One of the coolest things and something I really love is when the office is just jumping with kids. I mean there is nothing better to me than when I see a car pull up and four kids jump out and then another one and another one (my adjusting area is glass windows on three sides so I get to see the beautiful mountains and the parking lot while adjusting). I know all heck is about to break loose and something beautiful is about to happen. Then here they come, all running to see who will be first on the table(s). The one who don't make it on first play with our dog and others run over to the popcorn machine. There are hugs, and laughing and a lot of great life enhancing chiropractic adjustments happening. For most families that visit our office, we ARE their primary care physicians - and that is cool!!! So, how do you get children and families in your office?
Tip # 17 - Promote, Talk, Educate and Act Like a Family Chiropractor
If you want to see children (lots of them) in your practice and become the "family" chiropractor in your town, then create your practice around families.
Promote yourself as a family chiropractor and let the world know that you see children
Design your practice around families and make it children friendly
Put up posters that promote family and child care
Take pictures of the children you adjust and hang them on the walls
Create a kids play area and keep it clean, fresh and current
Build and promote a chiropractic library complete with reference articles
Have a YOU Tube station which shows kids being adjusted
Do family health talks
Ditch the white coat for something more kid friendly
Learn some kid jokes and use them - a lot
Talk to the kids on their level
Be interactive with the kids and send them to the front desk to make their own appointments
Ask kids if you can come speak at their school or in their class
Attend their plays or dance recitals or sporting events
Have a kids day
Educate the kids - educate their parents - educate their grandparents - educate their teacher
Create family plans
Send birthday cards
Learn a magic trick or two
Get an office dog
Watch MTV or some other kid shows
Be current on kids music
When explaining an x-ray or doing a ROF - direct your speech to the child
*** Ask mom or dad why their child is not being adjusted ***
If your sign says "Pain Clinic", those are the patients you will attract. If your Yellow Book ad has a low back with a lightening bold going through it, that is what you will attract. Think about it - How you hold yourself out, is how people perceive you.
You have the power to create the practice you want.
Tip # 17 - Promote, Talk, Educate and Act Like a Family Chiropractor
Want to learn how to run a really cool practice? Order my new book at www.successfuldc.com
Friday, February 12, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Tip # 16
So Zone 1 is clean and organized and your CA is answering the phone like a pro. Remember, the CA's job when on the phone is to schedule new patients when they call, to remind people of their health care goals when they call to move or cancel an appointment (a missed appointment can never be made up), to call patients who have missed their appointments and to schedule as needed (among her/his many other tasks).
Let's think like an entrepreneur today and run our practice like a business.
Tip # 16 - Think Like an Entrepreneur 2
Not only does the front desk CA need to be trained on how to answer the phones, but she also must be taught to think of the front desk as a business all unto itself.
When a patient comes to the office and has their initial consultation, x-rays and exam they then move onto the report of findings process and will eventually commit to some sort of schedule whether it be a corrective schedule or a symptomatic schedule. This will depend on many factors (mostly it will follow the doctors philosophy and ability to educate and sell them the package which is right for them, but let's suffice to say that they will be coming more than once).
I always, always, always tell people not to miss any appointments because they are designed in a certain way so as to receive the best results. I inform them that if they miss any appointments, they will not get or see the results we have outlined together to meet their goals. Together, we create a goal plan for the recovery of their good health. Since we are working as a team, their responsibility is to make ALL of their scheduled appointments and to perform the exercises or traction homework I have given them but their main responsibility is to just show up.
This is where the truth and your entrepreneurial or business spirit must come in. People will miss appointments if you have not stressed the benefits of what you do, strongly, loudly and with passion until they get it and even then things will come up where they have to miss or reschedule.
A missed appointment has more ramifications than you think. The patient loses momentum in the healing process which sets them backwards, it breaks the promises you made in the beginning to each other and makes the appointment breaking process become easy - in fact, some will break the first appointment and promise to come in next week but will not. If you do not have a follow up procedure in play, you will forget all about them and three months down the road you will think about them during lunch and wonder where they have been. Now they are no longer a new patent, they become a reactivation or they may now forget about why they came in the beginning and having never gotten the full benefit of your care they will say "oh. I tried it and it does not work." So now instead of turning someone on to chiropractic, you have create someone who thinks chiropractic does not work and that is a terrible thing.
Not only that but let's get back to the business end of things. When a new patient or current patient misses their appointment, simply put, the cash register does not ring. Remember, this is a business and the more the register rings, the better off everyone is. Every time the register rings, another patient has been helped and you are able to pay your bills or add to your savings account or buy a new property or open another office....... The patient is happy, you are happy, your family is happy and so is theirs. Yes, their family is happy every time they get adjusted. Think about is. When someone is in pain, it not only affects them but it also affects everyone around them.
So, think about your practice like a business and train your CA on how to politely and firmly remind patients that they must keep their scheduled appointments even if it means shuffling other appointments around or coming in later in the day -that same day, because an appointment missed can never be made up - their health and recovery schedule suffers and so do your daily receipts.
Would you like more personalized help? Visit www.sucessfuldc.com and look into our VIP One-on-One web based coaching program. It's personalized, affordable and will help you get the register ringing.
Tip - # 16 - Think Like an Entrepreneur 2
Let's think like an entrepreneur today and run our practice like a business.
Tip # 16 - Think Like an Entrepreneur 2
Not only does the front desk CA need to be trained on how to answer the phones, but she also must be taught to think of the front desk as a business all unto itself.
When a patient comes to the office and has their initial consultation, x-rays and exam they then move onto the report of findings process and will eventually commit to some sort of schedule whether it be a corrective schedule or a symptomatic schedule. This will depend on many factors (mostly it will follow the doctors philosophy and ability to educate and sell them the package which is right for them, but let's suffice to say that they will be coming more than once).
I always, always, always tell people not to miss any appointments because they are designed in a certain way so as to receive the best results. I inform them that if they miss any appointments, they will not get or see the results we have outlined together to meet their goals. Together, we create a goal plan for the recovery of their good health. Since we are working as a team, their responsibility is to make ALL of their scheduled appointments and to perform the exercises or traction homework I have given them but their main responsibility is to just show up.
This is where the truth and your entrepreneurial or business spirit must come in. People will miss appointments if you have not stressed the benefits of what you do, strongly, loudly and with passion until they get it and even then things will come up where they have to miss or reschedule.
A missed appointment has more ramifications than you think. The patient loses momentum in the healing process which sets them backwards, it breaks the promises you made in the beginning to each other and makes the appointment breaking process become easy - in fact, some will break the first appointment and promise to come in next week but will not. If you do not have a follow up procedure in play, you will forget all about them and three months down the road you will think about them during lunch and wonder where they have been. Now they are no longer a new patent, they become a reactivation or they may now forget about why they came in the beginning and having never gotten the full benefit of your care they will say "oh. I tried it and it does not work." So now instead of turning someone on to chiropractic, you have create someone who thinks chiropractic does not work and that is a terrible thing.
Not only that but let's get back to the business end of things. When a new patient or current patient misses their appointment, simply put, the cash register does not ring. Remember, this is a business and the more the register rings, the better off everyone is. Every time the register rings, another patient has been helped and you are able to pay your bills or add to your savings account or buy a new property or open another office....... The patient is happy, you are happy, your family is happy and so is theirs. Yes, their family is happy every time they get adjusted. Think about is. When someone is in pain, it not only affects them but it also affects everyone around them.
So, think about your practice like a business and train your CA on how to politely and firmly remind patients that they must keep their scheduled appointments even if it means shuffling other appointments around or coming in later in the day -that same day, because an appointment missed can never be made up - their health and recovery schedule suffers and so do your daily receipts.
Would you like more personalized help? Visit www.sucessfuldc.com and look into our VIP One-on-One web based coaching program. It's personalized, affordable and will help you get the register ringing.
Tip - # 16 - Think Like an Entrepreneur 2
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Tip # 15
So Zone 1 is clean, organized and expressing chiropractic to everyone who enters the front door. Awesome. But, let's take another look just to be sure. Your office is an outward manifestation of your chiropractic and personal beliefs (possibly, if you are congruent in thought and action) so make your office true to whom you are but make it chiropractic.
I received one of the greatest compliments yesterday when my flight commander from the Asheville Civil Air Patrol came in for an adjustment. He is a new patient and like myself, a real New Yorker living in the south (and loving it) The first time he walked in, he was amazed. He perused the walls and everything was screaming chiropractic. In our Zone 1, we do not have testimonial books, we have testimonial walls. That's right, when a patient makes a testimonial type comment either before during or after their adjustment, we hand them a magic marker and ask them to write it on the wall (more later). He then came back to our open style adjusting room and there were kids running around and people being adjusted and everyone was laughing and talking with each other about their chiropractic experiences. To me, this is my dream practice. As he was leaving, he looked at all of us and said "I have been to a lot of "Family" chiropractic offices but this one truly makes you feel like family. It is like meeting a friend in their living room. He gave us all a hug and left. I hugged my wife and team - we truly have created our dream practice but is all begins in Zone 1 with the initial phone call.
Tip # 15 - The Initial Phone Call
There are probably no less than 25 procedures which go into making a dynamite front end, one which is congruent with your mission and is able to capture your vision and pass it on to patients. This is where is happens docs. Zone 1 can make you or break you. The right person behind the front desk and on the telephone is invaluable. They are the first people people talk to, so they are the first impression people get of your office. They are also the first and last person patients when they enter and exit your office. Give serious consideration when hiring your front desk person. I love mine and would not trade her for anything. Why? Because she has the vision - everything else can be taught.
As you may notice in my writings, I jump around a lot. The reason is because procedure is so technical. It is black and white and while running a practice is A LOT of black and white, it is more about feeling and passion and vision and leadership. It is philosophy and understanding and caring and compassion and motivation. To be clique, it is much more of an inside - out thing. When you get it, they get it. When you get the internal message and can act on feeling and passion, when you understand what chiropractic truly is and you then pass that on so others can feel it, all the rest are just words to memorize and organized tasks to accomplish.
This is when scripts come into play. In our office, a new team member is not allowed to answer the phone for at least two weeks. We are very protective of our reputation and since we know that new patients (and other chiropractors) are judging us every time the phone rings, we demand excellence on the telephone and in all zones. The new team member is given a script and a time frame in which to learn it. It they do not have it down in that time frame, they are not on board with our vision and they are released - but it is not a secret to them. They are forewarned. They must not only learn the script (word for word) but they must also hear our Super CA say it a few hundred times during the learning process. Then they have to pass a test where we call the office and pretend to be a new patient. We listen for voice inflection and passion. How is the tone of their voice, does it go up and down in the right spots; is it confident and does she/he follow the script word for word. As with all scripts, you may think they sound canned and phony - but they do not. The caller never has any idea they are listening to a script, they only hear a polite, confident and organized voice at the other end of the phone.
When a patient is moving, the first thing we do is call around to find them a new chiropractor and believe me, your CA will determine if you get one of our patients or not. If I hear "doctors office" and then silence, I just hang up. How yucky and uninviting. New patients feel the same way although by now, many have been conditioned to this type of experience. Instead, to stand out from the crowd, make every experience, starting from the first phone call a WOW experience. Let the caller hang up going "Wow, that was an amazing person I just spoke with. Make them want to come to your office.
Our CA Sabrina, starts each call with "Thank you for calling Cagen Family Chiropractic. This is Sabrina. How may I brighten your day? Isn't that awesome. The responses she gets are amazing and she immediately puts people at ease. They are having a WOW experience and they are just 16 short words into the process. Patients now know who she is, who we are and they are speaking with someone who wants to brighten their day. Who the heck ever speaks with anyone who wants to brighten their day? It is unique and totally appealing.
She then asks when the last time they saw the doctor was to determine if they are a new or existing patient and then asks if this appointment is for them or their entire family. Awesome. They now know we see entire families.
She then seeks to find out how they were referred to our office (so we may thank the person for referring) and then goes on to set the appointment. She asks for the correct spelling of the persons name, repeats the appointment time to them and wishes them a great day.
She has created a WOW experience. Today, create a wow experience for your patients. It starts on the telephone. More Zone 1 tomorrow.
PS. If you want to hear her, give her a call at (828) 885-7100. While you have her on the line, you may want to order a copy of our Ultimate Success Package. For Valentines Day, I am offering a copy of my Ultimate Success Journal, Ultimate Marketing Calendar and my new book How to Run a Really Cool Practice and Make a Really Big Profit for only $99. You will discover in a future tip the value of self-promotion. Have a WOW day!
Tip # 15 - The Initial Phone Call.
I received one of the greatest compliments yesterday when my flight commander from the Asheville Civil Air Patrol came in for an adjustment. He is a new patient and like myself, a real New Yorker living in the south (and loving it) The first time he walked in, he was amazed. He perused the walls and everything was screaming chiropractic. In our Zone 1, we do not have testimonial books, we have testimonial walls. That's right, when a patient makes a testimonial type comment either before during or after their adjustment, we hand them a magic marker and ask them to write it on the wall (more later). He then came back to our open style adjusting room and there were kids running around and people being adjusted and everyone was laughing and talking with each other about their chiropractic experiences. To me, this is my dream practice. As he was leaving, he looked at all of us and said "I have been to a lot of "Family" chiropractic offices but this one truly makes you feel like family. It is like meeting a friend in their living room. He gave us all a hug and left. I hugged my wife and team - we truly have created our dream practice but is all begins in Zone 1 with the initial phone call.
Tip # 15 - The Initial Phone Call
There are probably no less than 25 procedures which go into making a dynamite front end, one which is congruent with your mission and is able to capture your vision and pass it on to patients. This is where is happens docs. Zone 1 can make you or break you. The right person behind the front desk and on the telephone is invaluable. They are the first people people talk to, so they are the first impression people get of your office. They are also the first and last person patients when they enter and exit your office. Give serious consideration when hiring your front desk person. I love mine and would not trade her for anything. Why? Because she has the vision - everything else can be taught.
As you may notice in my writings, I jump around a lot. The reason is because procedure is so technical. It is black and white and while running a practice is A LOT of black and white, it is more about feeling and passion and vision and leadership. It is philosophy and understanding and caring and compassion and motivation. To be clique, it is much more of an inside - out thing. When you get it, they get it. When you get the internal message and can act on feeling and passion, when you understand what chiropractic truly is and you then pass that on so others can feel it, all the rest are just words to memorize and organized tasks to accomplish.
This is when scripts come into play. In our office, a new team member is not allowed to answer the phone for at least two weeks. We are very protective of our reputation and since we know that new patients (and other chiropractors) are judging us every time the phone rings, we demand excellence on the telephone and in all zones. The new team member is given a script and a time frame in which to learn it. It they do not have it down in that time frame, they are not on board with our vision and they are released - but it is not a secret to them. They are forewarned. They must not only learn the script (word for word) but they must also hear our Super CA say it a few hundred times during the learning process. Then they have to pass a test where we call the office and pretend to be a new patient. We listen for voice inflection and passion. How is the tone of their voice, does it go up and down in the right spots; is it confident and does she/he follow the script word for word. As with all scripts, you may think they sound canned and phony - but they do not. The caller never has any idea they are listening to a script, they only hear a polite, confident and organized voice at the other end of the phone.
When a patient is moving, the first thing we do is call around to find them a new chiropractor and believe me, your CA will determine if you get one of our patients or not. If I hear "doctors office" and then silence, I just hang up. How yucky and uninviting. New patients feel the same way although by now, many have been conditioned to this type of experience. Instead, to stand out from the crowd, make every experience, starting from the first phone call a WOW experience. Let the caller hang up going "Wow, that was an amazing person I just spoke with. Make them want to come to your office.
Our CA Sabrina, starts each call with "Thank you for calling Cagen Family Chiropractic. This is Sabrina. How may I brighten your day? Isn't that awesome. The responses she gets are amazing and she immediately puts people at ease. They are having a WOW experience and they are just 16 short words into the process. Patients now know who she is, who we are and they are speaking with someone who wants to brighten their day. Who the heck ever speaks with anyone who wants to brighten their day? It is unique and totally appealing.
She then asks when the last time they saw the doctor was to determine if they are a new or existing patient and then asks if this appointment is for them or their entire family. Awesome. They now know we see entire families.
She then seeks to find out how they were referred to our office (so we may thank the person for referring) and then goes on to set the appointment. She asks for the correct spelling of the persons name, repeats the appointment time to them and wishes them a great day.
She has created a WOW experience. Today, create a wow experience for your patients. It starts on the telephone. More Zone 1 tomorrow.
PS. If you want to hear her, give her a call at (828) 885-7100. While you have her on the line, you may want to order a copy of our Ultimate Success Package. For Valentines Day, I am offering a copy of my Ultimate Success Journal, Ultimate Marketing Calendar and my new book How to Run a Really Cool Practice and Make a Really Big Profit for only $99. You will discover in a future tip the value of self-promotion. Have a WOW day!
Tip # 15 - The Initial Phone Call.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Tip # 14
When you open the front door to your office today, as soon as you take your first step inside, stop for a moment and look around. As we begin the procedure of breaking our office down into zones, let's start with the front door which leads into Zone 1 (the front end).
If you are the first person to arrive at your office, flip on the light switch (or mash it, for my southern friends) and just look around. How does Zone 1 look to you? Are the counter tops cluttered with clipboards and pictures? How is the cleanliness and organization? Is your reception area cluttered with People Magazine or with current chiropractic literature? Do your posters communicate a chiropractic message? Is there a referral board posted somewhere near the front-desk welcoming all of your new patients along with a board thanking those who have referred?
Tip # 14 - Zone 1
Come in and look around Zone 1. This is exactly what your current and new patients see as soon as they walk through your front door. How does the office look to you. Believe me when I say, you do not need to spend $20,000 for a front end desk with glass and chrome and places to put your brochures. You will not get anymore referrals if your pictures are double matted and hung in a $200.00 frame. These things are great, when you can afford them. This could be tip #15 mixed in here, but for now, let's just say, it does not matter how much your office cost to put together. If you can afford all of the fancy bells and whistles and they make you happy, go for it. Personally, I take the extra money and buy another piece of property but that is for later.
For now, let me assure you and re-emphasize that you do not need a lot of money or a big fancy office to see a lot of patients, you only need passion, drive, desire and skill and all of those things are free - in fact, you already posses them, you just have to develop them.
So back to zone 1. How does the office look? Have the rugs been vacuumed? Floor swept. All brochure holders are full, pictures are hung level, chairs are straight and everything promotes chiropractic. Most patients come to your office totally ignorant about chiropractic and in most cases this holds true even if they have been to a chiropractor or a few chiropractors before. It is YOUR job, YOUR mission and YOUR responsibility to teach them about what chiropractic truly is. HINT BOMB: THAT IS HOW YOU RUN A HIGH VOLUME, HIGH PROFIT OFFICE - YOU ADOPT THE ATTITUDE THAT IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO TEACH PEOPLE ABOUT CHIROPRACTIC and then you act and promote in a way that will make it happen - nuff said.
I could stop giving tips right now because that is the only one you will ever need but let's get back to the rest of the stuff.
If you are satisfied that your front end is clean and promotes cleanliness and chiropractic in all ways possible, walk around the front desk and look around. The same hold true in the back of Zone 1. Clean, organized, prepared and promoting chiropractic but now take it one step further. Let's get Universal here for a minute. Since we know that everything has an equal and opposite reaction and that everything we put out of our mouths and out in our thoughts comes back to us let's realize that this goes down to even the littlest or most minute of things. Sometimes we are chasing patients away without even realizing it. How? Think about this. If you do not have new patient forms ready and on a clipboard, you are telling the Universe that you can not handle anymore new patients. It also shows a lack of organization and forethought. How many are ready? Trivial? I think not. Every action that you take and every word that you speak has a Universal consequence or reaction but more about that later. For right now, prepare as if 10 new patients could walk through your door at any moment. This tells the Universe that you are ready!
Is your CA's area neat, clean, organized and promoting chiropractic? Are the computers running properly? Does she/he have everything they need in order to keep YOUR practice running like a well oiled machine. Does she/he have pens (with your name and phone number on them), at the ready to give away to each person who touches them. Believe it or now, pens are a great internal promotional device. Everything in your office should be organized say chiropractic (remember the hint bomb).
Did your CA print a list of the next days patient load and have it waiting for your morning huddle? More on that tomorrow. Is her/his desk cleared and ready for action or is it piled high with folders and papers (clutter is distracting). Were all of the travel cards put away and then pulled for the next day (if you use paper) and have you created a way to see who you will need to collect from when they walk in?
Each zone has a procedure and it is the doctors responsibility to not only create a procedure but to enforce it. Although success lies in your passion and your responsibility to spread the "Story"; procedures and organization go a long way to helping you achieve YOUR mission.
Great office do not just happen - they are created.
More tomorrow.
Tip # 14 - Zone 1
If you are the first person to arrive at your office, flip on the light switch (or mash it, for my southern friends) and just look around. How does Zone 1 look to you? Are the counter tops cluttered with clipboards and pictures? How is the cleanliness and organization? Is your reception area cluttered with People Magazine or with current chiropractic literature? Do your posters communicate a chiropractic message? Is there a referral board posted somewhere near the front-desk welcoming all of your new patients along with a board thanking those who have referred?
Tip # 14 - Zone 1
Come in and look around Zone 1. This is exactly what your current and new patients see as soon as they walk through your front door. How does the office look to you. Believe me when I say, you do not need to spend $20,000 for a front end desk with glass and chrome and places to put your brochures. You will not get anymore referrals if your pictures are double matted and hung in a $200.00 frame. These things are great, when you can afford them. This could be tip #15 mixed in here, but for now, let's just say, it does not matter how much your office cost to put together. If you can afford all of the fancy bells and whistles and they make you happy, go for it. Personally, I take the extra money and buy another piece of property but that is for later.
For now, let me assure you and re-emphasize that you do not need a lot of money or a big fancy office to see a lot of patients, you only need passion, drive, desire and skill and all of those things are free - in fact, you already posses them, you just have to develop them.
So back to zone 1. How does the office look? Have the rugs been vacuumed? Floor swept. All brochure holders are full, pictures are hung level, chairs are straight and everything promotes chiropractic. Most patients come to your office totally ignorant about chiropractic and in most cases this holds true even if they have been to a chiropractor or a few chiropractors before. It is YOUR job, YOUR mission and YOUR responsibility to teach them about what chiropractic truly is. HINT BOMB: THAT IS HOW YOU RUN A HIGH VOLUME, HIGH PROFIT OFFICE - YOU ADOPT THE ATTITUDE THAT IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO TEACH PEOPLE ABOUT CHIROPRACTIC and then you act and promote in a way that will make it happen - nuff said.
I could stop giving tips right now because that is the only one you will ever need but let's get back to the rest of the stuff.
If you are satisfied that your front end is clean and promotes cleanliness and chiropractic in all ways possible, walk around the front desk and look around. The same hold true in the back of Zone 1. Clean, organized, prepared and promoting chiropractic but now take it one step further. Let's get Universal here for a minute. Since we know that everything has an equal and opposite reaction and that everything we put out of our mouths and out in our thoughts comes back to us let's realize that this goes down to even the littlest or most minute of things. Sometimes we are chasing patients away without even realizing it. How? Think about this. If you do not have new patient forms ready and on a clipboard, you are telling the Universe that you can not handle anymore new patients. It also shows a lack of organization and forethought. How many are ready? Trivial? I think not. Every action that you take and every word that you speak has a Universal consequence or reaction but more about that later. For right now, prepare as if 10 new patients could walk through your door at any moment. This tells the Universe that you are ready!
Is your CA's area neat, clean, organized and promoting chiropractic? Are the computers running properly? Does she/he have everything they need in order to keep YOUR practice running like a well oiled machine. Does she/he have pens (with your name and phone number on them), at the ready to give away to each person who touches them. Believe it or now, pens are a great internal promotional device. Everything in your office should be organized say chiropractic (remember the hint bomb).
Did your CA print a list of the next days patient load and have it waiting for your morning huddle? More on that tomorrow. Is her/his desk cleared and ready for action or is it piled high with folders and papers (clutter is distracting). Were all of the travel cards put away and then pulled for the next day (if you use paper) and have you created a way to see who you will need to collect from when they walk in?
Each zone has a procedure and it is the doctors responsibility to not only create a procedure but to enforce it. Although success lies in your passion and your responsibility to spread the "Story"; procedures and organization go a long way to helping you achieve YOUR mission.
Great office do not just happen - they are created.
More tomorrow.
Tip # 14 - Zone 1
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Tip # 13
Someone once said that success was 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration. I am going to take the liberty of changing that to success is 99% preparation and 1% everything else. It is all about having procedures in place that will allow you to function at your highest potential. Organize, systematize and then actualize. To do otherwise is chaos and although it may be exciting to jump on the chaos ride every now and again, it can not last. Pretty soon you will either get sick and confused where you will be screaming for the operator to stop the ride or they will just pull the lever and stop it on their own.
The chaos ride is exciting! You go to a motivational seminar or some type of meeting and you are pumped to the max. That in good. You learned some technique or many techniques on how to get new patients, run your practice, make lots of money .......... and then you go back to the office and implement everything at once. It's the proverbial "it you throw enough shit against the wall - some of it is going to stick" syndrome. And, it works - for a while. Suddenly your office is flooded with new patients, people are happy and you begin to prosper but then what? Or, maybe nothing happened because of your efforts (or pseudo-efforts) and now you are bummed out and become a 'that doesn't work person (yikes).
This is the exact opposite of 99% perspiration - it is 99% inspiration and 1% perspiration. Personally, I like the chaos stage. I like it when the endorphines are pumping and I love the thrill of the ride but...... think of your practice as a sporting event and the preparation part becomes vitally obvious and you will understand this tip a little more clearly.
Tip # 13 - Back to Basics
We are one week away from the Super Bowl - the biggest game in football. Every player on every team (or so we hope) begins and ends their career chasing this one milestone. The prize, a Super Bowl ring and the pride of playing on a winning team (not to mention a big fat paycheck). It is the pinnacle of their career - the icing on the cake. For 16 Sunday's a year, they take the field of battle for 60 minutes short minutes. Imagine that, these giants of the gridiron spend 8-10 hours a day, working out, studying their scripts, getting coached and practicing their performance just to showcase their efforts and talents for 16 hours out of a whole year.
Now, let's look at the numbers real quick. Let's say they prepare forty weeks out of the year, 4 days a week for 8 hours a day. That comes out to roughly 1,280 hours of preparation for 16 hours of show time. That is 80 hours of prep time for one hour of show time.
Every coach knows that in order to create a winning team (and in this case you are the coach) there has to be raw talent to begin with. Then, it is their responsibility to develop that talent. They give them a play book and ask them to study it. Wait a minute. Where did the play book come from? It is a collaborative effort but essentially - they developed it. They took what they learned during their journey to a head coaching position (school) and put their very own special twist on not only what they have learned but also on what they have observed other head coaches doing. Then they created their own play book, one which suites their personality and style of play. In their play book are their procedures and strategies on how to create a winning team - week after week they train from this book so they are prepared not only on how to score but also on how to keep the other team from scoring against them. Practice - drill- rehearse. Practice-drill-rehearse until game time. They either win or they lose but once again it is practice -drill-rehearse, practice- drill - rehearse.
There are offensive coaches, defensive coaches, quarterback coaches, receiving coaches, special team coaches, strength trainers, conditioning trainers and on and on. Each one practicing a minimum of 80 hours for one hour of play. That is an astronomical number of hours but demonstrates what goes into winning.
The team that wins is usually the one that continues practicing with continuity and is relentless in their efforts. They practice the same plays over and over hundreds of times until it is second nature and once they have perfected it, they practice it again and again. My assistant is great at answering the phone per our play book. I have received countless compliments on how good she is but every month we train on how to answer the phone. If we did not, she would inevitably sway from the procedure and the whole team would suffer. There needs to be a procedure for every aspect of your practice and every procedure needs to be practiced, perfected and trained on - ever and over.
Today, let's break your office down into squads or zones. We will make the front end Zone 1, your new patient room, Zone 2 and we will go on from there creating a play book for your office. but before that, we have to prepare you to be the head coach. For that, we have the Ultimate Success Journal, a tool I have already created. If you believe what I am saying here, then you will want to get yourself prepared. Visit www.successfuldc.com and order this play book.
Starting tomorrow, we get to practice.
Tip # 13 - Get Back to Basics
The chaos ride is exciting! You go to a motivational seminar or some type of meeting and you are pumped to the max. That in good. You learned some technique or many techniques on how to get new patients, run your practice, make lots of money .......... and then you go back to the office and implement everything at once. It's the proverbial "it you throw enough shit against the wall - some of it is going to stick" syndrome. And, it works - for a while. Suddenly your office is flooded with new patients, people are happy and you begin to prosper but then what? Or, maybe nothing happened because of your efforts (or pseudo-efforts) and now you are bummed out and become a 'that doesn't work person (yikes).
This is the exact opposite of 99% perspiration - it is 99% inspiration and 1% perspiration. Personally, I like the chaos stage. I like it when the endorphines are pumping and I love the thrill of the ride but...... think of your practice as a sporting event and the preparation part becomes vitally obvious and you will understand this tip a little more clearly.
Tip # 13 - Back to Basics
We are one week away from the Super Bowl - the biggest game in football. Every player on every team (or so we hope) begins and ends their career chasing this one milestone. The prize, a Super Bowl ring and the pride of playing on a winning team (not to mention a big fat paycheck). It is the pinnacle of their career - the icing on the cake. For 16 Sunday's a year, they take the field of battle for 60 minutes short minutes. Imagine that, these giants of the gridiron spend 8-10 hours a day, working out, studying their scripts, getting coached and practicing their performance just to showcase their efforts and talents for 16 hours out of a whole year.
Now, let's look at the numbers real quick. Let's say they prepare forty weeks out of the year, 4 days a week for 8 hours a day. That comes out to roughly 1,280 hours of preparation for 16 hours of show time. That is 80 hours of prep time for one hour of show time.
Every coach knows that in order to create a winning team (and in this case you are the coach) there has to be raw talent to begin with. Then, it is their responsibility to develop that talent. They give them a play book and ask them to study it. Wait a minute. Where did the play book come from? It is a collaborative effort but essentially - they developed it. They took what they learned during their journey to a head coaching position (school) and put their very own special twist on not only what they have learned but also on what they have observed other head coaches doing. Then they created their own play book, one which suites their personality and style of play. In their play book are their procedures and strategies on how to create a winning team - week after week they train from this book so they are prepared not only on how to score but also on how to keep the other team from scoring against them. Practice - drill- rehearse. Practice-drill-rehearse until game time. They either win or they lose but once again it is practice -drill-rehearse, practice- drill - rehearse.
There are offensive coaches, defensive coaches, quarterback coaches, receiving coaches, special team coaches, strength trainers, conditioning trainers and on and on. Each one practicing a minimum of 80 hours for one hour of play. That is an astronomical number of hours but demonstrates what goes into winning.
The team that wins is usually the one that continues practicing with continuity and is relentless in their efforts. They practice the same plays over and over hundreds of times until it is second nature and once they have perfected it, they practice it again and again. My assistant is great at answering the phone per our play book. I have received countless compliments on how good she is but every month we train on how to answer the phone. If we did not, she would inevitably sway from the procedure and the whole team would suffer. There needs to be a procedure for every aspect of your practice and every procedure needs to be practiced, perfected and trained on - ever and over.
Today, let's break your office down into squads or zones. We will make the front end Zone 1, your new patient room, Zone 2 and we will go on from there creating a play book for your office. but before that, we have to prepare you to be the head coach. For that, we have the Ultimate Success Journal, a tool I have already created. If you believe what I am saying here, then you will want to get yourself prepared. Visit www.successfuldc.com and order this play book.
Starting tomorrow, we get to practice.
Tip # 13 - Get Back to Basics
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Tip # 12
What would you do if you opened the doors to your office and were suddenly flooded with calls from 100 people who wanted to schedule new patient appointments. Now I know your first reaction is hell yes! Bring 'em on. But let's be realistic, could you handle it or would you and your staff have a major meltdown. How about if ten new patients called or even five. Let's stop there for a moment and think about it. Honestly, how would you handle it it five new patients called and all wanted to come in today - how would you do?
All things happen in perfect time and maybe the phone isn't ringing off of the hook because the Universe knows that you are not equipped to handle anything more than what you currently have. Let's be totally honest for a moment because this is not something you learn as it's happening. What does that mean?
Simply if you office was flooded with new patient calls:
- Is your staff equipped to handle it. Right now can you put your hands on 10 new patient intake packets?
- Do you have 10 time slots available. If not are you willing to come in early, work through lunch and then stay late?
- Are your procedures in place and tight enough for smooth patient flow and follow up?
- If you get hit like that, how will your current patients be affected?
These are just a few of the thousand issues which face a high-volume offices on a daily basis. Muhammed Ali was quotes once as saying "The fight is won far from the shining lights and long before the roar of the crowd. It is won at 4:00am while I am running on a dark cold patch of highway all by myself."
Tip #12 - All Things in Time
A few doctors have contacted me and asked "when I was going to get into the good stuff." They liked what I was writng about but they wanted to get into things like "How to Attract a Million New Patients and Make a Bazillion Dollars in Two Days a Week." Even if it could be done - it would be a disater and yes I am exagerating but you get the point. Doc's - "this is the good stuff"! Please re-read Ali's quote.
The truth be told, most doctors would crumble if they received everything they wanted at this very moment because they do not have the systems and procedures in place to handle the masses they so desire. So before we run, let's build a great foundation to build upon. Let's figure out who we are, what type of practice we want to run. Let's take a behind the scenes look at what successful chiropractors really do. These people do not just wake up in the morning and go into a busy practice. They did not just get lucky or live in the "right" community. These doctors have a strict set of rules they live by, they get up early and work on themselves before they work on others, they receive the message before they give the message, they work on their goals so they can achieve their goals, they put chiropractic in their hearts before they can put it into the hearts of others and they study and implement business skills, stratagies and mindsets so they can handle the onslought of new patients they now so richly deserve and are ready for. And that kind of stuff is usually done between the hours of 4:00 am and 7:00 am.I really hate to be the bearer of bad news but - that is just the beginning.
No one said it was going to be easy - if it was, everyone would be doing it. The point here is that the steps to achieving the office of your dreams are easy and they all work but the elevator to the top is out of order - you are going to have to hoof it up the steps and that is where many Doc's get into trouble, they want, want, want but are unwilling to do the work necessary to achieve - or even be able to handle all of their wants should they somehow show up.
Let's get a reality check for a moment. I have harped on Goal Setting for months now. Every motivational speaker harps on goals, every paster, speaker, trainer, writer and motivator harps on goal setting. You have read it, you have heard it and at the heart level you know it to be true - but have you done it? I am guessing the answer is no. Sorry to those of you that have. But why have YOU not done this simple thing? It works. It's been proven to work. Every major player says it works. This is exactly what I am talking about. Getting to the top takes hard work. You can not skip the steps because you did not want to do them.
Yesterday I had the privelage of getting flight instruction from a 30 year 747 pilot. Now this is an incredible opportunity which most pilot's never get - and he gave his time for free. I am a pretty accomplished pilot but I am not even remotely in the same league as this guy. When he said to do something, I put my pride away, absorbed what he had to say and implemented his suggestions. After one lesson, I am already a better pilot. I am not capable of flying a 747 after one lesson because I do not know their systems and procedure and I have not put my time in but eventually with continued training - at his pace I will be able to. (not on my goal list - just a point).
Do you know what he said to me at the end of the lesson. He said "Well, you need a little work but you've already have some skill. He said, what I really like is that you have a good attitude and are willing to learn." Now I could have been offended - What do you mean - need a little work or I could have taken his advice and not implemented his suggestions. With his help, I will become a better pilot. Oh yeah, this guy started his lesson not in the air but we spent two hours on the ground first going over paperwork, and pre-flighting the plane before we ever stepped inside of it and then we did "day one" manuevers for the next 2 hours. Boring - Heck no. Although I already knew this stuff, I was proficient at the private pilot level but I am training with him because I want to take my skills to the next level. Make sense?
There is no quick road to the top. There are tips which will help you jump start things and we will but first understand tip #12.
Tip #12 - Everything in Time
All things happen in perfect time and maybe the phone isn't ringing off of the hook because the Universe knows that you are not equipped to handle anything more than what you currently have. Let's be totally honest for a moment because this is not something you learn as it's happening. What does that mean?
Simply if you office was flooded with new patient calls:
- Is your staff equipped to handle it. Right now can you put your hands on 10 new patient intake packets?
- Do you have 10 time slots available. If not are you willing to come in early, work through lunch and then stay late?
- Are your procedures in place and tight enough for smooth patient flow and follow up?
- If you get hit like that, how will your current patients be affected?
These are just a few of the thousand issues which face a high-volume offices on a daily basis. Muhammed Ali was quotes once as saying "The fight is won far from the shining lights and long before the roar of the crowd. It is won at 4:00am while I am running on a dark cold patch of highway all by myself."
Tip #12 - All Things in Time
A few doctors have contacted me and asked "when I was going to get into the good stuff." They liked what I was writng about but they wanted to get into things like "How to Attract a Million New Patients and Make a Bazillion Dollars in Two Days a Week." Even if it could be done - it would be a disater and yes I am exagerating but you get the point. Doc's - "this is the good stuff"! Please re-read Ali's quote.
The truth be told, most doctors would crumble if they received everything they wanted at this very moment because they do not have the systems and procedures in place to handle the masses they so desire. So before we run, let's build a great foundation to build upon. Let's figure out who we are, what type of practice we want to run. Let's take a behind the scenes look at what successful chiropractors really do. These people do not just wake up in the morning and go into a busy practice. They did not just get lucky or live in the "right" community. These doctors have a strict set of rules they live by, they get up early and work on themselves before they work on others, they receive the message before they give the message, they work on their goals so they can achieve their goals, they put chiropractic in their hearts before they can put it into the hearts of others and they study and implement business skills, stratagies and mindsets so they can handle the onslought of new patients they now so richly deserve and are ready for. And that kind of stuff is usually done between the hours of 4:00 am and 7:00 am.I really hate to be the bearer of bad news but - that is just the beginning.
No one said it was going to be easy - if it was, everyone would be doing it. The point here is that the steps to achieving the office of your dreams are easy and they all work but the elevator to the top is out of order - you are going to have to hoof it up the steps and that is where many Doc's get into trouble, they want, want, want but are unwilling to do the work necessary to achieve - or even be able to handle all of their wants should they somehow show up.
Let's get a reality check for a moment. I have harped on Goal Setting for months now. Every motivational speaker harps on goals, every paster, speaker, trainer, writer and motivator harps on goal setting. You have read it, you have heard it and at the heart level you know it to be true - but have you done it? I am guessing the answer is no. Sorry to those of you that have. But why have YOU not done this simple thing? It works. It's been proven to work. Every major player says it works. This is exactly what I am talking about. Getting to the top takes hard work. You can not skip the steps because you did not want to do them.
Yesterday I had the privelage of getting flight instruction from a 30 year 747 pilot. Now this is an incredible opportunity which most pilot's never get - and he gave his time for free. I am a pretty accomplished pilot but I am not even remotely in the same league as this guy. When he said to do something, I put my pride away, absorbed what he had to say and implemented his suggestions. After one lesson, I am already a better pilot. I am not capable of flying a 747 after one lesson because I do not know their systems and procedure and I have not put my time in but eventually with continued training - at his pace I will be able to. (not on my goal list - just a point).
Do you know what he said to me at the end of the lesson. He said "Well, you need a little work but you've already have some skill. He said, what I really like is that you have a good attitude and are willing to learn." Now I could have been offended - What do you mean - need a little work or I could have taken his advice and not implemented his suggestions. With his help, I will become a better pilot. Oh yeah, this guy started his lesson not in the air but we spent two hours on the ground first going over paperwork, and pre-flighting the plane before we ever stepped inside of it and then we did "day one" manuevers for the next 2 hours. Boring - Heck no. Although I already knew this stuff, I was proficient at the private pilot level but I am training with him because I want to take my skills to the next level. Make sense?
There is no quick road to the top. There are tips which will help you jump start things and we will but first understand tip #12.
Tip #12 - Everything in Time
Tip #11
As a child, did you ever try to do a flip off of the diving board only to land on your back? I sure did and it hurt like hell. Only later on did I learn that the reason I never completed the turn was that I did not commit to finishing it. Fear? Probably. Okay, definitely. I was afraid of getting hurt so I never comitted and in the end I would up getting hurt because I did not commit.
Interesting paradox here. There are few outcomes depending upon how I began. First, I could never have tried to do a flip because I feared getting hurt. How many of us have never appempted something or have given up on a potential mate or never persued a dream because of fear? Duh. All of us.
Secondly, and in this case, I tried but never really comitted, so I wound up realizing my fear and getting hurt. Now some people said to me, well you tried, good for you. I knew that was BS and what hurt worse than the slap of my back on the cold, hard water was the knowing in my heart that I did not commit. I could have succeed, I had the talent, I had the desire, but fear overtook me so to get the accolades of my friends, I gave it a half-hearted attempt. Others did not see it, but I did and that is what really stung.
I also ran track as a young child and my specialty was the high jump. I was never really good at it but I was tall and thin so the coach just naturally assumed I could jump (I could not). One day while he was watching me flop over the bar, he pulled me aside and said "if you just throw your head over the bar, your heart will follow." Interesting advice.
Tip # 11 - Commit
Only you will ever know if you are commiting to your goals, to your office and to your life. Commitment takes heart. It takes direction and in many cases it takes being held accountable. Just last night I "thought" I had a great idea. There is a project buring deep in my soul that I want to take care of - creating an on-line hospital ministery. I ran this by both of my coaches thinking they would jump on board this worthwhile idea. They did not! I was already comitted to helping my fellow DC's and they refocused me. While this is very worthwhile, now is not the time. I am comitted to following my commitment and I am throwing my head over the bar because to achieve this ginourmous task, I will need all of the heart I can muster.
My whole point here is that one, there is no chiropractor better than you - there are a few that may be more comitted. If you want you can be one of them - just commit - then follow your commitment. Two, most successful chiropractors have mentors - I have two. I am a big idea person but have a hard time following through. I know that about myself so I surround myself with detail people and people who will hold me accountable. Three, If you never try, you will always fail - if you try but do not commit, you will hurt your heart more than your back (little lesson on responsibility there). Three, if you try, and commit, you may fail but you may also soar over the bar with plenty of room to spare. Only you can decide. Choose to commit. The world needs you to succeed!
Lesson # 11 - Commit
Interesting paradox here. There are few outcomes depending upon how I began. First, I could never have tried to do a flip because I feared getting hurt. How many of us have never appempted something or have given up on a potential mate or never persued a dream because of fear? Duh. All of us.
Secondly, and in this case, I tried but never really comitted, so I wound up realizing my fear and getting hurt. Now some people said to me, well you tried, good for you. I knew that was BS and what hurt worse than the slap of my back on the cold, hard water was the knowing in my heart that I did not commit. I could have succeed, I had the talent, I had the desire, but fear overtook me so to get the accolades of my friends, I gave it a half-hearted attempt. Others did not see it, but I did and that is what really stung.
I also ran track as a young child and my specialty was the high jump. I was never really good at it but I was tall and thin so the coach just naturally assumed I could jump (I could not). One day while he was watching me flop over the bar, he pulled me aside and said "if you just throw your head over the bar, your heart will follow." Interesting advice.
Tip # 11 - Commit
Only you will ever know if you are commiting to your goals, to your office and to your life. Commitment takes heart. It takes direction and in many cases it takes being held accountable. Just last night I "thought" I had a great idea. There is a project buring deep in my soul that I want to take care of - creating an on-line hospital ministery. I ran this by both of my coaches thinking they would jump on board this worthwhile idea. They did not! I was already comitted to helping my fellow DC's and they refocused me. While this is very worthwhile, now is not the time. I am comitted to following my commitment and I am throwing my head over the bar because to achieve this ginourmous task, I will need all of the heart I can muster.
My whole point here is that one, there is no chiropractor better than you - there are a few that may be more comitted. If you want you can be one of them - just commit - then follow your commitment. Two, most successful chiropractors have mentors - I have two. I am a big idea person but have a hard time following through. I know that about myself so I surround myself with detail people and people who will hold me accountable. Three, If you never try, you will always fail - if you try but do not commit, you will hurt your heart more than your back (little lesson on responsibility there). Three, if you try, and commit, you may fail but you may also soar over the bar with plenty of room to spare. Only you can decide. Choose to commit. The world needs you to succeed!
Lesson # 11 - Commit
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