Can You Pick a Wrong Target Market?

Choosing your target market is one of the most important decisions you’ll make in the early process of building a cash based chiropractic practice. Your ability to relate to and understand the worries and concerns of those you’re helping will improve the outcomes of both the doctor and the patient.

While I encourage everyone to choose a market that they’ll enjoy working with and can best help, the question has to be asked, is it possible to choose the wrong target market? My answer would be yes. When choosing your target market I would STRONGLY encourage you to keep the following two factors in mind.

• Are They Willing?

  Your target market has to have a willingness to spend their money on resolving pain, improving their health, or whatever outcome you are selling. This usually means that their problem has to be big enough that they’re willing to invest some money to fix it

  An easy example would be the 20 year old who randomly woke up a stiff neck vs. the fifty year old with on again, off again neck pain for the last 10 years. Who would be more willing to pay cash for your expertise?

• Are They Able?

  Next, your target market has to be able to spend their money on your services. Meaning they have to have some disposable income. In an ideal world we would be able to help everyone, regardless of income. In the cash based model, The financial ability of your patients to pay for your services is reality that has to be considered.

One of the biggest mistake I see young chiropractor make (myself included) is picking a target market that it’s willing and/or able to pay for their services. When deciding who it is you want to help I strongly recommend you keep these two factors in mind.