Tag Archives: Marketing

Improving Chiropractic Patient Follow Through

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The outcomes you produce as a doctor depend upon the patient following through with their care plan.

There are many procedures to help the patient follow through. But they all stem from the mission and goals of the office and the agreements made between the patient and the doctor on the initial visits.

  • Office Mission and Goals: Help people become healthier and function better.
  • Patient Goals and Plan to Achieve Them. These are discovered and defined with the doctor, and a plan is agreed upon to achieve them.

Everything in your office is based upon these goals and this plan. All staff interactions with the patient can be considered “standing orders” from the doctor derived from the agreement made with the patient. The authority to schedule patients, work out finances, and apply therapies are all based upon what the doctor has ordered based on the above goals.

Goalineering: Aligning Chiropractic Procedures with Patient Goals

Every few months, you can review the sequence of actions the patient experiences from their initial visit to completing their treatment plan. Look at all the points that influence patient commitment to their care plan. Look at what is done, what is said, and how it can be improved and better aligned with the patient’s goals.

This is engineering your procedures with your goals – or GOALINEERING!

For example:

  1. Diagnostic procedures. (Consultation and history – be thorough; don’t be superficial. Exam, imaging) Goal: Discover what the patient wants and needs.
  2. Report of Findings procedures. (Causes of issues. Plans: consequences of no plan, mini-plan, and thorough plan. Agreement or not to care plan.) Goal: Work out the best care plan and secure the patient’s agreement to achieve it.
  3. Post-Report of Findings procedures. (Financial agreement, scheduling agreement, agreements to office policies with a staff member who is an assistant coach!) Goal: Work out all administrative details with the patient on their care plan so they can focus on their health goals without distractions or confusion.
  4. Front Desk follow-up procedures. (Aggressively friendly and a demon on control as an assistant coach! Front Desk RULES the Roost!) Goal: Keep the patient on track to achieving their goals.
  5. Daily visit procedures. (Give encouragement and reaffirm goals.) Goal: Keep the patient motivated to achieve their goals.
  6. Progress exam/reports. (Show progress, give encouragement, and reaffirming goals.) Goal: Keep the patient motivated to achieve their goals.
  7. Other: (Rewards, e.g., t-shirt after 12 visits. Patient education class and patient successes.) Goal: Keep the patient motivated to achieve their goals.

Review these activities, practice the procedures, and refine them as needed. Also, document what you say and do and keep your notes for later review and training.

Do this, and you will improve patient retention and outcomes and follow through.

Ed

Back to School Month

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chiropractic back to school, goal driven

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
(Attributed to Nelson Mandela)*

September is almost here, and soon the schools will be busy.

Since doctor means teacher, why not go all in on education and teaching this month?

BACK TO SCHOOL FOR THE KIDS

Support your teachers and the kids they teach.

This September, you can align your office with a local school and support other teachers and their students.

There are many approaches to this. You can call or visit a school and tell them you would like, along with your staff and patients, to make a contribution of some kind to a specific department or activity. These could be new uniforms for the marching band, art supplies, or supplies for the kids in need, like calculators, notebooks, and book bags.

You can also get the kids in for a back-to-school check-up and include a short workshop on backpack safety.

Whatever your plan is, promote it in your e-newsletter, on posters and handouts, and your social medial platforms.

You can also offer a special discount to teachers.

Staff often have great ideas and love to work on special projects like this. Get them involved!

While these types of promotions are not designed to generate boatloads of new patients, they can be fun, generate goodwill, and establish your business as a trusted community member. All of this supports your other marketing activities.

BACK TO SCHOOL FOR THE ADULTS

Because staff and doctor education is important, but not urgent, it is typically put on the back burner. This is true with many things, including patient care, where we focus too much on pain relief and not enough on correction, strengthening, and wellness.

Your Patients

As health professionals, you know that healthcare information in the marketplace borders on criminal. Corporations that produce soft drinks don’t warn about the harmful effects of high fructose corn syrup, “food” companies about the dangers of linoleic oil in cooking oil, or corporations that sell farm and lawn products about the toxins from weed and insect killers.

The benefits of chiropractic and non-corporate health care certainly aren’t promoted, and we have seen what happens to the M.D. s that speak out against the well-funded medical narrative.

Inform While You Perform, and in doing so, you help your patients become healthier and position your practice as a genuine HEALTH practice. Be a rebel, and educate your patients on health: corrective care, strengthening, care, nutrition, diet, exercise, and all the basics of good health that can’t be patented!

You and Your Team

The fall seminars are coming up! State conventions often have teachers that actually teach practical information! Schedule yourself for a weekend this fall… and take your staff.

Fall State Conventions. Staff education is more important than you might realize. First, they learn some valuable concepts and procedures. But beyond the obvious, investing in their education shows you recognize their value. They are an integral part of practice success and patient outcomes and are worthy of the investment. They also see that they are part of a larger profession – that there are others besides you and their practice mates that have similar jobs, challenges, and rewards.

Chirofest. Besides your local state conventions, a shoutout to Chirofest out in Vancouver WA. Dr. Paul Reed does a great job, and nothing compares to the Oregon coast, two hours from Vancouver.

Goal Driven Management and Leadership Training. Our own Practice Management and Leadership Training starts September 18th. We are limiting enrollment to just 7 offices for our Founder’s Round and we still have a couple of spots open. There is absolutely no training like this anywhere. Let me know if you are interested. It’s an amazing deal — but only if you want to improve your income and create an even more dynamic practice manager!

Seize September,

Ed

More info:

Goal Driven Management and Leadership Training

ChiroFest seminar

Your state association

The Goal Driven Business book by Ed Petty

*Nelson Mandela quote: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Madison Park High School, Boston, 23 June 1990; reported in various forms

Chiropractors and Other Doctors: Do You Placate Your Patients?

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Goal Driven to tell the truth. Chiropractic, business management

Faith, Confidence and Belief

It is an oversimplification to say that chiropractors, and other doctors, who remain true to their principles and goals are less stressed and more productive.

And make more money.

But I’ve seen it.

You need Faith, Confidence and Belief (FCB!) in yourself, in your knowledge and skills, and what your office can do for people. (I learned about FCB from Dr. James Parker at a Parker seminar years ago.)

With these qualities, you can tell the truth and be honest. And stick to your guns.

A naturopathic and chiropractic doctor I follow on a social media site said this:

“If someone was poisoning themselves slowly with their lifestyle habits, you bet I let them know. Isn’t that what doctors are supposed to do? Truth be told, most everyone already knew. People aren’t stupid, just in denial.

“Last time I checked it’s our job to tell them the facts. Not placate them or worry about hurting their feelings with said facts…Because that’s what most doctors are doing. They beat around the bush so as to not offend.

“Of course, I was always professional and kind, but I still called a spade a spade.

“The word doctor means teacher, not enabler.”

CASE ACCEPTANCE AND FOLLOW-THROUGH FOR YOUR CHIROPRACTIC PATIENTS

From a marketing perspective, people buy from those they trust. And they trust people who have certainty.

If you equivocate – dodge the facts – your patient will see that you are unsure what the heck you are talking about. They will be less likely to commit to a care program or follow through.

On the other hand, if you apply your knowledge and skill with certainty and confidence when you look at their case, explain it to them, and recommend a treatment plan that is best suited for them, their chances of commitment and follow-through are very high.

WHAT GETS IN THE WAY OF YOUR TRUTH

One of the benefits of seminars is that your convictions can become rekindled. You are reminded of your truth.

But after a week or so, back at your office, the fire of your passion begins to dim. And rather than gliding through your day, it starts to feel like you are plodding through mud.

What gets in the way of your pure-hearted and stalwart convictions about health and your principles and purposes?

And what is it that slows you down?

ADMIN. Administration. Everything that is NOT patient-related. The organization and running of the support machinery of your practice start to pull you into its noise, worries, corrections, and sometimes drama.

Policies, procedures, and people do not all move smoothly and cooperate conveniently or get implemented as excellently as you hope. And this can be a major distraction.

Practice management can get messy!

This is why organizational structure and management are so very essential. Maybe not when you are a wild entrepreneur just starting out. But as your business grows, administrative details flood in – and clog up the works. More than most doctors realize!

AN ORGANIZER FOR YOUR CHIROPRACTIC ADMINISTRATION

The solution is to take time to work ON your business.

Then, assign someone to be your MANAGER to help you improve the organization and take care of the admin.

They will need training and you’ll need to work with them.

And to be direct, and not to beat around the bush, if you don’t do this, you will be forever stunted in your practice growth and work-life balance. And you will lose money.

But with an organizer, someone who is managing your practice administration, you will be less distracted and more grounded in your truth to help your patients get and stay on the best track for their health. And, your practice will be more profitable.

Our high-level training for your manager (and you) begin September 18. For more info below.

Keep to your truth,

Ed

Advanced Practice Manager Training, Beginning September 18.
Find out about it here.

MUSIC You made it this far, so enjoy some music – as a tribute to Robbie Robertson – The Weight – Playing for Change.

 

How is Your Chiropractic Head Game?

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chiropractic goal driven to strike out batters.

The Hidden Game of Practice Success
‘Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical’ – Yogi Berra

Hello Sports Fans!

For my 13-year grandson’s birthday, I bought him a book on sports: Ninety Percent Mental: An All-Star Turned Mental Skills Coach Reveals the Hidden Game of Baseball by Bob Tewsksbury.

I haven’t finished reading the book, but I know the subject – how the mind affects performance. I figure any tips I can give to my grandkids, the better chance they will have.

And I figure this also applies to myself, and perhaps to you.

In my book, The Goal Driven Business, I cover the 5 Engines to practice success. These are:

  1. Clinical outcomes and service
  2. Leadership
  3. Management
  4. Marketing
  5. Personal Power

No matter how competent you are as a chiropractic doctor, healthcare provider, or business owner, how inspiring you are as a leader, how consistent and enterprising you are as a manager, or intelligent as a marketer… if you don’t have the positive energy to make things happen, your practice will falter.

Personal Power is the “Hidden Game” of practice success.

The first chiropractor Dave and I worked with had multiple doctors and together saw over 2,000 visits per week. (I still have the stats!) A recurring theme he would tell his associates was that practice success was an “inside job.” This meant success was dependent upon their mental attitude.

But one’s mental attitude is dependent upon something much deeper. You can always “fake it till you make it,” which might sometimes be necessary. But it is not authentic.

What is authentic is your happiness. Happiness underlies your mental attitude. Your Personal Power comes out when you are happier.

So, how do you become happier?

Using Your Signature Strengths In Your Chiropractic and Healthcare Practice

One method that has been proven to improve a person’s happiness is to focus on your strengths – what you are good at – and less on what you are not so good at.

Martin Seligman, Ph.D., is a strong proponent of Positive Psychology. In his book Authentic Happiness, he discusses common virtues that all people in all cultures have agreed upon over time. These virtues can be translated into specific Character Strengths. Each of these strengths has 3-5 subcategories for a total of 24-Character Strengths.

We all have a different set of more dominant strengths, which Seligman calls our Signature Strengths. For example, one person may be strong in humor, gratitude, and fairness, while another person’s Signature Strengths could be creativity, curiosity, and gratitude.

“I do not believe that you should devote overly much effort to correct your weaknesses. Rather, I believe that the highest success in living and the deepest emotional satisfaction comes from building and using your signature strengths.”

I cover this in practical detail in my book, The Goal Driven Business, and it is part of our upcoming Management and Leadership Training course, our 11-week intensive training especially for practice managers beginning on Sept. 18.

We all have our confusions and apprehensions — our mental monkeys that get in the way of our happiness and limit our Personal Power. You see this in your patients and staff, and I am sure you notice it now and then in yourself.

But a legitimate goal is to be happy, and in so doing, you can unleash your power and win at the “Hidden Game” of practice success.

By focusing on what you do best, and allowing your team to pick up all the rest, you can go a long way at winning the “Hidden Game” of practice development.

Having your team pick up “all the rest” requires good management. So I recommend you consider our Management and Leadership training for your manager this Sept.

Stay strong in your strengths,

Ed

You can take a survey and discover your Signature Strengths at
www.viacharacter.org

For more information about our Management and Leadership Training. www.GoalDriven.com/mba

Image: Wikipedia

Networking for Chiropractors and Health Providers

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 (This is part 2 following the last blog on the best known marketing secret.)

Networking is a marketing method that generates referrals from your direct efforts, from your patients, and from outside referral sources you have established. This is not only the most cost-effective form of marketing for new patients but helps to retain the ones you have.

YOUR PRACTICE IS A NETWORK

If you think about it, your practice itself is a network. A practice is a network of relationships created and sustained through communication and service. This is my definition, though yours could be similar.

Networking is simply creating a connection with another person in which you both share an interest in common and enjoy talking with each other.

Networking is getting to know people — who know people.

But I would also add – getting to know people you are interested in. Effective networking can’t be faked.

THE 4 COMPONENTS OF NETWORKING

I have seen 4 major components of effective networking:

  1. Genuine interest in people. The best health networkers are interested in their active patients, inactive patients, and people in their community.

  2. Genuine interest in the services they provide. The best networkers are excited about their services and what they can do for people.

  3. Give in abundance. Effective networkers are givers. They provide excellent clinical service as well as free assistance, such as health tips, special events, referrals to other providers or services, a book, or a smile. And they educate others about the health subjects their services address.

  4. Organization. A structured program needs to be in place to ensure net-working continues.

Venues for Networking

Table Talk. This is your private time with your patient. Be curious about them and how they are doing. Then, tell them about what is interesting to you about their health, about health subjects, and your services. Often, patients may see you for back pain but may not know that you also treat headaches and other issues.

Continue the Table Talk. Follow-up with your custom newsletters. I stress this routinely. You have hundreds, if not thousands, of people you have seen whose trust you have earned. You have started a relationship with them — why neglect it? This is why, for those offices on our new Mastery program (more about this soon!), we insist on sending out personal, customized emails for you monthly.

Social media is fine, but it is different. Posting a success story or an upcoming event is fast and easy. This helps with social proof and brand awareness. I have also seen it useful in short spurts for advertising, driving readers to a lead page, or making a phone call. But organically, few people will see your unboosted post. “If you have 2,000 Facebook fans usually only 2-5 people will see each post you publish” says Stuart Marler from Retriever Digital. (Mail Munch)*

Internal Events. In-house events from workshops on health to organic farming, barbecues, appreciation days, and yoga classes — the ideas are endless. And even if only 3 people show up, well promoted, you create the image that your office is an alive and vibrant health center.

External Events. There are the usual events: the Lions Club pancake breakfast, the local parade, the 5K Walk-Run, the art fair, the County Fair, and all the summer events that local communities host. These are great opportunities to meet new people.

Some doctors network with their church, or their local school affiliation as a high school coach, or with women’s groups like La Leche. Some doctors become involved with an ethnic group, and network with them. Se Habla Espanol? Often the connections are made via the patient.

You can also start creating your group. Visit the autobody shops and create a PI referral network. Or become the go-to source for local ballet, dance, and drama participants. Or, become THE motel chiropractor in town.

ORGANIZING YOUR NETWORKING

Organization. The biggest barrier to networking is a lack of internal structured organization supporting your marketing. I covered this years ago in the Marketing Manager System. Similar to the systems for your front desk and billing departments, you should have routine procedures, stats, and someone in charge of your marketing projects. And they need guaranteed time each week to work on the marketing.

Team. Each member of your team should be a trained and motivated networker – both in and out of the office.

The goal of networking. The goal of networking is the same as the mission of your practice: to help as many people as possible become healthier.

Stay interested and curious — give abundantly and educate.

Let’s do it!

Ed

Need some tips on how to improve your networking? Let’s talk.

* https://www.mailmunch.com/blog/email-marketing-vs-social-media

—————————————————-

If your practice building efforts aren’t taking you to your goals, there are reasons — many of which are hidden from you.

Find out what they are and how to sail to your next level by getting and implementing my new book, The Goal Driven Business.

The Goal Driven Business By Edward Petty

 
 
 

The Truth In Chiropractic and Health Care Marketing

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The Best Known Marketing Secret
 
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
 
Artificial Intelligence is all the rage. For good reason. It’s set to change the world as the Internet did, maybe more so, and in ways we can barely fathom.
 
Geoffrey Hinton recently quit his job at Google to speak freely about the risks of AI. He and two other so-called “Godfathers of AI” won the 2018 Turing Award for their foundational work leading to the current artificial intelligence boom. He now says a part of him regrets his life’s work.*
 
His immediate concern is that the Internet will be flooded with false photos, videos, and text, and the average person will “not be able to know what is true anymore.”
 
What is True?
 
You can fool people some of the time, but success in chiropractic marketing and practice is ultimately based on trust.
 
You may already send your patients scripted texts, prefabricated emails, and even automated educational or sales videos. You may have a testimonial service that posts positive testimonials for you.
 
Yes, the world is becoming more automated, artificially “intelligent,” and virtual.
 
But at some point, your patient, or potential patient, will start to wonder… “is this communication from Dr. Smith, chatGPT, or a robot in China?”
 
You are the Truth
 
What is the truth in marketing?
 
In this age of increasing artificiality: you are the truth!
 
Images and voices of people can be faked. You can record your voice, type in a sentence, select an image of a person, and that person will vocalize what you typed, in your voice. The future is going to be amazing in its ability for fakery.
 
But overcoming this is simple.
 
Show up and meet people. In person. In real life. (IRL) Person to person, create relationships and from these, generate referrals.
 
People want community. They want relationships. They want a real person.
 
Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
And they’re always glad you came;
(From TV sitcom Cheers.)
 
Marketing in Truth
 
Marketing in real life is networking. Networking is getting to know people who know people.
 
The most immediate and obvious resource for networking is connecting with those people who know you, trust you, and probably even like you (lol). Your active patients, inactive patients, friends, and community members in business or in organizations, all add up to hundreds, if not thousands of people.
 
I recently saw a dedicated chiropractor I know promote a local BNI workshop. BNI stands for Business Network International. It was founded by Ivan Misner, who wrote the excellent book, The Best Known Marketing Secret. It is all about Word-of-Mouth advertising – networking.
 
Perhaps because of technology, or the COVID lock down, or possibly more nefarious reasons, friendly public in-person get-togethers have been declining.*
 
I think now, more than ever, networking is and will be a very effective form of marketing.
 
You can spend money on Facebook ads or advertise on other platforms. Now and then, go for it! But strictly speaking ROI, a structured and continuous networking plan can’t be beat. (Contact me if you want a few tips setting up your networking plan.) It may take time to develop, but once in place, it can almost run on its own, sending people to you who need your services.
 
In his book, Misner refers to a friend of his who says that we all are cave dwellers. We live in our cave houses, get into our cave cars, and go to our cave offices. I would add that we also live in our virtual media caves, whether social or Netflix!
 
His point is that there is a whole world out there if we just get out of our caves and meet people.
 
I have seen many different and effective forms of network marketing that work. I’ll go over a number of examples in the next newsletter to keep this letter short.
 
But consider this: AI will never replace you. And it will never replace the individual across from you.
 
And THAT…is the truth.
 
Stay Goal Driven,
 
Ed
 
 
References:
*77 percent of planners find it harder to attract attendees, while 73 percent report lower attendance. (Skift Meetings, 2022)
 
*https://archive.is/2023.05.01-091113/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/01/technology/ai-google-chatbot-engineer-quits-hinton.html

Will AI replace chiropractors? I asked AI.

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AI robot in office setting typing. I ca-an adjust you no-w.

AI is all the rage. AI art, AI music, AI writing, and on and on.

These services are impressive. Manufactured-for-you newsletters, articles, art, and music. All done at relatively high quality.

AI could replace writers, artists, and musicians as it has with taxicab drivers with Lyft and Uber. Maybe it will soon replace truck drivers, computer coders, customer support specialists, media jobs, legal assistants, accountants, etc.

So, I wondered, how about chiropractors?

I asked a few AI-powered services about the future of chiropractic and how AI might affect chiropractors. Here is an example of one of the answers:

“Could AI replace chiropractors?

“According to the current research, AI is unlikely to replace chiropractors [3]. Chiropractors perform several tasks that require human capabilities, such as manipulating the spine and musculoskeletal system to treat patients, diagnosing health problems, and advising patients on recommended courses of treatment. However, AI can assist chiropractors in various ways [1]. AI can help with data management and analysis, providing insights for personalized care and health research. Moreover, AI can save time and money, allowing for more high-level tasks and automated back office work in a chiropractic clinic. It can help clinics put computer intelligence to work and improve patient journeys [2].

References: [1] Chiropractic application of artificial intelligence in medical … [2] Chiropractors Embrace Artificial Intelligence and Create … [3] Will “Chiropractor” be Automated or Replaced By Robots?

= = =

So, for now, I think you’re safe. But automation is increasing – exponentially.

In my book, the Goal Driven Business, I address this issue and refer to other scientists and authors who have studied the subject.

“Your Replacement is Being Shipped Now

“According to Richard and Daniel Susskind, the traditional professions will cease to exist in the state that we currently know them. In their very capable book, The Future of Professions, the authors state: “Whatever terminology is preferred, we foresee that, in the end, the traditional professions will be dismantled, leaving most (but not all) professionals to be replaced by less expert people and high-performing systems.” (Page 185)

= = =

Obviously, no machine is going to adjust patients any time soon.

But we have to be careful that we don’t substitute AI and automation for our personal care for our patients.

I recently talked to a chiropractic assistant about sending out birthday cards to patients. You, know, an actual card (postcard), hard copy, mailed. She couldn’t see the point. “Why not just send a text? It’s part of our automated program.” I pointed out that the text could be coming from an apartment in Nigeria, and your patient would never know the difference.

Nothing against texting, but our world is superficial and impersonal enough.

Here is my recommendation: AI, automation, and electric screwdrivers are all tools. Used correctly, they can help you provide better service. Used incorrectly, you can be persuaded to have automation take the place of you.

A pathetic example is the bulk chiropractic electronic newsletters you can buy as an automated service. I am all for newsletters, but these types of newsletters do not improve the communication between the doctor, the office, and the patients. They are just bland content.

This is why we help our clients send out their own newsletters to their patients.

AI and automation will never replace you if you utilize them as tools to improve your services, outcomes, and communication with your patients and patients to be.

Delegate and Automate
But Don’t Abdicate

Happy Spring(Autumn Down Under!)

Ed (Written by Ed Petty!)

Spring Marketing Calendar

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spring marketing plan.

The Need for Marketing Never Goes Away

Daylight Savings Time starts in two weeks here in the U.S. And across the northern part of our Planet, Spring begins in 4 weeks (March 20th). Guess that would be autumn for you all in the southern hemisphere.

What a great time to plan your spring and summer marketing.

The Need for Marketing Never Goes Away

No matter how full your practice is, the need for marketing never goes away.

Marketing is business and business is marketing.

Putting something valuable in the marketplace that other people want and will pay for – that is marketing. And that is your business.

The type of marketing you do varies depending on the condition and circumstances of your business. If you are just beginning a practice, you must spend a large percentage of your time and budget on marketing, especially direct response marketing. If you have built up your business, the focus of your marketing can be more on retaining your patients, creating alliances, and world-class customer service and outcomes.

Marketing covers a broad spectrum of activities, but all are, or should be, designed to generate new patients and keep the ones you have.

Trends for the future indicate that, in the end, the best and surest marketing will be customer services and outcomes. The communication channels are so packed and manufactured that your messages will get lost unless you have millions to spend. And now we have AI marketing – ads that robots put together.

Therefore, the best marketing will always be personal – relationship based. You and your people — authentic and interested in your patients and the individuals in your community – delivering extraordinary service and outcomes.

Marketing Plan

Practically speaking, it helps to plan your marketing.

Plan your work and then work your plan, right? So, I have attached a sample marketing plan (link below at the end of the blog article) to help you outline what to do. It is a sample and gives structure to managing your marketing. We’ve used one like this for years, and it works. Make your own and customize it to fit your needs.

And stay tuned for a new service we will offer to help you with your marketing.

But for now, Happy Spring, and Plan your Future

Ed

Sample Marketing Calendar

Going Public or Going Purpose

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Be like a juvenile delinquent!

The chiropractic model for care follows three main stages, according to many patient educational articles. These are 1) Relief, 2) Correction and 3) Maintenance and Wellness.

I am sure it could be nuanced into other levels or worded differently, but these three make sense to me — so much that it inspired me to write a book – The Goal Driven Business.

But I had another inspiration.

I read a book about a young French-Canadian rock climber who lived in Southern California and was not finding the equipment he needed. So, he became a blacksmith and started making his own. In the late 1950s and ’60s, he started the Chouinard Equipment Co and made climbing gear for other climbers. He also wanted better outdoor gear, and so founded Patagonia, a clothing company.

The name of the book was Let My People Go Surfing. It was by Yvonne Chouinard and tells the story of how he grew Patagonia.

Patagonia, now a 50-year-old company, has done very well financially. It has also done very well for the quality of its products and services and its employees. But it is also driven by the goal of making Earth healthier.

Patagonia demonstrates three goals I believe every business has: 1) profit, 2) expert service and people, and 3) higher purpose. In my book, I reference examples of how the best companies focus, knowingly or unknowingly, on these three goals.

The best offices I have worked with over the years have also been committed to these three goals. They cared about providing the best service to their patients, but also to their staff. They were committed to helping as many people as possible be healthier. And, of course, they insisted on profits.

Chouinard, with his family, own Patagonia.

That is until this month. Valued at 3 billion dollars, Chouinard announced that they are giving the company away. He could have sold it to … Amazon, for example, or they could have made it a public company. Instead, he donated it to a fund called the Patagonia Purpose Trust. He says, “Earth is now our only shareholder.”

“Instead of “going public,” you could say we’re “going purpose.” Instead of extracting value from nature and transforming it into wealth for investors, we’ll use the wealth Patagonia creates to protect the source of all wealth.”

I encourage you to look into Chouinard’s lessons on business, which he acquired through trial and error as we do! I have some links over on the blog (see below.) There are many business lessons to learn by studying the trials of other business owners in different types of businesses.

But I guarantee you that if you commit to these three goals, in the long run, just like with your patients, your business and your life will thrive.

And one other note!

I think ol’ Yvonne would have been a natural chiropractor. He reminds me of you guys. In an interview in 2017, he says:

“One of my favorite quotes is if you want to understand entrepreneurs, study the juvenile delinquent because they’re saying, you know, this sucks. I’m gonna do it my own way. And that’s what the entrepreneur does. They just say this is wrong. I’m gonna do it this other way. And that’s the fun part of business actually.”

So, have fun, and seize the future,

Ed

For links and other references, go to our blog here: Goal Driven

Ed Petty in front of Chouinard Equipment Company, Ventura California

 

Patagonia home page
https://www.patagonia.com/home/

Interview with Chouindard
https://www.npr.org/2018/02/06/572558864/patagonia-yvon-chouinard

News articles
https://www.reddit.com/r/climbing/comments/xebzib/yvon_chouinard_gives_patagonia_to_charitable/

https://www.inc.com/yvon-chouinard/patagonia-ceo-let-my-people-go-surfing-why-company-mission-is-not-profit.html

Book
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/let-my-people-go-surfing-yvon-chouinard/1124064053?ean=9780143109679

Preparing for Autumn

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“When you fail to prepare, you’re preparing to fail.”

John Wooden (QuoteInvestigator)

September is upon us, and Autumn is just ahead.

I encourage you to be thinking about your practice development plans for the last quarter of this year – October, November, and December. Let’s start with some fast ideas on promotions:

  • October is National Chiropractic Month (Used to be National Spinal Health Month). October 16th is World Spine Day. Not sure who comes up with these “Observances,” and I don’t really care. Don’t think it makes much difference… You can call October “National Get Your Rear in Here Month” if you want. I like to use the word “national” as it seems to imply that everyone now must comply and “report in.” It’s official, at least in your office.
  • November is a good time for “Cause” promotions. These are promotions that are linked to a worthy charitable cause that you feel genuine about. Word of warning: Don’t fake it. TV stations that promote “Toys for Tots” are so obviously insincere that I can’t believe they still do them. Find a charity that you and your team, and patients, want to support. Done right, you’d be surprised at how popular these promotions can be.
  • December is an opportunity to hunker down with all your patients, active and inactive. Parties, events, showing some gratitude and best wishes for the New Year.
  • Improvement Goals. Look at what you can do to improve clinic performance, including:o Continuing education for you.
    o C.E. for your team. Seminars, webinars, podcasts, books!
    o Team trainings in the office.
    o Individual team member training in the office.
    o Procedures: “How can we do this better?”
    o Software updates
    o Backlogs eliminated
    o Decor

• 2023 Sometime in November, you should also look at your plans for January. The New Year also approaches fast.

All this may seem a bit much to consider, but time waits for no one.

Schedule a couple of sessions this month with your team and do some planning.

GET PREPARED

And Seize the Future,

Ed

You can find links to references in this newsletter and more on our blog here:
https://www.worldspineday.org/

https://www.chiroeco.com/plan-now-for-national-chiropractic-health-month-2022-theme-announced/

https://pmaworks.com/observations/chiropractic-practice-marketing-ideas-for-fall-2016/

The Value of Creating a Practice Community

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Where everybody knows everybody else’s name

Do your patients consider your practice so cool that they want to hang out with you more?

Do they come in early just to soak in the vibes and chat with other patients?

Do you have a practice club?

There are sizable benefits to creating and sustaining your own practice community. The fact is you probably loosely have one already. It is a rich resource that, if better organized and cultivated, can improve patient retention and referrals.

People want to be part of something larger than themselves. This includes belonging to a group whose values they share. Edward Deci, Ph.D., says it is an intrinsic, innate motivation we all have.

A practice club, or organized community relations program, strengthens your connection with each patient. But in addition, it builds relationships between your patients and even non-patients who are supportive of your practice.

I grew up in a small farm town. We had a very busy barbershop. It was always full of men, smoking cigarettes and talking to the barbers – and each other – about the comings and goings of our small town. I think my dad dropped in at least every other day. The barbershop had created its own interactive and slightly exclusive club.

As a more organized example, the motorcycle company Harley-Davidson established the Harley Owners Group, nicknamed HOG. You must own a Harley motorcycle to belong, and then you are eligible to attend many events the company sponsors and receive discounts on all its products. I know a few HOG members, and they are loyal to the brand and share a bond with each other. And they are active, servicing their bikes and using Harley products.

Organizing Your Community

You can sponsor your own “rallies” and probably have. Patients attend, see you and your staff outside the office, and get a chance to talk. But even more, they can connect with other patients. This is how your practice network strengthens.

You can better organize your community by delegating someone to be your Community Services Coordinator for a few hours every month. They would plan and implement various events, with everyone on staff would participating.

In addition, they could start an online club, such as a private Facebook Group. Your patients would be invited to join, as well as local businesses who share your values.

In my experience, most community-building efforts rarely amount to much because there is no one in charge to keep the group energized. Events are “one and done,” with little follow-up. This contributes to the Practice Roller Coaster effect. They do work at generating referrals and improving retention, for a while, but the energy created ebbs away.

Authentic newsletters, events, phone calls, a social media group, success stories, and special bonuses help keep the community humming along.

Network Effects

Network Effects is an economic term. It simply means that the more people use a company’s product or service, the more valuable it becomes. The larger your network becomes, the better the service improves. And the better your services improve, the larger your network becomes.

It is momentum related. Think of a flywheel or pushing a car with a dead battery. (ugh). Once you get it going, the going gets easier.

From my favorite HOG advertisement:

“It’s a free country. Live like it.
Screw it, let’s ride.”

And also,

Seize your future,

Ed

Want to improve your community building? Schedule a call and we can look at options. To schedule, go here.

In the Sierra’s

Take a Stand: Define and Promote Your Brand

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Using your brand to generate more patients, increase retention, and recruit top talent!

Promoting your brand has not been an important or even viable method of marketing for most chiropractors.

But that is no longer true.

Brand marketing needs to be part of your marketing mix. I will tell you why, but first, let’s define our terms:

Brand marketing is different from direct response marketing. Brand marketing focuses on generating awareness of your office, while direct response aims to generate new customers.

A smaller business with limited resources must focus on direct marketing rather than brand marketing. This is especially important when you begin.

Once your practice is maturing, your patients know you. You are the brand. You probably don’t plan on growing the business any further so there doesn’t seem to be any real need to promote your brand in the community.

But now there is.

More competition for patients

Franchise health companies are stepping up their activities. For example, the Joint Chiropractic, which filed with the SEC for around $35 million 10 years ago, and is a public traded company, acquired an additional 7.5 million in funding just two years ago. Their website says they have more than 600 locations, and I have seen their marketing activities in Wisconsin.

Physical therapy franchises are spreading, such as FYZICAL. According to its website, it has grown to more than 448 locations in 7 years as of 2021. In addition, acupuncture franchises, massage franchises, and dental franchises are on the rise.

Competition for Qualified Employees

You can also see increased competition if you have been recruiting doctors, providers, or support personnel lately. Job seekers can acquire a startling amount of information about you and what it is like for employees to work with you. They are interested in your culture, benefits, and values – which are all part of your brand.

What Makes You Different and Better

It could be said that your brand is: what makes you stand apart — and better – from all the comparable alternatives.

It is your Unique Selling Proposition.

A well-defined and promoted brand will help you:

  • Generate pride and loyalty in your patient base
  • Encourage more patient referrals
  • Improve team morale
  • Generate referrals from external referral sources
  • Improve marketing recruitment efforts for top employee talent

How to Define Your Brand

Once again, it all goes back to goals. (Doesn’t everything?)

What is the mission of your office? What are its values? What are its valuable outcomes?

This Is a Distillation Of Your Story: why you are a doctor, why you are in business, and what brings you joy daily?

Answer this for yourself, and then ask your staff:

What makes us special?

Survey a few of your patients: what makes us special from other providers? Why did you choose us?

Your brand showcases all this into an identity that people can know, like, and trust.

It can be somewhat symbolized with a logo and tag line, like the Nike “shoosh,” and the tag line: “Just Do It.” It can be represented in your newsletters, your office decor and cleanliness, the appearance of you and your team, and in all aspects of your promotions on social media.

But primarily, it must be demonstrated each day by you and your team living up to your values, your commitment to your mission, and providing world-class service and outcomes.

The world is moving faster, and we all have to work to stay ahead. And if we do it right, not only will it be rewarding but also fun.

Carpe Posterum (Seize the Future)

Ed

Need help with your branding strategy? Schedule a call and let’s have look at the best strategic options
SCHEDULE NOW

 

Health Screenings in 2022

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This past weekend, outside our local grocery store, the Village (what they call a suburban town out here) closed off the main street and had an art fair. So I took a few minutes to look around before I headed home with my organic veggies!

There were maybe 30-40 10×10 tents with various artists displaying their works. The day was hot, and I was in a hurry. Suddenly, I stopped when I saw an old familiar sight, one that I hadn’t seen for a few years. There it was-a chiropractic health screening booth.

That’s right… s c r e e n I n g s!

The signs said, “Spinal Health Screening” with the name of the corporate chiropractic company which now has offices in a few states in the Midwest and in WA, according to their website.

Now, for the most part, I like screenings and, if done right, recommend them. I would not be overstating the fact that we have personally participated in hundreds of screenings in hundreds of venues over the years. (I still have a couple of PVC Posture Analyzers in my garage.) We have personally trained well over 50 “Screening Technicians” and hundreds more in seminars and via our marketing manuals. We used screenings when we opened up our 24 offices here in Wisconsin.

Now that people are less in fear of being murdered by one another for carrying the COVID, outdoor events are resurfacing.

Here is a short list of benefits of screenings:

  1. Generate new patients.
  2. Reactivate former patients.
  3. Create new external referrals sources
  4. Create goodwill and good publicity. (We won an award for our booth at a county fair once which was pictured in the local paper.)
  5. Meet people in your community.

Here are 5 essential ingredients to help you achieve these benefits:

  1. Friendly. Whoever is in the booth should be friendly, casual, and having fun. Therefore,
  2. Short shifts. It should not be an endurance contest—a few hours at most. Get in, greet people, talk with them, screen the interested few, and get out.
  3. Training and positive experience. If you have a non-doctor in the booth, for Pete’s sake, train them. Ideally, they could be a staff member who already knows the excellent outcomes you produce and can easily recommend you.
  4. Be interested in people. Are they in pain? Have they seen a chiropractor, acupuncturist, P.T., M.D. for their issue? Where do they work? What do they think of the Milwaukee Brewers Baseball club’s chances this season?
  5. Unserious. As B.J. Palmer said in Rule #9, “Don’t take yourself too damn seriously.” (to get a copy of Rule #9)

Get out there with your people… they need you!

Ed

PS BY the way, just curious… please reply if you would like a short webinar on what we have seen works best for screenings.

Where Everybody Knows Your Name: Creating a Chiropractic Community

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Used to be a popular TV program called Cheers back in the 80’s. It was modeled after a bar in Boston with the same name. As a situational comedy, Cheers presented a familiar group of customers who came to the bar to have a drink, but also to relax, socialize, and have good cheer.

 

Patients come into your office to improve their health and find relief from discomfort. But they are also looking for something more.

 

Remember that a practice is a network of relationships created and sustained through communication and service. That’s my definition. There are other definitions, I’m sure, but at the foundation, communication is critical.

 

It can be a lonely world where there seems little time for real communication – or friendship.

 

You are more than a doctor, and your staff are more than just support professionals. You and your entire team are part of a caring family, a community of like-minded people who are committed to health and helping each other achieve it.

 

Creating a community is a big deal in businesses now. For good reason… Belongingness has been identified as an intrinsic motivation we all have, according to Self-Determination Theory. But it can be contrived and gimmicky if it is not genuine.

 

In the best offices I have visited, staff and doctors formed a work family… genuinely caring for each other as well as for their patients. The patients were also included in the family. Sometimes, I would see them spending too much time gabbing at the front desk or bringing fresh produce for the doctor from their garden. I would even see patients just stop by the reception area to chat amongst themselves, catching up on shared concerns and local news.

 

Yes, the best practices have policies and procedures. These are the systems that help ensure fast and efficient service in high quantity with high quality.

 

But procedures cannot take the place of a real person interested in and caring for another person.

 

In very lay terms, the spine is the structure that supports and protects the function of the spinal cord. It is the function that counts, that comes first.

 

Many offices have their function impeded by tangled up, omitted, or unfollowed procedures and policies. You definitely need a strong infrastructure to have a prosperous low stress business. But the reason, the goal for good systems includes having good communication with your patients and each other.

 

There are many troubling issues we all face. Make your office a place where people want to go for better health and better friendship.

 

A place where everyone is glad you came and where everybody knows your name.

 

Ed

 

Theme from the sitcom Cheers
“…Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got.
Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.

 

Wouldn’t you like to get away?

 

Sometimes you want to go

 

Where everybody knows your name,
and they’re always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same
You wanna be where everybody knows
Your name.”

 

Carpe Posterum (Sieze the Future)

 

Ed

Your Best Business Investment: Did you make First Adjustment Calls?

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When was the last time you called your patient after their first adjustment?

We’ve advised this for years, and it is one of the many items on our Marketing Checklists. The procedure was simple: the staff handed the doctors a slip of paper with the names and numbers of patients who had their first adjustment that day. Then, on the way home, the doctor would give the patient a call to see how they were doing. I remember hearing from the staff that the patients loved getting a call from their doctor and felt it was an extra effort to ensure their well-being personally.

I was reminded of this when my wife, Barbara, took a phone call from the MD from whom she recently received a light skin surgery. She was impressed and delighted. (“Wow,” she said after the call. “I think I’ll call to schedule more surgeries this month!” She’s funny!)

But we live in a world where we are becoming more insulated from each other. We almost interact as much with Artificial Intelligence, electronics, and automation as with live people. Automation runs our shopping, our money, and our communication, even much of our medical care.

I just read a report this week that Google suspended an engineer from work who said that an AI program at Google was now sentient (conscious). He said that he had “startling talks” with a chatbot program.* And never mind the masking, social distancing, and lockdowns which I am sure we haven’t seen the last of.

It seems that honest, caring, and genuine interest from a live person, especially from someone who knows us, are vanishing human qualities.

And this is the niche where you and your team are uniquely qualified to own.
As entrepreneurs, we focus on business matters – we look at our scoreboard, analyze the numbers, and review our accounts receivable. We look at how we can grow our business and improve the bottom line. And all that is fine and part of our job.

But all the numbers, the paperwork, all the administration and marketing are for nothing if the personal connection you have with each patient is absent.

And this is what makes your service exceptional – the quality of connection you and your team have with each patient. The genuine interest in and authentic care for each patient, and the outcomes you deliver, are the heart and soul of your business.

Improving this is the best investment you can make for long-term success.

Carpe Posterum (Sieze the Future)

Ed

(Yahoo News)

Relationship Marketing: Build and sustain your practice through relationship marketing

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You are in the relationship business.

People see you for a result – but they stay with you because of the relationship.

There are many different definitions of relationship marketing – marketing isn’t codified like CPT®! (That is maybe a good thing!)

Last week I talked about direct response marketing and indirect or brand marketing. Relationship marketing stems from direct response. It emphasizes retention and patient and customer satisfaction.

Relationship marketing works. It helps with patient retention and patient referrals. It also helps generate referrals from external sources.

But what is it, and how do you improve it? 

What is a Relationship?

A relationship is a connection that you have with another person. It is based, ultimately, on communication. Therefore, the quality of that communication determines the quality of the relationship.

Good communication, one that creates a good relationship, centers around understanding. As Stephen Covey advises, Seek first to understand, and then to get understood. Understanding is fundamental for good communication.

The relationship between you and your patient depends on results, of course. But to get results requires understanding the patient. Seeking to understand the patient – showing them a genuine interest in their condition and life – is not only needed from a clinical point of view, but it is vital for good communication and developing the relationship.

How to Improve Patient Communication

Patient Care can be an overused, even over-advertised term. But care is founded first on interest in and concern about the other person.

This means not just going through your script (yuck!) or your checklist with the patient, which may help keep you on track. It means do you understand them, or how and why they came to you? Are you interested?

But how do you do this after the 10,000th patient comes in to the office?

By being a real person who is interested. For example, a patient comes in and wears a green hat. You wonder about the green hat, so you ask them about it. “Hi. I can’t help but notice that you are wearing a green hat. It looks…stunning! Any special occasion?”

A checklist can help you communicate important information, but it can’t take the place of a real live person. It can’t make a relationship. You are not a robot, and neither is your patient.

Be appropriate and respectful, but mostly, be authentic.

This creates trust because your customer sees that you are interested in them as a unique person, not the 10,000th customer. And they see you as a real person, not just a busy professional trying to be interested but really faking it.

I am sure that you have experienced employees in other businesses trying to be interested in you but merely following a script. A bank teller asks me: “Have plans for the weekend?” I am nice back, but I know that she is just doing what her MBA executives in some office far away think she should say.

So, honest and interested communication, added with services and results, will create a strong relationship between you and your patient.

Outside of Your Practice

But relationship marketing goes beyond just your office.

Your patients know people. They can help you get to know their family, friends, and business associates.

You can create relationships with other professional practices, businesses, and organizations. I have seen many examples where a relationship was created between the doctor and an outside entity that resulted in many new patients.

Some examples:

  • YMCA’s and commercial gyms whose owners and managers were also patients.
  • Dentists who didn’t treat TMJ.
  • MD’s who didn’t want to deal with patients with back pain.
  • Ballet company that wanted to keep their dancers in shape.
  • High school coaches who wanted to see their athletes do their best.
  • Motels who needed a “house” medical doctor, dentist, and chiropractor.
  • Autobody shops that took care of injured cars and sent injured passengers to the chiropractor.
  • R. managers at companies who referred employees.

And this is vital: the relationship must be between you and another person associated with the outside entity. You are always dealing, first, with one person.

I have used this definition for years, and it still holds true:

A practice is a network of relationships
 that is created and maintained through service and communication.

There are specific barriers to implementing relationship marketing, and you will run into them. I want to keep this article short, so I will refer you to my book below, which addresses the barriers and how to avoid them or bust through them.

But regardless, just communicating more with more interest will bring in more new patients and keep the ones you have longer.

Communicate more and with interest.

And…

Seize the Future (That is where your goals are!)

 Ed

Link to the Goal Driven Business Book

Link to the Video Supplement to Relationship Marketing

Which is Better for You: Direct Marketing or Indirect Marketing?

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Last week I sent an email with a link to Ode to Joy.

Ode to Joy is from Beethoven’s 4th movement of his 9th symphony, considered one of the top three symphonies ever created.

It was a short 5-minute rendition. It is beautiful and evocative – listen to it again. (Link below.) Plus, its performance was a masterpiece.

But it was actually an ad.

It was a brilliant advertisement for a Spanish Bank. It was promoting Sabadell Bank’s 130th year anniversary in 2012. According to one website, it has had 90 million views since 2012, while another posted in 2015 has received over 18 million views.

That is a lot of exposure. But does it generate new business?

This type of advertising is called brand marketing, or what I call indirect marketing. It is the opposite of direct marketing. Direct marketing, also called direct response marketing, tries to generate an immediate response. Knowing the differences will help you manage your marketing and make it more effective for your particular situation.

Direct Marketing

The goal of direct response marketing is to generate qualified prospects that respond to an offer. When you receive a card in the mail that promotes a free dinner about retirement funds, the company that sent you that mailer hopes you reply and attend the dinner and accompanying talk. At the dinner, a speaker gives a presentation with the hope of scheduling you for a private consultation later that week. When you see an ad on Facebook for a free manual, the advertisers intend that you respond and order their manual. The distinguishing characteristic of direct marketing is numbers – you can quantify the results of your marketing efforts.

Indirect Marketing

The goal for indirect, or brand marketing, is for the name of your business to be well known and well thought of. When you volunteer at the local food bank, co-sponsor a kid’s little league team, or simply provide excellent customer service, these are all examples of indirect marketing. The results of indirect marketing are difficult to identify immediately.

Until you are in Stage 4 in the growth of your business (about 75% or more full capacity), most of your marketing efforts should be direct marketing. Indirect marketing supports direct marketing, but even if your entire town knew about your business and thought highly of it, there is no guarantee that anyone would come to see you as a customer.

Handing out your business card to someone would be an example of indirect, personal brand building. However, handing out your business card with a handwritten note on the back that said something like “N/C screening in May for Joe M. Dr. EP” might be an example of a direct response marketing.

Marketing Mix – Direct, Indirect, and Internal, External

Another factor to consider in managing your marketing is how much should be directed externally – to non-patients and customers and how much should be directed internally to your existing and former patients and customers.

It has been my experience that too few practices are industrious enough with marketing to and communicating with their existing and former patients.

Below is a chart that gives approximate percentages of how to balance your direct and indirect marketing for your practice. I have divided the development of a business arbitrarily into 5 Stages. Figure each Stage to be about 20% your full capacity.

Telling your story and the successes of your services should never end, regardless of how successful you are. Change your marketing strategies depending at what Stage of development your business is in — but keep marketing.

Carpe Posterum (Seize the Future),

Ed
GoalDriven.com

Ode To Joy

The Goal Driven Front Desk

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A dynamic front desk can increase your visits by 20%, maybe more if you have the room. On the other hand, a dysfunctional front desk can constrict the flow of patients and hold your office back.
I have seen instances of both.
There is much more going on and at stake at the front desk than most doctors and staff appreciate.
Ordinarily, you would think that the billing department is the most demanding. There are hundreds of details that need to be learned and followed with excellent discipline. This position requires professionalism and expertise.
But this function is not on the front lines of the constant patient, phone, and doctor interactions and interruptions. Managing patient accounts can be regulated and organized to maintain a calm and comfortable workflow.
Therapy and adjunctive services are often undervalued, but the patient flow is usually smooth, and they are not faced with unexpected patients or phone calls.
It is interesting to note that the front desk has the highest turnover in most offices.
But properly set up and managed, this department can be an engine of growth and stability in your office.
Let’s look at some of the more important attributes of the front desk:
  1. It represents you and your services. It is your ambassador to the world outside your office. The front desk reflects what you stand for and the quality of your services.
  2. It is the first and the last contact – and impression –with anyone in the office.
  3. It can convert inquiries to new patient appointments.
  4. Rapport and relationships. The front desk can provide world-class service to patients, improving patient retention, reviews, and referrals. (The 5 Rs)
  5. Direct marketing. The front desk can directly promote clinic services to patients, hand out coupons, and promote upcoming events to generate patient referrals.
  6. Team member support. The front desk can support the insurance department and all team members to create a positive, upbeat day every day.
  7. Case Management. The front desk can contribute to case management by relaying any comments or observations relative to the patient’s care to the doctors.
  8. Fully Scheduled Day. The front desk fills the appointment book and keeps it full.
Let’s imagine an ideal front desk and put it at a “5” on a 5 Point Scale.

 

5. GOAL DRIVEN FRONT DESK. The appointment book is full. The front desk staff are cheerful, having fun doing their jobs, and genuinely interested in every patient and phone inquiry. They sincerely care for each patient and non-patient. They have a strong intent on helping patients complete their programs by keeping their appointments. They personally and professionally want to achieve the mission of the office and encourage patients to help them accomplish this mission by bringing in family and friends. They also help the rest of the office achieve the office’s mission. They are sending out positive “vibrations” to help more people. They are proactive and Goal Driven.

 

Below this level, we find the front desk that is struggling.

 

2.5 A COPING FRONT DESK– The appointment book is 50-70% full. The front desk is trying, but it is not keeping up, which creates a bottleneck to patient flow. (Subluxated) Even though the staff wants a full appointment book, subconsciously, they don’t want any more work until they catch up.

 

2. A SLOW FRONT DESK. The front desk operates at a “comfortable” 40-50% capacity. The staff is pacing themselves, keeping up with computer tasks, insurance, and following the scripts for phone and patient encounters. However, they are mostly disengaged from the front desk and office goals.

 

1-2. GIVEN UP and BORED. I only describe this because I have seen this condition. The staff is ignored or badgered. In either case, they feel relegated to a 4th class employee. They hide out and pretend to work, essentially having quit and just waiting until something better comes along.

 

You can create a Goal Driven Front Desk. It is not achieved overnight, but once it is established, you’ll be close to a dream practice and a Goal Driven Business. We will cover some tips on how to create a Goal Driven Front Desk in another newsletter.

 

In the meantime, stay Goal Driven,

 

Ed
“Your brain sends out vibrations all the time, and your thoughts affect your life and other people’s. They pick up these thoughts and get changed by them.”
– Bruce Lipton (Biology of Belief)

How to Create a Full Appointment Book with Goal Driven Marketing

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busy desk, planning calendar

Happy Valentines Month!

This article is about sharing the love… the love of your services and how they can help people.

And what is the best way to do this? Create a Goal Driven Business.

A Goal Driven Business runs at FULL CAPACITY, or close to it.

That means no more room in the appointment book. It can mean that there is a waiting list to get in to be seen. But how is this achieved?

In a practice, it is a combination of excellent service and clinical results, inspired leadership, sound management, personal integrity, and … marketing.

Let’s take a took at marketing first. What is marketing?

It is a method of helping people get what they innately want through communication. Marketing communication, either through one-to-one contact or through media, communicates and educates in such a way as to point to what an individual wants. It also can inspire them to get it.

Goal Driven marketing is helping people get to their goals!

People want to be free of pain and discomfort, but they do not know about your services or how your services can achieve this. And if they do, they may not trust that you can do it for them.

Every marketing approach you have must help those people who have a particular need or want to find you, and discover how your services can help them, and why they should trust you. This can be accomplished through patient referral programs or events, setting up external alliances, direct response ads in social media, radio, through one-to-one external relationship building, speaking events – all these and more point to how you can help people and that you can be trusted.

Testimonials and reviews top the list, but so do articles, newsletters, and support from opinion leaders. These are all outward types of marketing communications.

What would someone who knows what you know about your services do if they had pains, or lacked mobility, wanted to improve their immune system, and just be healthier? They’d drop by and see you for an adjustment or for some kind of a treatment from your office.

Not everyone wants what you have to offer, and even fewer want it bad enough to do something about it. But there are more than enough people who are looking, right now, to act who could keep your office full – if they just knew about what you could do for them.

Many times, I have heard chiropractors amazed at comments from patients who say, “Headaches? I didn’t know you could help with … headaches!” And the doctor just assumed everyone knew that they fixed headaches!

Don’t assume anything. It is a noisy world, and you and what you do is drowned in the snow storm of competitive messages and personal activities.

You must be industrious in getting your message out. You have to be continuous. And this is where most doctors fail in their marketing.

Marketing fails because it is not systematized,
organized, continuous, and managed.

A Goal Driven Business focuses its marketing three echelons of activity.

  1. Marketing Procedures. Obviously, the different types of marketing communication and marketing procedures need to occur. This is the most evident (and fun) level of marketing – marketing procedures.
  2. Marketing Motivation. But even if you have bookshelves of marketing binders and libraries of marketing books, they will do nothing unless you and your team are motivated to use them. So, this is the second level of marketing.
  3. Marketing Management. The third, and I believe the most essential level of marketing activities, is marketing management.

Your front desk is organized and routine. Your billing is systematized and well managed — or should be. So is your therapy area and your new patient procedures. But in most offices, marketing is not organized! It is hit and miss, now and then. When numbers are down, “Hey, let’s do some marketing.” When numbers are up, we all get “too busy,” and it is neglected.

Most practice marketing is reactive and symptomatic. This causes the PRACTICE ROLLER COASTER.

There are simple methods to effectively manage your marketing systems to help create a full appointment book which we can cover in another newsletter.
But keep in mind two important points in marketing:

  1. Help People Get to Their Goals and Obtain What They Want. You are helping people who already have a perceived need and want to purchase what they are looking for. You simply must help them find it in what you offer and convince them that you are worthy of their trust.
  2. Manage Your Marketing Procedures and Keep them Running. Stay motivated, find the procedures that work best for you, but organize your marketing procedures so that they continue. This will help you avoid the Practice Roller Coaster.

To find out more about how to create a Goal Driven Business and create a full appointment book, buy and read the book the Goal Driven Business. Read about it here.

Happy Valentines Month! Spread the Love!

Ed

 

Are Your “Engines” Driving Your Practice?

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A service business needs 5 different engines to become a Goal Driven Business

Five engines drive your business to its goals.

If these are installed and firing at 100%, practicing will be enjoyable and profitable. When these engines are not fully performing, the daily demands of running a business shift to, and fall upon, the owner.

These engines are functions and characteristics of a dynamic team that drive the practice toward its goals.

Many offices that seem to be doing well are driven by heroic owners fighting each day to grow their practices, and not by their engines. But this isn’t easy to sustain. At some point, it becomes too much, and they settle into a comfort zone below their abilities. As a result, their long-term goals remain unfulfilled.

This is the plight and path of the entrepreneur – brave, independent, but too often without a map on how to build a strong business that drives itself.

The five engines that drive a business to its goals are:

  1. Marketing
  2. Leadership
  3. Management
  4. Service
  5. Personal Integrity

I want to begin passing on tips on the marketing engine– what is working now and my best estimation of what will be working in the future. Marketing is vital, for without paying customers, the other engines won’t work and aren’t needed.

But before I do, I want to invite you to look at your business and gauge the health of each of your engines.

You can do this by reviewing how successful you are at achieving each engine’s outcomes (goals) and giving them a grade from one to five (1-5). 5 would be the point where the engine is achieving its goals.

  1. Marketing. Abundant new patients and goodwill with local allied businesses, organizations, and your community. A waiting list practice. (1—5: ___)
  2. Leadership. A business with clearly defined goals that are agreed upon and pursued happily. (1—5: ___)
  3. Management. Expert team members, acting as an expert team, implementing simple but effective procedures. (1—5: ___)
  4. Customer Service. Customers (patients, clients, customers) who are extraordinarily satisfied with the services they receive and their outcomes. (1—5: ___)
  5. Personal Integrity. Each team member is happy because of the positive and and responsible manner in which they manage their personal lives. (1—5: ___)

By grading each engine’s “output,” you can immediately see what needs the most work.

But these engines do not work independently. One affects the other so that there is a synergy created. As one improves, so do the others. The opposite is also true – the more one engine dies down, the more the other ones do as well.

It could be said that everything begins with leadership, and that may be true. But unless you are marketing your services, there will be no one to lead!

So next week, let’s look at a few effective marketing strategies and tactics that will help drive your business to its goals.

And by the way, how to achieve a 5 for all your business engines is described in The Goal Driven Business. If you haven’t read it yet, I encourage you to do so.

A great new February to you all,

Ed