pretty good after their treatment and you want to show them that they can take some time out of every week to treat themselves, even if on a smaller scale.
Pain management tools, for example: foam rollers, pain relieving gel, hot/cold therapy packs, and neck pillows. If you're working in an environment where most of your patients are visiting for pain relief, selling pain management tools can really boost your income. The sale of a tool can be worked into your treatment plan, but only if you really see it fit (and not simply because you want to make the sale).
Finally, health food and beverages, like coconut water, food bars, etc. Selling food/beverages plays more on the lifestyle of a segment of your patient population. Many people visit their acupuncturist for maintenance and as part of an overall wellness plan. By recommending and selling edible products that fit into a wellness lifestyle, you can increase income.
To get started, research products you feel would be a good fit for your patient base. Select just a couple to get started, and create a small display area near your point of sale. Finally, be sure to discuss the products with your patients. You'll do a better job of selling if you can relate it back to their treatment.
Daniel Ruscigno is the co-founder of ClinicSense. ClinicSense offers clinic management software that helps with scheduling, intake forms, SOAP notes, billing, and more. Visit www.ClinicSense.com.