Tag Archives: Motivation

Monthly Goal Setting for the Chiropractic Team

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Chiropractic Team Goal Setting

At the beginning of each month you want to see that your team sets new TEAM GOALS.  You can also set individual goals privately at a different time, but TEAM goals are most immediate and important.

Each goal setting session always begins with a REVIEW of the past month. This gives the opportunity for the group (or individual in individual goal setting) to explain how they did and how they did it. And it gives you the opportunity to listen and then give some feedback. The feedback could be praise, or otherwise.

After the review, set the goals.   Group goals should be simple, usually just Office Visits and New Patients, though Collections can also be included. IMPORTANT: Let the group set the goals. You should negotiate the goals, but it has to be theirs.  Once these goals are set, ask the group (or individual) how they/we plan to achieve these goals? Get at least 3 action steps.

The last goal should include a “greater purpose” goal or two. This could be a party at your house next Thursday night, Betty, the Front Desk Coordinator will give a book report on one of the books in the Lending Library at next month’s Team Goal Setting meeting, and a check to see who is going to volunteer for working at the food bank next Saturday evening.

Why? You should also spend some time discussing why you have these goals. This takes you back to your MISSION.  Numbers for numbers sake is a soulless and goalless pursuit.

 In sum:

  1. Review last month’s numbers. Were they up or down from the prior month?  Ask.
  2. Then, ask why? Get the team to figure it out. Let it be a brainstorming session if possible.
  3. Let them tell you and you listen and question as needed.
  4. Acknowledge. Praise or show disapproval, as appropriate.
  5. Then ask for action steps to achieve goals.
  6. Then, get a few “greater purpose” goals.
  7. Then, continue with the rest of the staff meeting, such as announcing upcoming events, miscellaneous, etc. Include some discussion about WHY these goals are important.
  8. Do the same for individual team member’s right after the Team Goal Setting, or soon after.

 For more information on how this procedure is done, refer to the webinar called the Fast Flow CEO.

Chiropractic Practice Management, Marketing, and Leadership Recorded Training Webinars

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This is a list of our practice development recorded webinars.

Each is a recording of a slide show driven lecture, each filled with an abundance of practice information derived from in the field work – and plenty of slides!

Currently, you have to be active on a PM&A program. By this summer, these will be available on and individual basis for a small fee.

 Chiropractic CEO Webinars

 Creating your Dream Team Summary and VideoA virtual “live” interview with the doctor and staff of a true chiropractic dream team. Find out what they do to achieve high numbers, profit, and fun.

 The Fast Flow Practice CEO  -55 minutes webinar video and summary.
One of the biggest challenges in running and growing your business is the time it takes you away from seeing patients and from your family.  We have solved this with what we call the Fast Flow Practice CEO System.   A new system derived from old principles.
Management by the Numbers: 44 minutes – Summary and Video
Management is a subject that has techniques to help you go from where you are to where you want to be.  Management By the Numbers (MBN)  can be faster and more accurate than other forms of management, and help build staff morale and make it more self directed.

Capacity Constraints : 33 minutes – Summary and Video
Do you work hard but you just don’t get as far as you should? The reason may be that you are running into unseen bottlenecks that are choking off your production and suffocating your growth. This is the subject of Capacity Constraints.

How to Be an Effective Practice CEO  Video
If you are struggling with the ups and downs of a stressful practice, or have finally “settled” into a comfort zone producing much lower than you know you are capable of, this program is for you.

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Chiropractic Office Manager Webinars

 Chiropractic Manager Webinar – Roles and Goals  Summary, Video and Study Guide
What Are The Key Roles In Your Office? A hidden barrier in many offices has to do with confusing roles and job duties. Clear these up and see how much smoother patients and paper flow, and happier the team becomes.  Small office or big health business, clarify these 8 roles and the numbers will go up.
 

Chiropractic Manager Webinar – Job and Performance Reviews    Video
Employee reviews are often neglected, or are dreaded by employee and doctor. This webinar covers the basic steps to make them effective and positive for both doctor and employee.  Approx 37 minutes.

Chiropractic Manager Webinar – Motivating Your Staff – Video  Ms. Phyllis Frase shares 5 secrets to keeping yourself and your staff motivated.

 Chiropractic Manager Webinar – Team Meetings   Summary, Video and Study Guide. This is an overview of 8 essential actions to help you improve your meetings and make them faster, more fun, and more effective. Plus, different types of short meetings that your team can grow.

 Chiropractic Manager Webinar –  The Office Manager Job Description  Summary, Video and Study Guide. This class covers 17 essential duties of the office manager. Both the doctor and the office manager should watch and discuss these duties.
 

Chiropractic Manager Webinar-  How to Best to Train Your Staff  Summary, Video and Study Guide This webinar covers eight tips  to improve the performance of your team.  Training plays a big part in team building.
 

Chiropractic Manager Webinar– How to Hire the Right Team Member   Summary, Video and Study Guide.
This webinar  covers eight priniciples for hiring the right team member from knowing when to hire, who to hire and how to hire.
 

Office Manager Webinar – It’s All About the Patient, the Doctor and the MISSION [Summary, Video and Study Guide]
There are procedures to help the patients and procedures that help the doctor help the patient and then there is Everything Else.  Tips on how to deal with Everything Else. (30 minutes)

Office Manager Webinar- Part II – Tips and Tricks to make the office more efficient[Summary, Video]
Part II reveals tips and tricks of what an office manager can actually do in the office on a day to day basis to make things run smoother and  significantly improve the volume and quality of services. (55 minutes)

 Office Manager Webinar- Part I – Fundamentals of Practice Management [Summary, Video]
Part I covers the fundamentals of Practice Management (55 minutes)

 

Chiropractic Marketing Webinars

Innate Marketing  (55 minutes) – Webinar plus Summary.
There are stories that float around every now and then about how some offices can simply “think”  “New Patients” and they come in.
Are these stories an urban legend? A myth, or a fact? Can staff or doctors “concept” new patients in the door. Is this true? If so, how can you do this?  10 steps to help you generate more patient visits through “concepting.”

Chiropractic Special Promotions  (55 minutes) – Webinar plus Summary.
This webinar covers different promotions by month. You will learn 2-4 different practical promotions for each month of the year. More importantly, you will learn how to organize them so that they are time effective and productive.

Patient Retention – Summary and Video
If you understand the underlying basics of patient retention your appointment book should always be full.  Covered in this webinar is: Patient retention should be based on Principles – not gimmicks. Where are we you taking your patients? Why they quit?  The cost of not getting them there.

 Chiropractic Patient Education – Summary and Video (45 min)
We go over 7 basic strategies that cover the entire horizon of patient education and explain why it is so necessary to educate your patients if you want them to be healthier.

 Infomercials. – Summary and Video .
Whatever happened to Infomercials? They’re still around and they still work. And you can do them very inexpensively. You just need to know how. This webinar will give you practical examples and include forms for you to use in producing your own amateur and informational marketing that can help you create more new patients and keep the ones you have.

 Internet Marketing and Social Media. – Summary and Video . This webinar covers some fundamentals regarding social media, Facebook, and general Internet marketing. (35 minutes) (not yet posted)

 The Art of Spinal Screenings. – Summary and Video . Spinal Screenings – The Queen of External Marketing.  Everyone has done at least a few  spinal screenings. You have probably had some success with them. But how much better could you do if you knew the fundamentals of this time tested external marketing activity?  This is a three part series on spinal screenings. This session we will review the most fundamental principles of screenings. Get these, and all else will follow.(45 minutes)

 Scheduling Screenings and other External Events – Summary and Video .  How to Schedule External Events And Create External Referral Sources.  Types of events, Outcomes, Purpose. How to plan the events and get them scheduled.(30 minutes)

Marketing Tips: Earth Day, Spring Promotions, and other Tips – Summary and Video This webinar covers: Powerful internal marketing script, Report of findings referral procedure,  upcoming spring promotions, with special attention to utilizing Earth Day as an opportunity to promote your services.

Short Overview of Chiropractic Marketing Management with Some Marketing Tips – Summary and Video   This is a short version of marketing management and some tips for the upcoming months. What are the three levels of marketing?  What part does communication have in your marketing?  How to engage your patients in your marketing efforts.  Upcoming special promotions. (30 minutes)

Marketing Management, Part I and Part II – This is the longer version of how to manage your marketing, and why.

Chiropractic Marketing Management – Session I – Summary and Video The Why, What and How of Marketing. Getting your Marketing off the Ground. (55 minutes)

Chiropractic Marketing Management – Session II – Summary and Video  Specific Marketing Manager Duties – Your Job Description.  General Overview of the Most Effective Marketing Procedures in Each of the 11 Marketing Categories (55 minutes)

 

There is nothing like a dream…

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What will the New Year bring – for you, your family, and your business?

No one can know for sure.  But we do know this much – either you create it or someone will create it for you.

Your dreams count. They count more than anyone may have let you to believe.

All things are created twice. First you dream your dream, then you build it.

We’d like to help you build your dreams in 2013.  There is no getting around it – we are all in this together.

And, by the way, we want to thank you for your efforts in making this world a better place. We know how hard you work and the sacrifices you sometimes have to make. We also know that you aren’t always recognized for the good you do.

We know that the world will be a better place in 2013 because of your dreams and efforts.

So, here comes 2013. Let’s get busy – it will be a blast!

Your Chiropractic Office Dream Team

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No one succeeds by themselves.

Your success will be no better than the team you make to help you get there.

On Thursday, December 13, 12:30 C.T., we will be hosting a 55 minute webinar on how to make your own chiropractic dream team.

We will be interviewing – live – the doctor and staff of a true chiropractic dream team.

Find out what they do to achieve high numbers, profit, and fun.  You’ll hear from the doctor, the billing coordinator and office manager, the front desk coordinator, and maybe others.

Not only will you learn, but you will come away smiling – that’s how much fun they have!  But don’t be mistaken by their good spirits: they are all very productive and see lots of people every day.

We can learn from successes.

Register here:  How to Make Your Dream Team

PS This webinar is for your entire team! Come on over and join us!

PSS Oh, and there is no charge for this webinar. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

 

Why You Shouldn’t Have Promotions

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As a chiropractor, there are many reasons why you shouldn’t have practice promotions.

Hundreds.  You can come up with 10 right now. Your staff could think of more. So could your family!

Most of them would have something to do with not enough time to do them, or too much of a hassle, or it might cost too much. Then, there is also:  not sure if they would work, or what do we do and how do we do it?  Maybe you are really too frightened, embarrassed, or burned out to promote.

Now, you could say:  “Hey, I already have more patients than I can see.”

Yes, maybe you could.  But then you would have to ask yourself: “is everyone in my town getting proper chiropractic and natural health care?” “Is anyone in my neighborhood receiving unnecessary drugs, surgery?”

On the other hand there are only a few reasons you would want to have practice promotions. These would include:

  • Help more people
  • Fill up your office
  • Make more money
  • Make your services and those of chiropractic more popular

In terms of traffic lights, promotions are GREEN.

 In your office, what light is flashing? Yellow, red, or green?

Green means GO! Promotion = pro + motion. The word comes from “forward motion.”

Ultimately, there are three basic reasons for not promoting:

3. Not knowing what or how
2. Lacking the motivation
1. Lacking the organization

In our upcoming webinar, we cover the what and the how and the why to get your promotions going, fill up your office, increase your revenue, and make your services more popular.

Hope to see you there.

Best regards,

Ed

 

Improving Team Performance and Developing Community Services for a Chiropractic Office

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This month we cover a couple of import topics, both of which can bring you more income if managed correctly: Chiropractic Staff Performance and Community Relations Marketing.

TEAM PERFORMANCE

How well does your staff perform their duties?

Studies show that there are 3 primary methods to improve performance:

  • Deliberate Practice
  • Expert Coaching
  • Family and social support.

Natural talent is a factor, but is never enough by itself and is often overrated.

So, how well does each member of your team perform?  Are they experts? Are they ready to teach their own seminars?

And how about your how team? How well do all of you work as a team? Will they go to the Super Bowl or World Series this year?

Your office responds to training like any athletic team or musical group. If the scoreboard shows that the numbers aren’t where they should be, then individual performance or team performance is a likely reason why.

What is the fast and economical solution? Training. Coaching.  This is something you and your office manager, and each team member can learn.

Team training is not done by just one person; it is done by the team. One member helps the other member, and back and forth until both improve.

Our webinar this week covers just this topic.

 10 Tips on How to Be An Effective Team Trainer

Tools and Tips for Fast Team Training That Pay Off

Thursday, March 8th, 12:30 CT

Don’t miss it. Excellent for Clinic Owners (CEO’s) and Office Managers.

 ===============

 COMMUNITY SERVICES: External Marketing

We all live in caves.

We live in a cave house. Then we get into our cave car and drive to our cave office and stay in our cave rooms.

Meanwhile, there is a whole world out there with thousands of people that need your care, but don’t know it.  And the main thing you have to do is to just … SHOW UP and do something.

What’s so hard about that?

You all have done screenings and you all have done some kind of external events: workshops, school presentations, visiting medical offices. The hard part is not the presentation. The most difficult (and it is not difficult) is getting these events scheduled.

Ideally, you should have your community services calendar scheduled with a few external events of one kind or another every month.

This is the subject of our next marketing webinar.

 Scheduling Effective External Events and Generating External Referrals

Learn how to schedule effective events in this short webinar.

Thursday, March 15th, 12:30 Central Time.

 

How to Register

For guests, you may register for all  of these webinars, plus full access to our extensive practice building library for one low introductory fee of $250/mo for all classes.

Guest Registration Form

For all active PMA clients register immediately for these classes at: Active Client Registration.  (Register for each webinar separately. You will automatically receive your special log-in access number where you can participate via computer, or by telephone only.)

If you’d like more information visit our website HERE, or contact Linda via email at Linda@pmaworks.com, or call her at: 888-762-8808

You can also download a calendar for upcoming webinars: LINK

Chiropractic Promotions for the New Year

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Seems like every office we talk to or visit these days is busy – crazy busy – with patients and computers and Christmas.

But the New Year is approaching – fast. 2012 only has 12 months and the first one starts in just about two weeks. And then, before you know it, it’s February and you are wondering what you should be doing for marketing and getting the word out about your services.

 

So as not to be left behind, you should begin the New Year with a strong marketing strategy.

 

Below are some fast tips to help get you started:

 

But first… PROJECT X-3. We are finishing adding the final components into our new 2012 program, temporarily called the Project X-3. This is just the working title and we will be announcing the new program soon with all the details. It is designed to help lift you and your practice onto and into a whole new level of prosperity and fulfillment in the New Year.

 

**Schedule Patients Now. Health Never Takes a Holiday. Poster. If you are active with PM&A, you can also find a customizable version on our Members site, along with other promotions under “monthly promotions.”

 

**External Referral Sources and Event Locations. Make a list of every location where you participated in a promotional type of event. Include any business or professional that sent you a referral or helped you in some way. Then, make sure you send each a card or a gift, or just stop by and wish them well and that you look forward to continued relationship with them in the New Year.

 

**Marketing Meeting. Schedule a thorough marketing meeting soon, maybe right after Christmas. Spend a couple of hours making a list of what has worked and what you want to do and then schedule these things over the next several months. One example we recommend is:

 

**Be an Authority and Educate. People want health care information.  This is proven by the fact that 80% of Internet users search for health information on line, according to PEW Research.  8 out of every 10 people at some time are looking for health information when they go to the Internet. That is significant.

…2 ways to do this is to schedule workshops and health “awareness weeks” for the New Year. People want to know the latest. This gives you an opportunity to teach. Yes, you do have to do your homework and it takes time. But it is time well spent because as you study and prepare, you will find that you will become motivated about your subject. Besides, at least 1/3 of your presentation can be your spinal care class, so this saves you time. These types of community education programs or services not only help you generate direct new patients, but give you an excuse to promote your office and services. Sample Poster Clients can find many more customizable posters and fliers on the Members site under: Marketing Materials/ Community Education.

You can find more ideas about upcoming promotions to start your New Year here. Link

 

Best wishes for a high volume 2012!

 

Ed

“Thank You” to All of You Who Work in the Chiropractic Profession

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It is that time of year when we take a moment to give thanks and in so doing, we want to say “Thank You” to you.

Thank You Very “Doggone” Much as a matter of fact. Thank you for all you do to care for and help your patients.

You all are part of a great profession that helps millions of people each day. And because of you, chiropractic and the chiropractic way of life has persisted and grown and is now more accepted than ever before.

You are braver than most, work harder than most and genuinely care more for your patients than perhaps other care professionals are allowed to. It could be said that you are the best defense against a drugged zombied society, but it is definitely true that your loving care helps much more than you have been recognized for.

So, just a note to say that we are grateful for all you do.

“THANKS”

“Highway to Health Summer” Tour 2011 with Dr. Billy DeMoss, Founder of the Dead Chiropractor Society

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It’s summer. Time to get away… and spend the weekend getting high on chiropractic and just relaxing.

 

Join us Friday evening, August 19th, in Appleton WI as we celebrate chiropractic with Dr. Billy DeMoss, founder of the Dead Chiropractic Society and CALJAM, the yearly music festival and seminar program that is lighting up the chiropractic profession.

Billy D will rock your world with a rip roaring presentation Friday evening, August 19 at the Paper Valley Hotel in Appleton, WI.

Saturday morning there will be a special presentation for staff (and doctors) with Phyllis Frase, Internationally renown staff trainer and practice development coach.

Later, you can go for a walk to the local farmers market, catch a free concert, or just walk by the Fox River and enjoy a beautiful summer day in Wisconsin – all while inspired again about chiropractic.

The Apple Valley Hotel is a deluxe resort on the north side of Lake Winnebago in Central WI, located next to the beautiful Fox River. With many amenities, it is a great family destination as well as nice for those who just want to get away from it all.

Date, Time, Location
Friday, August 19, 7-10pm
Dr. Billy DeMoss: “Highway to Health Tour”

Saturday, August 20, 8-10am
Phyllis Frase: “How to Be A Rock Star C.A.”

Paper Valley Hotel — LINK
333 W. College Avenue, Appleton WI 54911
Hotel Reservations: 1-800-394-7046 US/Canada Toll-free
Telephone (920) 733-8000

—Hotel Information…. Special room rate of $99.00. Will be extended for the weekend if you wish.

Price of Admission – and Registration

Fees double at the door. Space limited so register now.

Dr. Billy DeMoss:
PM&A Client: $25  Per person, doctors and staff
Not an active PM&A client, just $35 – Per Person, doctors and staff

Ms. Phyllis Frase:
PM&A client – no charge  –  Just let us know who is coming by sending us an email at services@pmaworks.com or faxing us at 1-877-868-0909
 Not a PM&A client:  $25 per person

To register, click the registration form, open the file, print it, complete it and fax it back to us at: 1-877-868-0909  Registration form.

The 6th Fear

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Chiropractors:  I think it might be time for a pep talk…

Have you been keeping up with the news lately? It’s hard not to.

Egypt, Tunisia, and now Libya recently had swift moving revolutions that resulted in regime change – all in the last few months. And other Middle East countries are also rumbling with protests.

Meanwhile, back in the States, our federal government doesn’t seem to have enough money and our representatives are threatening with a government “shutdown.” And next door here, in the Middle West, Wisconsin, there are thousands of people protesting around our state capital.

That’s a LOT of commotion!

So, how’re your patients doing with all of this? Are they worried? Is their pay getting cut? Are they loosing their jobs? Do they have jobs?

And how about you? Are you staying up watching the news, reading about it, discussing it? Are you worried? How is your income?

We need to be accurately informed about current events, of course.  Unfortunately, we sometimes become so distracted that we can loose sight of what we are doing and let our businesses suffer.

A few years ago when the stock market plummeted, I received phone calls from doctors who were worried. One, who had been doing very well, was thinking about selling her office entirely. Another doctor who also had been doing well, let his practice numbers nose dive as he become mesmerized by the “news”, and was worried about racial riots and internment camps.

There is no doubt that economic conditions have been changing. But it has been our experience that if you constantly work on improving your services and in developing your business, and yourself, you will do just fine. (Good coaching helps too!)

BEST EVER
Last year, many of the offices we had the privilege work with had their best year ever. Most of them, in fact, had been in business for 15 to 25 years. I can think of 3 just off hand that have hit the “waiting list” category. They have reached near capacity with so many patients that they have to schedule new patients 1 week out. Horrible, I know, but very cool too.

DOING RIGHT
Success in this environment can be had. You can have it. You may have to change your past mode of operation, but you too can achieve it. It can be obtained by doing the right things, and doing those things right through a process of constant improvement. We call this the Practice Development Process.

BEING RIGHT
But to get what you want, you have to not only improve what you do, but improve who you are. You have to improve your outlook, your skills, and your personal habits. Success has much to do with how we view the world and what we put our attention on. As one old time doctor mentioned to me years ago, “success is an inside job.” By “inside”, he was referring to one’s thoughts and attitudes. He could talk: he and his doctors were seeing over 2,000 visits per week for years.

WORDS OF SUCCESS DURING TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES
We have been going through what has been called the Great Recession.  Many patients are worried about their jobs and their money.

Napoleon Hill wrote “Think and Grow Rich” in 1937 during the Great Depression as a result of studying and working with successful leaders, including President Roosevelt.  It continues to be a best seller, perhaps the most popular motivational book of all time. In it he says:

“It is true that all thought has a tendency to clothe itself in its physical equivalent. … “The people of America began to think of poverty following the Wall Street crash of 1929. Slowly but surely that mass thought was crystallized into its physical equivalent which was known as a depression.”

THE 6TH FEAR
The thought that creates this depression, according to Hill, is fear. Hill talked about 6 types of fears, the worst of which is the fear of poverty. The other 5 were criticism, ill health, loss of love of someone, old age, and death.

“The Fear of Poverty is without doubt the most destructive of the 6 basic Fears.“

Hill states that one of the symptoms of fear of poverty is procrastination.

DO IT NOW
So, this is a pep talk to encourage you that there has never been a better time to grow your practice and expand your business.

Your patients need your leadership to help them with their own fears so that they can become more productive. By improving their health and educating them on the chiropractic lifestyle, their chances of succeeding in their lives increases. You and your team help them, their families and the community. You make a difference.

So, do it now. Increase your promotion. Stream line your procedures. Work on team training and improve your service. Plan your expansion for this year.  Schedule a technique class. Read more. Work out more.  Get enlivened with your purpose as a chiropractor.

New office? New doctor? Why not? People need chiropractic care now more than ever. And chiropractic has never been more popular. Even the quarterback for the winning football team of the Super Bowl gets regular chiropractic adjustments. (Naturally, since his dad is a D.C.)

Work with a practice building coach and get in the game – to win!

As Napoleon Hill says:

“Do it now! can affect every phase of your life. It can help you do the things you should do but don’t feel like doing. It can keep you from procrastinating when an unpleasant duty faces you. But it can also help you do those things that you want to do. It helps you seize those precious moments that, if lost, may never be retrieved.”

Fight the fear and the procrastination by just doing it. And soon, you too will be achieving your best ever again.

#  #  #

P.S. Napoleon Hill was a chiropractic patient.  One report has it that B.J. Palmer was his chiropractor. Both men thrived during tough economic times. Here is an interesting story about Hill and chiropractic. LINK

Old movie of Nap Hill. 7 minutes. LINK

Every Morning

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Before you start each day in your chiropractic office, you have a chance to make a decision about how you are going to take the day on.

The day won’t wait for you.  It comes at you pretty fast.  You either embrace it and impose your will and game plan upon it, or hide somewhere and pretend to be a spectator.   But even still, the day will move to night and you will have had your chance to make a difference for yourself, your patients, your practice, and your family.  You won’t be able to have that particular chance again.  It is gone.  You will get a new day, however, and new morning and a new chance to make decision about how you are going to take this new day on.

This is why the old adage, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy wealthy and wise”  is so true.  Also, there is: “The early bird catches the worm.”

But one of my favorites follows the traditions and natural laws of nature:

Africa

“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.  It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up.  It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve.  It doesn’t matter whether you’re a lion or gazelle – when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.”

Are you running yet?

(For a desk tent poster of this quote that you can download and print: Link )

Edmund Fitzgerald

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November 11, 2010
Whitefish Bay, WI

35 years ago, this morning, the news was coming over the radio that the night before the ship called the Edmund Fitzgerald sank, taking all 29 crewmen with her.

It had departed from Superior, Wisconsin and got caught in a violent storm.  She sank in Lake Superior, just 17 miles from the safety of Whitefish Bay, Michigan.

A few months later Gordon Lightfoot wrote a song in commemorating the sinking.

“…When supper time came the old cook came on deck
Saying fellows it’s too rough to feed ya
At 7PM a main hatchway caved in
He said fellas it’s been good to know ya.

“The Captain wired in he had water coming in
And the good ship and crew was in peril
And later that night when his lights went out of sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”  (Gordon Lightfoot)

It is a fine song that gives tribute to the death of 29 men: sons, husbands and fathers.  Kind of a sad song, really, and a little ghostly.

But living here in the Midwest around these Great Lakes, I think there is a positive meaning we can take from this anniversary.

Sailors are tough people. The saying once was: “Men of iron, ships of wood.” They are courageous and self reliant. They risk the security of the land and take their lives in their own hands on a floating platform that moves over an unpredictable surface which can kill them at any time.   They only have themselves to count on whether they arrive at their destination or even stay alive.  They confront the elements face to face and there is no tolerance for excuses or mistakes.  The result of negligence is not an angry boss but the cold rocky grave of the water below.

While many stay sheltered in their shops along a harbor, sailors seek opportunities and set sail. They have goals and rely on their skill and initiative to arrive at their destinations.

Sometimes they may configure the ship incorrectly, plot a bad course, or out of nowhere, get hit by rogue waves.  And they may die. But at least they died seeking their goals.

This is a lesson of the Edmund Fitzgerald, at least for me.  Those 29 men knew the risks they were taking but were braving the storms and the security of the harbor to arrive at distant ports.

This week I visited a veteran doctor at his office whose numbers over the last few years have been crashing. He had recently gone through a bankruptcy and was now moping around his office feeling depressed and complaining about insurance cut backs, joblessness, and other woes.

We all have been in comparable situations of one type or another before. Maybe we made a wrong turn somewhere and tripped and fell and then held ourselves back out of fear. But the solution is not to restrain ourselves but to get back out and risk it all again.

As entrepreneurs and those of us in the chiropractic profession, I suggest we honor those sailors who have perished on this anniversary, and do so by getting out of whatever harbor we may find ourselves in and set sail.

A New Year is coming.  Where are YOU going to sail in this New Year? We suggest that you set some high and distant goals and start plotting your course now.

Consider this quote from Mark Twain:

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream.  (Mark Twain)

Safe travels and best regards.

Nice video with the song by Gordon Lightfoot: “Edmund Fitzgerald”LINK

carpe annum

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2010

What does that mean to you?

More money?
More time off?
Better service and care for your chiropractic patients and community?

Does it mean a new opportunity to pursue your special projects: the song you meant to write, the trip you planned to take, project with your family, the good deed you hoped to do?

It’s out there.  A New Year, another package of 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days. It is your playing field, your sand box, your canvass – it’s yours.

But it’s yours ONLY if you take it. Only if you grab it and get busy creating the life and practice and business you want. Otherwise, it will go by quickly while you aren’t looking.

It is a gift, really.  We take so much for granted, particularly us Americans. It is no wonder immigrants who start small businesses do better. They appreciate the gift of Opportunity.

If you don’t seize this year, guaranteed, the world will seize you… like it does to so many. Soon, you will be more concerned about the “economy”, “health care” “reform”, wars, and a million other distractions rather than on creating your own life. Or, you will just bury your head in work, and in a few years when you look up, you will be 55 years old, or 65, or 75, and wonder what the heck you did with your life.

So, our recommendation is to seize 2010, and each day it offers. Set goals and make plans to achieve them.

This is what we are doing. Our newsletters have been a little thin lately only because we have been putting together what we feel is the best program of chiropractic practice building services ever for 2010. All to help you achieve your goals faster.

We are grateful for this chance to help you and we appreciate your trust. We admire the service and care you provide as doctors of chiropractic and chiropractic professionals. But, to be honest, we don’t do it just for you. We do it so that you can help more people become healthy through chiropractic care. And perhaps even more, so that they can be healthy by adopting a chiropractic lifestyle and getting their family and friends to do likewise.

So, here it comes.                                                                        2010.

Go seize the year and make it your own.

Carpe Annum
Marketing through the Holidays and into the New Year
A number of doctors wanted to get the notes from our teleclass on marketing. Here is the link.

Chiropractic Marketing Tips for The Holidays And The Start of the New Year

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Due to popular demand,  I am posting notes from our October teleclass on marketing over the Holidays.

Teleclass Outline with Ed Petty  — Notes

All marketing is broken down to:

1.    Procedures. These are either special, one time events, or standard recurring. Some have the purpose of immediate results (direct marketing), some more long term (indirect marketing).

2.    Motivation. Desire. Wanting to implement these procedures. (Discipline.)

3.    Marketing management.  Review, Planning, Implementation.

Motivation: You are listening (or reading this) so you are motivated.  But you have to get others motivated as well. You have to get and stay inspired.  It is Ok to be a cheerleader.  What’s wrong with a little cheer? And the more you cheer.. the more you find to cheer about!

The  Marketing Manager System:

  • Meeting weekly: Review/make plans/Implement (assign steps/dates)
  • Who is responsible and responsible for what
  • Calendar Special Promotions/Events
  • Checklist of Recurring Procedures/Events

 

Procedures: Special events/promotions

NOVEMBER

  • Holiday Turkeys (Care to Share) (Ham for Christmas)
  • Donation Programs: Shelters, Toys for Tots, Coats for Kids, Food for Families
  • Scheduling Patients over the Holidays. (Plan ahead so they keep up with their care.)

DECEMBER

  • GNO (Girls Night Out/ Shop Before You Drop)
  • Gift coupons
  • Saturday with Santa
  • Poinsettias (with gift coupons)
  • Planning, training – sharpen the saw.
  • Do scheduling for new year: “Flexibility Screenings” with gyms,  lunch and Learns with businesses
  • Gifts for Allies  and those who referred: Box of nuts, organic flowers, cups, pens, caps, t-shirts. Cards.

JANUARY

  • Lending Library: Supersize Me, Fast Food Nation, King Corn, Sugar Blues, Food Inc. End of Overeating
  • Workshop on Nutrition and Fitness
  • Annual Reactivation Program
  • External Workshops, Screenings, and networking

FEB

  • Doctor’s With A Heart Donation Program
  • Have a Heart – Oklahaven Children’s Chiropractic Center – link
  • Valentine’s Gift Coupons

MARCH

  • Leprechaun Appreciation Day (Kid’s Day) link

Procedures: Recurring

Community Education: Talks or Awareness Weeks

  • Nov: Flu
  • Jan  Feb Food, Supplements/ Fast food Series —  With  a Dietitian and a trainer. February: Heart Heath- blood pressure
  • March: Headache Awareness Week

Communication Channels

  • Newsletter
  • Email Newsletters – NEW SERVICE FOR 2010 – We will do this for all clients on Standard Management Programs or higher.
  • Press Releases
  • Ads on other special newsletters: Chamber of Commerce, YMCA, Church Bulletins
  • Web site/Face Book – Fan /LinkedIn

Internal Recurring:

  • Morning case management meetings – (include a joke.)
  • Staff meetings
  • Patient Success Stories, Upbeat Atmosphere:  Take a “vibe check”:  too seriousness or pleasant can welcoming atmosphere. Where’s the party?
  • Spinal Care Class
  • Whiteboard
  • Brochures
  • Staff education
  • WOC (Whip out card)
  • Mission

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

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[to download a PDF version: download]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

# # #

[to download a PDF version: download]

Spring and Meaning

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Spring.

And almost three months into the New Year.

It was just 3 months ago when the New Year began. What about those goals you set? Those resolutions you made? How are you doing on achieving them?

You know, it is just amazing, working with the great doctors and staffs that we do. It is so evident that success is so attainable. It is just peeking around the corner, waiting for you to do just that next key action that will propel your office to pick up the speed needed to take you to the next level.

One doctor we are working with, after being in practice nearly 20 years, is hitting his best ever days and highest ever weeks this month. His staff have been emailing us their successes as if they are texting us from a rock concert!

We live for this stuff, by the way – your successes. Many times after years of gradual improvements, it is so gratifying to see an office take off with stability.

Another doctor who has been in practice for years has been breaking collections records. And volume…seems like it is nothing to have a 1000 visit month – with many if not most new patients coming in from referrals.  One doctor we work with routinely sees over 1000 visits each month, and each month works with his colleagues and associates to help them hit their best-evers. Another doctor had over 150 on the books for him to see yesterday (Wednesday).

From our perspective, it looks like chiropractic is having a renaissance.

Of course, this is not the case with all of our clients. Some are still laying foundations for future growth. Success can come, but sometimes only after years of implementing the right procedures.

But what are these “right procedures”, and where do you look? Insurance department, clinic management and organization, marketing?

Some of you may feel that you are in a rut,  that you and your practice are stuck. If so, take heart and have hope. Things can change and you can do better. We have seen it happen with many doctors in these last three months.

There are so many distractions in our lives, and many of them are negative and disheartening. Demoralizing. Frightening. Discouraging. Yet, we see doctors who have been stuck, finally get things going and do better. After years of stagnation, we see them do their best ever.

Practice development success is dependent on the quality of your systems and organization.  That’s 50%

What’s the other 50%?

Part II

The other 50% is an “Inside Job.”  That is, your success is dependent upon the structure of your office, but also on the function of your behavior. The quality, and quantity, of your energy, your attitude, and your creativity is easily 50% the cause of your success, or not.

So, if your numbers are down, you should spend half your time improving your systems, and half your time…improving yourself.

Are you frightened stiff? Have you developed “hardening of the attitudes”? Are you resentful, a seething caldron of anger? Do you feel burned out, frustrated, or feel like you just can not make the changes needed?  Believe me, this manifests one way or another in your practice. And in all areas of your life.

We all experience these feelings, among others, at times. Sometimes they are acute. But after you have been in business for a while, you may not even notice that you have become less than enthusiastic about practice.

Yet, even if you were locked up in solitary confinement, you would still have the power of choice. You could still be creative.  Even if you were shackled, starved, beaten, imprisoned, you could still find meaning and purpose in your life.

This is the basis of an entire branch of psychology as developed by a former prisoner of the Nazi death camps, Victor Frankl. His observations lead him to identify what he saw as the basic principles of living, including:

  1. “Life has meaning under all circumstances, even the most miserable ones.
  2. “Our main motivation for living is our will to find meaning in life.”

Successful people have meaning in their lives.

If you can find purpose and meaning in this very moment, in this day, with your next patient, with this year, your probability of success will be greatly increased. More importantly, you will find that what you are doing is more satisfying.

Fear will vanish, hardened attitudes will become flexible, and your energy will return.

Structural changes will need to take place, of course. Better clinic systems and organizational procedures will then take you to the top. And keep you there.

We can help with all of these, by the way. But you should know and be reassured that chiropractic is happening. It is hip, it is popular, and it is growing, probably more so now than ever before.

Naysayers say otherwise to promote their goods or services. They are sell outs. Don’t buy what they are peddling. Chiropractors have always been challenged and it is actually what has helped you be strong and survive.  Insurance cutbacks are not new.

After more than 20 years in business,  we are still amazed each day when we hear of the stories patients tell of their success.

Chiropractic works. It has, does, and will for at least the rest of this year. So, find your meanings and purposes, get help to upgrade your clinic procedures and organization, and make those yearly goals you set for 2008.

Heck — why not beat them and make this year your best ever?

Spring has its own meaning, its own purpose: to grow and create. This can be your purpose too.

Every moment, every day. Right now.