Fall is here and soon it will be the Holiday Season, and the next thing you know, we will be in the dead of winter in 2009.

Yes, life goes on, but you would hardly know it with the constant war between the electoral candidates.  Oh, and then there is this financial crash. Some say the worst since 1929.

With all of this going on, who has time to focus on health care and wellness?

You do! And you better.

I talked to a doctor recently who was looking at buying survival food and was scaring his family half to death with tales of Armageddon. Another doctor called us and wanted to sell his practice.  What?!#

Let’s all take a deep breath and reread the Serenity Prayer.

Thinking global is fine, but you have to focus on the local. And the local is your patients here and now.  They need your best care, and so do their families, friends and the companies with whom they work. Your community needs your chiropractic care and leadership now more than ever.  In addition to the noise of elections and the current financial distress, our country’s “health care” system is in very bad shape.

It is really a question of leadership. When the niceties that hold up our society start to crumble, we are forced to reconsider our basics principles, purposes, and operating procedures. We reach for fundamentals – the things that are really important and do not change.

We know chiropractic works. It did in 1929, 39, 49, etc. We know people still need it and still benefit from it. Then the rest is up to us.

This also applies to our staffs. In uncertain times, everyone looks for certainty. And nothing is more certain than the tried and true science of chiropractic technique. What popular and accessible health care profession out there does it is better?   What gets more people healthier for less cost? It is you – the chiropractic doctor and professional chiropractic team member.

So, it is up to you to be the beacon, the light house, the calm and confident leader to your staff and patients. You have to be focused on your art, and stay centered in your philosophy.

There have always been crises. There always will be. But the basics always apply. And those who apply them win in the end.

So, back to reality here. Some of the basics include promotion. And for promotion to work it has to be planned and scheduled. Let’s look at what you are doing for your marketing calendar this month.

Here are some ideas:
1.    Marketing Manager System – Monthly Marketing Meeting. Schedule a marketing meeting soon. Review last several months. What worked, what didn’t. Look at the numbers. Make plans for the next 4 months – through February.
2.    Short term. Halloween ideas.
3.    November. Food drive for the less fortunate
4.    December. First week. Gift exchange, internal trade show at the office.
5.    Jan.  Workshops on fitness, health, and economical ways to stay fit.
6.    February. Valentine’s Day promotion. More workshops.

(Note to active clients and those of you who own the Marketing Manager System program: You can find sample word documents on your MMS computer program and on the MMS member’s site. Also, you can check with your consultant for customized for other materials.)

I would also be scheduling speaking engagements external and internal to the office for the first three months of the new year now.

For the next couple of months, you may have to work more internal. Make your office the warmest and friendliness and safest island of calm and health in your community. NO NATIONAL news.

Remember your basics: chiropractic works, people need it, and it is up to you to see that they get it. Stay focused on this formula, and you will have a bountiful fall and winter.