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.

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

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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

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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

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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”

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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(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

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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

Economic Factors

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We all know or have heard that the number one reason that a patient drops out of care, based on surveys, is that they experienced an “attitude of indifference” on the part of the doctor or the staff.

Most offices nod knowingly and are assured that their office cares about the patients, that their staff show concern, that their doctors have the patient’s interest at heart.

But what is an “attitude of indifference?” How does it manifest in a clinic? What does it feel like to a patient?

A patient experiences an attitude of indifference when they feel they are the 38th visit on a 60 visit day. They experience an attitude of indifference when they feel like they are on visit 15 of a 36 visit treatment plan and that everything is the same as the last 13 visits.

They feel an attitude of indifference when the doctor says, during the ROF, that he will give them some home exercises, and then doesn’t. Or when the doctor instructs them to attend the spinal care class as an important part of the treatment plan and no one schedules them for it, or when the front desk says they will order a supplement for them and a month goes by without the order, or the doctor says she will do a re-exam and then keeps putting it off, or when the doctor is running 5-10 minutes behind each visit or worse, comes in late.

Normally, you may still get that patient to follow through. But put yourself in the patient’s shoes. They are feeling better, even feeling “healthy” now, they have a $30 copay twice a week, and they have just heard that the company their husband works for may be laying off some people.

90% of the population right now, according to USA Today, is worried about the economy. Many have been affected, and many more are concerned – they are uncertain. When will things get better? Are we heading down farther? Am I going to have any money left?

When people are uncertain, the decisions they make are either “no” or “maybe” (which isn’t a decision but a postponement). They don’t decide that now is a great time to spend more money. Not on cars, not on restaurants, not on healthcare.

Expressing an attitude of interest is an “every visit” manifestation. That patient’s visit is not the 38th of the day or the 15th in their treatment plan – it is a singular, unique moment in time that will never occur again. It is a one and only opportunity to make an impact and a difference in that patient’s life. When you talk to them about the weather (“gee, cold out today, isn’t it?”) or tell them a joke in the treatment room or bs about the Packers – and if that is ALL you do that visit, you are just more white noise in their life, just another piece of spam in their mental inbox.

You have to manage a patient’s care EVERY visit, you have to work to make a difference in that patient’s life EVERY visit. If you don’t, that is an attitude of indifference. There is no other way to put it.

There are four critical factors that go into growing during a recession. These are:

1)    Great customer service. During a recession, other businesses cut back on the front end. People want and need good customer service. They deserve it from your office.

2)    Excellent patient financial plans, well communicated. The first response in some clinics when times get tight is to tighten up your financial plans. “All patients have to pay their copay before they see the doctor. No copay, no visit.” Do this and watch your practice drop by 50% (actual case).

3)    Step up your marketing. Great customer service and flexible financial plans don’t mean anything if no one comes in. Marketing is a variable expense and one of the first areas businesses cut. There were over 650 auto makers in the US before the great depression. After, there were six. Clinics are closing, going out of business right now. You can pick up market share.

4)    Increase your patient education. Patients aren’t going to blindly come in “because you said so”. Educating patients on wellness, having a wellness report of findings, and a “can’t resist” wellness financial plan are keys to building your practice.

Following the 3-Goals principles, review the above four points. Implement them personally. Review them with your staff and see how they can implement them further. Review them again and refine them.

There has never been a better time to grow your practice.

Success Strategies for 2009

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We enter the New Year in unprecedented times. There is no denying this. We do not live in our offices as islands, separated from the rest of the country or world.  Some websites will tell you that the end is near. I have been reading doomsayers since the 70’s and they still sound the same. I think it bolsters their ego and gives them a cause, but that is just my opinion.

But it would be wrong to pretend everything is as it always was and we live in prosperous times. Not just our economy, but the world’s economy is going through massive, even revolutionary changes. But there are, and have been, other changes taking place as well. In the last 15 years, electronics have gone through many unthinkable transitions for us coming from the mid 20th Century.  Social changes world wide have taken us beyond the Third Wave, as Alvin Toffler described in his book.  And, there is the ongoing “Wellness Revolution” and “Green Revolution”, which those of us in the chiropractic profession can take pride in the fact that we have been in the forefront. Needless to say, the “Times Are a Changing.”

But with this change comes opportunity. The country is going through a severe “cleanse”: parasite cleanse, colon cleanse, you name it.  It is a time that offers many new avenues for growth and prosperity.

Jeffrey M. Stibel, an entrepreneur and brain scientist writes in recent article in the Harvard Business Review:

The 2008 recession is an economic firestorm unlike anything the country has seen since the Great Depression. But 2009 is shaping up to be a trigger for an unprecedented surge of innovation that may be one of the most important turning points in the last 100 years. (article)

Let’s look at some general strategies that will help you prosper in this New Year. We offer a few below and will mail out more practical action steps soon.

  1. First, don’t panic. Danger is always near, especially for a small business owner. So what else is new? Whether it is your association’s alarming headlines about how doctors are earning less or chiropractic gurus advocating working for massage therapists, negative news is all pretty routine, really.  People have always been around to promote the bad news. So what?  Good news is hardly ever promoted.
  2. Motivation. It is fine to face the brutal facts, but what is happening with a Wall Street investment company is not as important as what is happening in your community.  There is bad news. Negative news can distract and dishearten not only you, but also your staff and patients. Limit your exposure to national news and talk shows. Get the facts, fine. But more importantly, every day, look for new reasons to renew your purpose and drive to achieve your goals.
  3. Appreciate your profession. Chiropractic works. It has, it does, and it will.  People benefit from it. People need it, in hard times and good times. These are facts that do not change. You have a skill that you will always have and that can’t be shipped to Asia and that will always be needed and effective. It is a million dollar skill.
  4. Your success is just between you and your patients. You don’t work for a corporation.    You are an independent business professional as well as an independent health care professional. Except from you patients, you can’t be fired.  But they can fire you. So, take care of them better than you ever have. The chief difference between you and other options they have is chiefly the connection you generate with them. What is the quality of relationship you have developed with your patients as a result of your extra-ordinary service and care?
  5. Health is Wealth: Sell Health.  Get across to your patients and community that health is the only real wealth and this is what your office is uniquely prepared to deliver. Regardless of the employment condition of your patients and potential patients, their health is their greatest wealth. If they are healthy, they can work 3 jobs if needed. If they are not healthy, they won’t be able to work even one. This is why they have to work on maintaining and improving their health. This has to be a recurring message you get across to your patients.
  6. Constant improvement.  But only the best business will survive and thrive. Your business organization has to become better, or die.  We have seen mediocre practices struggle along that did not and would not improve their procedures. In better times, they could still survive. These types will more than likely go the way of the dinosaur unless they step up their “game.”  I am not advocating “social Darwinism”, but it is an observation that the better (healthier) companies survive and thrive, and poorly managed ones fail.  We recommend adopting a policy of what we call the “Practice Development Process”. (Small plug: this is what we do and teach.)
  7. More for less. With a process of constant improvement you can work out how you can get more done with less effort. Economize does not mean don’t spend money. It means spend money better. Get more “bang” for your buck. For every dime you spend, you should get back half dollar, more or less.
  8. Triple your patient base. Whatever you have planned for marketing, triple it. Some of your patients may not be able to see you as many times or pay the same fees as before. If this is the case, and I am definitely not promoting this, you have to talk about #5 above.  You will also have to increase your volume of patient visits. It is no longer “how much you can get from how little, but how little you can get from how much”, to paraphrase an old quote from B.J. Palmer.

Over the Christmas, most stores did poorly, except for Wal-Mart and McDonalds. I am not advocating
reducing your fees. You probably do not charge enough as it is. But, you have to be prepared to offer different plans
based upon the time of payment (payment on assignment, at time of service, or in advance.), as well as other
programs.

Now is a great opportunity for growth and entrepreneurship. You are the captain of your ship as it crosses the seas
through storms and gales.  Stand at the helm (steering wheel) as the misty wind blows and know that you can beat
any storm and take your crew and passengers to sunny skies and calm waters.

It is a challenge, an adventure, and a worthwhile goal you and your team can achieve.

We will be there too.

See you on deck!

Rule #9 by B.J.Palmer, Developer of Chiropractic

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

Thousands of businessmen have one fault in common. They are so close to their own thoughts, their own minds, their own selves, desk, office friends, employees, clerks, detail, correspondence that they suffer from the illusion of the near.

They are with what they think, see and do so much at a time that they take it all too seriously and thus suffer from the nearness of themselves to themselves.

I now live in a town where I am sold to everybody. They call me “B.J.” everywhere. I live in an immediate family of some 5,000 whom I bring to that city, who love me and I love them. These people appreciate what I do for them. They tell me and I listen to the plaudits of deeds well done. People come from far and near to thank me for what I have done, via some salesman. All of which makes me take my detail seriously. I suffer from it.

YOU need the vision of the far. I need it. I keep my grip (suitcase) packed and when I begin to take my reform work seriously, right then is when I book a few Rotary, Kiwanis and other club talks and hide myself away from my thoughts, ideas, work, students, school, friends, that I might get myself away from myself, that I may walk the streets of strange towns, see strange faces, listen to strange tongues, that I may get the proper perspective of myself.

Many people suffer with a constipation of thought and a diarrhea of words. Many a man has the eyesight of a hawk and the vision of a clam.

Going away from home makes a man shut up and think. It also teaches him to overlook the hawky detail and gain a distant vision of himself, his service and his Big Job.

Every man owes it to himself, his people and his service to go away about every so often. The more detail he has, the oftener he should go. The more worries, the more he needs to go. The bigger his work, the longer his vacation should be.

He should go to conventions, attend luncheons, go fishing or hunting, anywhere that he may get away from himself; that he may sit on the banks of the river and there see himself at his desk, with his people, on the job. It is surprising how foolish all of us look when we gaze at ourselves after we get away from ourselves and see ourselves as others see us.

Many a man realizes without analyzing. A certain clothing merchant of our city is noted for his ancestral business qualities. Business and money are his gods. Yet this same man told me but recently that he is now playing golf two afternoons a week. I inquired as to how he could get his mind into that state where he could make it pay. He tells me that the next morning he works three times as hard and accomplishes more than three times as much work. He comes home tired, sleeps sound, wakes up refreshed and piles in solid. Playing golf, he realizes the vision of the far without the mental analysis that accomplishes the end. He stumbled upon the conclusion and even yet doesn’t know. You and I can go into this with comprehension and intention.

I am told that John D. Rockefeller rarely went near oil fields; that Mr. Carnegie knew little about steel itself; that John Patterson spends months in Europe away from his huge plant to know better how to run it when at it; that James Gordon Bennett managed the New York Herald from Paris; that Mr. Pulitzer manages the New York World from afar; that Mr. Wanamaker spends and Marshall Field did spend four months out of twelve in Europe for the express purpose of gaining vision; that a Boston department store manager is responsible for this statement:” I must study other business at least THREE MONTHS every year in order to manage my own business properly the OTHER NINE.’

We should get away from ourselves, our office, our business to get the proper perspective on its services.

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What Do You Think About When the Phone Rings?

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You are sitting there, trying to finish your notes. You hear your phone ring. You are a bit behind. Maybe slightly irritated by an arbitrary denial of an insurance company and you haven’t yet planned out tonight’s evening with the family, spouse, or friend.The phone rings again.

What are your thoughts? What are your feelings?

Do you kinda wish it wouldn’t ring? Is it a bit of an interruption? Do-you-just-want-to-answer-the –dang-phone-to-stop-the-ringing-so-you-can-get-back-to-your-work?

Essentially, your thought is “Stop.”   It is: “Don’t call me.”  “Phone, don’t ring, don’t interrupt me!”   I am sure this has happened to you – even if ever so slightly or subconsciously.

Now, imagine if your front desk has these thoughts when the phone rings?

To some degree, even the most devoted and hard working staff can reactively feel put upon by phone calls. Or, in fact, by walk-ins. Or, in fact, by any patient encounter. I have seen this happen on the front desk when the doctor was busy with patients.  But remember, this can happen with even the most ethical team member, including you!  I have seen doctors do this too. (Extreme examples: “Oh, only two people for the spinal care class – cancel it.” “Oh, just Jim is coming in, reschedule him. I am going to leave early. It is MY office and I can do what I want.”)

Our thoughts can and do determine our behavior and affect how we treat others. Our environment actually mirrors our thoughts.

You may have heard or read about this scientist in Japan. Fascinating experiments. The fellow’s name is Dr. Masaru Emoto and was also in the movie, “What the Bleep Do We Know?”

According to the movie, Dr. Masaru Emoto claims that crystals formed in frozen water reveal changes when specific, concentrated thoughts are directed toward them. He says that he found that water from clear springs and water that has been exposed to loving words shows brilliant, complex, and colorful snowflake patterns. In contrast, polluted water, or water exposed to negative thoughts, forms incomplete, asymmetrical patterns with dull colors.

You can check out Dr. Emotu’s new book, The Hidden Messages in Water.

So, if our thoughts can affect the formation of water crystals, they probably can have significant effect on our office.

Going back to your front desk, realize that the staff on the front desk have tremendous control over the office, nearly as much as the doctor does. The front desk can be a magnet for your patients, and attract, or repel them.

When the phone rings, you want your front desk, and all staff thinking “YES.”  “Call me. Phone –  ring now.”  “I can hardly wait to talk to this person and see how they are. I am interested in them and how they are doing. I want to help get them come in for care — and their family too.” “They must be really really cool and nice if they are calling us.” “I WANT to know more about them.” “I am grateful for their call and appreciate the effort they made in calling us.”

These are good thoughts.  These are positive thoughts that can help bring in more patients.

You can practice this with your staff at a team meeting.

ACTION STEP. As an example, someone acts as the prospective patient calling. The person acting as the front desk assistant should answer the phone with the attitude of really not wanting to talk to the person. Act it up. This can be funny. Try it a few times.

Then, do the same rehearsal with the front desk assistant positively anticipating the phone call, wanting the phone to ring, and then eagerly answering and talking to the prospective patient.

Keep it the role playing brief. You can and should do it again. It should be fun and act as a reminder to one and all that we should want to meet new people, talk to existing patients, and look forward to phone calls. We can always dismiss the occasional telemarketer or wrong number.

This can also be rehearsed in other types of patient encounters, from taking the new patient back to the exam room, sitting down to do a financial consultation, or checking a patient out and collecting their payments.

(Note to PM&A clients & members: Your PM&A Coach is experienced in these types of trainings. Have one of us facilitate one of these trainings next time we visit your office.)

ACTION STEP. And speaking of how our environment does mirror us, here is a little trick you can use.  Get a real mirror, about 4 inches by 4 inches, and put it at the front desk counter so that the team member can see it. You can write something on it like: “Are My Teeth Showing?” “Am I Smiling?” And staff, you can also put one of these in your doctor’s office on any day that he is feeling grumpy. It applies to us all.

So, the next time the phone rings, smile. Be interested and curious in who is taking the time to call.  Make your thoughts happy so they help create an office that is brilliant, colorful, and full of happy patients.

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[Petty, Michel & Associates offers special practice development programs designed to help you achieve your goals. Give us a call for more info: 414- three three two -4511]