Warmest wishes for a joyous Holiday Season, a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year!
Ed, Barbara, Linda, Lisa, Dave and Phyllis
Merry Christmas from the PMA “Wild West” Team
Reply
Author Archives: Edward Petty
Pain is the Last to Show and the First to Go in Chiropractic Healthcare
Previously published on The Goal Driven Business
An Important Chiropractic Patient Education Tip
I recently visited a highly successful practice that had its usual issues and wanted to expand to the “next level.”
What did they need? More marketing, more staff training, more associates!
Sure.
But they also needed to tend to the basics, and here is one that is simple but easily overlooked:
Chiropractic Patient Understanding of Symptoms
I learned this early on: subluxations and other dysfunctions of the spine and joints can be present long before pain or other symptoms show up.
Finally, the individual drags themselves in to see you, and you begin care. After a few visits, the pain subsides. Yahoo!
Are they fixed? Probably not.
They have moved from acute care to corrective care. (You may call it something different, but the idea is the same.)
Your patient may not be familiar with this distinction. Hence, the report of findings and the importance of future patient education.
“How are You Feeling?”
So it was with some dismay that, visiting this office with excellent doctors, I kept overhearing them greet the patients with “how are you feeling?”
What!! What did you say?
Nooo!
Patient thinks, “Hey, I’m feeling pretty good. No need to come in anymore. Bye!”
Two months later, they hobble back in: “Doc, I have the same problem.”
So, what should you say? You want to be nice and show interest. You do care, and would like an update, right? So what do you say?
Just be genuinely interested and ask them how they are doin’? Or better, try these:
- “How are you moving this week?
- “What improvements have you noticed?”
I am not a doctor and would not presume to suggest care procedures. But this is a matter of patient education, marketing, and business development.
You want to improve their function, structure, and health. Maybe their mindset as well.
And of course, you want them pain-free.
Just remember that pain shows up last, and usually leaves before your work is done.
Get this on your chiropractic and healthcare patient care checklist and for a reminder, review it often. I bet you’ll see an improvement in outcomes and retention. Even a 10% increase in patient retention can significantly impact your practice outcomes and bottom line.
If your goal for your patients includes pain relief AND better function, this can help.
Stay Goal Driven,
Ed
2025- Health Never Takes a Holiday – Complimentary Posters
Health Never Takes a Holiday is our signature holiday post for many years. It has proven to be very helpful for many offices to keep their patients on schedule during the holiday hustle and bustle.
For this program we offer free downloads of posters and tent posters you can use in the office to remind patients that we believe “Health Never Takes a Holiday” and it’s important to keep their schedule of care to stay well.
Please visit https://www.goaldriven.com/post/health-never-takes-a-holiday-in-chiropractic for this year’s complimentary posters.
Keep Hope Alive in Chiropractic and Healthcare Offices
Previously published at GoalDriven.com
A Message from the “Head Office” ?
Early Thursday morning, I drove to a suburban high school with two of my grandkids. We were participating with others involved with a service organization called Community Projects for Seniors here in Milwaukee.
When we pulled into the expansive parking lot, we saw hundreds of cars and people driving through designated stations, receiving boxes of hot Thanksgiving dinners to deliver to seniors across Southeast Wisconsin.
The loading was well organized and ran smoothly, despite everyone being volunteers. Everyone looked to be having a good time, smiling and high-fiving in the early morning, freezing temperatures!
The two grandkids and I delivered 51 meals to residences in a low-income section of Milwaukee. It was a good experience for them, knocking on apartment doors, wishing seniors a happy Thanksgiving, and sometimes offering short expressions of care and interest or best wishes for the Packers (professional football team) later in the day.
As we were getting to the end of our route, a senior gentleman, must have been 6′ 4″ or more, after accepting the meal, looked dead at my grandkids and said, “Keep Hope Alive.”
Keep Hope Alive
“Keep Hope Alive” was a phrase Rev. Jesse Jackson often used when he ran for president in 1988. Jackson participated in the Selma marches in 1965 and became a close aide to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The Selma marches included Bloody Sunday, when 600 unarmed peaceful civil rights protesters were violently attacked and beaten, some unconscious, by state troopers in March of 1965 in Selma. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law by President Johnson, guaranteeing the right to vote for African-Americans, especially in the South.
But here we are in 2025. What did this resident mean when he said “Keep Hope Alive” as he accepted the Thanksgiving dinner? Why did he say it to two suburban kids this Thanksgiving?
Unlike most of the other people we handed dinners to, he was the most cheerful. Perhaps, for him, an elder and certainly not well-off, he had hopes for a better future.
A better future for himself — and maybe for others.
Keep Goals for Your Chiropractic and Healthcare Practice Alive
The word “hope” is defined as the feeling of trust that something wished for can or will happen. The derivation of the word “hope” traces back to Old English “hopian,” meaning to expect, or look forward with confidence in a positive outcome.
Hope is more than just wishing… it is expecting what you want will happen.
Kinda sounds like a goal, doesn’t it?
You know, you can receive messages that are meant for you – from others.
Someone I know calls these “Memo’s from the Head Office!”
I think that, for me, the “message” from the senior gentleman was that any hope, or goal, for a better future must be actively kept alive.
That means, your dreams and goals for the New Year, including your chiropractic and healthcare practice, can’t be made and then parked.
They need to be kept alive.
Maybe his message was meant — for you too!
😊
Keep Hope — and Your Goals — Alive.
Ed
How the Gratitude Attitude Helps Healing in Your Chiropractic and Healthcare Practice
Previously published on Goal Driven
The Gratitude Attitude: Proven to Speed Healing and Grow Chiropractic and Healthcare Practices
I don’t know about you, but I just like saying…” Gratitude…Attitude.”
There are plenty of studies on this subject – how just being grateful can improve health outcomes.
Here are just a few highlights:
- Fewer aches and overall better health – Grateful people report less pain and are more likely to take care of themselves (exercise, regular checkups, etc.) (Emmons & McCullough, 2003 – UC Davis. My old alma mater!)
- Heart failure patients who kept a gratitude journal for 8 weeks showed reduced inflammation, better heart-rate variability, and improved sleep (UC San Diego, 2015)
- Lower blood pressure in grateful individuals (Teixeira et al., 2024)
- Reduced depression and anxiety (Seligman et al., 2005)
- Better sleep quality (Wood et al., 2009)
- Improved diabetes management (multiple studies, 2010s–2020s)
- Stronger immune function (University of Utah & others, 2003–2021)
The list can go on and on.
Two Simple Ways To Use This In Your Practice Right Now
- With patients – At the end of a visit, ask your chiropractic and healthcare patients to name 3 things they’re grateful for today (family, a sunny day, the fact they can walk into your office, etc.). Studies show this tiny habit alone can accelerate their healing.
- With your team – End your next team meeting by going around the room: everyone shares one thing they’re grateful for in the practice. I have seen this done, and the practice has grown as a result!
The benefits of gratitude may seem obvious and something we already know, but they can be easily overlooked. We focus on our daily challenges and can take for granted the people who support us, and who have done so in the past.
Faced with patient and practice demands, we can under-appreciate the opportunity we have to live an extraordinary life helping others.
So it is good to take time – right now — to give thanks.
Best wishes to you this week, wherever you are.
All of us at Petty Michel & Associates are truly grateful for you – and all you do to make the world and your community a better place!
Sincerely,
Ed
P.S. (On the other hand, you have to be careful!- You know you’ve overdone the Gratitude Attitude when you stub your toe and automatically think, “I’m so grateful I have toes to stub! And a chair to stub them on! And nerve endings that let me feel pain! Pain is a gift. This is so much amazing!” Ha-Ha! A little humor for ya! 🙂
More P.S. Here’s an old-fashioned poem:
Thanksgiving (Edgar Guest 1881 – 1959)
Gettin’ together to smile an’ rejoice,
An’ eatin’ an’ laughin’ with folks of your choice;
An’ kissin’ the girls an’ declarin’ that they
Are growin’ more beautiful day after day;
Chattin’ an’ braggin’ a bit with the men,
Buildin’ the old family circle again;
Livin’ the wholesome an’ old-fashioned cheer,
Just for awhile at the end of the year.
Greetings fly fast as we crowd through the door
And under the old roof we gather once more
Just as we did when the youngsters were small;
Mother’s a little bit grayer, that’s all.
Father’s a little bit older, but still
Ready to romp an’ to laugh with a will.
Here we are back at the table again
Tellin’ our stories as women an’ men.
Preparing for a Powerful New Year in Your Chiropractic Healthcare Business
Previously posted on (Goal Driven.com)
42 more days until a New Year is here.
Before we know it, it will be at our morning doorstep. Like a happy eager dog ready to be taken for its morning walk, tail a wagin’.
But before we look at all what is coming, we have the next few weeks to wrap up 2025. This includes the Holidays, both in business and in our personal lives. We also have all the year-end admin details to complete.
NOW is the time to nail everything down — to plan the events and complete the admin tasks.
And while doing this, filling the end of the year with Christmas cheer, ready for 2026 — your best year yet!!
We’ll prepare for the New Year in a few weeks, but let’s finish off this year with a flourish. Consider these 4 actions:
- Relationships. Focus on re-bonding with all your patients and supporters from this last year.
- End of year care. Encourage them to come in and get care.
- Referrals. Bring in their family and friends for an end of year check-up.
- Year end admin checklist. Review and complete all year end admin duties that need to be done.
Most important is your connection with current and past patients and supporters.
Remember:
a practice is a network of relationships that is created and sustained through communication and service.
Be ready to take a little extra time to chat, to communicate, and to listen — and an extra “a cup of kindness, yet.”
Marketing. I gave a list of some marketing activities you can do for November and December in a recent newsletter. You can review them here. Get those planned and going.
End of Year Administrative Checklist for Chiropractic and Healthcare Businesses
In addition, we have put together a short list of administrative items that should be reviewed and completed by year end for your chiropractic and healthcare office. It is by no means complete, but the idea is you want to get them taken care of as soon as possible, or at least scheduled, so you can focus your creative energies on launching your 2026.
Block 2-3 hours in early December to work through this list. Delegate sections to your manager, billing staff, and bookkeeper.
You can also contact Lisa who is an expert in these subjects. You can contact her anytime.
Just Ask Lisa! (Lisa@pmaworks.com)
The checklist covers these categories:
2025 ADMIN WRAP UP CHECKLIST
- FINANCIAL & TAX
- CREDENTIALING & LICENSING
- EMPLOYEE ADMINISTRATION
- INSURANCE & PATIENT ACCOUNTS
- COMPLIANCE & OPERATIONS
- BUSINESS ENTITY & LEGAL
Download the ADMIN LIST below and tend to the admin.
Meanwhile, have a great time with your patients over the next 6 weeks.
And let’s prepare for your best year ever – in practice, in business, and in life!
And stay…Goal Driven,
Ed
Download the Checklists HERE
What is Special about L.L. Bean and How Does it Compare to Your Chiropractic or Healthcare Practice?
“Originally published on Goal Driven.com – republished with permission.”
The Key to Building a Chiropractic and Healthcare Practice that Lasts
L.L. Bean. You’ve probably heard of them.
I just received a Christmas shopping catalogue from them (hard copy!). They are a clothing company out of Maine. Founded in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean. I probably bought something from them years ago, and I am on their Christmas list.
We also receive a catalogue from Patagonia each year. It is another clothing company. It was founded more recently, in 1973 by a rock climber, Yvon Chouinard.
I like both companies and I will tell you why – in a minute.
= = =
Recently, I saw an ad of a young man (chiropractor) coming off a stage saying that he just sold his practice for “seven figures.” It was a bit of brag and sounded like he wanted to help other doctors reach that level. He said he was able to grow his business quickly and sell it thanks to his marketing.
I’m all for marketing, and I truly hope he can help with other chiropractic practices.
But it made me think: aren’t there significant financial advantages to owning a business in the long term that compound?
When you own a practice for 10-20 years, you’re not just collecting a salary — you’re able to take advantage of tax benefits that can add $30-50K annually to your real compensation! These can include vehicle expenses, health insurance, retirement contributions, continuing education, and equipment depreciation. These can all reduce your tax burden.
Over 20-25 years, these ownership benefits can add $500K-$1M in value that disappears the moment you sell.
And beyond tax advantages, long-term ownership allows your business equity to compound alongside your income. A practice worth $500K in year 5 might grow to $2M by year 10 or $5 -10M by year 25 – or more — IF you have good management, create a strong reputation, and even bring on other providers, or add other locations. And all the while — taking profit distributions, building retirement accounts, and enjoying the flexibility that ownership provides.
The doctor who sells early gets one payday; the doctor who builds strategically gets decades of tax-optimized income plus a potentially much larger exit.
Back to L.L. Bean and Patagonia
Now, back to those Christmas catalogues! Both show how patient, long-term ownership and excellent management, products, and services can build generational wealth over decades of brand-building and customer loyalty.
L.L. Bean, a billion-dollar empire, is still family-owned. Patagonia, now worth billions, wasn’t sold at all. Chouinard transferred ownership to the Patagonia Purpose Trust to ensure profits protect the planet in perpetuity.
Both companies show how owners who focus on purpose-driven growth and lasting customer relationships can build enduring companies that dwarf what any early buyer would have paid.
Purpose and Values of Your Healthcare and Chiropractic Practice
But here is what does not show up in the spreadsheets of these two companies: their values and purposes.
And, their discipline to stick to them!
Selling your business earlier rather than later can be a valid choice. However, if you ensure it remains focused on its purpose and values, you’ll enhance its profitability and make it more valuable for whoever takes ownership next.
L.L. Bean built its reputation on an unconditional guarantee and commitment to customer satisfaction. “At L.L.Bean, we design products that make it easier for families of all kinds to spend time outside together.”
Patagonia’s environmental purpose became so central that Yvon Chouinard ultimately gave away his $3 billion company. “We’re in business to save our home planet.”
The lesson is that a business rooted in purpose beyond profit attracts loyal customers and dedicated employees and creates a brand that competitors can’t copy.
Your purpose — and the discipline to stay creatively and positively true to your goals — pays off.
So…
Stay Goal Driven!
Ed
P.S. And have fun doing so – maybe fishing, camping, or just outside and enjoy the fall. (Or spring, if you’re Down Under.)
Fun and Effective Promotions for November and December
Spark Some Magic in Your Chiropractic Practice This Season!
Special Promotions for November and December 2025! These are loud and lively events that engage the entire team!
Why do them?
- Increase new patients with great offers.
- Energize less active patients and get them back.
- Build greater team spirit for a shared purpose.
- A reason to promote your office and let patients and your community know how active you are!
- Increase your presence as the Health Hero’s in your community.
Even without an offer, just the fun of giving back will boost your visits and instill greater loyalty.
Read the full Goal Driver Newsletter at Goal Driven.com and checkout the fun, festive promotions that will spark magic in your office this holiday season!
2026 Marketing Habits for Your Chiropractic and Healthcare New Year
2026: The Year to Make Your Healthcare Practice Thrive
2026 will be a make-or-break year for healthcare business owners—potentially your best ever. More details in future newsletters, but for now: build unbreakable marketing habits starting today.
Trust: The Core of Healthcare Marketing
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle (via Will Durant)
You’re selling the invisible—outcomes patients can’t see upfront. That’s why trust is everything. Build it through:
- Consistency
- Empathy
- Proven Results
Your brand = how you consistently show genuine care and deliver excellence.
The #1 Killer of Momentum? Stopping What Works
I’ve seen it repeatedly:
Q: “What were you doing when patient numbers were high?”
A:
- “We sent newsletters.” → Not anymore.
- “We called new patients post-visit.” → Nope.
- “We did thorough financial consultations.” → Are you kidding? No!”
Stopping proven tactics = death by roller coaster.
You lose trust, momentum, and the systems that made it effortless.
Your Fix: The Recurring Marketing Checklist
Discipline is hard—but checklists make it stick. Systems atrophy without them.
Monthly Discipline Hack:
- List your top 10 internal + external marketing actions (70–80% of your total efforts).
- Assign ownership to your manager.
- Review at every staff meeting.
- Grade % completed—full accountability.
Layer In: Special Promotions
With recurring actions locked in, plan 2–3 months ahead for:
- Facebook ads with a partner
- Food drive with a local pantry (especially needed now)
- Health talk at a yoga studio
Deliverable:Monthly Marketing Planner
→ % of recurring actions completed
→ # of special promotions scheduled
Let’s Make 2026 Your **Best Ever**
Download Free Tools:[LINK]
— Ed
The 4-Hour Fix for the Chiropractic Healthcare Practice Roller-Coaster
One Simple Role to Streamline Chiropractic Marketing and Growth**
Chiropractic practices often face inconsistent growth due to a Practice Roller Coaster, where marketing drives patient numbers up, but attention shifts to patient care, staff management, and other tasks, causing marketing to stall. This leads to fluctuating growth. To address this, assigning a trusted staff member as a part-time Marketing Coordinator (4 hours/week) can ensure consistent marketing efforts. Their role is not to handle all marketing but to keep systems like recalls, referrals, and metrics tracking active.
The Marketing Manager System, developed by Edward Petty in the early 2000s, emphasizes four key issues: marketing fails when it’s not done, no one is in charge, insufficient time is allocated, and the coordinator needs support and accountability. To succeed, the clinic director should schedule weekly marketing time, hold monthly planning meetings, track metrics with charts, and ensure accountability through written plans and reports. This approach eliminates marketing bottlenecks, sustains momentum, and reduces stress, helping practices grow steadily.
Note: A Monthly Marketing Manager Program to support coordinators with training and systems is planned for launch soon.
Building a Practice Through Relationships
Advertising has always been important. When we grew our Wisconsin network to 25 offices, we invested heavily in newspapers, shared mailers, radio, and even TV. Today, the focus has shifted to social media, SEO, and now Artificial Intelligence — positioning your practice for AI discovery will soon be essential (more on that later!).
But advertising is expensive. What truly sustained our growth was relationship marketing — connecting authentically with patients, referral sources, and our own team.
What Is Relationship Marketing?
Relationship marketing involves creating trust-based relationships with patients and referral sources, generating loyalty and organic referrals through genuine care and ongoing connection.
Examples:
- Host a community event like a holiday food drive — invite patients and their families to participate and offer consultations in exchange for donations.
- Encourage patients to refer loved ones with a personal touch (“Let’s check your spouse before their next soccer game!”).
- Build partnerships with local professionals — massage therapists, trainers, or nutritionists — and support each other through referrals or shared promotions.
Your Most Important Relationships
Don’t overlook your team. When doctors and staff work together with shared purpose and positive energy, patients notice. It’s almost magnetic — phones start ringing and old patients return.
As Stephen Covey reminds us in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, success comes from empathy, communication, and a win-win mindset that creates synergy — or, as some might say, Universal Intelligence at work.
GETTING AND KEEPING PEOPLE ON YOUR BUS
As a doctor and clinic director, you are like a bus driver. You aim to make sure you are on time and complete your shift according to schedule.
One day, you turn around to look at the back of your bus and wonder why there are so many empty seats. “Where is everyone?”
Well, maybe you missed some stops and the people never got on! Or, you didn’t take time to say “hi” when they boarded, so they all left at the next stop. Or, you were so busy driving, you didn’t ask about your assistant’s new workout routine.
Take time to connect with people.
More than anything, you are in the people business.
Enjoy the ride!
Ed
“What’s Wrong with a Chiropractic and Healthcare Personality Practice, He Asked?”
Just wrapped up an outstanding chiropractic convention put on by the Wisconsin Chiropractic Society here, you guessed it, in Wisconsin!
We enjoyed catching up with old friends, some we’ve known for decades. And making new friends.
For more on the Convention, you can check out our Facebook site, link below.
Personality Practice
While I was out listening to a presentation, I was told that a doctor dropped by the booth and asked about my book, The Goal Driven Business. He was told that it was about how to improve profits and outcomes by shifting from a personality-driven practice to one that was goal-driven. He felt that the personality practice was better.
I am sorry I wasn’t there to explain more – and hopefully he is reading this email.
Let me explain: A Personality Driven practice is propelled by the doctor’s behavior – their feelings, attitudes, and habits. What they personally do.
When opening a new office, the new business owner, of course, builds their new business on their behavior. It is their ambitious determination that is driving the initial growth of the practice. So, yes, a Personality Driven practice works at the launch of a new endeavor. What else is there? A dream, and the raw desire to manifest it.
So, the Personality-Driven practice works — at first.
However, after the practice is up and running, it needs to transition into a Goal Driven and systematized business.
The concept of a systematized business was hugely popular in the 1980s, thanks to Michael Gerber’s book, The E-Myth. In it, he says:
“The system runs the business. The people run the system.”
B. J. Palmer said something similar, much earlier. And he built a school that many of you may have attended. In his book, Up From Below the Bottom, he says:
“The size of a chiropractor’s business depends upon:
1st – His ability to notify people who he is, what he is, and where.
2nd – His systematization to take care of it as it grows and increases in volume.”
Gerber comically explains what happens when you don’t have systems running your business.
“If your business depends on you, you don’t own a business—you have a job. And it’s the worst job in the world because you’re working for a lunatic!”
–Making the Shift from Personality Driven to Goal Driven–
Making the SHIFT from a Personality Practice to a Goal Driven business is not easy. This is because you have established survival habits that have shown you that the practice depends on you, your feelings, attitudes, and overall behavior. You are the doctor, after all. You see the practice as DOCTOR-CENTERED.
A better approach, I recommend, is to keep it GOAL-CENTERED.
There are two echelons of goals to consider:
- Higher goals, including your purpose and “why.” This is your North Star.
- Practical goals, or outcomes. For example, you could have front desk goals (percentage of appointments kept), Billing and Collections goals (percentage of collections), and marketing goals (new patients and returning patients), and patient goals (patient completing tx program with an excellent review.)
Get your team on board with these goals. If you do, they can now help you put together the best approach to achieve your goals. These are the systems.
So: Personality Practice – YES! When starting a new business.
But once it is running, NO. Gradually back out and put in place goals and systems. And train your people on these.
For more details, read The Goal Driven Business.
If you want help with this, contact me. I’d love to help. (Been doing this for a while, so lots of tips!)
Stay Goal Driven. Stay Free!
Ed
Photos of us and our friends at the Chiropractic Society of Wisconsin Fall Experience
Why Clear Roles Build a Stronger Chiropractic & Healthcare Practice
Better teamwork, smoother operations, and improved patient care all start with clarity.
Years ago, I visited a chiropractic office where the doctor was frustrated: patients weren’t keeping appointments, and he blamed his front desk staff, “Sue.” The problem wasn’t effort—Sue was polite and friendly—but she had no clear job description, no checklist, and no real understanding of her responsibilities.
Once we clarified her role, outlined simple procedures, and scheduled regular reviews, the practice quickly improved. Patients kept their appointments, and both the doctor and Sue felt more confident and motivated.
This is a common issue: when roles are vague, results suffer. But when roles are clear, teams thrive.
—
The Three Elements of Every Role
According to the Goal Driven System, each role should include:
- Purpose – Why the role exists.
- Outcome – The measurable result it should achieve.
- Procedures – The specific actions to reach the outcome.
Example – Front Desk Role:
- Purpose: Help patients achieve health goals by ensuring they stay on schedule.
- Outcome: Patients consistently keeping appointments.
- Procedures:
- Greet every patient with a smile.
- Answer the phone warmly.
- Confirm each patient leaves with their next appointment scheduled.
—
Action Steps for Your Practice
- Have every team member list their roles.
- Define the purpose, outcome, and 5–10 key procedures for each.
- Add measurable indicators (e.g., % kept appointments, total visits).
- Review and rehearse roles regularly, just like a winning sports team practices.
Clear roles create accountability, boost morale, and drive better patient care. Keep it simple, keep it consistent, and keep it fun.
Stay Goal Driven,
Ed
Want More New Patients in Your Chiropractic or Healthcare Practice? Start Here.
Most doctors think the first step to getting more new patients is marketing. But that’s not always true.
Years ago, a large chiropractic office asked for help because their new patient numbers were slipping. After analyzing their situation, it was clear their promotions were weak—but the real problem went deeper.
The senior doctor, in practice for 20+ years, had become bored. Patient visits felt routine. Long-time staff were stuck in old habits. Meanwhile, the two younger doctors had enthusiasm but lacked confidence and experience.
We started by focusing on quality of care, not ads. The senior doctor began coaching the new doctors on cases and patient communication. Staff refreshed their service procedures and rehearsed ways to create a stronger patient experience.
The result? Without launching a single new promotion, new patients and visits went up. Only after that did we create a marketing calendar—because now they had something truly worth promoting.
The Lesson
Before you spend time and money on external promotions, make sure your practice delivers the kind of care that inspires patients to return and refer. Quality care and continuous improvement are the foundation of real growth.
As Stephen Covey said, “Sharpen the Saw”—renewal and improvement keep the drive alive.
Stay Goal Driven
Ed
Read the full article here: Goal Driven Blog
Don’t Get Left Behind
Football Season, Chiropractic, and Winning Strategies
Football season is here—and it’s a perfect time to highlight chiropractic. Every professional football team has a chiropractor, proving that even million-dollar athletes rely on it to perform at their best.
Top athletes agree
- Aaron Rodgers credits chiropractic (and his chiropractor father) for helping him stay at peak performance.
- Tom Brady says adjustments make him feel taller and better aligned.
- Joe Montana calls chiropractic a key part of his game.
If chiropractic works for them, imagine what it can do for local athletes and weekend warriors.
How to Market Your Services with a Sports Theme
Position your office as the place for athletes of all ages to boost performance, recover faster, and prevent injuries.
Ideas to promote chiropractic through sports:
- Workshops:
- The Injury-Proof Playbook: 8 Moves That Keep Athletes in the Game
- Weekend Warrior Survival Guide: 8 Strategies for Active Families
- Business Talks: Offer lunch-and-learns, screenings, or mini-chair massages.
- Athlete Recovery Days: Host Monday Morning Quarterback Recovery sessions for post-game soreness.
- Community Partnerships: Team up with schools, youth leagues, and local teams for education, sideline care, or screenings.
Promotion Tips:
Use your newsletter, office fliers, social media, and table talk. Assign a part-time Marketing Coordinator (3–5 hrs/week) and hold monthly planning meetings so every staff member contributes.
Build Your Own Winning Team
Think of your practice like a football team:
- Have a game plan.
- Play 4 quarters each month.
- Work as a team.
- Keep score (track progress).
- And most importantly—keep it fun.
Chiropractic helps athletes win on the field. With the right marketing and team mindset, it can also help your practice win in the community.
Improving Case Acceptance and Patient Follow-Through in Chiropractic Care
Seven tips to help others achieve their health goals.
I often read promotions from other chiropractors emphasizing the importance of “Day 2.”
And I have no argument about this.
However, I have known chiropractors who did well with a 3-day onboarding process, as well as a 1-day process.
Everyone does what they feel comfortable with. You should, too. But you should always strive to improve. This will show up in your statistics;
- First Visits to New Patient Percent
- Patient Visit Average (Retention – Visits/New Patients)
We routinely monitor these with our clients and discuss them monthly in our management meetings where we set up monthly strategies for improvement.
There are many details involved in setting up the best practice for onboarding patients. Again, everyone has an individualized approach.
I want to highlight seven factors that are sometimes overlooked.
In Chiropractic, It Starts With Trust
- Day 1. Before working on your Day 2, review your Day 1.Your prospective patient wants to know that you know them. Seek to really understand them and their complaint. It’s OK to go off script – what are you curious about?The byproduct of this, aside from learning about their condition, is establishing trust. By reason of your genuine curiosity, you demonstrate that you care about them as an individual, not just as a “new patient.”
- Specific. After day 1, you know them, their subjective complaint(s), and have discovered the objective cause.In your Report of Findings, you want to be specific about what is causing their issue. “Right here, Mrs. Jones, you have a subluxation at L-4, irritating your low back and hip.”This may not be the words you use (or might not be clinically correct). But your patient wants to know definitely what is causing their issue. Be as specific and as objective as possible.
- Certainty and Confidence. Communicate clearly with confidence your ability to help them get better. This begins the healing.
- Patient Financial Consultation: Prepare chiropractic payment agreement forms in advance, using insurance or cash details. Ideally, staff should meet with patients before treatment to outline payment options, agree on the best form of payment, schedule appointments, review procedures, and provide information about available family discounts. *(Contact Lisa for tips on this procedure. She’s an expert!)
- Flow Chart. List all the key procedures on Day 1, Day 2, and each day thereafter that you and your team will do to start a patient on a care program and keep them coming back to complete their care plan. Review this list with your team every two months, or more as needed.
- Practice. How does every athlete or musician maintain their edge, let alone improve? They practice! Set aside your ego and practice with one of your doctors or a staff member. Let everyone participate in improving the procedures. Use the flow chart as a guide.
- Manager. Your practice manager should work with you regularly to ensure that these steps are in place. We cover this on our Practice MBA this October. Consider enrolling them in this program.
There are certainly more steps involved — but they all rest upon the foundation of the trust you built on Day 1. If you have low conversion or if patients are dropping out of care, look to Day 1 first and then work forward from there.
Help patients achieve their health goals and…
Keep them Goal Driven,
Ed
*Shout out to Dr. Brad Glowacki and his seminar that goes deeply into Day 1 and Day 2. [Link]
Hobby, Practice, Business. Which is it for You as a Chiropractic Doctor?
The 3 Phases of Practice Evolution
Is your work as a doctor a hobby, a practice, a business—or simply a job? Let’s explore.
1. HOBBY
Every practice begins as a hobby—or at least, it should. Early in your career, you’re driven by fascination with the science, philosophy, art, and technique of chiropractic. Your passion keeps you going, while business operations take a back seat.
2. PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
The next phase is building a true professional practice. This stage is entrepreneurial and personality-driven, fueled by your presence and commitment. You create strong patient relationships and build loyalty through consistent care and connection.
3. PROFESSIONAL SERVICE BUSINESS
Finally comes the service business stage. Here, your practice is structured, systematized, and able to operate independently of your constant management. You may step into a CEO role or scale back to part-time patient care, but either way, the business runs on clear goals and proven systems. This is what people call “scaling.”
DIFFERENT PATHS, DIFFERENT GOALS
Not every doctor wants to build a business. I once knew a chiropractor who loved nothing more than adjusting patients. He wasn’t concerned with scaling or management systems. His secretary kept the office running, his patients were happy, and so was he. That was enough.
Most doctors, though, do want to grow—to serve more people, expand their caseloads, and run a strong practice while still enjoying their profession.
Then there are the entrepreneurial doctors who aim to scale beyond themselves. By setting goals and creating reliable systems, they can expand without adding more hours or overwhelming overhead.
But many who try to scale fall into what I call the Practice Roller Coaster. The excitement of practice gets buried under stress, inconsistency, and management struggles. What once felt like a calling begins to feel like just another job.
BREAKING THE ROLLER COASTER CYCLE
There are exceptions—many doctors do successfully build thriving service businesses. I’ve helped dozens achieve exactly that.
Five years ago, I wrote The Goal Driven Business after observing this cycle of burnout. In the book, I explain the hidden barriers to growth and outline the step-by-step process for building a scalable, independent practice.
If you find yourself on the Roller Coaster, here’s how to reset:
- Hobby – Fall back in love with chiropractic. Make practicing fun again.
- Professional Practice – Build and enjoy your patient community while earning a solid living.
- Professional Service Business – If you’re ready to scale:
-
- Read The Goal Driven Business for a complete roadmap.
- Or, reach out to me directly through our Goal Driven Consulting program for hands-on help building a profitable, self-sustaining business.
Take back your future. Build a business that runs without depending on your daily management.
Stay Goal Driven,
Ed
Preventing Procedural Atrophy in Your Practice
In any business, routines and procedures can slowly be shortened, skipped, or abandoned. When this happens, quality slips, and the practice begins to decline. I call this Procedural Atrophy, a key concept from The Goal Driven Business.
When results falter, doctors often try new approaches. These may work temporarily, but without consistent systems, the same decline sets in again. This creates the Practice Roller Coaster—a cycle driven more by personality than by clear goals and structure.
Think back to what you did when your practice was thriving. Did you call new patients after their first visit? Hold morning team huddles? Run patient education classes, progress exams, or referral drives? Chances are, when numbers dip, it’s because those proven actions have slipped away. The solution is often simple: return to what worked before.
Solution 1: Set the Standard – Quality
Stand out in a noisy world by being consistent and excellent. Define exactly what a successful patient outcome looks like—for example, a patient who pays, stays, refers, feels healthier, understands their care, and is happy with their results.
Then, create brief checklists that outline the essential procedures needed to achieve this. Examples include:
- Day 1, Day 2, and ongoing patient steps
- Collections
- Internal and external marketing
- Team communication and coordination
- Leadership and management
These checklists keep your practice systematic, repeatable, and reliable.
Solution 2: Accountability Reviews
Consistency requires feedback. Use monthly statistics, chart trends, and review them with your team or a coach. This ensures everyone stays focused and motivated. Just like in life, accountability keeps us on track.
—
Bottom line: What you provide for your patients, team, and community is valuable. Don’t let your practice erode through neglect of the basics. Stay consistent, keep improving, and remain Goal Driven.
Ed
Scripts are Secondary in Your Chiropractic and Healthcare Practice
Why Scripting Can Fail—and How to Make It Work
A script is a prepared set of phrases, questions, or responses designed to guide staff or doctors in patient interactions. Whether word-for-word or just an outline, scripts help keep communication consistent, especially for new team members. But even the best script can flop if it’s missing one thing—authentic human connection.
Connection Comes Before Words
Think of connection like a radio signal. A carrier wave must exist before any music or voice can be transmitted. Without it, nothing gets through. In patient care, that “carrier wave” is trust and genuine interest. If it’s missing, your words—no matter how polished—won’t land.
I once had a doctor greet me after a minor surgery with a cheerful, “I can’t tell you even had it done!” It was a nice line, but it felt canned. The delivery lacked authenticity, so the message didn’t connect.
How to Create the “Carrier Wave”
- Be authentic – Avoid sounding rehearsed.
- Be curious – Take a few extra seconds to ask a follow-up question.
- Recognize the person – Make patients feel valued and respected.
When you connect first, your scripted lines gain power and meaning. Without it, patients may feel unheard, leading to fewer new-patient conversions, lower follow-through, and less word-of-mouth.
Using Scripts Effectively
- Review and practice scripts every couple of months.
- Role-play different delivery styles (bored, overexcited, glum) to sharpen awareness.
- Use scripts to keep patient conversations moving forward, not to replace genuine interest.
Bottom line: Scripts are useful tools—but they only work if you first connect with the human being in front of you.
For more helpful business tips visit our Goal Driver Blog [LINK]
Ed
The Power of Intention in Your Chiropractic and Healthcare Practice
In the daily routine of healthcare—especially chiropractic work—it’s easy to get lost in the mechanics: forms, schedules, insurance, and technology. But behind all that is something far more important: people.
You’re not just working on bones or adjusting spines; you’re working with *life*. Your mindset, intention, and emotional presence directly impact your patients’ healing. Research supports this: for example, a British study found **a 61% improvement in outcomes** when providers maintained a positive, optimistic attitude.
Some healing modalities—like certain chiropractic techniques and practices like Reiki—explicitly incorporate intention as a key part of their method. This isn’t just theory; there’s growing scientific evidence supporting it.
Practical Ways to Use Intention in Your Practice
1. Present Time Consciousness
Before seeing each patient, take a brief moment to focus. Set a clear intention for their healing. One doctor used a subtle button sound to remind himself to be fully present.
2. Reinforce With Positivity
After adjustments, reinforce the moment with confident, uplifting words like “That adjustment felt great,” or “This is going to help.”
3. Leverage Collective Intention
Studies, including those by author Lynn McTaggart, show that intention becomes more powerful when shared by a group. Apply this by:
- Partnering with patients– Get their buy-in and visualize outcomes together.
- Team meetings – Discuss and send focused intention toward helping specific patients improve.
- Group classes – Encourage collective healing energy and goal-setting among your patient community.
Intention isn’t fluff—it’s a tool backed by experience and research. Use it deliberately, involve others, and watch your results shift.
Read the full article with references at: Goal Driven.com
Ed