Dear Doctor:
I was talking with a young doctor last week, who complained of his struggles in building the practice he wanted. He couldn’t understand how he could be such a good person and a good doctor and have such trouble attracting new patients, while others he knew in town, with what he perceived to be less clinical skill and relatively questionable ethics, were getting ahead.
This is a common trap for chiropractors. Yes, of course it’s important to deliver for your patients, both in the adjusting room and in your relationship with them. But the difference that makes the difference, the reason why some make it and some don’t, is based on a “C” word — you may be thinking “commitment” or ““consistency,” or maybe “communication” or even “congruency” — but the real determining factor is actually… your capacity.
It may not seem very glamorous, but there is a fundamental fact in practice-building that, when understood and applied, will revolutionize your approach — you can’t get nine ounces into an eight ounce glass. If your practice has topped out at any particular volume, large or small, the cause is the same — it’s because in some way you have reached your maximum capacity. Somewhere in your procedures or your concept about the practice and yourself, you have gotten to the end of your resources, and as such, the answer to continuous growth is to identify the place or places where you are restricted and open them up. Just like correcting a subluxation, the idea is to allow the natural and normal flow of success and abundance, which needs no help…just no interference.
Now, sometimes the bottleneck is in the mechanics of running your practice, such as ineffective scheduling, an indecisive report of findings, spotty patient education, inconsistent financial policies or weak marketing. In situations like these, addressing the issue should cause an increase, if and only if those mechanical solutions are the root cause of the stall in volume. Yes, sometimes all you need to do is find one of these weaker areas and improve it, and you’ll see the volume start to grow again.
But sometimes, the challenge is more esoteric — lack of confrontational tolerance, diminished passion for chiropractic, flimsy leadership or a poverty consciousness can undermine even the most conscientious efforts to grow.
This is one of the reasons we believe it’s so important to evaluate your practice objectively — because it’s too easy to develop “blind spots” to the typical and habitual limitations that may be holding you back. Whether it’s in a master mind format with colleagues you trust and respect, or in a more formal coaching relationship, getting feedback from a reliable source can help you refocus and recognize the weaker areas, which must be addressed if you are to realize your dream.
Do a thorough analysis of your practice and yourself, and see if you can find some areas that need attention. Either at the “do” level, including the type and number of new patients you attract, the way you train them to comply, and the manner in which you handle the money, or at the “be” level, based on your identity and the philosophy by which you practice, there may be any number of “glitches” or stumbling blocks. Locate these weaker areas and handle them, and growth will surely follow.
Dennis Perman DC, for The Masters Circle
PS Have your registered for our New Jersey seminar this weekend? Well, what are you waiting for, you’re going to miss Bruce Lipton PhD, who will amplify your belief in chiropractic with his brilliant scientific presentation. Please call 800-451-4514
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