Author Archives: Edward Petty

About Edward Petty

Consultant with Petty, Michel & Associates, Author of Marketing Manager System, the Goal Driven Business www.GoalDriven.com. Father and grandfather, husband, student, active in athletics, and in health and environmental causes.

A Few May Promotions for Your Chiropractic Practice

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Mother’s Day is coming up soon (Sunday, May 8th).

This brings up the whole topic of women’s health care.

There are many types of health related events concerning women that you can participate in during this month (or any month, really) that are not only good causes, but can act to spotlight your services.

These include:

  • talks outside of the office
  • workshops in house
  • movie screenings
  • special awareness, or “Appreciation Weeks” for free health screenings
  • sponsor radio programs, interviews
  • letters to the editor
  • gifts (flowers the Friday before Mother’s Day)
  • and tape video “health tips” and post to YouTube.
  • donation drives

The list can go on and on. Some offices have had talks about pregnancy and pre and post natal care, sometimes with a midwife or nurse. One office does very well simply sending out a mailer each year to all local homeowners sponsoring a Women’s Health Care Week, offering free exam, x-ray, and massages.

Special promotions can work but they work much better if they are connected to a legitimate cause. There even is a name for this, and you guessed it, it is called “Cause Marketing.” For it to be effective, however, it has to be sincerely supported by the entire practice team. Doing a special event to support women just to get new patients will appear phony to others and can have negative effects.

One movie that has been shown is the Business of Being Born, a movie about harmful health practices connected to births in America. From its web site:

Should most births be viewed as a natural life process, or should every delivery be treated as a potentially catastrophic medical emergency?

Another example of a movie suitable for screening will be: One More Girl. This is a movie documentary how the pharmaceutical company, Merck, knowling continuted to advertise their drug Gardasil (a drug promoted to help HPV infections) to girls after Merck knew it was dangerous.

From the movie’s web site:

Merck’s marketing techniques earned Gardasil a “pharmaceutical brand of the year” award from Pharmaceutical Executive for its ‘savvy disease education,’ and creating ‘a market out of thin air.”

Even though most HPV infections clear on their own, invasive cervical cancer deaths affect 2.7 women per 100,000, and the American Cancer Society lists cervical cancer as the 12th ranking cancer in the United States, parents lined up to get their daughters protected and doctors were ready with needles in hand.

Consumers are not aware of the trail of deception behind over 21,133 adverse reactions and 94 deaths in previously healthy, athletic, competitive and scholastic adolescent girls.

(Thanks to Dr. Ebner for referring us to this movie!)

The movie producers are seeking donations to produce this film. Perhaps your office could help raise funds!

Another idea would be to have a special week just for mothers and daughters: free health screenings, tea, a spa day with manicure and massage for mothers and daughters, etc.

Our member’s site has a few posters and other ideas available to you as active clients.

Here is a poem by Tina Fey for her daughter. (mild profanity)

Best Wishes for a Merry Month of May!

Ed

“The Mother’s Prayer for its Daughter” – Tina Fey

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A Mother’s Day Poem.

First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered,

May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half

And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her

When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the nearby subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock N’ Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance.

Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes

And not have to wear high heels.

What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen.

Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long,

For Childhood is short — a Tiger Flower blooming

Magenta for one day —

And Adulthood is long and Dry-Humping in Cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever,

That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers

And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister,

Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends,

For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord,

That I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 a.m., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.

“My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck.

“My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental note to call me. And she will forget.

But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.

Amen.

Tina Fey (from She Knows Parenting )

Billy DeMoss, the Dead Chiropractic Society (DC-S), and a free Chiropractic

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Dr. Billy DeMoss has changed chiropractic.

He has done this by offering an alternative model to the standard chiropractic seminar.  In so doing, he has helped to bring chiropractic back to chiropractic.

We all know that there are various versions in how this great profession is presented and applied.  But there is a common denominator in the profession that makes it special and in which everyone can agree.

What is it?

The subluxation…? Well, sure, but even this is disputed.  Let’s go for something even more basic.

The fact that chiropractic truly helps people get healthier and avoid getting run down in the medical-pharmaceutical-sickness complex?  Yes. True enough.

What else makes it special that we can all agree to?

NO ONE OWNS IT. Chiropractic wasn’t bought out by a Chinese company, a multinational firm, or bailed out by the Federal Reserve or the World Bank.  Your skills are not trademarked by Eli Lilly (Pharmacy Company). You can use Activator or the knee-chest. For the most part, you are free to do whatever you want.

But there is also something else that makes chiropractic special and that we all can agree to. What is it?

Well, chiropractic, if you are doing it right, is fun. In fact, it is a blast.  Adjusting patients and seeing them get better and loving you and your team for it! What could be better?

So, let’s add it all up: chiropractic helps people get healthier, it helps them avoid costly medical procedures, it allows them to live a better life, it allows you and your staff to have a better life, it is free from outside financial interests, and, it is fun.

NOW this is cause for a party!! THIS, if anything, should be celebrated.

This is what Billy preaches, practices, and sets an example for us all.

There are many professions out there that are soulless, goalless, and hopeless. Many are also too burdened with their own seriousness. We also can fall into this “chiropractic-as-drudgery” daily work mindset.

But, this is NOT chiropractic. And, as B.J. Palmer said:

The average businessman has long since forgotten Rule No. 9, “Don’t take yourself too damn seriously.”

Dr. DeMoss practices Rule No. 9. and helps us all celebrate the work we do.

The next Cal Jam, which he calls “ kiro-Woodstock”  is scheduled for March 12th  & 13th, 2012.  You can visit his website at www.californiajam.org where you can sign up to receive his newsletter and be a part of his worldwide referral network.

AND, you can listen to him live this Tuesday, April 26, at 12:30 Central Time. (For non active clients, we are charging $25 which will be donated to Oaklahaven.)

Register Here

For the full article on Rule #9 by B.J.Palmer, and a downloadable PDF file: Rule #9


Dr. Jim Sigafoose in Milwaukee

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Dr. Jim Sigafoose

Our good friend and international chiropractic lecturer, Dr. Jim Sigafoose, will be coming to Milwaukee on Saturday, April 16th.   He will speaking along with Dr. Tim Gay.  Siggy asked us to help him promote this event and as loyal fans of his for nearly 25 years, we wouldn’t hesitate to promote his seminar.  And neither should you hesitate, if you have a chance, stop by and listen to Siggy. For more information, poster.

NOTE: SEMINAR CANCELED due to funeral services. From Siggy: “WE ARE HAVING A MEMORIAL FOR CHRISS, AND REGRET I MUST CANCEL THE SEMINAR.”

My Life And Times With B.J. Palmer – An Interview with Dr. Perrault

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In a special teleclass sponsored by Petty, Michel and Associates, Dr. Thomas Perrault will be interviewed by Dr. Tom Potisk, both graduates of the Palmer Chiropractic College.  Dr. Perrault personally knew Dr. B.J. Palmer, considered the Developer of Chiropractic, and spent time with him in the early part of Dr. Perrault’s career. (More about Dr. Palmer.)

Dr. Perrault will discuss some of his experiences with Dr. Palmer and what he learned from him.

It is safe to say that no other individual has been more responsible for the growth and continued success of the chiropractic profession than B.J. Palmer. He was a man of extra-ordinary energy and dedication to helping others with chiropractic. (More about B.J. Palmer.)

Dr. Tom Perrault, Sr., Founder of Perrault Chiropractic Offices, received a Bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University and a Doctor of Chiropractic Degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1962.

He returned to his hometown of Methuen, MA to begin practice and was instrumental in the licensure of chiropractic by the Massachusetts legislature in 1966. He served twelve years on the Methuen School Committee, and continues to be active in community and civic affairs. His dedication to his profession and the community have earned him numerous awards and recognitions. He is a Fellow of the International Chiropractic Association and the Palmer Academy of Chiropractic.

Thomas Perrault Sr., D.C.

Thomas Perrault Sr., D.C.

A long-time leader of the Massachusetts Chiropractic Society, Dr. Perrault currently serves as its Executive Vice President and has been named Massachusetts Chiropractor of the Year an unprecedented four times. His activities with his professional society have kept him on the leading edge of chiropractic research and innovations in chiropractic. His primary interest remains the location and correction of the vertebral subluxation complex, which is the fundamental principal on which chiropractic practice is based. In 2004 Dr. Perrault was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by his profession.

It is definitely worth a listen. The class last about 50 minutes.

March 29nd- Tuesday, 12:30 CT – Teleclass (50 Minutes)

If you are an active client, you can find the phone number and access number for this live interview on your PMAmembers.com site.

If you are not an active client and want to register, please go here.

The 6th Fear

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Chiropractors:  I think it might be time for a pep talk…

Have you been keeping up with the news lately? It’s hard not to.

Egypt, Tunisia, and now Libya recently had swift moving revolutions that resulted in regime change – all in the last few months. And other Middle East countries are also rumbling with protests.

Meanwhile, back in the States, our federal government doesn’t seem to have enough money and our representatives are threatening with a government “shutdown.” And next door here, in the Middle West, Wisconsin, there are thousands of people protesting around our state capital.

That’s a LOT of commotion!

So, how’re your patients doing with all of this? Are they worried? Is their pay getting cut? Are they loosing their jobs? Do they have jobs?

And how about you? Are you staying up watching the news, reading about it, discussing it? Are you worried? How is your income?

We need to be accurately informed about current events, of course.  Unfortunately, we sometimes become so distracted that we can loose sight of what we are doing and let our businesses suffer.

A few years ago when the stock market plummeted, I received phone calls from doctors who were worried. One, who had been doing very well, was thinking about selling her office entirely. Another doctor who also had been doing well, let his practice numbers nose dive as he become mesmerized by the “news”, and was worried about racial riots and internment camps.

There is no doubt that economic conditions have been changing. But it has been our experience that if you constantly work on improving your services and in developing your business, and yourself, you will do just fine. (Good coaching helps too!)

BEST EVER
Last year, many of the offices we had the privilege work with had their best year ever. Most of them, in fact, had been in business for 15 to 25 years. I can think of 3 just off hand that have hit the “waiting list” category. They have reached near capacity with so many patients that they have to schedule new patients 1 week out. Horrible, I know, but very cool too.

DOING RIGHT
Success in this environment can be had. You can have it. You may have to change your past mode of operation, but you too can achieve it. It can be obtained by doing the right things, and doing those things right through a process of constant improvement. We call this the Practice Development Process.

BEING RIGHT
But to get what you want, you have to not only improve what you do, but improve who you are. You have to improve your outlook, your skills, and your personal habits. Success has much to do with how we view the world and what we put our attention on. As one old time doctor mentioned to me years ago, “success is an inside job.” By “inside”, he was referring to one’s thoughts and attitudes. He could talk: he and his doctors were seeing over 2,000 visits per week for years.

WORDS OF SUCCESS DURING TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES
We have been going through what has been called the Great Recession.  Many patients are worried about their jobs and their money.

Napoleon Hill wrote “Think and Grow Rich” in 1937 during the Great Depression as a result of studying and working with successful leaders, including President Roosevelt.  It continues to be a best seller, perhaps the most popular motivational book of all time. In it he says:

“It is true that all thought has a tendency to clothe itself in its physical equivalent. … “The people of America began to think of poverty following the Wall Street crash of 1929. Slowly but surely that mass thought was crystallized into its physical equivalent which was known as a depression.”

THE 6TH FEAR
The thought that creates this depression, according to Hill, is fear. Hill talked about 6 types of fears, the worst of which is the fear of poverty. The other 5 were criticism, ill health, loss of love of someone, old age, and death.

“The Fear of Poverty is without doubt the most destructive of the 6 basic Fears.“

Hill states that one of the symptoms of fear of poverty is procrastination.

DO IT NOW
So, this is a pep talk to encourage you that there has never been a better time to grow your practice and expand your business.

Your patients need your leadership to help them with their own fears so that they can become more productive. By improving their health and educating them on the chiropractic lifestyle, their chances of succeeding in their lives increases. You and your team help them, their families and the community. You make a difference.

So, do it now. Increase your promotion. Stream line your procedures. Work on team training and improve your service. Plan your expansion for this year.  Schedule a technique class. Read more. Work out more.  Get enlivened with your purpose as a chiropractor.

New office? New doctor? Why not? People need chiropractic care now more than ever. And chiropractic has never been more popular. Even the quarterback for the winning football team of the Super Bowl gets regular chiropractic adjustments. (Naturally, since his dad is a D.C.)

Work with a practice building coach and get in the game – to win!

As Napoleon Hill says:

“Do it now! can affect every phase of your life. It can help you do the things you should do but don’t feel like doing. It can keep you from procrastinating when an unpleasant duty faces you. But it can also help you do those things that you want to do. It helps you seize those precious moments that, if lost, may never be retrieved.”

Fight the fear and the procrastination by just doing it. And soon, you too will be achieving your best ever again.

#  #  #

P.S. Napoleon Hill was a chiropractic patient.  One report has it that B.J. Palmer was his chiropractor. Both men thrived during tough economic times. Here is an interesting story about Hill and chiropractic. LINK

Old movie of Nap Hill. 7 minutes. LINK

Leadership in Chiropractic – the Golden Circle

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How do you motivate others to start and continue chiropractic care?

Simon Sinek recently wrote a book about leadership and marketing, and if I didn’t know better, he took it straight from the principles of chiropractic.

Below is a link to a lecture he gave where he describes a fundamental ingredient to effective leadership and marketing. Essentially, he is describing what you in the chiropractic world already know but in a different light.

The talk is 18 minutes, but well worth it.

I am interested to hear how you see it as an effective application of chiropractic principles and how you might to apply it.

Every Morning

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Before you start each day in your chiropractic office, you have a chance to make a decision about how you are going to take the day on.

The day won’t wait for you.  It comes at you pretty fast.  You either embrace it and impose your will and game plan upon it, or hide somewhere and pretend to be a spectator.   But even still, the day will move to night and you will have had your chance to make a difference for yourself, your patients, your practice, and your family.  You won’t be able to have that particular chance again.  It is gone.  You will get a new day, however, and new morning and a new chance to make decision about how you are going to take this new day on.

This is why the old adage, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy wealthy and wise”  is so true.  Also, there is: “The early bird catches the worm.”

But one of my favorites follows the traditions and natural laws of nature:

Africa

“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.  It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up.  It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve.  It doesn’t matter whether you’re a lion or gazelle – when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.”

Are you running yet?

(For a desk tent poster of this quote that you can download and print: Link )

Oklahaven

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With all the paid advertising hyping chiropractic management companies, there is one chiropractic organization that often gets overlooked.

Yet, more than any other chiropractic enterprise, it perhaps best typifies what you and your team are all about.

It’s name is Oklahaven.

Oklahaven is a non profit organization. It began in 1962 and was and is supported through donations. In 1979, Bobby Doscher, D.C., became its Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Doscher personally provides care as well as overlooks daily operations.

Their success stories about helping chronically ill children are moving and can serve as an inspiration to all of us in the chiropractic profession.  Here is a doctor and organization that is completely motivated by a higher purpose and dedicated to helping kids and their parents through chiropractic care.

This month, our teleseminar will be a live interview with Dr. Doscher hosted by Phyllis Frase. The interview will last about 50 minutes. And will be held on Tuesday, January 25th at 12:30 Central Time.

Because we feel so strongly about Oklahaven, we will be waving our usual fee for this seminar. Just email us at services@pmaworks.com and say that you want to register for this teleclass and we will send you the special phone number and access number.

In addition, we encourage you to consider participating in their “Have-a-Heart” campaign, February 7-14th. This is a donation program to help support Oklahaven and you can incorporate it into any special promotion you already have planned for February.

For more information about Oklahaven, you can find them here at their web site: www.chiropractic4kids.com.

Check out their in line newsletters for some great testimonials. Here is one: http://www.chiropractic4kids.com/inline/inline2009-Fall.pdf

..we’re sneaking away to do some planning…

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Like elves going to our workshop, we are off to our New Year’s planning meeting…somewhere up in the Far North (Wisconsin)…looking at what new “presents” we have in store for all of our great fans and wonderful clients for 2011…reviewing what’s working and what is new that will deliver the most benefit to the chiropractic teams we serve…and what trends we see for the new year.

Be the first to hear about what we have planned at our teleseminar on Tuesday, December 28, 12:30 C.T. Contact us for the phone number if you want to attend.

Dr. Munson Named Wisconsin Chiropractor of the Year – 2010

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Dr. Wendy Varish and Dr. Cindy Munson

We are proud to announce that Dr. Cindy Munson has been selected Chiropractor of the Year for the State of Wisconsin!

Each year the Wisconsin Chiropractic Association (W.C.A.) reviews candidates who have contributed the most to their communities, to their profession, and to their patients.

Dr. Wendy Varish, president of the W.C.A., stated that “Dr. Munson was selected from other candidates as she excelled in all areas of clinical practice, patient care, and community leadership. She has run an extremely successful wellness practice in Plymouth for the past 16 years.”

Dr. Munson works actively on community projects and also has a leadership role in many local activities including professional organizations, her church and local charities.  She has inspired and assisted several young people in pursuing a career as a chiropractor.  One is Dr. Kristi Wick who is currently practicing in West Bend.  Dr. Wick said “Her commitment to the Chiropractic profession is unparalleled. She is an ambassador for health, wellness, and fitness in every aspect of her life. Her commitment to educating patients is evident if you spend even one minute in her office. She is on a mission to help one person at a time by ensuring that they understand the potential they have for overall health.”

When asked about her feelings about receiving the prestigious award, Munson stated, “It is such an honor to be chosen among all the fantastic Chiropractors in the state. It is a true privilege to come to work each day to serve my patients. I am blessed to have a fabulous staff and wonderful family supporting me. Together we will continue to strive to make Plymouth a healthier place!”

Dr. Cindy and her staff

Part of her secret is that she has brought together and created a truly outstanding team of dedicated professional staff that work as “irresistible force” for chiropractic care in their community.

We really couldn’t be prouder.

Congratulations Team Munson and Chiropractic.

Ed

Dr. Munson’s web site: Link

Office Facebook Fan Page: Link (Become a fan!)

Patient Compliance in a Chiropractic Office

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The success of your chiropractic practice is directly related to the level of patient control you and your staff have with your patients.

No matter if you are the best healer this side 1895, or if your office is perfectly modern and your team is the friendliest in town, you will fail in business if you are weak on control.

Once your patients agree to their treatment plan, can you get them to comply? If you can’t, they won’t really get or stay healthy and neither will your practice.

You have to be friendly and have good communication, of course. But you also have to be a coach. A good coach, if you have had one, is just a bit and demanding. They are this way because they care. They care about winning and they care about their players.

If you care about your patients “winning” back their health, and staying healthy, then you have to be willing to be assertive about them sticking to their schedule of care.

And if you aren’t being insistent with your patients, we know that the pharmaceutical companies certainly are with their constant commercials and medical prescribers.

Who do you want to win that contest with your patient?

Health Never Takes A Holiday!

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Holidays

Holidays are a time when chiropractic patients can find many reasons not to keep to their schedules. To help you and them stick to their health program, you can pre-schedule them for the entire month of December.

We have made a couple of posters centered around:

Health Never Takes a Holiday

You can find links to these below.

When talking to your patients about their schedules, be understanding and empathetic. Hear their story. Then, be bold about your interest and concern that they maintain their care schedule through the holidays – and get them scheduled until next year.

And it is OK to use bribes.. Spicy warm apple cider gives off a very cozy smell and tastes great.. and is healthy, and free screenings/exams for patient’s holiday guests.

Links to posters:

Poster for Nov/Dec
Poster for any holiday

Edmund Fitzgerald

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November 11, 2010
Whitefish Bay, WI

35 years ago, this morning, the news was coming over the radio that the night before the ship called the Edmund Fitzgerald sank, taking all 29 crewmen with her.

It had departed from Superior, Wisconsin and got caught in a violent storm.  She sank in Lake Superior, just 17 miles from the safety of Whitefish Bay, Michigan.

A few months later Gordon Lightfoot wrote a song in commemorating the sinking.

“…When supper time came the old cook came on deck
Saying fellows it’s too rough to feed ya
At 7PM a main hatchway caved in
He said fellas it’s been good to know ya.

“The Captain wired in he had water coming in
And the good ship and crew was in peril
And later that night when his lights went out of sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”  (Gordon Lightfoot)

It is a fine song that gives tribute to the death of 29 men: sons, husbands and fathers.  Kind of a sad song, really, and a little ghostly.

But living here in the Midwest around these Great Lakes, I think there is a positive meaning we can take from this anniversary.

Sailors are tough people. The saying once was: “Men of iron, ships of wood.” They are courageous and self reliant. They risk the security of the land and take their lives in their own hands on a floating platform that moves over an unpredictable surface which can kill them at any time.   They only have themselves to count on whether they arrive at their destination or even stay alive.  They confront the elements face to face and there is no tolerance for excuses or mistakes.  The result of negligence is not an angry boss but the cold rocky grave of the water below.

While many stay sheltered in their shops along a harbor, sailors seek opportunities and set sail. They have goals and rely on their skill and initiative to arrive at their destinations.

Sometimes they may configure the ship incorrectly, plot a bad course, or out of nowhere, get hit by rogue waves.  And they may die. But at least they died seeking their goals.

This is a lesson of the Edmund Fitzgerald, at least for me.  Those 29 men knew the risks they were taking but were braving the storms and the security of the harbor to arrive at distant ports.

This week I visited a veteran doctor at his office whose numbers over the last few years have been crashing. He had recently gone through a bankruptcy and was now moping around his office feeling depressed and complaining about insurance cut backs, joblessness, and other woes.

We all have been in comparable situations of one type or another before. Maybe we made a wrong turn somewhere and tripped and fell and then held ourselves back out of fear. But the solution is not to restrain ourselves but to get back out and risk it all again.

As entrepreneurs and those of us in the chiropractic profession, I suggest we honor those sailors who have perished on this anniversary, and do so by getting out of whatever harbor we may find ourselves in and set sail.

A New Year is coming.  Where are YOU going to sail in this New Year? We suggest that you set some high and distant goals and start plotting your course now.

Consider this quote from Mark Twain:

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream.  (Mark Twain)

Safe travels and best regards.

Nice video with the song by Gordon Lightfoot: “Edmund Fitzgerald”LINK

Internet Marketing for Chiropractic Offices

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What a great teleseminar we just completed about Internet Marketing.

I wanted to provide a short summary and a few follow ups for those who joined us as well as for those who weren’t able to.

Face To Face Networking – now more valued than ever. As we live increasingly in a virtual world of “friends” and emails and ordering products and services from our computers, meeting and connecting in person with real live people is rarer and therefore more valued. Get out of the box and meet people!

Virtual Networking – We discussed Facebook and creating a fan page. Here is a link provided by Dr. Jamie Phillips on how to do this. (link) There are many ways to add content, or information, to your Facebook page including automatic feeds.  Dr. Phillips gives one example, using Google Alerts,  listed below.  But automated content or ads about upcoming events do not take the place of “newsy” and interesting articles about you and your office. A fast note about a patient success, something new about the office, a favorite recipe of one of your patients,  a notice from Sister Hilda (a patient) who is inviting one and all to the fish fry at Saint Paul’s this Friday – these are topics your patients are interested in.  Keep it local.

The Internet Is About Search. It replaces the phone book, the dictionary, and the encyclopedia. There are many people who are in pain and sick of drugs and corporate medicine and surgery. They are looking for you. Dr. Phillips went over how to best get these people to find you with local search.

Web Site. We also discussed some simple ideas for your web site and what to do if you already have one.

Other Topics Included: The importance of Social Proof, Reputation Management, use of the new bar code on you printed materials and signs, and the coming necessity of mobile web sites were other subjects we spent some time on.

Chiropractic Internet Marketing Assistant. You need one of these!   Delegate a team member to put 2 hours in per week, or more, dedicated to working on your internet presence.

We did record this teleseminar and it will be available at no charge for our active clients on our Members site in about a week. Non members who listened to the talk will receive a CD within the next several weeks.  The CD can be purchased for $65 – all proceeds will be donated to Oklahaven Children’s Chiropractic Center.

Internet Marketing CD Order Form

Links.
The links below are to PDF documents. For customizable WORD docs, active clients can find these on our Members Site (www.pmamembers.com) under Advertising.

Videos

More info on Jamie Phillips internet marketing. Link

Always Room For One More

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This is a great motto to instill in your front desk.

It can help counteract any feelings that the book is too full or that there isn’t enough time to process another new patient or patient visit.

The “we are packed” mentality, or “too busy”, or “tomorrow would be better” are concepts that can subtly slip into the mind of well meaning staff and doctors.

Other considerations include: “too much paperwork to do”, “have to get home for my kid’s soccer game”, “we are already behind”, etc.

Even if these ideas are based upon valid situations, they can gradually train the mind to think in terms of exclusion. The front desk can go from a “Green Light” to “Yellow Light”, or “Slow Down.”  Caution!

This is more common than you may think. It affects the quantity of your visits and the quality of your service. Patients can tell if you are eager to see them, or not.

You want your front desk to be a green light, sending out the message that everyone should come in and that no one is excluded.

So, use the motto: “There is always room for one more.”

Speaking of, even though our seminar is just a few days away, there is always room for one more.

If you are not registered yet, we still have room for you. Give us a call or send an email… we can still get you in.

Hope to see you here!
Ed, Dave, Phyllis and the PM&A Team

Celebrate Your Successes

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We are off to another Boston Seminar….

Preparing for these seminars takes work. But it is rewarding in so many ways, one of which is that we get to review how you all have been doing and what has been working.

Like you, I am sure, we can get so caught up in the day to day that we don’t often take the time to step back and look at our handiwork.

I know this happens to most doctors and staff. So busy with patients and office work that it becomes too easy to overlook the tremendous successes you help bring about through chiropractic care.

Chiropractic produces unappreciated miracles by the thousands daily.  Some big ones, but many small ones that add up to big ones.

In our own way, I think all of us who are part of the PM&A Team feel we help produce a few of these miracles too.

Getting ready for these seminars gives us a chance to reflect on the great work you are doing. And there is no question: you all are doing amazing.   Some offices are being “remodeled” with new staff or systems and some are trying to keep up with their growth.  But in each case, we see hard working professionals who love their patients and work under stress with a smile to give the best care possible.

If you can’t make it to our Boston seminar, try our meet-up in Chicago on Saturday, October 16th. You won’t find more passion, or practical nuts and bolts content for growing your practice. And, as always, all of our stuff is from the field. We don’t cook it up in our offices on the stage. This is your material really.  It’s what is working and we get the chance to simply remind you, often by putting it into a different context.

Chiropractic works.  And it truly is amazing when you can step back and see it. Review your testimonials and collect more of them. The stories are there.

Sound management and effective marketing procedures also work when they are diligently applied.   We have many doctors that, even after years of being in practice, have been recently hitting their Best Evers. (Yea!)

So keep the faith. We are all students in this school of life and Chiropractic. Keep learning and loving and helping — what could be a better calling?

Fall Marketing Ideas

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Fall is in the air….. and it’s time to get that fall marketing calendar filled with activities.  To get the ball rolling, we have put together a few topics and suggestions to make your events fun and effective.

For our PMA members, we have more information about each topic, including ready made posters, handouts, and descriptions. For more information, please go to our PM&A Members site here , log in, and go the section called New Stuff on the top navigation bar.  You will find the article called Fall Marketing Ideas.

September:

  • National Backpack Awareness Day – Sept 19
  • Woman’s Health Week – Last week of September
  • Neuropathy (or Headache,etc. ) Awareness Week  (Pick a week to promote a free screeing exam for a specific condition.)
  • Crazee Dayz (For example, Thirsty Thursdays — offer a different type of drink each Thursday. Have patients make suggestions: organ apple juice in Sept, Egg nog in December, etc.)

October:

  • National Spinal Health Month (now called National Chiropractic Month).  Make a banner and use this as a motivation to have patients bring in their family for a free spinal fitness screening.
  • National Chiropractic Month. Use this as a reason to sponsor: Chiropractic Opportunity Week:  The doctor is having a “COW”
  • Hair Dresser/Beauty Salons/Spas – provide massages, screenings, and lectures.
  • Local Health Fairs at businesses.
  • Kid’s Halloween Party

November:

  • Thanksgiving Turkey Drawing Poster
  • Donation Drives
  • Deer Widows Week
  • Girl’s Night Out

December:

  • Holiday Coupons – Gift Certificates
  • Poinsettia Give Away
  • Saturday with Santa
  • Appreciation to External Referral Sources