Ben Cummings Review | Is Ben Cummings & Practice Building Center for Real?

Let's first address... who is Ben Cummings?

Answer:

Ben Cummings is founder of http://www.PracticeBuildingCenter.com which is his membership website dealing primarily with chiropractic marketing topics. Ben Cummings Company Inc. is based near Rochester, NY. He has been a full time consultant to chiropractors since publishing his first book in 1996 titled 101 Practice Building Secrets, which is no longer in print.

Ben is the author of 18 courses and books teaching chiropractic marketing and many chiropractic advertising methods, which he sells at his website under a tab called "Store." Like other consultants, he has numerous courses and seminars you can attend and learn from. However the thing I like about Ben is his pricing seems more reasonable (i.e. Fair!) than most others.

Case in point:

His top level apprentice program (which I went through and thoroughly enjoyed) costs well under $5,000 while comparable practice management programs I've been involved with have exceeded $25,000 annually! I actually got more value for far less money from Ben's apprentice program.

(1) Between 1996-2000 he was the largest advertiser of chiropractic marketing services in three industry publications and it is during this period that he became best known in the industry.

(2) He most likely has the largest number of solo practitioners and independent clinics under his umbrella, with about 6,000 active members and clients. (That says a lot IMO.)

(3) Ben also seems to be sincere. He was one of the best reputations in the industry for being a "nice guy" although he's been known to fire clients and I have personally observed quite a temper on him at times from doctors who "whine" during his seminars or teleconference calls.

(4) Currently has the #1 most watched and viewed weekly Video show called The Chiropractic Marketing Makeover TV Show

(5) Recently his podcast and video web tv show debuted on iTunes at #17 worldwide for "business" category, which certainly lends credibility to his industry influence and industry reputation.

(6) Top marketing consultant and best-selling Nightengale-Conant author, Joe Polish has interviewed Ben Cummings twice for his Genius Network which you can read about here:

(7) Top Google consultant Perry Lawrence recently did an interview with an orthodontist who has excelled in his marketing, and during this interview Ben Cummings was mentioned many times as the cause of this orthodontists multimillion dollar practice

(8) Ben Cummings is author of 18 courses and books teaching chiropractic marketing and chiropractic advertising. Ben has over 6,000 chiropractic clients in most of the English speaking countries around the world. In other words, he has enough "warm bodies" to go through his programs to state with certainty that Ben Cummings is in fact the "real deal."

"Here's the story of how I got started...

In 1995 I was living in North Carolina and was asked by a struggling doctor to help him attract patients. Although I had started and built several businesses, I was very reluctant to help him. At that time I had zero knowledge about private practices. So I agreed to do it on a contingency fee basis. I'd help him grow his practice, and I'd get paid only if he made money.

What happened

His monthly collections were around $20,000 a month when he hired me. To my shock, I was able to increase collections to $52,000 the first 30 days we worked together. Part of this was luck, because he had about 1,000 old inactive patient files that I was able to reactivate, which brought in a lot of easy money.

The next month I grew the practice to $58,000 in collection. The third month we got his collections up to $70,000 a month. They continued to grow from there. He referred me to other chiropractors in the area, I continued to get lucky and was able to build a track record. That's how I got my start in the field of building practices.

In 1996 I released my first course to doctors. Again, I felt lucky because it was a big best seller in and we sold a few thousands to chiropractors around the world. Since then I have released 18 courses, conduct sold out live trainings once or twice a year, continue to do private consulting "on site" with clients, and started a successful Apprentince Program that enables me to work with chiropractors and their staff over a three year development period." - Ben Cummings

Ben Cummings has enough "warm bodies" to go through his programs to state with certainty that Ben Cummings is in fact the "real deal." I have also scoured the internet for opposing points of view, and while some don't like his approaches and methods which are often based on principles of direct response and a more pro-active promotional approach than some doctors are comfortable with, the general consensus is that he provides solid information.

Is Ben the Real Deal?

I have personally spent thousands of dollars on various consultants and believe I have seen most of the programs out there. In other words, I believe I can provide an accurate judgment of good vs poor content.

While there are certainly many good programs out there, it appears that Ben Cummings and his website Practice Building Center have delivered a consistency of good quality content over the years, which I have yet to see one of his competitors compare with. It is certainly worth looking into, if you have a need for some help getting new patients.

Currently, Ben is the primary consultant I am using because he is the most current and relevant vs. most of the others who seem to be one trick ponies. Again, not all will agree but for modern chiropractic marketing techniques, Ben Cummings is who I am using and I am not alone in this belief.

Yes, Ben Cummings is the real deal. Also, I get no compensation for writing this review nor have I been asked to do so! In particular, I have been enjoying his semi-regular weekly online TV show called The Chiropractic Marketing Makeover which you can watch examples at the following links below, as listed in the Recommended Resources section below.

I did some research on Ben Cummings and below are various comments and quotes I have found on websites about Ben Cummings and/or practice building center:

Author and Successful Clinician, Dr. Michael Johnson:

"I just to tell all of you reading this, that when it comes to marketing, nobody's better than Ben Cummings! I've known Ben and been with him for the last 10 years. Ben's ideas have MADE ME MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.

I just can't say enough, I think Ben is a great guy. He delivers on what he promises. Sign up NOW. Just do it! I know that sounds like a Nike commercial but just do what needs to be done and you won't be sorry." - Dr. Michael Johnson, Appleton, WI

Top Chiropractic Consultant and Famous Doctor Who Is Frequently Mentioned in Dan Kennedy Newsletters, Dr. Greg Nielsen:

"I listened to Ben Cummings' advice and doing so has made me many millions of dollars. Literally. For example, one tip Ben Cummings gave me recently regarding a dirt cheap key tag, put over $30,000 in my pocket in less than 30 days.

One tip he gave me on a Reactivation Program and Strategy for Re-Marketing Prior Patients, has put hundreds of thousands in my pocket year after year... for seven straight years now and counting. Millions, if we were to total it all up and I've since lost track." -- Dr. Greg Nielsen

Top Marketing Consultant Joe Polish as quoted from an introduction of Ben Cummings when he spoke at Joe Polish's Boot Camp in 2003:

"Ben Cummings is a brilliant marketer and is someone who I get and share lots of ideas with. He's the best in the business for chiropractic ideas and he has some of the most killer ideas on referrals I've seen." -- Joe Polish

You can also read more comments from various Doctors about chiropractic marketing at this webpage:

http://www.practicebuildingcenter.com/public/601.cfm

While Ben Cummings does have a few drawbacks, like anything in life, I would personally recommend it with a 9/10 rating.

Ben Cummings Drawbacks:

- Ben can be a bit of a perfectionist. Sometimes it is easy to feel overwhelmed because he can throw a lot of stuff at you. I personally prefer this approach because I get to choose a.l.a. cart but some people dislike this approach and can feel there's almost too much stuff at times.

- Once you join his membership, you will get invitations to purchase new releases and the like. I personally don't begrudge someone trying to earn a living by releasing additional products because I realize he's not running a non-profit business. However some are put off by this but I would suggest not letting this stop you from taking advantage in his better ideas.

- Ben Cummings and Practice Building Center don't teach any coding nor give advice on insurance. His specialty is pretty much chiropractic marketing and advertising. If you're looking for code updates or insurance questions, he's probably not for you.

Ben Cummings Positives:

- Ben Cummings chiropractic marketing website is second to none and contains 1,000+ ideas. Also it's the best discussion forum I have ever found on this subject.

- Ben Cummings emails a free weekly video about 10 minutes long called the Chiropractic Marketing Makeover TV Show. It is "must watch" and I've made many improvements to my clinic just watching his free tv show, so if you don't want to shell out any $$ this is where I'd start.

- Ben Cummings podcast is also exceptional content and can be found on iTunes. Do a search for "Ben Cummings" and you will find his podcast. Its easy to find because of its popularity. The downside is if you don 't use itunes you can't really listen to the show. His podcast is also a free show.

- His monthly newsletter ("The Chiropractic Marketing Makeover Newsletter") comes out monthly and teaches a surprisingly complete marketing "system" in most every issue. Often he includes 3-7 additional video tutorials that make implementing various ideas easier for me. Also included is a full length audio which is pretty funny and entertaining, but also expands upon the main theme taught in the newsletter.

- The caliber of client Ben Cummings attracts is pretty high indeed. This is important to me because often the other consultants I've been associated with seem to attract rather "uneducated people" with regards to marketing know-how. Ben Cummings group seems more advanced and his members have actually been instrumental in helping me grow as well.

- Ben Cummings website is huge and even though I've been a member with Ben for a couple years now, I still think I haven't gone through every article yet. It's the best in the business currently, and is worth checking out.

Overall, I give Ben Cummings and Practice Building Center a very respectable 9/10. There is no doubt that he can give you ideas for getting more patients. The only question is there can sometimes be too much ideas, which is why it lost 1 point with me. Worth checking out!

You can visit the Ben Cummings website and join their member's area by clicking here