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In an attempt to help people as much as possible as soon as possible many chiropractors ignore the power of scarcity.

One thing that makes people want something more is to know that they can’t have it or that its availability is dwindling for them, or that it’s scarce or rare in some fashion.

In health care those things that are difficult to possess are usually better. The hierachial structure of medicine and its control over numbers at the top creates and added desire and respect for their limited services. This is why you will see people waiting extraordinary periods of time and paying huge amounts of money to see the ‘best’ specialist in Collins St, Pitt St, Harley St etc.

Scarecity is a fundamental driver for human beings. Even something as mundain as cookies show this neurological sort that people do. Stephen Worchel found that cookies with a few in the jar were rated as more desirable than cookies with plenty in the jar. The notion of scarcity drives the stock market, real estate market, restaurant bookings and every component of marketing and sales.

Consider how scarce you are making your services. If they are too easy to access you may be doing yourself and your practice a disservice.

When people can acccess your care easily they tend not to stay as long. You could say “easy in – easy out”. When you trivialise the object of your service (for example – “Just a little subluxation”) people don’t follow through as diligently – “its not that important”. When you give away care people devalue it.

Tighten up your control of people’s access to you and increase your perceived value to people and watch how they want what you have more and are willing to pay for it.