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Author Archives: Edward Petty
33 Chiropractic Principles
A distillation of chiropractic by Dr. R. W. Stephenson into 33 principles.
Chiropractic Motivation – Gratitude
Chiropractic motivational tent poster to help your team with their “Gratitude Attitude.”
How Gratitude Can Improve Chiropractic Clinic Performance
“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”
Cicero (106-43 B.C.)
Those Greeks were pretty smart, and Cicero’s statement is just one example.
According to an article in Psychology Today, gratitude is a sentiment we’d all do well to cultivate. “Feeling thankful and expressing that thanks makes you happier and heartier–not hokier.”
But more than that, when gratitude is expressed to others, many benefits occur. A simple “thank you” goes a long way in improving the morale and ultimate performance of others. Of course, it has to be genuine. Counterfeit praise is easily seen through and can do more harm than good.
According to Tom Rath, co-author of How Full Is Your Bucket, “Gallup polling has revealed that 99 out of 100 people say they want a more positive environment at work, and 9 out of 10 say they’re more productive when they’re around positive people.”
He points to research that shows when a work team has more than three positive interactions with managers for every one negative interaction, it is significantly more likely to be productive. The point is not to keep managers from correcting or reprimanding, but just to express more praise.
To improve your gratitude attitude, consider the following actions:
1. In your personal life, you can list the kindnesses of someone you’ve never fully thanked. According to Lauren Aaronson in Psychology Today, if you read this letter aloud to the person you’re thanking, you’ll see measurable improvements in your mood. She refers to studies show that for a month after a “gratitude visit” (in which a person makes an appointment to read the letter to the recipient), happiness levels tend to go up. In fact, according to her references, the gratitude visit is more effective than any other exercise in positive psychology.
2. In your practice life, list the positive contributions of each team member. Once each day, take just a moment to recognize your team member’s action and express it to them. Your communication does not have to be lavish, just a short 3 second notice of something good followed by a “thanks for the report, Dr. Smith” is all it takes.
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One chiropractor I worked with years ago seemed to always be in a bad mood. He was quiet and basically ignored his staff. His opinion was that he paid them to work, they should work hard, and that was it. But, his office wasn’t doing well so he called me in. I made several visits to his office, each time simply improving the communications between he and his team. I coached him on listening to each staff member and to simply acknowledge them for their contributions.
A few month’s later, we saw his practice grow. I remember this because he was always complaining to me that I was not doing anything for his office! (Sheesh!) His constant complaining and lack of appreciation was the real problem yet he just didn’t see it.
This concept is not new, of course, but it is worth remembering now and then. More studies that validate the practical aspects of this as a management tool are covered in the above referenced book. But beyond management, like Cicero says, it is just an all round good virtue to cultivate.
For a motivational tent poster with the above quote, click here.
And … thank you for taking the time to read this!
Note: If you feel you need some instant appreciation yourself, try this. (Will need speakers or earphones.)
Two Wolves – Poster
The Four-Handed Chiropractic Office
We once knew of a dentist that was able to see hundreds of patients each week. Just himself.
How?
He had four hands. Actually, he had about 40 hands.
Four-handed dentistry became popular in the 1960’s and is a procedure that utilizes a dental assistant at the chair side of the patient with the dentist.
The two extra hands of the assistant allows the doctor to do the essential work on more patients. It is actually more than just adding two more hands. It includes all aspects of cooperation and coordination, allowing for maximum production through improved efficiency.
But his success was due to not just having extra “chairsides.” He had everything delegated, had separate departments in his office systematized, and had manuals for each department from which he constantly trained his staff. And, he had a fast and efficient management system to keep it all going. This permitted him to work with patients and develop the personal rapport that helped to keep them coming back to complete their treatment programs and refer their family and friends.
All of this leads to a key concept: capacity. Capacity is the ability and “room” to produce. Four-handed dentistry increases the capacity for the dentist to serve more people.
The reason why many offices stop growing is that, simply, they run out of room. It could be that there is not enough physical space or not enough effective staff. It could be poor patient, staff, and paperwork systems that clog up the flow so badly that even a can of Drano or a visit by the Rotor-router man couldn’t fix.
And, sometimes, even our mental capacity can get “filled-up.”
A well-organized office allows you to leverage your abilities and create more production. It also opens up the room to produce.
Imagine trying to play a football game on a 10 yard by 10 yard field. This is what many of us are trying to do, yet we just don’t know it. If you are having a hard time growing your office, you may have unseen capacity constraints holding you back.
A four-handed chiropractic office would be an office where there were many “hands” efficiently doing all the work, allowing the doctor(s) to focus only on those key actions necessary to treat patients and run the office.
Give this some thought and we will SOON show you some specific examples and what to do about capacity restraints in your office. Stay tuned…
P.S. If you know any doctors or marketers who would enjoy this article, just send them an email with this link: http://www.pmaworks.com/main/Four-Handed_Chiropractic_Office.shtml
P.P.S. E-mail addresses are never shared.
You are free to use the material from these articles in whole or in part on your web site or eZine (email newsletter) as long as you include the attribution below and also let me know where the article will appear.
“This article is by Ed Petty of Petty, Michel & Associates. Petty, Michel & Associates web site is a comprehensive resource on practice development for chiropractors. For free marketing resources and valuable development tools visit http://www.pmaworks.com”
Randy Pausch
Randy Pausch
Last Lecture
Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch, who is dying from pancreatic cancer, gave his last lecture at the university Sept. 18, 2007, before … a packed McConomy Auditorium. In his moving talk, “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” Pausch talked about his lessons learned and gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals.
Summary of lecture from the Wall Street Journal. Viewing time 4 minutes 39 seconds.
Link, or watch below:
Full Lecture 1 hour 39 minutes
Chiropractic Motivation – Two Wolves
An elder Cherokee Native American was teaching his grandchildren about life. He said to them…
“A fight is going on inside me… it is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.
The other stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.
This same fight is going on inside you and every other person, too.”
They thought about this for a minute, and then one child asked his grandfather… “Which wolf will win?”
The old Cherokee simply replied… “The one you feed.”
Chiropractor: Are You a D.C. or a D. S.?
Whether you are a D.C. or a D.S. makes a big difference in your patient retention and patient referrals.
Many years ago we were working with a chiropractor who, while he had a great practice, couldn’t manage it worth a damn. Even so, because his patient retention and patient referrals were exceptional, he had a high volume practice.
As we worked with him to improve and expand his business structure, his volume continued to increase. This was a while back; when note taking was very simple, but I think he got up to seeing around 500 visits a week, with peak weeks over 600. We helped with marketing and associate doctors, and he continued to grow. He had all kinds of marketing programs, plenty of associates, and made a great name for chiropractic. But at the heart of his growth was a special secret he often related.
What was his secret?
Well, one of them was the way he started each case. On his initial consultation with each patient he would say:
“Before I tell you what chiropractic does, let me tell you what it doesn’t do. As doctors of chiropractic, we do not prescribe drugs. (Pause.) We also do not perform surgery. (Pause.) Lastly, we do not treat symptoms.” (Long pause.)
He would let that sink in for a few moments. He would then briefly explain what chiropractors were really after. Namely, subluxations. And while there may be other terms for this condition, from a marketing point of view, this has worked. It fixes in the mind of the patient that there is an underlying cause or a basic contributing factor that resulted in, or at least affected their current complaint(s).
Over the years of consulting, we routinely see doctors “going shallow”, treating only the superficial symptoms that patients come in with. “Hey doc., I must got a crick in my back. Can you just give me a crack here (points) and fix it?” Horror of horrors!
It is easy to focus only on the symptoms. First, it is the reason why the majority of your patients come to see you. They have pain, stiffness, or discomfort and want it fixed. Second, it is what your insurance company requires in your documentation. Third, it is the path of least resistance. Give the patient some relief and then move on. Fourth, chiropractic is usually SO effective with symptoms relatively quickly, that we often are just happy with that.
I am certainly not advocating any particularly type of treatment guideline. I am just pointing out that many successful chiropractors look for earlier traumas in their consultation and history and maybe spend just a bit more time on the general diagnostic process, if only a minute more.
This is from a marketing point of view, not from a clinical perspective. In these times of higher deductibles, you have to put the value into your service. If a patient comes to you for a pain in the “keister”, and you only address that, not only is the patient being the doctor, but also you are relegated to “therapist.”
Another doctor David and I worked with had a practice “melt down” one winter day. (By the way, we see these “melt-downs” every now and then! Too much insurance B.S., mid-life burnout, staff problems, etc. Please call us if you feel one coming on!) He was mostly a “straight” doctor, but had purchased a very inexpensive, used EMS (muscle stim.) unit for patients. One day, one of his patients came for his adjustment. He told the doctor that he didn’t want adjustments anymore, just wanted some of that electronic muscle stimulation. Our doctor blew a fuse. “Fine”, he said. “Here, take the dang machine and go home. You can have it.” And he actually gave it to him.
A bit extreme, but it was probably good to get it out of his system. The doctor was feeling that he had become only a band-aid therapist for his patients because of the therapy unit. It took a while, but we got him to see that it was not the patient’s fault. The patient simply did not understand the purpose of the doctor’s treatment program.
D.C. could be called Doctor of “Chronicity.” I was reminded of this recently by one of our clients. D.S. could be “Doctor of Symptoms.”
We suggest the following:
1. Be a D.C. Doctors who emphasize the chronic nature of the patient’s symptoms seem to have busier practices. We suggest that you should do both: definitely help patients get what they want – pain relief. But, as appropriate, work with them to get what they really need.
As a side note, some doctors can become so philosophical that they loose touch with the fact that “the Customer is King.” (In Japan, I have read they say that the “Customer is God.”) Philosophy, principles, and emphasizing the chronic nature, as indicated, is fine. So is “Wellness.” Just remember that you have to also give the patients what they want and keep them happy.
2. Integrity. Needless to say, in all things you have to call it like you see it and maintain your integrity. If there are no chronic conditions, then so be it. But at least, take the time to look. Be curious, investigate, and don’t let the insurance company or the patient’s desire for fast results compromise your clinical integrity.
3. Interest. Traumas may have occurred many years earlier, or accumulated over the years. Be genuinely interested and focused on their case. Even intense about what you discover in their exam and x-ray and how you explain it. “Would you look at this, Mrs. Jones”, pointing to a spot on the x-ray as if this was the first x-ray you had seen of this kind before. (And it is.) This will increase the patient’s confidence in you and acceptance of your treatment plan.
4. Time, Repetition, Effort. It may take time to correct the condition. It may take repetitive visits (like an orthodontist), and it will take effort on the patient’s part as well as yours.
Go over the factors of time, repetition, and effort with the patient. You can also ask the patient how long do they think it will take to correct the condition. If you have educated them on the true nature of the condition, you might be surprised to hear that they often offer a longer period of time than you were ready to present to them in your treatment program. (A very successful doctor recently reminded me of this.)
5. You Are, And Have Been, A Leader. And finally, don’t sell yourself short. As a chiropractor, you are an active member in a profession that, no doubt, has led the way in real health care over the last 100 years. Certainly, it will continue to do so in the future, provided that you stick to your guns, while always adapting to the ever-changing market.
By looking for and working to correct the long term causes of spinal related symptoms, you will inspire trust and confidence in your patients as their doctor of chiropractic, coach, and friend. As such, your patients will be loyal and refer their friends because of your care. And, as such, you will be a D.C.
Ed Petty
The Self-Reliant Chiropractic Clinic
Six Steps To A Clinic That Runs Itself
Some chiropractic offices seem to run themselves. The doctor walks in, the rooms are full, and he leaves after the last patient is seen. The staff is efficient and upbeat. The chiropractor takes lots of vacations and can afford to. New patients call in every day.
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Isn’t this what we all want: a self-reliant office that is profitable, gets people better, and gives us plenty of time off?
What we don’t want is a doctor-reliant office. You know, the one that requires your constant supervision, your hourly orders, and many hours of extra work. The one where you struggle for new patients and that gives so much stress to you, your staff and family, and in return provides so little profit.
There are not too many self-reliant offices, but they do exist. Maybe you have experienced such a condition in your own chiropractic practice, or seen it. In such an office, there is a lot going on behind the scenes that can go unnoticed.
What are these often overlooked key components that make up a self-reliant office? Listed below are six of them that you can use to make your office self-reliant.
1. Staff. You have to have the right staff in the right positions.
They also have to be trained and have the feeling of being included in the overall growth and decision making of the office. Otherwise, they can become apathetic, as their views have no weight and so why should they have any views or suggestions? This is an important reason to have staff meetings, by way. They help include everyone in the management of the office and helps make employees feel like it is their clinic too.
By the way, staff also include any vendors that support you and your business, from accountants, coaches, and consultants, to computer support providers and lawyers.
2. Procedures. As Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do.” This is a subtle but huge secret of the successful offices: they do what they do consistently. Over and over again. They don’t change. Sometimes they need to, and when they don’t, their numbers start to crash.
This applies to staff, patients, and you personally. Brushing your teeth, exercising, getting regular adjustments yourself, all should be regular. Success is the sum of consistent good actions. Make sure your office has procedures that are in writing, that are referred to, and that get reviewed at least every three months.
3. Monitors. Baseball teams have a scoreboard. Golfers have a scorecard. Weight watchers have a scale. Business owners and investors have financial statements. Doctors have outcome studies, patient testimonials, practice statistics, and patient surveys. Managers have all these.
It is hard to tell what is going on by “feelings.” Sometimes, these are very useful, but emotions can lead to incorrect conclusions. An annoying associate may have very high numbers and great patient testimonials, referrals, and outcomes. On the other hand, a very sweet front desk assistant may not be able to schedule patient appointments.
Without accurate scores, your clinic team won’t know whether they are coming or going, rising or falling, and may not even care.
4. Owner’s Role. The doctor has a number of roles. Mostly, doctor. Doctoring patients is what the office is ALL about. However, the doctor also has the role of the owner, and this has just a few, but very vital, duties that must be fulfilled.
Actually, it is just one duty. Here it is:
The owner has to be able to make everyone feel like an owner too.
What would the staff member do about a low new patient count if it were their office? What would the associate doctor do about staff training, promotions, and overhead? What is the greater mission of the office and why? If the employees could share in the burden of responsibility, the pressure of performance, the sense of duty, and in the vision of the future, the clinic would drive itself.
The owner has to put energy into the office and provide leadership. He or she also has to make everyone feel like a leader.
5. Management. If all the earlier points are doing well, then there should not be a need for a lot of management. Management is mostly communication and coordination. This includes regular reviews of performance monitors, procedures, and plans that allow everyone to know where they stand and what should be done to reach the next level.
6. Professional Service and Patient Care. The only reason there is management, owners, monitors, procedures, and staff, THE ONLY REASON, is for that one patient that comes in to see you when they come in to see you. All else is minor.
It is everyone’s job to continually work on improving the quality of services they render to the patient. Improving your craft as a doctor, educator, therapist, hostess-front-desk-patient-service coordinator, reimbursement specialist, etc., is the most important component in a successful office.
You see, patients can tell. What distinguishes you from others is the level of your intention to care for them. Give the 100%, and you will keep them and get their family and friends to come in as well. Give them less and they will be looking elsewhere. Just like you do when you visit any service professional.
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These ingredients can be applied to different departments in the office, such as the front desk, billing and collections, adjusting, therapy, diagnostics, and marketing. For example, do you have marketing procedures that your staff understand and apply regularly? Do you monitor not only the number of your new patients, but where they come from? Is your marketing well managed, and do you work to improve its quality?
You can grade your office in terms of how complete each one of these components are present. (See chart.) You have to be honest and face the fact that many times, not all areas of your office are in the best condition. When this occurs, you will have to get busy and improve things. But the reward of a well-built business is time off and profit. The penalty, of course, is no time off and no profit.
In The 4-Hour Work Week, author Tim Ferris discusses how, in theory, one can earn more and work less. Perhaps a bit unreal, especially for a doctor, it lays out ideas on how, and why, you can cut your workload. Similarly, the by now well-known E-Myth by Michael Gerber, discusses the importance establishing systems (a fancy word for procedures) that will help you do the work.
We have a proprietary term for this which we call The PM&A Practice Development Process. We have been helping doctors achieve this goal for nearly 20 years, and is a core focus of our services.
If you are willing to do what it takes to get all six of these components in place, in time you can be receiving your practice statistics via cell phone while you are sipping lemonade along the beach in Tahiti.
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Chicago Tribune: Chiropractic Lowers Blood Pressure
According to a recent news article in the Chicago Tribune, chiropractic adjustments have been proven to reduce blood pressure.
The actual article has photographs of a doctor of chiropractic making cervical adjustments.
The article is based on a study done at the University of Chicago.
This is wonderful validation of chiropractic and should be communicated to your patients.
The article can be a useful marketing tool for existing patients as well as new patients. It can be printed and handed out to patients, used in your patient newsletter, or included in a special workshop you give to patients, their family and friends, or to local companies.
Chicago Tribune link
PDF of article link
From the article…
“A one-time chiropractic adjustment of a misaligned neck vertebra has been shown to significantly reduce blood pressure in people with hypertension, according to a pilot study by University of Chicago researchers.
When the vertebra, known as the Atlas, or C1, was manipulated in 25 people with high blood pressure, both their systolic and diastolic readings decreased significantly, equal to taking two blood-pressure drugs at once.”
Hidden Away Since 1920, A Gem That Still Applies To Chiropractic Offices Today
“Eccentric”, “non conformist”, “controversial” have been some of the nicer things said about Benjamin (“B.J.”) Palmer. He has also been called a genius that may have personally generated more chiropractors and chiropractic patients than any one individual.
In one of his many lectures, hidden away since 1920, is a true gem. Gems are often hidden, or at least overlooked or taken for granted. But here is a simple recipe that if followed, builds the most profitable practices we have seen.
“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.” B.J. Palmer (1920)
The First Priority
The first priority of any business is getting the goods and services exchanged in the market place. If you don’t do that, no matter what you have to offer, there will be no business. Marketing has to be a priority. New patients, and returning patients, are the lifeblood of your practice.
The first step in marketing is to let people know who and what you are. A subtle key to this, as Dr. Palmer states, is allowing your community to know you, as a person, first.
There are so many logo’s and limericks and tag lines that “spam” us now days, the only thing that is legitimate is a real person. For example, when you say: “Northpoint Chiropractic”, even if you use a nice tag line, there is no person there. Though it sounds nice and business-like, it is anonymous. People respond to people, if not at first, then once they get into your office. So the first thing you have to do is introduce yourself: “Hi, I am Helen Smith.”
Then, tell them what you are. Many doctors get this wrong. “I am a Doctor of Chiropractic”, or “I am a Chiropractic Physician.” Or, in your written promotion, “Helen Smith, D.A.B.C.N., D.A.B.C.O.” But really, who cares?
You are nothing, in the market place, if you cannot provide something of value to others. Doctors who have many different degrees and certificates may or may not be of value to the community. Degrees and certificates, by themselves, can do nothing. Also, keep in mind that what you consider valuable might not be what your potential patients consider valuable.
You need communicate who and what you are in terms of how you can help the person you are addressing. People really don’t care about you as a provider – they care about themselves. So, you can say something like: “Hi. I’m Helen Smith. People call me Dr. Helen because I am a doctor that can relieve your pain, make you healthier, and improve your life, without the use of drugs or surgery.”
And be sure to state how they can a get a hold of you. Make it very easy for people to reach you.
This is called “placement” in marketing terminology. Where, and how, can the marketplace get to you – in the easiest and quickest manner? This would include geographical address, phone number, email, web site, fax number, cell phone, and special offer.
The Second Priority
The next phase of any business is systems. These are also called policies and procedures. You as the doctor cannot do everything in your chiropractic practice, so you develop systems to ensure quality care continues, day after day, without your microscopic and urgent management.
As you grow your business, you usually change your procedures to find the ones that work best for you. This usually takes some trial and error and study. Just because a patient flow pattern worked for one doctor who now gives seminars, it may not work for you.
Some doctors keep changing their procedures out of boredom and thereby stunt their business. Others never change their procedures even though they have long outgrown them. Antiquated procedures, like bad habits, can also hold back the growth of your business.
Eventually, you reach what you consider is your maximum level of production. At this point, it is important to document all of your successful procedures, or systems. This ensures that your staff, and you, will maintain them so that you can keep on cruising at, or near, your capacity. You can continue to cruise, clone yourself and create a group practice, or even start your own seminar company!
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The above two steps actually form the basis of our consulting at Petty, Michel & Associates, by the way, and has for nearly 20 years. We help you increase your patient volume, then gradually help develop your own systems to ensure you reach and maintain your capacity, or add other doctors and providers and continue to grow.
But B.J. Palmer had this figured out a long time ago.
Focus on these two steps and your business will grow.
Ed Petty
For more info on us,
For more info on our approaching to marketing.
And for even more info. give us a call. (414) 332-4511. If we are not in, we will call you back.
Chiropractic: Organic Health Care
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Why Chiropractic Should Be Labeled: “100% Organic and Environmentally Friendly.”
Home Depot has just announced that it will be labeling nearly 3,000 products that are environmentally friendly. Walmart has introduced its line of organic products and is also pursuing issues on climate change. Whole Foods has just opened up a mega grocery store, larger than most supermarkets, here in Milwaukee, selling expensive organic foods and clothes. They actually lease the space in a medical complex owned by a hospital.
Antioch University in New England is offering the first “Green” MBA program. The Carbon Neutral (also known as carbon offsetting) movement continues to grow. Yahoo! says it will go Carbon Neutral in 2007, as have many other companies. The Blair government of England vows to have its government achieve Carbon Neutrality by 2012.
So, the Green Revolution (actually, this is the second Green Revolution) is here and we have probably seen nothing yet. Every business and group will be fighting to get out in front of this movement. The fact is the chiropractic profession has been leading the way in natural health care since it started in 1895.
As Chiropractors, you should take pride in, and even promote the fact, that your professional has always been “Green.”
Where you can, tie this concept into your advertising and promotions.
You can use a button on your web site or in your newsletters:
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Or
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You want to ensure that chiropractic is positioned in the minds of your patients, and potential patients, as the healthy type of health care, natural, free of chemicals and totally organic.
You can mention this in your care classes and in your patient newsletters. You may find it appropriate to point out that that organic products often cost more as they are not mass-produced and subsidized by the government, as are the big drug companies.
Externally, in setting up events, stress the fact that people are interested in organic and natural solutions now more than ever. They are fed up with pharmaceutical companies, according to Consumer Reports. Include this in your talks or in any networking event.
Go Green, Go Natural, Go Chiropractic.
We were there when the “Wellness Revolution” started to take hold and we are right here now as the Green Revolution grows.
Include this in your marketing.
National Correct Posture Month
The national chiropractic organizations, such as the A.C.A. and I.C.A. both promote May as National Correct Posture Month.
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They have had media kits that can be ordered which include press releases that you can send in to your local paper. Aside from this, you can use it as an opportunity to promote your services directly, internally, to your patients. The fact that it is a “National” event can allow it to be perceived as more “important” and as a routine yearly screening.
Below is an example of a banner you can get printed from your local Kinko’s, or other copy store. (Some computer applications, such as Microsoft Publisher ™ can print banners easily.) The banner gives your front desk an reason to ask the patients to bring in their family for a “Posture Check-up”.
You may want to offer a consultation, and a screening examination for the “Posture Check-up.”
This is a simple promotion that helps the staff and doctors generate internal referrals by offering a “special” and “national” reason to do so.
The staff and doctor simply have to tell the patient that it is “National Correct Posture Month”, and ask the patient if they wouldn’t like to bring in their family for a no charge postural check-up.
Depending on how well the patient is known and the general rapport between the office and the patient, the staff or doctor can ask the patient to bring in a specific family member, or simply say: “Doris, I think this is a great time for you to bring in your husband. Can I schedule him for a free check-up sometime next week?”
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| Posture Month Banner |
[a 3-5 foot banner]
For more information:
Are You Trying To Run Marketing Programs Without An Operating System?
With advice from Levinson, Parsons, and Palmer.
Are you having difficulties with your marketing? Do you not have the number of new patients you want?
Let me tell you why.
If you are like most doctors, you are trying to execute marketing ideas or plans with something missing. For an example, it would like trying to drive away in a new car without any tires, or trying to run a computer program without Windows (on a PC).
There is a basic foundation, or interface, that usually gets overlooked in marketing. And I do mean usually. This is why you work so hard at your marketing yet you do not get the results you want. Or, by now, you haven’t gotten the results you hoped for and have secretly given up.
In other words, you almost have effective marketing. You almost have the number of new patients you need, like almost having a good car when it only has its tires missing. Yet, the tires are fundamental.
There is a fundamental ingredient that ensures your marketing will eventually work; yet it just isn’t promoted. In most cases, it is overlooked. It is not a secret, but it may as well be.
And, it is nothing new. It is common sense, yet it is consistently shoved aside. I am going to tell you briefly what it is here. If you read this and do it, your marketing efforts will be GREATLY improved.
Are you thinking: “Huh?” Well, you will have to read this short article to understand. Here we go:
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What is the most essential component to effective marketing? Let’s take a look at three.
Marketing Procedures. Obviously, you need these. These are the “How To’s.” These are what are usually promoted to chiropractors.
- What gets promoted? “How to Get More New Patients Without Doing Anything And Get Rich While On Vacation.” “14 Secret Different Surefire Ways To Get New Patients That Insurance Companies Don’t Want You To Know About.” “Who Else Wants A Waiting List Type Of Practice and Only Work 2 Days Per Week?” On and on and on!
- The truth: These are just examples of attention getting packaging. Most of these and other procedures have been around since before Jimmy Parker began his programs back in the early 50’s. (I had chance to talk with him years ago, but that is another story!) It was B.J. Palmer that used “printers ink” and his radio station, W.O.C., to promote Chiropractic back in the Day (1924) . (By the way, did you know that W.O.C (1420 am, Iowa) is believed to be the FIRST commercial radio station west of the Mississippi River, stood for “Wonders of Chiropractic”, and is where Ronnie Reagan, future U.S. President, got his start broadcasting.)
A doctor decides to create a relationship with auto body shops in town, and makes video about it. Another likes public speaking and makes a seminar company around it. Nothing wrong with any of this – you can always pick up tips. More importantly, it shows you what is being done by others and can help motivate you to do your own brand of marketing procedures. This leads us to… motivation.
Motivation. Absolutely essential, you need this more than anything. It doesn’t matter how many books, tapes, binders, lectures, videos, and other stuff you have. It will all just sit there unless you have the “giddyup” to apply the procedures.
- What gets promoted? Seminars to get you “pumped up”, “fired up”, and “purposes rekindled.” Seminars and workshops on “philosophy”, scientific validation, rope courses training, etc.
- The truth. This is the truth. You do need to have energy to put into motion the actions needed to promote your services and from which you generate new patients. This energy, purpose, drive, desire, and demand will get the marketing projects done. Seminars, lectures, rope courses, church, anything that helps give you more energy is good. We recommend them.
Except for one thing: Motivation remedies are basically symptom oriented. (Jim Beam works pretty well too, for a few hours.) You go to the seminar, get the “passion” going again, and sometimes buy a new table or piece of equipment with high hopes. You come back to the office, change things, and for a few weeks, all is exciting. Three months later, you find that things are mostly the same as they were before, except that now your motivation is to pay for the plane fare, hotel, and equipment you bought at the last seminar.
Marketing Management. So, what is the fundamental key to marketing? Well, actually, it is something maybe a little boring and therefore overlooked by most doctors. It is not sexy, or even slightly charming. It is – the management of marketing.
- How is it promoted? This really isn’t promoted in the industry. Oh, you see something now and then about a marketing plan, or branding – some fluffy stuff written by someone who doesn’t have to pay their staff every two weeks from new patients.
- The Truth. Who wants to manage? You went to school to treat/adjust patients. Most doctors just want something tangible for quick fix. But the truth is that your marketing procedures need to be placed on an organizational foundation. If that organization is not there, it will be like placing a vase of roses on a two legged stool: your projects will eventually crash. And, according to Bob Parsons,
“Anything that is not managed will deteriorate.” (Link)
A good marketing management system solves many practice problems. To name just a few, it
- Decreases the “Practice Roller Coaster.”
- Increases total new patients and active patients.
- Helps select what marketing procedure to use and when.
- Sustains your motivation over the long term.
- Decreases overhead. Money spent on seminars, marketing materials, marketing in general is better targeted so you get more return on your investment (ROI).
- Motivates your staff, which makes for a more pleasant, less stressful work environment for everyone.
- Increases profit.
Do these 5 fast steps to help you with managing your marketing:
1. Scheduling marketing activities. Select what you want to do and schedule them. Use a calendar for all those that you do just now and then (e.g. Patient Appreciation Day), and a list for those that are recurring (Welcome Letter to all new patients).
2. Get someone to be the marketing coordinator. As Jay Levinson, author of Guerrilla Marketing says:
“Marketing will succeed only if time and energy are regularly devoted to it by you or a person you designate.”
(Guerrilla Marketing Excellence)
This could be the doctor, spouse, therapy C.A., massage therapist, associate doctor, or anyone who is up to the job.
3. Internal Monitoring and Accountability. All marketing activities should be tracked and monitored. Statistics should be kept. Mr. Parsons also gives the following advice, which can be applied to marketing:
“Measure everything of significance. I swear this is true. Anything that is measured and watched improves.”
4. Regular review and planning. You have to regularly review your past activities and then select what activities you will being doing in the future and who will do them.
5. External Accountability and Support. Seek and use outside support. We all can use help staying on a course, or on the “straight and narrow.” This is where seminars can be useful, as can consultants, advisers, spouses, friends, colleagues and others. Sometimes called a ‘brain trust”, it has often been noted that successful people are successfully supported by others.
Marketing management provides the operating system upon which all your marketing activities, projects, and programs will eventually succeed, or fail. Like computer software such as Windows, or DOS, to use a computer analogy, it is the link between the owner and the staff, between the plan and the application. It forms a bridge between what you want done and what gets done.
It is the tires to your new shiny car, and it is where the rubber – meets the road.
Even with the briefest amount of management as outlined above, your marketing will improve and your practice will grow.
Ed Petty
To read more about how to manage your marketing, and the Marketing Manager System(sm) , go here.
Definition of Marketing Manager System
The Marketing Manager System is a specialized approach to managing the marketing of a small business. It pulls together all marketing procedures and projects, and ensures that they are executed in a timely and effective manner, nearly automatically over time.
The Marketing Manager System (MMS) creates a type of operating system for marketing that can support any type of promotional program most suited for a particular small business or professional practice.
Most marketing projects concentrate on a particular type of promotion or strategy for the business. Little thought is often given to who will implement the marketing, how they will be trained, supervised, and held accountable. Also not figured into most small business marketing is budgeting. But the most common area overlooked in marketing is its continued execution – how it will be sustained. As a result, many small businesses and professional practices ride a roller coaster of success, with new business coming in, and then not. The MMS removes much of this up and down effect, resulting in more new business.
Developed over many years through working for chiropractic doctors and their businesses, it is applicable to all types of professional and small business operations.
For a more complete description of the Marketing Manager System: link.
The Marketing Manager System(sm) was developed by Edward W. Petty of Petty, Michel and Associates, a division of Chiro-Health Management, Inc.
What We Have Learned About Tough Months
How many of you got hit by winter this month?
For many chiropractic offices, February has been a tough one: snow closures and extreme cold have had an impact on some of the office numbers we have visited and others we have talked to. Add to this, personal and personnel distractions, and as the month comes to a close, some doctors and their chiropractic staffs are not so happy.
Understandably.
We have seen and dealt with crashed numbers and down months for many years. Pretty routine really. Here are a few things we have learned about tough months.
1. Tough Months Happen. We all hit banana peels. It is part of business. It is part of life. Accept it. This does not mean you should adjust your standards or goals to a new low. Keep your goals and standards as high as you want. Just know that, now and then, bad months happen.
2. Lessons. Each down month, each banana peel, each slip, fall, or crash with your practice is really a lesson. Nothing more. Learn from each slip. Learn the lesson. It is there.
3. Fear. But sometimes we become so gripped with fear, frustration, disappointment, resentment or anger, that it is hard to see this – the lesson. Emergencies should cause us to act. But often, our impulse is to react. When we react out of a fear or negative based emotion, we often generalize what the problem is, and try to fix everything, or the wrong thing, or person.
4. Cause and Effect. Every negative effect has a cause. Sometimes the cause occurred months earlier. You did something, or did not do something, that is just now hitting you. Much like a football coach on Mondays, you have to review past performances and discover what caused the problem and fix it.
5. Scores. Even if a crisis seems to be occurring, look at the numbers, metrics, performance monitors, or statistics to determine what is really going on. Often it is not as bad as it seems. Put things in perspective. If the numbers are down, how far down? Using your numbers helps minimize the drama.
6. Interruption of Proven Procedures. Most bad months come from interruptions in proven procedures. For example, a staff member leaves the front desk or the billing department, or you went on vacation. You stopped sending out your patient newsletter, discontinued monthly events, and just gave up on patient education lectures altogether. Then, snow and ice storms shut things down. No matter what, just try to keep proven procedures going.
If your numbers are down, find out which of the above lessons apply to you. You can give your consultant a call, get help in diagnosing the condition, and in working out action steps to get things back on track to reach your yearly goals.
Generally, the solutions to bad months include:
- Relax. Anger almost never produces good results.
- Diagnose the Situation. Confront the “brutal facts”. Look at your statistics and review past changes to find the cause of the problem.
- Action Steps. Once you find the cause of the problem, work out action steps to fix it.
- Mission. Get re-energized on what you are doing and why. And, get the staff and other doctors re-energized. Use your anger, frustration, or other emotion to positively focus on your mission.
- Follow-up. Schedule a meeting to ensure all the action steps are being done.
- Support. We all need it. This is where a coach can help you stay on track. Hire one, or five. Use your staff, doctors, your dentist, spouse, priest, and painter, if need be, to help you stay on track.
Something else we learned:
7. Gratitude. Running a business should be rewarding, if not also challenging. Don’t take it too seriously. Be grateful for the opportunity. You live in a free country. This is the land of opportunity. Have the “Gratitude Attitude”, and welcome challenges as an opportunity to learn.
File: Marketing Management, Practice Management & Development
Immigrants Are More Likely to Succeed As Business Owners
A new study shows that immigrants are more likely to be successful than native-born Americans as business owners. Why is this?
You can draw your own conclusions, but America has always been the land of opportunity. Shackled by poverty, a tyrannical government, limited rights, no infrastructure, new people coming to America perhaps are thrilled at the freedom they have to create a new life and be successful.
There is something to be learned from this. Perhaps they are also not lulled into mindless pastimes of the MTV “Real” World, or domesticated or pressured to fit into a peer culture that seeks material comforts and goods over frugality and hard work.
As chiropractors, clinic directors, office managers, marketing coordinators, Chiropractic Assistants, and health care providers of all types, we should all have the attitude that we live in the land of opportunity. Each day we are free to create the kind of job we want and should be thankful that we are here, and not dodging bombs are scrounging for water as others are in their countries.
Immigrants Are More Likely to Become Successful Entrepreneurs & Business Owners
16 Rules For Success in 2007
This list was recently posted by Bob Parsons, a very successful entrepreneur who started with little in life and who has begun several very successful companies, including GoDaddy, the Internet domain registrar and hosting company. His “16 Rules” sum up the lessons he’s learned along the way.
I have always found it helpful to peek in on the successful actions of others and I appreciate being introduced to these by Gary Bencivenga. I hope you will too.
These useful tips can help you guide the management of your chiropractic practice and your marketing to achieve your goals. (As you can imagine, #9 is one of my favorites, as is #10. This applies to marketing in particular. Dave and I also like to challenge our clients, so #1 is fun too!)
And by the way, we are not affiliates for Mr. Parsons, GoDaddy, or anyone else for that matter.
And so, with his permission, here is…
Bob Parsons’
16 RULES For SUCCESS
In business and life in general
1. Get and stay out of your comfort zone. I believe that not much happens of any significance when we’re in our comfort zone. I hear people say, “But I’m concerned about security.” My response to that is simple: “Security is for cadavers.”
2. Never give up. Almost nothing works the first time it’s attempted. Just because what you’re doing does not seem to be working doesn’t mean it won’t work. It just means that it might not work the way you’re doing it. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and you wouldn’t have an opportunity.
3. When you’re ready to quit, you’re closer than you think. There’s an old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true. It goes like this: “The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed.”
4. With regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the worst thing that could happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be. Very seldom will the worst consequence be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of “undefined consequences.” My father would tell me early on, when I was struggling and losing my shirt trying to get Parsons Technology going, “Well, Robert, if it doesn’t work, they can’t eat you.”
5. Focus on what you want to have happen. Remember that old saying, “As you think, so shall you be.”
6. Take things a day at a time. No matter how difficult your situation is, you can get through it if you don’t look too far into the future and focus on the present moment. You can get through anything one day at a time.
7.Always be moving forward. Never stop investing. Never stop improving. Never stop doing something new. The moment you stop improving your organization, it starts to die. Make it your goal to be better each and every day, in some small way. Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen. Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages.
8. Be quick to decide. Remember what General George S. Patton said: “A good plan violently executed today is far and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow.”
9. Measure everything of significance. I swear this is true. Anything that is measured and watched improves.
10. Anything that is not managed will deteriorate. If you want to uncover problems you don’t know about, take a few moments and look closely at the areas you haven’t examined for a while. I guarantee you problems will be there.
11. Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you’re doing. When you look at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect at a distance. Even the planet Earth, if you get far enough into space, looks like a peaceful place.
12. Never let anybody push you around. In our society, with our laws and even playing field, you have just as much right to what you’re doing as anyone else, provided that what you’re doing is legal.
13. Never expect life to be fair. Life isn’t fair. You make your own breaks. You’ll be doing good if the only meaning fair has to you is something that you pay when you get on a bus (i.e., fare).
14. Solve your own problems. You’ll find that by coming up with your own solutions, you’ll develop a competitive edge. Masura Ibuka, the cofounder of Sony, said it best: “You never succeed in technology, business, or anything by following the others.” There’s also an old Asian saying that I remind myself of frequently. It goes like this: “A wise man keeps his own counsel.”
15. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Lighten up. Often, at least half of what we accomplish is due to luck. None of us are in control as much as we like to think we are.
16. There’s always a reason to smile. Find it. After all, you’re really lucky just to be alive. Life is short. More and more, I agree with my little brother. He always reminds me: “We’re not here for a long time; we’re here for a good time.”
The above rules are republished with the permission of Bob Parsons (www.BobParsons.com) and are copyright © 2004-2007 by Bob Parsons. All rights reserved.
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Simple Valentine’s Day Promotion
For a little help in generating referrals in the month of February, you may want to offer a selected number of your patients a Valentine’s Day gift certificate/coupon.
These can be ordered from your printer. You can also produce them yourself with your photocopy machine or from your computer and printer. It simply consists of a card that you give to your patient as a gift for someone about whom they care. The card offers some kind of a complimentary or discount service.
Keep in mind that the key to the success of these gift certificates is all in how you give them to your patients. If they are just left on the top of the front desk, they are completely devalued, there is nothing special about them, and their effectiveness is minimal. On the other hand, if they are valued by the doctor and the staff as actual money, which they are, and also presented sincerely from the doctor and staff to their patients for their patient’s friend or loved one, the coupon greatly increases in value. They are also much more effective in generating referrals.
Review the example below and use it to customize your own Valentine. You can have your printer make you a bulk order and since there are no dates, you can use the gift certificate for several years in the future.
Sample Offers. You can pick one or more of the following, or add your own, depending on your circumstances.
- Spinal Screening
- 10 Point Screening Exam
- Conference with the Doctor
- Examination
- X-rays (initial)
- 15 (30) minutes on automatic therapeutic massage table (chair)
- 15 (30) minutes therapeutic massage
These can be free, or sold to the patient for their Valentine for a nominal fee, such as $20. As an extra incentive, you may want to donate the money to a local charity.
Many computer programs have card templates available and there are also a number of web sites where you can make your own cards. For example.
Sample Script:
Doctor/Staff member: “Mrs. Jones, (Doctor: “the staff and I”; Staff member: “Dr. Smith”) would like you to have this Valentine’s Gift Certificate as a Valentine’s gift from us. It is for _____ (specific person that you know, e.g.: “Bob”, or “your husband”, or “your Valentine”), and is a special gift certificate that (he/she) can use for complimentary services at our office.”
Pull out envelope and physically open certificate or coupon, show it to the patient, and explain the details. If they accept the certificate, sign it, and give it to the patient. Check to see if they want more than one.
Doctor/Staff: “It is good for the entire month of February.”
Patient’s reaction. “Wonderful! Thank You”
Doctor/Staff member: “We hope you have a nice Valentine’s Day and look forward to taking great care of your Valentine(s).”
Sample Coupon
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| Sample Card |
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