Mission, Vision and What's Yet to Come

Interview with Dr. Ross Trivas, CEO of the National Directory of Chiropractic R oss Trivas, D.C., graduated from Palmer College in 1989 and has been practicing chiropractic in Maui, Hawaii, since 1990. He has lectured on chiropractic philosophy and technique in­ternationally and is the founder of the National Directory of Chiropractic. The National Direc­tory of Chiropractic (the Directory) is continuing in its eighteenth-year of publishing the nation's leading printed directory of chiropractors. It is dedicated to maintaining the most up-to-date and accurate information regarding chiropractors and the chiropractic profession. In 2001, Dr. Trivas started Chirodircctory.com, the online version of the Directory. Chirodirectory.com serves as a resource for individuals seeking a chiropractor in their area. It provides details about each chiroprac­tor listed including their chiropractic methods and practices, their education, and contact information to their clinic. In an interview with The American Chiroprac­tor (TAC). Dr. Ross Trivas, shares his vision of uniting the profession through his work. TAC: When did you start the National Di­rectory of Chiropractic and what inspired you to start it? Trivas: It was 1989 and I was coming back from a ski trip and completely void of thought after driving for hours and hours. You could call it spirit driven but, out of nowhere, the idea to start the directory came to me. As I thought about it more, I saw it also as a way to unite our profession by having every chiropractor included; not just those associated with this or that organization. TAC: How has the Directory grown over the years? Trivas: When we started, the Internet did not exist. We began as a printed directory, and it was mainly used in the office by the chiropractor for referrals and purchasing decisions. In 2001, the Directory went online under the name ChiroDirec-tory.com, which meant instant access to the public. This expanded the scope of the Director)' because now it was a tool for the patient and not just for the doctor. One of the main themes you are seeing with the internet is its ability to empower people with decision-making information and, with the online directory, we could do just that. The chi­ropractor was now able to post a complete profile about their entire practice clearly describing what services they provided and the patient could then choose the best practice that suited their needs. TAC: Roughly how much activity does the Chiro Directory get a month? Trivas: Today, the Chiro Directory is accessed by over four million hits each month and the number is growing. We have become the biggest portal for finding a chiropractor on the Internet. TAC: What other services do you offer? Trivas: We also provide Internet consulting for the clinic. Basically, we help define the needs of the clinic and then provide the components neces­sary to insure a successful Internet program. TAC: What advice would you pass on to chiropractors interested in growing their practice via the Internet? Trivas: First, define the clinic's services and style. Most clinics I see today are multidisci- plinary and these different services need to be clearly stated so the patients will know what it is the clinic does. Defining the clinic's style will help define the image you want to portray. Most clinics I see have little to no image or branding and, in the marketing world, this is critical for memory recognition. Once this has been established, the next step is to incorporate this info and feel into the clinic's website. Websites today have become the modern day business card, and, when that potential patient goes to your site, you want their first impres­sion to be a positive one and reflective of the clinic. Next, the website needs to be found and this means hav­ing a search engineering budget. This is where most clinics fall short. With a small budget, your website will come up on applicable key word searches in your area. Typically, a budget of $100 a month will be sufficient. The last key component to a successful Internet campaign is to have an electronic clinic newsletter. Newsletters today take very little time to manage. The costs are minimal and, if used correctly, are hugely effective. Newsletters work because they keep your name in front of your patients, thus increasing patient retention. There are many other benefits to having a newsletter; but, from a marketing standpoint, your clinic's name recogni­tion is the big idea. The main key to a successful newsletter is to make sure you have a method for collecting email addresses of your patient base and to keep this list current. Lastly, make sure all of your marketing campaigns tie into each other. Your web address needs to be everywhere from your sign to your answering machine. Any printed matter that your clinic puts out should also have your web address on it as well. TAC: What are your future plans? Trivas: I envision more patient education on ChiroDirectory.com. This would translate into an extensive online library of chiro­practic articles as well as an open blog where the public can ask questions to the chiropractic community. TAC: What advice would you give a new chiropractor just starting out? Trivas: I would say the most important thing is to be available. This means showing up, even if you have no patients on the books. Also, when you are working with a patient, the focus should be 100% on that patient. This will help you establish a true connection with that patient and, most likely, they will be your patient for life. TAC: What is the biggest challenge you see in the chiropractic profession today. Trivas: My biggest concern is that our chiroprac­tic holistic philosophy has been watered down. In the chiropractic colleges of today, the emphasis is on the hard sciences and I get the impression that speaking about the innate powers of the body and the Big Idea has become somewhat of a taboo subject. This is who we are and what sets us apart from physical medicine doctors. TAC: How do you see chiropractic phi­losophy being strengthened? Trivas: The wisdom mainly lies in those chi­ropractors who have been working in the field for years. It is these doctors who need to impart their wisdom to the next generation of D.C.'s. I think the response would be overwhelming if the colleges budgeted for travel expenses for these various field doctors to come to the colleges and lecture. TAC: Dr. Ross, any final words to our readers? Trivas: Go forward with clear intention, be humble to the power within, and put love into every adjustment. Simple! To contact Dr. Ross Trivas or the Directory, email siipport(a>chiroclirectoiy.coni or call 1-800-888-7914. Ross Trivas, DC Dr. Trivas balances a full time schedule evenly between his clinic and ChiroDirectory.com