As the demand for complementary and alternative medicine grows, there’s a corresponding increase in practitioners offering CAM services. Or maybe it’s the other way around…at any rate, if you’ve enjoyed the freedom of limited competition in your geographic fiefdom, there’s a good chance it won’t last.

Fear not. A little competition can be great for your CAM business. Here’s what you should do when competition comes to town:

Welcome Them
First and foremost, don’t retreat into your shell, or be aggressive. If a new CAM office opens in your neighborhood, welcome them, suggest that you get together, and ask them if they need any help.

No, really. Help them out. And get to know them. Find out what they’re good at. What they like. What their philosophy is.

Focus on Growing the Pie, Not Splitting It
The great thing about the alternative health industry is that it’s not saturated. Despite the growth and the hype, there are a zillion people out there who aren’t using CAM. So rather than trying to split up the existing business, why not expand the subset of people interested in alternative medicine?

Consider collaborating on advertising and promotions designed to bring new patients to the industry. As a group, you and your competitors can get far more visibility and access a much larger marketing budget than you could on your own. Would you rather have 100% of a 500 person market, or 10% of 10,000 people?

Refer to Them
What! Are you kidding?

Despite your initial fears about the new kid in town, by getting to know them you’ll inevitably find that they’re not the same as you. They like different stuff. They use different tools. Here’s your chance to refer those patients that you’re not having success with to someone who might specialize in what they need. Or those clients that drive you nuts. (Come on, you know who I’m talking about.)

And in turn, they’ll eventually start to send you the clients that best suit you.

The end result? More business for everyone, better-matched patients for everyone, and clients who are getting better results. Who says competition isn’t good for business?