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.

carpe annum

Posted on by

2010

What does that mean to you?

More money?
More time off?
Better service and care for your chiropractic patients and community?

Does it mean a new opportunity to pursue your special projects: the song you meant to write, the trip you planned to take, project with your family, the good deed you hoped to do?

It’s out there.  A New Year, another package of 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days. It is your playing field, your sand box, your canvass – it’s yours.

But it’s yours ONLY if you take it. Only if you grab it and get busy creating the life and practice and business you want. Otherwise, it will go by quickly while you aren’t looking.

It is a gift, really.  We take so much for granted, particularly us Americans. It is no wonder immigrants who start small businesses do better. They appreciate the gift of Opportunity.

If you don’t seize this year, guaranteed, the world will seize you… like it does to so many. Soon, you will be more concerned about the “economy”, “health care” “reform”, wars, and a million other distractions rather than on creating your own life. Or, you will just bury your head in work, and in a few years when you look up, you will be 55 years old, or 65, or 75, and wonder what the heck you did with your life.

So, our recommendation is to seize 2010, and each day it offers. Set goals and make plans to achieve them.

This is what we are doing. Our newsletters have been a little thin lately only because we have been putting together what we feel is the best program of chiropractic practice building services ever for 2010. All to help you achieve your goals faster.

We are grateful for this chance to help you and we appreciate your trust. We admire the service and care you provide as doctors of chiropractic and chiropractic professionals. But, to be honest, we don’t do it just for you. We do it so that you can help more people become healthy through chiropractic care. And perhaps even more, so that they can be healthy by adopting a chiropractic lifestyle and getting their family and friends to do likewise.

So, here it comes.                                                                        2010.

Go seize the year and make it your own.

Carpe Annum
Marketing through the Holidays and into the New Year
A number of doctors wanted to get the notes from our teleclass on marketing. Here is the link.

Chiropractic Marketing Tips for The Holidays And The Start of the New Year

Posted on by

Due to popular demand,  I am posting notes from our October teleclass on marketing over the Holidays.

Teleclass Outline with Ed Petty  — Notes

All marketing is broken down to:

1.    Procedures. These are either special, one time events, or standard recurring. Some have the purpose of immediate results (direct marketing), some more long term (indirect marketing).

2.    Motivation. Desire. Wanting to implement these procedures. (Discipline.)

3.    Marketing management.  Review, Planning, Implementation.

Motivation: You are listening (or reading this) so you are motivated.  But you have to get others motivated as well. You have to get and stay inspired.  It is Ok to be a cheerleader.  What’s wrong with a little cheer? And the more you cheer.. the more you find to cheer about!

The  Marketing Manager System:

  • Meeting weekly: Review/make plans/Implement (assign steps/dates)
  • Who is responsible and responsible for what
  • Calendar Special Promotions/Events
  • Checklist of Recurring Procedures/Events

 

Procedures: Special events/promotions

NOVEMBER

  • Holiday Turkeys (Care to Share) (Ham for Christmas)
  • Donation Programs: Shelters, Toys for Tots, Coats for Kids, Food for Families
  • Scheduling Patients over the Holidays. (Plan ahead so they keep up with their care.)

DECEMBER

  • GNO (Girls Night Out/ Shop Before You Drop)
  • Gift coupons
  • Saturday with Santa
  • Poinsettias (with gift coupons)
  • Planning, training – sharpen the saw.
  • Do scheduling for new year: “Flexibility Screenings” with gyms,  lunch and Learns with businesses
  • Gifts for Allies  and those who referred: Box of nuts, organic flowers, cups, pens, caps, t-shirts. Cards.

JANUARY

  • Lending Library: Supersize Me, Fast Food Nation, King Corn, Sugar Blues, Food Inc. End of Overeating
  • Workshop on Nutrition and Fitness
  • Annual Reactivation Program
  • External Workshops, Screenings, and networking

FEB

  • Doctor’s With A Heart Donation Program
  • Have a Heart – Oklahaven Children’s Chiropractic Center – link
  • Valentine’s Gift Coupons

MARCH

  • Leprechaun Appreciation Day (Kid’s Day) link

Procedures: Recurring

Community Education: Talks or Awareness Weeks

  • Nov: Flu
  • Jan  Feb Food, Supplements/ Fast food Series —  With  a Dietitian and a trainer. February: Heart Heath- blood pressure
  • March: Headache Awareness Week

Communication Channels

  • Newsletter
  • Email Newsletters – NEW SERVICE FOR 2010 – We will do this for all clients on Standard Management Programs or higher.
  • Press Releases
  • Ads on other special newsletters: Chamber of Commerce, YMCA, Church Bulletins
  • Web site/Face Book – Fan /LinkedIn

Internal Recurring:

  • Morning case management meetings – (include a joke.)
  • Staff meetings
  • Patient Success Stories, Upbeat Atmosphere:  Take a “vibe check”:  too seriousness or pleasant can welcoming atmosphere. Where’s the party?
  • Spinal Care Class
  • Whiteboard
  • Brochures
  • Staff education
  • WOC (Whip out card)
  • Mission

Swine Flu: Lessons in Marketing Your Chiropractic Wellness Practice

Posted on by

Two can play at this game.

If the pharmaceutical companies can use swine flu as an excuse to sell vaccines, you can use it to promote wellness.

The general corporate media, and doctors employed by these corporations, have been pushing the horrors of the swine flu “pandemic” and offering pharmaceutical products – vaccines – as the primary solution. But it makes one wonder what is really going on when there is so much information about the unhealthiness of the vaccines, as well as much common knowledge about many different non pharmaceutical solutions that are healthy.

Dr. Oz, an MD on a major television network, in an interview where he promotes the use of the swine flu vaccination, admits that while he gets vaccinated, his wife and children do not. (Link to video below.)  What does that tell you?

There is a lot of information about this but I know I am just preaching to the choir here on this blog.

The point is, now is your chance to step up to the plate as a Health Leader and help navigate the way for your patients and community through this confusing issue of flu vaccinations.

What I am saying is that this is a great opportunity for you as a  Doctor of Chiropractic.  While only a small percentage of people are actively receiving chiropractic care at any one time, a majority of people are skeptical about swine flu vaccinations. (Consumer Reports 9/30/2009)

By offering information about the swine flu from a natural perspective, you can position yourself as a health leader to this huge market.

Good marketers are always looking for a relevant event to help get their message across. This is a powerful one.

For example, you could you could easily schedule and present a 45 minute basic class on:

The Flu: A Natural Perspective

or

Concerned About Swine Flu, But Uncertain About Vaccinating Your Kids And Family?

or

What You Should Know Before You Get That Flu Shot

You could invite a guest speaker, such as an MD or DO or nurse, anyone really, who is pro chiropractic and subscribes to the chiropractic lifestyle.

The first step, however, is becoming informed and educated yourself. Doctor Mercola has a great deal of information on his site with references to other sites. A fast search will give you tons of info and books to read. Some of the comments posted on these sites by readers are also informative.  I have listed just a few below.

While you do need to know about vaccinations and the swine flu, you really need to understand the level of propaganda drug companies use to promote their products.  This is something you should be able to take issue with as a chiropractor who sees the results of unnecessary back surgeries weekly.   Once you are incensed about these injustices, all else will follow.

For a more radical approach, you can use a poster that shows how MD’s were used to support the use of tobacco and Vioxx, both products which are known toxic killers. [Sample poster below.]

Some things you can do:

  • Give a talk with or without a guest.
  • Host a community discussion group with a panel.
  • Talk to your patients one on one about what you know.
  • Educate your staff.
  • Place poster or pamphlets around the office.
  • Write a letter to the editor.
  • Make comments on blogs, face book or other web sites.

Again, you do not have be an expert about the biochemical aspects of vaccinations. The basics are obvious enough and will allow you to swing any discussion around to general health, nutrition, exercise, and of course,  subluxations, nerve interference, and chiropractic treatment.

It is not that you should promote chiropractic as a direct remedy for swine flu. That would be bad public relations, even if there are accounts of this. (See 1918 Flu Epidemic below.)  Instead, you are an advocate for health, looking after the general health of your patients and community.  You are a teacher.

It has been stated that there is a “Wellness Revolution.” People want organic and natural health. What doctor of what profession is better suited to lead the way other than you, the chiropractic doctor?

Take this opportunity and run with it.

###

Promotional Posters: 2 Sample Plosters

———-

Some immunization references. (Please list more.)

Tedd Koren’s Brochures:
Do You Know What’s In A Flu Shot and Vaccination: 18 Reasons to Just Say No

Mercola.com

Chiropractic and the 1918 Flu empidemic (article)

http://www.vaclib.org/

Pro-Immunization: New York Times recent article

Dr. Oz. Immunization OK for him, but not for his wife and kids. (Youtube. 5 minutes in.)

Video clip of flu shot promotion from 1970’s. (Video)

Congressman Paul on the Recent Swine Flu Scare (Video– 4 minutes)

Dr. Blaylock (4 video interviews)

How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor (book)

A Shot in the Dark (book)


National Chiropractic Health Month

Posted on by

I guess I missed the memo on this one. Maybe you did too.

October has always been Spinal Health Month as recognized by the American Chiropractic Association.  Apparently, this year it is changed to National Chiropractic Health Month.

You can still call it Spinal Health Month if you want, but either way, it is a good opportunity for you to use this as an extra motivation to get the word out about your services and chiropractic.

According to the ACA website, they are focusing on headaches this year.  They have some nice down-loadable pamphlets and brochures you can use. ACA headaches

Depending on your other promotions, I would announce that October is National Chiropractic Month as recognized by the American Chiropractic Association.  In conjunction with the ACA and the National Chiropractic Month, you would like to invite all patients to bring in their families and friends for a no charge chiropractic back and neck screening.  You can change this to a no charge chiropractic consultation, conference, or whatever you feel comfortable with.

A poster can be helpful in prompting a dialogue between the patients and the doctors and staff.  A poster can also be placed at local coffee houses, faxed to office managers at friendly businesses,  to support groups, and of course, handed to patients as fliers.  You can also place a notice in your patient statements and send out a press releases to local papers.

Here is a sample: LINK

You can also make a banner that says:

October is National Chiropractic Health Month
Bring in your family for a free posture screening. See the Front Desk for details.

This can be placed on the outside of your office, or on the inside. The banner can be a small one on paper, 3-5 feet, or a large one that can be used year after year.

Note to PM&A clients. You are welcome to edit these posters and fax us the changes and we can send you a new poster. We can also send you the Word file so you can make your own customizations.

What’s Been Working: 7 Characteristics of Successful Chiropractic Offices

Posted on by

We recently reviewed what has been working marketing-wise with many of the more successful chiropractic offices with whom we work.  Many chiropractors are doing their best ever, even some who have been in practice for years.   One called up last week and said they had over 30 new patients that week.

What did we find? There seems to be a few key elements in common.  Here are 7 of them:

1. External Marketing Procedures. Many offices have had very successful external events over the last several months.  These are often scheduled a year in advance, and include talks, screenings, and networking. But external marketing also includes advertising, such as a dynamic web site, email, and even some radio, television, and print.

New offices, in particular,  need to concentrate on external marketing. But established offices also benefit because they not only help generate new patients, but also reactivate former patients and bolster the confidence of your active patients when they see you outside of your office.  We have lots of materials, posters, ads, procedural manuals on these external procedures. Many are free on our web sites (here and at pmaworks.com). You can also purchase our Marketing Manager System with the MMS Marketing Toolkit which has hundreds of practical marketing materials for your use.)

2. Internal Events. Most offices that are doing well have had some kind of internal event. Successful internal events are fun. They can simply be something silly like a costume day (Halloween Costume Awards), 80’s Day with mullets, or a  “Fruity Friday” with fruit on Fridays (Yea Team Munson!).  They can also focus on referrals: “Bring a Buddy Day”, services for donations, coupons, etc.  A very effective program is educational classes, such as the standard spinal care class and monthly advanced classes on different conditions and topics. (These procedures are also covered on our web sites and on our MMS computer program.)

3. Patient Education. Offices that have been doing well work hard at “telling the chiropractic story.” True health sets us apart from the medical world, which concentrates on crisis care and disease care. The more the patients understand this difference, and seek it, the more they stay, pay, and refer. Nothing beats an educated patient. A patient that understands the importance of spinal hygiene and general organic health will be more than a patient but a fellow team mate in your quest to help others regain and maintain their own health. Along with this understanding is the need for you and your team to also understand the opposing forces to healing from the inside, which include personal laziness and irresponsibility, Big Pharma, Big Food, and toxicity in every day materials.

4. Clinical Focus and Certainty. Successful offices have doctors that continue to be engaged in the craft, science, and philosophy of their profession.  I have seen offices with full appointment books simply because the chiropractor was a zealot about his skills and outcomes and was certain that he could nearly raise the dead.   One definition of professionalism could be the act of providing the utmost in excellent service long after the excitement and newness for the subject has evaporated. This requires discipline to constantly renew your eagerness for your skills.

5. Excellent Team Support. The busy offices were a team where everyone helped the patients and doctor quickly and cheerfully. To do this you have to have the right people in the right roles doing the right procedures.  Sometimes the office is disorganized, or the front desk staff member wants to be an airline stewardess (attendant) and the billing coordinator wants to work in a hospital. Sometimes there simply needs to be another staff member helping, or the procedures change too often for no reason.  These can stop new patients.

Simply put, someone has to do the marketing. Your team should want to sell heath. If the office is sufficiently organized and motivated, new patients seem to walk in as if being summoned telepathically.

6. Clinic Atmosphere. The quality of the atmosphere of an office is usually taken for granted. And given the fact that other practice building elements are in place, it may not be an acute problem. But there is no question that in the long term, the “vibes” of an office have far reaching effects.

Corporations understand this and make attempts at creating a great atmosphere. Starbucks is an example. But small town or corner stores often do this better, where the service and care is down right…neighborly. People want to go to a place where everyone knows their name.

7. Executive Skills.
Except for the clinical component, most of the elements mentioned above rests upon the skills of the doctor as a business executive, a role for which you did not necessarily sign up for when you paid your tuition at chiropractic college.

Every successful business has a C.E.O.  who inspires the team, ensures successful polices and procedures are constantly applied and improved, and plots the long term growth of the enterprise.  This is actually THE missing role in most chiropractic offices, by the way.  This is why most doctor’s stay chained to their jobs and live week to week, working to pay their overhead and keep the doors open.

To convert a job to a business requires someone to move outside of the practice and start to work on the practice, not just in it.

This is such an important skill that next year we will be starting a new series on The Chiropractor as the C.E.O.

You too can work on these seven areas of your business and see more than enough patients.  We would be happy to help you, by the way.

Ed Petty

Phyllis Rockin’ the House in New Zealand

Posted on by

Phyllis Frase recently gave a presentation to the New Zealand Chiropractic College 2009 Lyceum.  She was the first American to give a presentation for the Chiropractic Assistants attending.

Opening Ceremonies - NZ Chiropractic College Lyceum 2009

The first night of the Lyceum included flags on the stage which represented every country that has a chiropractic school.

(Photo taken from Phyllis’ Blackberry.)

Chiropractic Practice Statistics For The First Half of 2009

Posted on by

It’s summer time!

Barbecues, or grill-outs, depending on where you live, baseball games, corner lemonade stands and kids everywhere. Whatever else is going on in the world, here in the Northern Hemisphere, your patients and hopefully you, are enjoying the summer.

Meanwhile, business goes on. The year is half over. 2010 will be here less than 6 months.

BAD NEWS
There has been a constant rain of bad news pouring down these last 6 months, and months before, about the dismal state of our national and world economy.

Whatever the real condition is, fear only makes it only worse.  I have had chiropractors contact me and ask if they should continue in business, even when they were doing better than the year before.  One was even having her best year ever.

We hear stories from other doctor who tell us that they know about chiropractors who are leaving the profession.  In one state, we heard from its chiropractic association executive that 100 chiropractors, or about 10%, went out of business last year.  We have read reports of how chiropractic incomes have fallen in the last several years by as much as 22%.

But it is hard to get any real concrete numbers about how D.C.’s are doing, at least for us. The fact is we mostly just know how the individual doctors with whom we work are doing.

So, we decided to do a random survey some of the offices with whom we work. The purpose was to give us a broader perspective and an overall average of how doctors and their teams were doing,

SURVEY RESULTS – GOOD NEWS
The sample included well established practices that we have worked with for years, as well as some we have only begun to work with at the start of this year. We compared office visits and collections for the first half this year with the first half of last year.

Again, this was a random sample. We did not cherry pick just the best offices.

Of all the offices in the sample, the average office increased in office visits by 11.8% in the first six months of this year compared to the first 6 months of last year.

The average office collections increased of 14.7% over the same time periods.

graph-of-clients-stats

29% of the offices saw fewer visits this year than last year. The average percent down was 8%.  These offices also saw an average of 4.7% less in collections.

However, 71% of the sampled offices were up, with an average of 19.7% in visits and 22.7% in collections.  At least 4 of the offices, all well established, hit their “best-evers.”

You might wonder why the offices that did well – did well.  And…

why the ones who were down – were down?

CAUSE OF INCREASES/DECREASES

Here’s what we know:
Looking at each office, case by case, we found that many of the offices that were down would have been even lower were it not for actions pushed by us.  Not that down statistics are ever good, but compared to an average 40% drop in most retirement plans, 4.7 drop in collections is not that bad.

Second, in every down case there were weaknesses in one or more of eight major practice functions, what we call the 8 Essential Elements.  (We will go over these in another article.)

  • Some of these were weak because some part of the office was experiencing “growing pains.”  For example, a team member was replaced and in the transition, there was a momentary drop in the numbers.  Simply put, parts of the clinic were “under construction.”
  • But another reason for lowered numbers trace to poor management of one of these 8 Essential Elements.  We can pinpoint this exactly.   Old habits die hard, and sometimes it takes extra time and nudging to be coaxed out of stubborn ideas that keep us from changing when we need to change.

The point is,  it is not a mystery.

Offices that saw an increase in their numbers have been working hard to constantly improve critical functions of their practice and business.  Some offices needed more external marketing, some more internal. Some needed better team performance, others better organization or collections. Most needed better management and leadership. One needed better business and accounting procedures.

Practice development is a result of constantly working ON the exact functions of the practice that need it the most. Most doctors and staff just work in the business, but the practices that grew also worked on their business.

WHY DOCTORS FAIL IN BUSINESS
There are many reason doctors fail, but they all go back to not effectively working on developing one or more of these 8 Essential Elements.

Plus, it is harder than it used to be.  Like a fast time lapse science video, changes are occurring so rapidly in our social and economic environment that it is it is harder to keep up.  As a doctor, you are trained to “doctor”, not be an executive manager and marketer.  Plus… how can you run and develop your business while also focusing on the quality of your patient care?

WHAT YOU CAN DO
Success in today’s practice depends now on a new model or paradigm.  It is one that is collaborative – working closely with doctors, staff, patients, the community and coaches, all as a networked team sharing ideas, and motivating each other for our greater goals.

It is not enough just to come to work, then “work”, and go home. You need to set some time aside each week to review your practice goals and monthly numbers.  Then, you have to work with your team on specific areas of the practice that needs the most work.

You need to be a better practice and business executive, utilizing practice management tools.

Modern practice building is fun, really.  Your practice can continue to do better and you CAN reach your goals. It may take a new approach, working with everyone as a team of players – each with specific roles and following effective and well rehearsed “plays.”

If you are not actively moving toward your goals, feel free to contact us. There are also other ethical and competent coaches and consultants who can help.

It is hard to go it alone.

Tiger Woods, probably the best golfer of a time, who receives regular chiropractic care, also has a coach.

We are happy to be yours.

#  #  #

Stay tuned for more on:

  • The 8 Essential Elements
  • New Practice Management Paradigm
  • Practice Executive Toolkit

Chiropractic Promotion: “Do Your Part”

Posted on by

ww2-woman

This is a patriotic themed promotion for chiropractic offices in the U.S. It can be used in conjunction with the 4th of July, Labor Day, Memorial Day, or any other day that strikes a cord of national duty.

Its purpose is to educate patients and non patients to understand that by getting healthier, the country and economy will benefit. Someone who is healthy is more productive and less of a burden on our disease care medical system. A healthier person contributes more to our national, and local, economy.

The theme of this promotion is that getting healthier — and getting others healthier — is somewhat of a patriotic duty, particularly in these hard economic times.

How To Do the Promotion
You can set aside a day or a week to hold a special promotion for your patients to encourage them to schedule their family and friends to come in to your clinic for an introductory service.

1. Team Talk. Talk to the staff and go over the promotion with them. Take their suggestions and consider including them.
2. Plan and Schedule. Set a date and plan out the particulars.
3. The Reason. Go over the reason behind the promotion and how the promotion can help fulfill this purpose.
4. Posters. Place poster in the office.
5. Coupons. Hand out coupons to patients individually. Sign each one, with a date issued. You can even write the name of the guest of the patient on the coupon.
6. Newsletter. Write a notice in your office newsletter.
7. Word of Mouth. Talk it up with all of your patients.
8. Delegate a staff member to be the Do Your Part Coordinator to help implement this program, and to be its cheerleader.
9. External. You can also promote this is a small town newspaper, insert, and or on your web site. Adjust the text of the poster slightly and placed at local coffee shops, hair salons, etc.

And, you can Do Your Part by helping your patients and community do theirs.

Sample Poster.

Sample Coupon.

(Active Clients can go to their Member’s site for the customizable word articles – by June 20. )

“Do Your Part” Patriotic Chiropractic Promotion

Posted on by
Reply

This is a promotion that can be used any time in the U.S., particularly in July in conjunction with Independence Day, Labor Day, or Memorial Day.

Its purpose is to educate patients, and non patients, to understand that by getting healthier, the country and economy will benefit.  Someone who is healthy is more productive and less of a burden on our disease care medical system.  A healthier person contributes more to our national, and local, economy.

The theme of this promotion is that getting healthier — and getting others healthier — is somewhat of a patriotic duty, particularly in these hard economic times.

How To Do the Promotion
You can set aside a day or a week to hold a special promotion for your patients to encourage them to schedule their family and friends to come in to your clinic for an introductory service.

  1. Team Talk. Talk to the staff and go over the promotion with them.  Take their suggestions and consider including them.
  2. Plan and Schedule. Set a date and plan out the particulars.
  3. The Reason. Go over the reason or “greater purpose” behind the promotion and how the promotion can help fulfill this goal.
  4. Delegate a staff member to be the Do Your Part Coordinator to help implement this program, and to be its cheerleader.
  5. Posters. Place posters in the office.
  6. Coupons. Hand out coupons to patients individually. Sign each one, with a date issued. You can even write the patient’s guest name on the coupon.
  7. Word of Mouth. Talk it up with all of your patients.
  8. Newsletter.  Write a notice in your office newsletter.
  9. External. You can also promote this is a small town newspaper, insert, and or on your web site. Adjust the text of the poster slightly and place at local coffee shops, hair salons, etc.

And, you can Do Your Part by helping your patients and community do theirs.

Sample Poster
Sample Coupon

No Cell Phones Sign

Posted on by
Reply

Cell phones can be a nuisance. They can interrupt the harmony and pleasant atmosphere of your office. If you don’t have a sign up for your patients to remind them not to use their mobile phones, you can download this document, print it, and use it. Ensure that your patient’s experience in your office is not hampered by someone shouting to their aunt on their cell phone about their bunion operation.
[ Download/View File ]

Fill Up Your Bus

Posted on by

school-bus-health

If I was starting my chiropractic practice next week, one of the first things I would do would be to hire a front desk assistant.  But not just anyone.

She, or he, would actually be my front desk coordinator, almost my Patient Service Coordinator.

Because I needed an individual who was dynamic and proactive,  I probably would not hire someone who had worked on a medical front desk, post office, or as librarian. I would be interested in hiring someone who had been a successful athlete, wait person, or sales person.

This critical attributes of a successful front desk department, in many cases, are so overlooked that many doctors are inadvertently holding their offices back.  Possibly looking for examples from other businesses, the front desk often becomes the part time insurance department, phone receptionist, and secretary.

We have seen established offices shoot up by a third just by having the right person on the front desk.

You need the right person. But they also need the right systems.

Think of your front desk coordinator as the tour guide and she has to fill the bus each day. Say there are 100 seats on the buss. Some people climb right on board. Others kind of drift around and she helps them get on board.  Maybe a few are home sleeping. She calls and wakes them up and gets them on the bus. “Don’t want to be late..!”  And some may think they are just too “sick” to come in. Her job is to fill the bus – each day. 100% capacity.

As the doctor, you are the driver and the buss is the Health Bus.

You should know where you are taking the patients.  Are you transporting them all the way to the Land of Health and Wellness, or are you dropping them off to linger in Pharmaceutical-vile?

That choice is yours. But wherever you take them, you want a front desk that fills up your buss.

Phyllis Frase can teach you and your team just how to do this. And she can inspire them to do this. She is probably the most dynamic CA trainers in the country – certainly one of them.   For over 11 years, she has been speaking at Parker Seminars and state associations and receiving standing ovations.  She is even scheduled to speak in New Zealand later this year.

Don’t miss her telecasts this Tuesday.

And if you can make it, come to our seminar and to her break out session and get more than 4 hours of “killer” front desk training.

Live long and be healthy, and fill up your bus!

Ed

Your Promise

Posted on by

Here in the Midwest, flowers and trees are blossoming.  We have a tree in front of my office that is exploding with light pink blossoms. Baby birds are chirping.

blossoms

A new crop of students are graduating and new wave of young people are getting married.  (My daughter is among them! [big smile])

Promises of what can be.

Just for a moment, think about what is it that your clinic promises?

Because it does promise something, whether or not you even planned it to. Every business does. For example, driving by a Starbucks, what is promised?

One of the definitions of a brand is a “promise.”  Starbucks has worked hard on perfecting and systematizing their brand and promise.

Your brand, your reputation, your image – what does it promise?

The tone of your front desk when she/he answers the phone – what is the promise?

Your report of findings – what is promised?

When your patient accounts staff talks with your patients, what is the promise?

There are a hundred little units of communication that you are constantly sending out about what your patients can expect to receive with your services. Do your messages inspire trust and confidence? Are they friendly? Do they appeal to what your patients and potential patients really want?

And do you deliver on the promise?

The word promise has a number of meanings. One of the meanings is a “stated commitment.”  Another is to “show potential for future excellence.” Both apply.

You can discuss this at your next staff meeting.

It is spring.  A time for new beginnings and renewal; a promise of great expectations that can be achieved.

And your gift is that you and your team have the ability to make every day a spring day, every moment a spring moment.

Are you chirping?

Ed

Consumer Reports Recommends Chiropractic

Posted on by

A recent survey by Consumer Reports Rating Center, posted on WEBMD.com,  says that more people seek chiropractic care for back pain than other therapies.

The article also states that 58% of those surveyed said that chiropractic helped “a lot” compared to 46% who said that physical therapy “benefited” them.

You can read the article here.

We made a poster version of this article for your patients if you want to post it on your office bulletin board.  This can also help you with generating patient referrals.

LINK.

Consumer Reports has not always been a promoter of chiropractic. However,  with this survey, they have no other choice but to print the facts.

While this is good news, the survey also shows that the patient has other non surgical and pharmaceutical options. These other options should be taken into consideration when you put together you general marketing strategy.

Health Related Observances – Spring 2009

Posted on by
Reply

Some upcoming dates in April, May, and June that can be utilized for promoting your services. You can use these, or even make up your own.

Earth Day – April 22
http://www.earthday.net/
Also, here.

Teacher’s Appreciation Day – May 5th
http://www.teacher-appreciation.info/

Mother’s Day – May 10

Correct Posture Month – May
Link

National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month – May
www.nof.org/awareness2/annual.htm

North American Occupational Safety and Health Week – May 3 – 9
U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration
www.asse.org/newsroom/naosh09

National Women’s Health Week – May 10 – 16
Office on Women’s Health
www.womenshealth.gov/whw

National Employee Health and Fitness Day – May 20
National Association for Health and Fitness
physicalfitness.org/nehf.html

National Scoliosis Awareness Month – May
National Scoliosis Foundation
www.scoliosis.org

National Headache Awareness Week — June 7 – 13
National Headache Foundation
www.headaches.org

National Men’s Health Week –  June 15 – 21
Men’s Health Network
www.menshealthweek.org

Minneapolis Workshop, April, 2009

Posted on by

What a workshop and boot camp! With 4 separate breakout sessions, everyone was busy learning, training, and getting inspired.

We learned a lot too, and for those of you who attended – thank you!  We had at least as much fun as you did.

We have had many glowing responses since we ended the seminar, including this one, the day after the seminar. One doctor called in and said:

“I don’t know what you guys did, but we are on fire! Heather loved Phyllis and sold THREE PREPAYS this morning!”

The exuberant doctor said that two new patients came in with a guest.  All three became new patients, prepaid, and left with full appointments. “I ended up with an additional 96 visits scheduled”, the doctors said.

A  practice tip from Phyllis from the workshop.

Some other workshop comments:

I learned about the individual departments in our office, learning what areas are strong and what are weak and what to do to make them better.  I liked seeing our staff/team members gain knowledge to bring back to the office.  Dr. A

Seminar was so good, just wanted more of it.

Learned new procedures for financial consultations.  The information was EXTREMELY useful.

Liked the information on consultation and report of findings. Dr. Peter gave us tools to use in office. All pieces of the puzzle are coming together.  Dr. D
Dr. Peter
I loved all the various classes offered (breakout sessions)  Didn’t get bored. (C.A.)

The information was useful. I liked the marketing schedule, back to basics procedures with checklists, focus on low cost marketing, motivation.  Dr. S

Lots of ideas we could apply. Everyone sells health, “scheduling week”, and other ideas – all were useful.

The information was absolutely useful and timely. Will help me with my consultations. Doctor

Dave was a great speaker. Learned more about financial consultations and billing.

Will improve  my ROF’s and my wellness financials. I like the breakout sessions.  Dr.H

I learned how to become the doctor’s support system, handle the new patient, cluster book, recall, and learning that I have the power to lead the patients instead of the patient leading me.

Great Speakers. Easy to follow.

Your company cares and listens to their clients.

Lots of ideas. Liked the external marketing ideas.

Dr. Peter was fabulous.

VERY INSPIRING

Geese

Posted on by
(This article is attributed to Dr. Harry Clarke Noyes.)

This spring, when you see geese heading north for the summer, flying along in the V-formation, you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way: As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in a V-formation, the whole flock adds at least 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.

geese-small

People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front.

If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those who are headed the same way as we are.

When the head goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point. It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs with people or with geese flying.

Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. What do we say when we honk from behind?

Finally, and this is important, when a goose gets sick or is wounded by gunshots and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose or follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly or until it dies. Only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation, to catch up with their group.

If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other like that.

– – –

For a printable poster of this article, click here.
If you know any more about the author of this article, please let us know.

No Recess Here

Posted on by

Busy-busy-busy. Promotions, staff training, hiring, new procedures, patient finances, and patients, patients, patients.

There may be a recession, but with the doctors with whom we work, there sure hasn’t been a recess!

They are working harder than ever (and so are we!)  And, their practice “scorecards” show it. Some offices report a slight decline but many in fact have been going up.

And that is, in the final analysis, our best solution: In a recess-ion – don’t take a recess.  At least not a mental one. Now and then, it is good to get out, but that is just so you can come back with more energy than ever.

Quit Whining
Arnold Schwarzenegger recently told a group of Europe’s top trade officials:

160533-arnold_thumb_original

“It doesn’t make any sense for people to sit back and whine and to complain about the economy slowing down because we have to look forward rather than back.” He went on to say: “We have to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.”

So, what is the solution?

When the Going Gets Tough
Over the years, we have seen so many chiropractic offices get by with poor procedures, hit and miss marketing, bad management, and sloppy clinical. The thing is, chiropractic works SO WELL that a poorly run office could limp along and survive. But not any more.

When the going gets tough, the tough get to work improving their business, or to paraphrase Stephen Covey, they get to work “Sharpening their Saw.”

You have to improve all aspects of your business. If you don’t, people will go to a doctor’s office that is.

First thing you should do?
But when numbers start to slip, what is the first thing you should do to improve your business? OK, let’s start out this way: what is the first thing you should NOT do?

Read the results of these 2 studies and see if you can guess the answer:

In a study of U.S. recessions, McGraw-Hill Research analyzed 600 companies from 1980-1985. The results showed that business-to-business firms which maintained or increased their advertising expenditures during the 1981-1982 recession averaged significantly higher sales growth, both during the recession and for the following three years, than those that eliminated or decreased advertising. By 1985, sales of companies that were aggressive recession advertisers had risen 256% over those that didn’t keep up their advertising.

Or how about this study by Roland Vaile:

“Advertising executive Roland S. Vaile tracked 200 companies through the recession of 1923. In the April 1927 issue of Harvard Business Review, he reported that the biggest sales increases throughout the period were rung up by companies that advertised the most.”

You guessed it: don’t stop marketing.  Marketing costs money and takes time, and this is one of the first things business owners want to “cut back on” when frightened by a recession.

Hmm, is that defensive or offensive? And the best defense is a what? That’s right, a continuous outreach program.  Talks, screenings, special promotions, networking, do it all and more. Now is not the time to cut back or economize. The time to do that is when you are making the money.  If you try to save now, you will have less and less to save with. Most people spend money when they make it and try to save it when they don’t. In fact, the exact opposite should be done as a business strategy. More on that for a later post.

But marketing isn’t all external. The truth is, it is mostly internal to your office. This means you should work each week  on improving your internal marketing procedures. These include patient education and  extra-ordinary service procedures, and literally everything you do and that goes on in your office that each patient experiences.

What the patient experiences is a critical part of marketing.  If the patient has a satisfying and rewarding experience, he or she will come back and maybe bring a family or friend.  If she doesn’t, she will go somewhere else.

So, don’t go blaming the economy if your patients aren’t coming back or referring, or if your practice is not growing.  Improve your patient’s experience in your clinic and get to work on improving your marketing outreach and all aspects of your business.

Even with the challenges that the economy sends your way, this still could be your finest year.

———–

Come to our Boot Camps and get trained. We are going to train train train, and have fun doing so.

Minneapolis, MN – Thursday, April 2. 8:30 to 5
Milwaukee, WI – Thursday, June 4. 8:30 to 5
Learn about them here.

Listen to Dr. Peter Kevorkian on our next Teleclass on March 23 at 12:30 Central Time.  Special talk on “Creating Lifetime Patients”
To learn more or register, go here.

—————-

link to above mentioned studies: Studies