Brian Shapiro

Immediately following a doctor's diagnosis, nearly half of consumers report using a search engine to further research their alleged conditions, according to a new study conducted by About.com.

What is driving this behavior? Disconcertingly, only 35% of consumers say they completely trust their doctor's diagnoses, the June study of nearly 1,900 About.com users found.

For better or worse, "the patient-doctor visits are no longer just one way conversations but rather on-going dialogues," the study concludes. "People are going online to educate themselves and confirm doctors' diagnosis."

What does this mean for marketers without a specialization in search? According to the study, respondents said they were interested in ads that make them aware and educate them about different treatment options and symptoms, as well as those that make it easier to speak knowledgeably with doctors and other professionals.

What's more, 57% of participants said an ad with information about certain conditions -- including specific signs and symptoms -- and medication side effects and safety would grab their attention. As a result of seeing a health care ad, over 35% of respondents talked to their doctor and researched the advertised drug in more detail online.

"Visitors are looking for health ads that help educate them about the condition and treatment options," according to the study.

Furthermore, about six months after their doctor's diagnosis with an ongoing condition, over 40% of participants reported searching online for coping/management tips with regard to financial, emotional, and physical matters.

The study canvassed About.com users who visited the site's parenting, health and food channels with a pop-up invitation to participate in a survey. The majority -- 64% -- were female, while 36% were male. The majority were between the ages of 35 and 54 -- 36% -- while 29% were 55 or older, 19% were 18-24, and 16% were between the ages of 25 and 34.

Reprinted with permission from MediaPost.

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Nearly 50% of consumers report that online health videos serve as a top resource when searching for medical conditions and prescription drug information, according to the 12th annual national survey "Consumer Reaction to DTC Advertising of Prescription Drugs."

Health information Web sites were rated leading destinations to view health information videos (43%) followed by pharmaceutical websites (14%), video sharing sites (9%) and social networking sites (6%).

Conducted by Prevention, Men's Health and Women's Health magazines, published by Rodale Inc., with technical assistance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising, and Communication (FDA-DDMAC), the consumer survey informs the FDA's stance on DTC issues.

The survey also reveals that consumers are looking for ways to reduce their healthcare spending due to the ailing economy and the spike in unemployment with 32% switching to a generic prescription or OTC medicine, 27% canceling or delaying a doctor's appointment and 20% switching to a doctor or pharmacy that takes their insurance

Reprinted with permission from MeidaPost News.

Vaginitis or white discharge in women is a common medical problem affecting millions of women every year. The current medical therapy temporarily reduces infection  but disrupts the normal vaginal flora. Consequently  recurrence of disease or reinfection by more than one type of microbes  is a common phenomenon. Herbal therapy is gaining ground  because it reduces side effects and restores normal vaginal flora.

In a recent clinical study conducted by Dr. Bapat V. R. et.al.  36 patients with symptoms of vaginitis of varying etiology were treated successfully with a polyherbal formulation- Wh-1 capsule. 30 of 36 patients under treatment were cured. There was a follow up of one month. Vaginal swab test was done before commencement of treatment and after completion of treatment. The swab test shows the identity and virulity of infecting microbes.

The study was undertaken by the Department of Pharmacy Practice of Al-Ameen College of Pharmacy, Bangalore, India and its report is published in Indian Journal of Pharmacy Practice.

Full text of the report is available at: http://www.bapatindia.com

Dr. V. R. Bapat. M. Sc, Vaidya Visharad
Consultant Ayurvedic Physician
375 First ‘B’ Main road,
First Phase, Girinagar
Bangalore 560 085 India
Tel: +9180-2672 0139
vrbapat@yahoo.co.in

Green may be the new black, but not for the reasons you might expect. "Colorblind," a cross-industry, cross-country study of consumers' "green" attitudes and behaviors conducted by Communispace Corporation in partnership with Design Continuum, reveals that there are many reasons people do (and don't) engage in sustainable practices themselves or favor brands that do.

Altruism, as it turns out, is not the main driver. While some people expressed idealistic reasons for choosing green, most based their actions on what was cost-effective, practical, and had a clear connection to their daily lives.

"We recycle way more than any of our neighbors, usually putting out two bins every 2 weeks as opposed to the neighbors putting out 1 or none."

Green activities -- especially recycling -- are social phenomena. It's about the kudos, not just the climate. Factors like peer pressure increasingly influence consumers' behavior. And as environmentalism becomes ever more mainstreamed, consumers will strive to more conspicuously demonstrate through their purchases and actions (e.g., recycling bins on the curbside, reusable shopping bags, driving a Prius) just how green they are -- but only if those measures have material benefit.

"I have always been green as a measure of frugality. My Mom dries her paper towels for reuse. With an example like that, I didn't even know I was 'green' until lately."

Consumers are generally reluctant to sacrifice personal convenience, low cost, or comfort in the interests of the environment -- especially when the environmental benefit of doing so is unclear. But they are motivated by personal and brand measures that they believe to be resourceful or economical.

So what are the implications for marketers?

1.Speak to a diversity of values. People engage with the environment in different ways and for different reasons. Some consumers buy green products and engage in sustainable practices because they want to preserve the planet, but many more are driven simply by a general abhorrence of waste and belief in frugality. So as your company goes green, stay relevant by reflecting this diversity in your messaging. How? ...

2.Connect by focusing on what is close and practical, but paint a bigger picture. Consumers are more cognizant of how they purchase, use and dispose of products than they are of how products are manufactured. So make sure your products' environmental benefits at the point of purchase are clear and tangible (e.g. non-toxic ingredients, sustainable packaging, recyclability), but also commit to educating and building awareness about what measures you are taking at earlier phases of the product lifecycle (e.g. in raw materials, manufacturing, etc.). That's why you should ...

3.Commit to the long haul. To overcome consumer skepticism, demonstrate consistent engagement in sustainable practices across the entire product lifecycle. Individual environmental efforts can build confidence, but corporate social responsibility will be more powerful when efforts accumulate over time and across different parts of the company. So do it and communicate it ...

4.Provide the trustworthy information consumers crave. Environmental issues are complex and people's feelings about them even more so. Companies can win favor with consumers by providing clear and consistent information about sustainability, by "walking the talk," and by being open about your own actions. By disclosing all information about environmental impact (even when it's not flattering) you help meet the need for better, more reliable information. But that's not enough ...

5.Share the burden. Consumers believe that environmentally friendly products are more expensive, and they're wary of companies passing on the burden of sustainability by hiking prices. So accept that you must share the burden, and communicate how you are taking on the cost of producing sustainable solutions.

Reprinted with permission from MediaPost.

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of U.S. families buy organic products at least occasionally -- chiefly for health reasons, according to a new study to be unveiled this week.

Findings from the 2009 U.S. Families' Organic Attitudes and Beliefs Study, jointly sponsored by the Organic Trade Association and Kiwi Magazine, also show that three in ten U.S. families (31%) are buying more organic foods compared to a year ago, with many parents preferring to reduce their spending in other areas before targeting organic product cuts. In the study, of U.S. families, 17% said their largest increases in spending in the past year were for organic products.

If you want a successful Coaching or Holistic Practice, you've got to ATTRACT clients (rather than chase them) AND you've got to learn how to have conversations so they don't feel "SOLD" but instead see working with you as the OBVIOUS next step.

You can try to avoid sales conversations, but when it comes down to it, if you can't "close a sale" with potential clients, you'll waste a lot of time and find yourself having to get a J-O-B.

It doesn't have to be this way...

You can learn the essential skills to attract clients easily AND have them commit to working with you.

AND...it doesn't have to feel much different from when you're serving your clients.

There's a simple system that teaches you how to have heartfelt conversations with potential clients so they TALK THEMSELVES INTO WORKING WITH YOU and you don't feel like a pushy used car salesman.

Once you get this system, you will attract clients easily and double or even triple your practice...

Here are 3 Important Keys to Attracting Clients:

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#1 Become a Client Magnet
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Have you ever met anyone who was so present and full of life that you just wanted to be around them?

It's called, "ATTRACTION." And when you've got it, clients say YES for reasons they can't explain.

Well, it doesn't take years of living on a mountain top or in a monastery. This type of transformation can happen in a matter of minutes...

What does it take to become one of these people...where potential clients don't even care about your modality or what it's called...they just want to BE near you?

I'll tell you how in a minute (Hint: The answer has nothing to do with becoming enlightened!).

But first, let's talk about the second way to attract clients quickly and easily:

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#2 Find Out Where to Meet Potential Clients
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Most practitioners and coaches think the best place to meet people is at Starbuck's or the grocery store.

Sounds intimidating and intrusive, doesn't it?

No wonder they don't want to go out find potential clients...

If you know what you're doing, it's easy to find out where your potential clients hang out. And even better if THEY FIND YOU!

The first thing you need to do is choose a niche. And when you figure out WHO you can help and FOCUS on finding those people, it becomes EASY to attract new clients...and quickly become recognized as an authority in your field (or at least fill your practice with eager clients).

Your potential clients are looking for you...so how difficult are you making it to find YOU? The simple way to help them find you is not through advertising in the yellow pages or making cold calls.

Once you choose a niche, you can find "Hubs" where your potential clients already spend time...and then you can create strategic alliances with the creators of those Hubs so they can introduce you to many clients at once (and endorse YOU). And once they call you or respond to a webpage, what do you say so they commit to investing in themselves and working with you?

This takes us to third important key to attract clients....

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#3 Learn How to Dance with Concerns
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What if half of the people who have ever said to you that they couldn't afford your services had said YES? (calculate how much money you would have made)...

How about the ones who didn't have the time or needed to think about it?

And what about those who sign-up and then decide to cancel...

If you could gracefully (without being pushy) take a stand for these people (and show how much you care) so their desire to get the results of working with you becomes more important than their circumstances...how many more people would you help?

And how much more income would you generate in a year?

If you're not able to dance with concerns (what some sales trainers call "deal with objections") than you're losing a LOT of clients (and money).

If you want to stay in business, you've GOT to learn the key questions to ask to help your potential clients get what THEY REALLY WANT...rather than staying stuck with what they've got now.

When YOU dance with their concerns, you help them say YES to themselves and YOU get to make the difference you're here to make (while making a handsome living doing what you LOVE)!

So, now that you know three keys to attracting tons of clients, it's time to actually DO it.

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The Fast-Track To Attracting Tons of Clients:
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These simple ideas that I've just shared with you are actually a very brief SUMMARY of the concepts taught inside a training program that is just opening for enrollment TODAY.

The training is called the "DOUBLE YOUR PRACTICE in 90 Days Program"- and it was created by two friends of mine who are considered the authorities when it comes to building a Holistic or Coaching Practice quickly!

Now, they obviously aren't the only people who teach sales...BUT they are the only people who specialize in working with coaches and holistic practitioners and they have a simple system that teaches you how to sell without being 'Sales-y.' There system is called Heartselling and they just posted a video on their website about these three keys I mentioned above (including the key to becoming a Client Magnet)!

Go watch this video that they just posted on their website.  It explains all the details about the program, and so much more.

If you want to learn how to ATTRACT TONS OF CLIENTS (and become way more ATTRACTIVE yourself)...

And learn the simple system to have heartfelt conversations with potential clients where they practically talk themselves into working with you, then this is the course that will teach you step-by-step how to do it.

Watch the video now, and let us know what you think.

To watch the video and get lots of bonus materials, simply go to http://tinyurl.com/altMDvideo.

Top 10 DMAs in which live adults who purchased at least $300 of health and beauty aids for men or women in the last year:

1. San Francisco/ Oakland/ San Jose
2. Phoenix (Prescott), Ariz.
3. Dallas/ Ft. Worth
4. Seattle/ Tacoma
5. Denver
6. San Diego, Calif.
7. New York
8. Houston, Texas
9. Los Angeles
10. Colorado Springs/ Pueblo, Colo.

Source: MRI's Market-by-Market study, www.mediamark.com

In 1773, concerned colonists dressed as Indians and dumped tea into the Boston harbor to protest "taxation without representation".  Today, 236 years later, Hundreds of thousands of Americans held modern day tea parties in over 700 cities across the country.

My reason for going was not to support one political party or the other.  I went to let both political parties know that government spending has been out of control and is getting even more out of control.  It used to be that a billion dollars was a big deal.  Now it takes hundreds of billions and even a trillion dollars to catch our attention.

Democrats, Republicans and Independents should all be concerned that we are spending way more money than we have and are racking up huge generational debts at the same time Social Security and Medicare costs are projected to skyrocket as the baby boomers age. 

At some point, someone is going to have to pay our HUGE bar tab.  Unfortunately, it is probably going to be our kids and grandchildren.