Tag Archives: Medical Seminar

Five Easy to Implement Steps to a Great Life and Practice

Leave a reply

Why does it have to be so hard to earn a living, I love what I do? I hear that question a lot these days. Here is the great news, it doesn’t have to be hard at all. What if I told you that building a practice that is ethical, legal, integrity-based and fun is easy to do? You wouldn’t believe me because it has been soooo hard to this point, correct?

Stop spinning your wheels and begin acting like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Click your heels three times and repeat there is no place like home. You will find just like Dorothy you were home and had the power to do everything you ever wanted all the time. The POWER IS WITHIN YOU, NOT IN THE NEXT NEW PATIENT GIMMICK!

Read on and follow the action steps below. Do each step for 30 days and see what happens…There is no place like home!

1. Get spiritual. You don’t have to get religious but get spiritual. Spirituality calms the mind, elicits faith, and gives you clarity of purpose. When you do everything to evolve your highest purpose, your highest self you will find your entire world changes for the better. I used to think this esoteric thinking was crap. Let me tell you from one who has been on both sides of the fence…”it ain’t crap”.

2. Determine your purpose, vision, and mission statements. These will be your guiding light. When you act in accordance to your highest purpose nothing can go wrong. Most doctors have a tough time here. Let me assure you, your purpose is not to earn a bazillion dollars. However, when you work for your purpose it’s amazing how a bazillion dollars becomes the by-product.

3. Do things from a position of love not fear. Fear will eat you alive and kill you. Fear will destroy your hopes and dreams. faith is the opposite of fear. You need to develop that un-shakeable faith. Read books, engage with a mentor, but learn how to turn that fear around. It can be done! I can assure you with 100% certainty when faith replaces fear your whole world (business, money, relationships, health, happiness, and spirituality) will all run with effortless ease.

4. Have gratitude. When you are grateful and act from a position of gratitude it is amazing how “lucky” you become. When your “competitor” down the street has 100’s of cars in her parking lot are you really happy for her or are you jealous? Be truthful. If you are jealous, why not be happy for her because she is helping sick and suffering people? Don’t worry there are plenty of sick and suffering people to go around. Have gratitude and watch yourself gain altitude!
5. Decide right now that you are tired of not having or achieving what you want. Then either create the steps to get what you want. If you don’t know what to do get some self-help books or Click here to get a free no-obligation coaching session and see what professional business coaching can do for you and your practice. When you decide that you are ready to change, it is amazing how things line up in your favor.

Stop procrastinating and making excuses. Aren’t you tired of the same struggles? Learn how to effectively end them for good. I don’t have a 100% money back guarantee policy for nothing. My methods work and they work well. Learn how I can help you.

I wish that everyone who is reading this blog understands that you have the power to create anything in your life that you want. once you understand that basic premise and act accordingly you won’t be able to contain the successful growth of your practice and life.

In eleven years, I haven’t seen one practice that did the steps above and that utilized our procedures that failed to grow their practice. Why am I so confident (100% certainty) that these tips will create better growth and a more successful and fun practice? Two reasons: (1) I coach practitioners just like you everyday and have seen excellent, duplicatable results and (2) Every single day I get a call, email or text from an existing client telling me that since they implemented these procedures and suggestions, they have more money than they ever had before; they love their staff; they are having more fun in practice; or they had a record day in office visits. Or, they had a record week in collections. Or, they had a record month across the board! Please don’t take my word for it. Click here and find out for yourself how I can help you grow your practice ethically, legally and with integrity; get more free time and have fun again. The coaching session is free and without obligation. We have payment plans that will allow virtually EVERYBODY AND ANYBODY the ability to afford my services. Get to the next level and beyond. Stop wishing, praying and hoping and take the meaningful step that will get you to where you want to be.

40 Things You Absolutely Do Not Want to be Doing to your Practice-Don’t Do These!

Leave a reply

With continued decreases in insurance reimbursements, and more slated to come for next year, more practitioners are feeling stressed.

Here is the great news. Those practitioners who understand how capitalize on the shift from low deductible and low co-pays to a high deductible, high co-pay model are going to Thrive! This new shift in responsibility will be the best thing to hit health care once you learn how to play the new game.

Our client’s have been taught this new game and as a result their income has grown on average 165% since 2008.

Our clients choose to use our services because we generate fantastic results, have no long-term contracts, offer a 100% money back guarantee and bring new strategies to the table in marketing, patient communication, and the business of running a practice.

The article below will outline 40 proven practice killers. Take an inventory of the list and cease any of the actions on that list. Next you must create a plan that will give you consistent growth by helping you to attract the best buyers in your market. This must be coupled with procedures that include education of your patient so they understand and want to incorporate the “big picture of health”. Lastly your plan must include business skills that will lessen your debt and start you saving for retirement.

The time is now to make the changes. You deserve to stop living in fear and doubt. 99% of my clients probably started just like you. Hating the idea of being coached; hating the idea of spending money; and hating the idea of doing things differently. I also understand because I was once in your shoes too! You may click here to hear their specific and amazing stories. 

The following list will outline guaranteed practice killers. If you are inadvertently doing or not doing any of these, you may want to make the correction immediately.

1. You have no specific marketing plan

2. You are not spending present time consciousness with your patients (PTC)

3. You are visualizing what you don’t want instead of what you do want

4. You have a poverty consciousness

5. You don’t read enough

6. You are in a constant state of fear

7. You do not train your staff

8. You do not have written goals

9. You are still using procedures that are old and have not been modified to reflect the present economy

10. You do not have a team of trusted advisers

11. You do not run or know how to read financial statements

12. You do not know how to create a budget

13. You do not understand business principles

14. You are not organized

15. Your consultation and report of findings is too long

16. You do not understand how to strategically market

17. Nobody is holding you accountable

18. Your own health habits are questionable

19. You are not innovative

20. You do not have PVA skills and procedures in place

21. You fail to get out of your office to meet new people

22. You do not teach your patients in a systematic way about the “big picture of health”

23. You are not using modern technology

24. You are frustrated

25. You are burnt out

26. You are apathetic

27. You don’t donate time and or money

28. Your associate is not a profit center

29. Your staff is not a profit center

30. You do not know how to control expenses

31. You have credit card debt

32. You are unprepared to pay your taxes

33. You live paycheck to paycheck

34. You wish you never became a Health Care Provider

35. You do not have written goals

36. You do not look at your written goals daily

37. You waste time and procrastinate

38. You are not happy

39. You don’t get adjusted

40. You do not wake up happy

In all the years that I have been coaching practitioners just like you, I haven’t seen one practice that stopped doing the steps above and that utilized our procedures that failed to grow their practice. Why am I so confident (100% certainty) that these tips will create better growth and a more successful and fun practice? Two reasons: (1) I coach practitioners just like you everyday and have seen excellent, duplicatable results and (2) Every single day I get a call, email or text from an existing client telling me that since they implemented these procedures and suggestions, they have more money than they ever had before; they love their staff; they are having more fun in practice; or they had a record day in office visits. Or, they had a record week in collections. Or, they had a record month across the board! Please don’t take my word for it. Click here and find out for yourself by receiving a free and without obligation 1 on 1 practice analysis and business strategy session. Learn where the weaker areas are in your practice and get a plan that you can implement immediately. Get more free time and have fun again. The strategy session is free. We have payment plans that will allow virtually EVERYBODY AND ANYBODY the ability to afford my services. Get to the next level and beyond. Stop wishing, praying and hoping and take the meaningful step that will get you to where you want to be.

How to Consistently Grow Your Practice In a Good or Bad Economy

Leave a reply

Best Practice Ahead

 

Our clients are up over 150% since 2008 for a reason. They know what they need to learn and they train their staff and themselves so they master the material. You may use the following outline as a checklist of skill-sets that either you have already mastered; or skill-sets that you will need to master.

The key to growing a practice in any economy is knowing and understanding the micro and macro-economics coupled with good procedures, training, and accountability. Consistency is key!

The following are the top seventy areas that our clients learn to master.

  1. Building a solid infrastructure for the practice
  2. Paperwork
  3. Intake procedures
  4. Telephone procedures
  5. Insurance verification
  6. Advanced testing (speciality practices)
  7. Advanced testing paper work
  8. Consultation
  9. ROF
  10. Recall
  11. Re-exam
  12. PVA skill building
  13. Big picture thinking
  14. Stategic-Based Marketing
  15. Heuristic Marketing Equation
  16. Buying Funnel
  17. Ideal Patient
  18. Creation of a Unique Value Proposition (UVP)
  19. Creation of Budgets
  20. Creation of campaign follow-up
  21. Creation of strategic-based marketing campaigns
  22. Tracking of campaigns
  23. Branding
  24. Staff
  25. Expectation management
  26. Organization
  27. Duties and job description of staff
  28. Training and cross-training
  29. Role playing
  30. Trouble-shooting
  31. Advanced personality typing
  32. Team Building
  33. Communication skills
  34. Staff management
  35. Manuals
  36. Procedures
  37. Office policy
  38. Accounting and insurance
  39. Quick-books
  40. Insurance processing
  41. Compliancy
  42. HIPPA
  43. Generation of financial documents and how to read them
  44. Profit and Loss (P&L)
  45. Balance Sheet
  46. Cash disbursements
  47. Bank Reconciliation
  48. Finances
  49. Debt Management
  50. Wealth Management
  51. Investing
  52. Retirement Planning
  53. Asset protection
  54. Patient Management
  55. How to handle objections
  56. Understanding the patient’s real problem
  57. How to communicate in their language
  58. Personal Growth and development
  59. Affirmations
  60. Visualizations
  61. Journal writing
  62. Goal setting
  63. Accountability
  64. Organization
  65. Balance between practice and family life
  66. Clinical skill-sets
  67. Techniques that deliver spectacular clinical results
  68. Cash-based services
  69. How to get more free time to spend with family
  70. How to take at least 3 vacations per year

In ten years, I haven’t seen one practice that trained and utilized the above procedures that failed to grow their practice. Why am I so confident (100% certainty) that these tips will create better growth and a more successful and fun practice? Two reasons: (1) I utilize this training outline everyday and have seen it work with excellent, duplicatable results and (2) Every single day I get a call, email or text from an existing client telling me that since they implemented these procedures and suggestions, they have more money than they ever had before; they love their staff; they are having more fun in practice; or they had a record day in office visits. Or, they had a record week in collections. Or, they had a record month across the board! Please don’t take my word for it. Click here and find out for yourself how I can help you grow your practice ethically, legally and with integrity; get more free time and have fun again. The consultation is free. We have payment plans that will allow virtually EVERYBODY AND ANYBODY the ability to afford my services. Get to the next level and beyond. Stop wishing, praying and hoping and take the meaningful step that will get you to where you want to be.

Click here or click the book cover below to get a free E-Book.

 

Five Action Steps Cover

How to Best Train Your Staff

Leave a reply

Happy Staff

Your staff can literally make or break your practice. The main reason that the majority of practices that I coach have inefficient staff is because of no training or poor training.

Doctor if you pull nothing else from this newsletter, please get this. Like it or not, if you want a great staff then you are going to have to spend A LOT of time training your staff. You have two choices: 1. Train them yourself or 2. Pay to have them trained. If you pay to have them trained I would highly recommend that you invest in personal one on one or personal group training instead of DVD’s or manuals. The reason for that is every one of your staff has a unique personality. That personality is best worked with live instead of through DVD’s or manuals.

Here is an outline that you can use which is how I go about training staff:

  1. Answering the phone and knowing the 9 different type’s of phone inquries to expect
  2. Recall procedures that tie directly and seamlessly to the Doctors ROF which gets amazing results
  3. Reactivation procedures that don’t harass and anger patients
  4. Scheduling procedures that engage the patient and actually work
  5. Office flow from new patient intake to discharge
  6. How to handle any and all objections
  7. How to motivate your staff to refer to the office (without bonuses)
  8. Expectation management of the patient
  9. Advanced communications
  10. Personality typing-know who you are talking to in under 30 seconds

In ten years, I haven’t seen one practice that trained and utilized the above suggestions that did not have an amazing staff. Why am I so confident (100% certainty) that these tips will create a better staff and a more successful practice? Two reasons: (1) I utilize this training outline everyday and have seen it work with excellent, duplicatable results and (2)Every single day I get a call, email or text from an existing client telling me that since they implemented these procedures and suggstions, they love their staff, or they had a record day in office visits. Or, they had a record week in collections. Or, they had a record month across the board! Please don’t take my word for it. Click here and find out for yourself how I can help you grow your practice ethically, legally and with integrity; get more free time and have fun again. The consultation is free. We have payment plans that will allow virtually EVERYBODY AND ANYBODY the ability to afford my services. Get to the next level and beyond. Stop wishing, praying and hoping and take the meaningful step that will get you to where you want to be.

Click here or click the book cover below to get a free E-Book.

 

Five Action Steps Cover

Why Health Care Providers have Difficulty Getting Paid

Leave a reply

images (2)

If you are having difficulty getting paid for your services then you need to evaluate where the problem lies. Once you determine where the problem lies, you need to create a solution. Many of you will answer that the problem is with the insurance companies. As my clients have learned, you must take the problem head on and never give up.

Now I am not suggesting or saying that you must run a cash practice. Far from that, although I am a big fan of a cash practice. What I am saying is you need to identify the problem and then come up with a workable solution that ends the problem. If the insurance companies are your problem, what will you do to fix it? The following steps should help you.

1. Take responsibility for your plight. When a new client begins coaching and starts telling me how unfair life is and the insurance companies are criminal… I stop him and teach him that HE or SHE is responsible for their practice not the insurance company or the town they are in. Once the person stops being the victim they can work on action steps to change things. If you are still blaming the sun and the moon for all of your problems you will never be able to take the first step and that is Take responsibility for your plight.

2. Stop trying to do everything on your own. Ever hear the old adage, an attorney who uses himself as an attorney, has a fool for a client? You did not go to school to become a marketing guru or a CEO. You went to school to get sick people well. Please don’t get me wrong, everyone who is reading this article has the ability to become a master marketer or CEO, however it takes time, money and a learning curve to do so. I too went to school to learn how to get sick patients well. How did I become good at strategic-based marketing? The skills were not acquired by myself or by trial and error. I invested lots of time and lots of money($200,000 + ) to learn the skills. Why did I invest the time and money? That was the solution that I needed to be able to make my practices and businesses thrive.

Don’t be afraid to Invest time and money to acquire the skills that will allow you to reach the goals that you set. If you are going to do it on your own or by trial and error, there is high probability that you will spend and waste more time and money than if you hired the right professional and did it right.

3. Get someone to hold you accountable. All human beings have fantastic potential provided that they follow through on doing the action steps that they say they will do. 95% of those same human beings are unable to hold them self accountable and thus fail to do the action steps that will allow them to achieve their goals.

I am no different than you. I have three separate coaches that hold me accountable to doing the things that I say I will do.(These coaches come at a huge investment too) The results…Life is great. I am very fortunate, not lucky to have a terrific wife, kids, and thriving businesses. Fortunate not lucky because I literally work my butt off everyday and love every minute of it; to get the results that I get. I have great coaches who help me, guide me, and hold me accountable.

I tell you this not to brag, but to show you that if I can do it you can too. Believe me, I am not smarter or better looking than you. What I do possess as Chet Holmes says is Pigheaded discipline. I have invested much time and money in learning new skills that work over and over again; and I care deeply about the results that I help my clients obtain. I have failed many times and each time I dust myself off and make it better till I get it right. YOU CAN DO IT TOO!! Click here to set up a free consultation with me

4. Don’t Ever Give Up. What would have happened if the Wright Brothers, Dwight Eisenhower, DD Palmer, or Colonel Sanders gave up? The world would be vastly different wouldn’t it? If you give up, your world, your patients’ world and everyone that they come in contact with, world would be vastly different too. Pushing on, getting the right advisers, and making your life and practice work are the only options.

5. If you want to get paid, you must posses the following:

a. Certainty

b. An identity

c. A consultation that creates value (Click here for free webinar)

d. Organization

e. Communication skills

f. Leadership skills

g. A report of findings that obtains a commitment

h. A well trained staff

i. Good financial skills

j. Strategic-based marketing

k. Procedures that are created in this economy

l. Someone to hold you accountable

m. Knowing how to run a business

n. An understanding of the Laws of Attraction

o. Banishment of Fear

p. Pig headed discipline

q. Knowing that you will thrive no matter what

Now is the time to act. Now is the time to get off of “someday isle” and take a new and better path. If you can’t grow your practice on your own, ask a friend, colleague, or call me. If you are considering hiring a coach, you may click here to read an article that will teach you how to choose the correct coach.

Click here to schedule a free consultation to learn about our very affordable custom coaching programs without contracts.

 

Click here or click the book cover below to get a free E-Book.

 

Five Action Steps Cover

How to Find and Train the Best Chiropractic Assistant

2 Replies

I wrote this article for The American Chiropractor in March of 2013.  If you are a Chiropractor (not a CA) reading this article, use the article to teach you what qualities to look for when you hire. Next when I describe to the CA how to improve her skill-sets you can use the information as a training guide. Enjoy the article!

 

After practicing for thirty-one years, I can honestly say that a well-trained Chiropractic Assistant is one of the most valuable assets that a practice can have.  Understand though, it is a two-way street. A poorly trained CA can be the largest liability to a practice.

In this economy it is vital that you, the CA, create ongoing value for your doctor. This will not only ensure the profitability of the practice but it will ensure job security for you.

Before I get into some of the specifics of the job, let’s investigate some of the general qualities that a top-notched CA will have. If you find some of the listed skill-sets or qualities are lacking, now is the time to start improving upon them.

To be a top-notched Chiropractic Assistant you, will want to start with these important qualities:

  1. Be a phenomenal people person. If you do not LOVE people this is the wrong job for you.
  2. You must have a great phone voice and a great phone presence.
  3. You must possess fantastic organization skills.
  4. You must be able to multi-task efficiently.
  5. You must be a team player and be able to get along with others.
  6. You must have confrontation skills. For example, you must be able to ask patients for payment.
  7. You must be likeable.
  8. You must portray empathy and a caring attitude.
  9. You must be genuinely interested in helping others.
  10. You must be a self-starter.
  11. You must be loyal to your doctor, practice, and team mates.
  12. You must be willing to smile until your face hurts.
  13. You must be able to detect and anticipate problems with patients.
  14. You must be willing to come early and stay late.
  15. You must be willing to do outside events, outside normal business hours.

Let’s go over how to improve your skill-sets so you can deliver better service to the patients.

  1. You should not have to be told how to be a great people person. That trait, you typically either have, or you don’t. To better facilitate those skills, genuinely put other people’s needs before your own. For example if you are just to take a bite out of your sandwich and the phone rings, a people person, will happily put their sandwich down to attend to the person on the phone.
  2. A great phone voice and presence is essential to being a great CA. Always answer the phone with a big smile on your face. Believe it or not the person on the other end can see that great big smile. Next, listen carefully to what the person needs and repeat back for confirmation. Then be a great people person and take care of their needs as you would like someone to take care of yours.
  3. Organization is the hallmark of success. To get better organized, have your desk 100% cleaned off every evening before you leave. That means that all of the day’s work must be completed that day. Don’t leave filing or insurance claims for tomorrow. Do everything the same day and watch how easy and effortless your job will become.
  4. If you can’t multi-task you should not work in a Chiropractic office. Working as a CA means that you should be able to answer the phone, while making copies and asking a patient to go into an adjusting room. If you are not good at multi-tasking, practice by doing several things at once. Start with having a phone conversation and filing. Or, have a phone conversation and make copies. Then move on to other tasks and practice doing them simultaneously. Here is the good news, anyone can learn to multi task with continued practice.
  5. Chiropractic practices are team player environments. If you can’t get along with others, a Chiropractic office is not the place to work. Remember, if you are a people person, working with other team mates becomes an easy task.
  6. Confrontation does not mean having a “knockem-dragem” out bloody fight. Confrontation by definition means the clashing of forces or ideas. To collect fee from patients, you sometimes must be able to clash your idea of “You need to pay for your services now”, vs. the patient’s idea of “I’ll pay you next week”. This is a very important skill to have, not only in the office but in life. A good way to develop this skill is to role play with your teammates.
  7. Being likable is easy. Smile and care about the other person while being selfless in your acts. Be kind and do the things that you say you will do, will make everyone like you.
  8. At all times a CA must portray a caring and empathetic attitude. Remember when people come to the office they are often in pain and not feeling their very best. This can cause people to become nasty. You must not take it personally but help your doctor with the healing process. A truly caring attitude complete with empathy (putting yourself in their shoes), will go a long way to helping that patient heal and having the patient feel good about you and the office.

 

  1. Chiropractic is a helping business. If you do not like to help people then you need to find another job. To get good at being a helping type of person all you need to do is put the other person’s needs first.

 

  1. A self-starter is someone who shows initiative. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes that is how we learn. Show your doctor that you are not afraid to lead and think outside the box and on raise day, you will be very happy.

 

  1. No matter what happens you must be loyal to your doctor and teammates. That is what makes a successful team. One for all and all for one. Live by that rule and your office will become a great source of security and joy.

 

  1. Healing begins with attitude. Nothing exudes a great attitude of caring than a genuine warm smile. Smiling can even help to heal yourself and others. Smile often and watch others smile back at you.

 

  1. You must be the eyes and ears for your doctor. Patients will tell you things that they are afraid to share with the doctor. You never want to break a patient’s confidence but you do need to alert your doctor if a patient is doing things, or might do things to harm their recovery.

 

  1. You will find that working in a Chiropractic office is not just a job. It becomes a way of life. You should be willing and able to come early and stay late.

 

  1. Outside events and lectures are one of the major methods used to grow the practice. You must be willing to participate to help your office to grow.

A Chiropractic Assistant can be one of the most fulfilling and exciting careers on the planet. How great do you think your day would be knowing that you are helping sick people get well? How great do you think your day would be if it was spent putting a smile on other people’s faces? By being great at your job and following these simple suggestions, you will have greater job security and career fulfillment.

For over ten years I have had the privilege of training some of the best Chiropractors and chiropractic assistants in the country.  We teach our clients how to get and keep quality new patients; how to choose the best chiropractic consultant and coach; and how to hire, train and keep an “A” staff. Our clients practices have grown on average over 150% since 2008. To learn more about our strategic methods please click here to set up a free, no-obligation consultation. You will learn specifically how I can help you with a custom-created coaching plan that will be created within your budget.

Click here or click the book cover below to get a free E-Book.

 

Five Action Steps Cover

Why New Chiropractic Patients Leave Care

1 Reply

Isn’t it is so frustrating to have a new patient agree to care and then leave after their second or third visit?

In this environment of high deductibles and co-payments you will only get ONE chance to make a great first impression and get a solid commitment. The following suggestions should help you.

1. The primary reason that patients leave care is they feel that the doctor did not hear them and failed to address their complaints. Are you treating a patient based on YOUR agenda or THEIRS? Make sure that your consultation uncovers the real reason that the patient is there and that it addresses their needs.

2. The second most common reason that patients leave is the staff failed the patient in some way. Are you training your staff consistently? Do you role play situations with your staff. Our clients are taught to use the Disney approach of customer service. Disney has the right idea and their methods can be applied to any business especially health care.

3. The most common reason that long-term patients leave is because they feel the doctor took them for granted. Change up your techniques. Create value added services for your patients. Click here to watch a short webinar on PVA skill building.

4. Another common reason why patients leave is that you attracted the wrong buyer to your clinic in the first place. All patients are NOT created equal. Learn how to scientifically market using the buying funnel, ideal patient, and unique value proposition. Then add strategy, tracking and follow-up and watch how your practice statistics change for the better. Our clients learn to master strategic-based methods which has yielded them a 150% rise in their income since 2008.

5. Failure to communicate with the decision maker is another reason for patient loss. If you do not know how to elicit who the decision maker is and communicate with that person the likelihood of continued patient follow through is greatly diminished. Our clients learn advanced communication techniques so they elicit the commitment from the decision maker. The result is our clients have enjoyed substantial increases in PVA even with a high deductible and co-payment environment.

By this time you are probably wondering how I know with 100% certainty that these tips will bring you more quality new patients. The reason I know is every single day I get a call, email or text from an existing client telling me that they had a record day in office visits. Or, they had a record week in collections. Or, they had a record month across the board! Please don’t take my word for it. Click here and find out for yourself how I can help you grow your practice ethically, legally and with integrity; get more free time and have fun again. The consultation is free. We have payment plans that will allow virtually EVERYBODY AND ANYBODY the ability to afford my services. Get to the next level and beyond. Stop wishing, praying and hoping and take the meaningful step that will get you to where you want to be. Also take advantage of some amazing incentives that will be expiring shortly.

 

Click here or click the book cover below to get a free E-Book.

 

Five Action Steps Cover

Market medium and market domination position

How To Improve Your Marketing NOW!

Leave a reply

How to Improve Your Marketing NOW!

Too many doctors are forgetting that the web gives them access to millions/billions of potential patients. These 5 tips will help your on-line presence.

1. Determine Your Goals-Making more money is NOT A GOAL!! Making an extra $225,000 by December 1, 2016 by making 30 follow-up phone calls/day and creating 31 newsletters a week is a goal.

2. Stop throwing crap up against the wall. That is not marketing that is throwing crap against the wall. You must become strategic. Learn the buying funnel. Learn how to market via mathematical equations that will give you a higher probability. Learn how to create and use a UVP (unique value proposition)

3. Develop a clear Strategy-All of your marketing campaigns should be tied together in a cohesive package. Each should promote you, your service and cross-refer to each other. This helps you lower your cost and make more money.

4. You had better start thinking waaaayyyy out of the box! This economy is brutal. I’m not making this stuff up. Look at the world. Deductibles $5000; Co-payments $75.00. Audit Witch hunts where you have to return 1000’s to 100,000’s of YOUR HARD-EARNED money. These facts are what makes this economy brutal. The “old days” of tactical-based marketing are over. Our clients are killing it with legal, ethical, integrity-based and highly EFFECTIVE outside the box marketing and you can too!

5. Test Your campaigns. Just don’t throw stuff out there and hope and pray. Test, test, test! To test you must set up tracking. You must know your ideal patient. You must know the motivators and influencer’s for your ideal patient.

By this time you are probably wondering how I know with 100% certainty that these tips will bring you more quality new patients. The reason I know is every single day I get a call, email or text from an existing client telling me that they had a record day in office visits. Or, they had a record week in collections. Or, they had a record month across the board! Please don’t take my word for it. Click here and find out for yourself how I can help you grow your practice ethically, legally and with integrity; get more free time and have fun again. The consultation is free. We have payment plans that will allow virtually EVERYBODY AND ANYBODY the ability to afford my services. Get to the next level and beyond. Stop wishing, praying and hoping and take the meaningful step that will get you to where you want to be. Also take advantage of some amazing incentives that will be expiring shortly.

Debt the Killer of Dreams

2 Replies

It does not matter if you are a new practitioner just starting your career, or if you are a veteran practitioner in practice for thirty years. If you rack up debt without a clear repayment plan you are asking for financial disaster.

This article will teach you what you need to know about debt, how to use it wisely and how to avoid its alluring pitfalls.  Debt, according to Webster’s Dictionary is an amount of money that you owe to a person, bank, company, etc.

If you can live by the rule never borrow money you will certainly be well on your way to achieving financial freedom. However it is to be noted that if you want to get a Chiropractic education, purchase or open a practice, or, buy a home the likelihood of avoiding debt altogether is probably impossible; unless you have an uncle named Donald Trump.

There are two kinds of debt. Good debt and bad debt. Good debt by definitiont is an investment that will grow in value or generate long-term income. Taking out a loan to pay for a college education is the perfect example of good debt. Taking a mortgage that will buy a rental property that will give a positive cash flow is another example of good debt. Let’s make it even easier, good debt is borrowing money which will enable you to earn more money.

Bad debt by definition is debt incurred to purchase things that quickly lose their value and do not generate long-term income. Bad debt is also debt that carries a high interest rate, like credit card debt. The general rule to avoid bad debt is: If you can’t afford it and you don’t need it, don’t buy it. Examples of bad debt would be taking out a loan to buy a fancy car when a lower end model will get you from point A to point B just as well. Another example would be using student loan money to take a vacation or to buy fancy clothes. Let’s make the definition of bad debt easier; bad debt is borrowing money that will allow you to purchase goods or services that will not earn you more money but will lose their value. A car will depreciate and be worth less; a vacation while nice, will become a memory but the payments could live on for many years afterward.

Now that you understand the definitions of debt, let’s take a look at some strategic approaches of managing debt.

  • Please be advised that student loans are one of the riskiest types of debt that you can incur. Why? Student loans cannot be discharged in a bankruptcy. Student loan debt can and will follow you all the days of your life to the tune that they can garnish your social security check if they need to for repayment. Knowing that student loan debt comes with some serious risks means that you must use this type of debt VERY WISELY. Talk to a financial planner, accountants and others in the know for advice. This article is not intended to give you financial advice but rather give you information to take back to your financial advisers to see if they make sense for you. Please do not utilize any advice before you have your financial advisers evaluate it.
  • Understand that when you get out of school you can incur anywhere from $200,000 and up in debt. That number scares me too, however with proper planning it is not insurmountable.  Some ideas to discuss with your financial advisers would be:
  • Having a family member or friend fund your education
  • Using home equity lines of credit in place of student loans
  • Taking the minimum amount of student loans
  • Do not defer payment of your student loans any later than you absolutely need to. Remember that your loans are accruing interest. You want to pay them down as quickly as possible.
  1. Be willing to live very small when you first graduate. Eat at home instead of going to restaurants. Drive an inexpensive car or take public transportation whenever possible. The little things do add up. Get a notebook and write down where every nickel is spent. You will be surprised how much waste is in your daily routine. Then create a budget and STICK TO IT. Determine what income you will have against your expenses. Any overage should go into a special fund that is segregated from your checking account. It is called your emergency or cash on hand fund. This fund should be built up over time to equal at least one year’s living expenses.
  2. AVOID CREDIT CARD DEBT AT ALL COSTS. Paying interest charges of 19-25% is a sure way of creating financial ruin. I am serious when I say ride a bicycle or walk if you do not have gas money. Eat at a friend’s house or go to a shelter if you don’t have money for food. In no way should you deficit spend (spending money that you expect to earn or get in the future) on a credit card. The rule that I live by and that I have taught my family and clients is this: Unless you have the money in your checking account and plan on paying your credit card purchase in full at the end of the month do not use your card.
  3. Live below your means. Chiropractors have the ability to earn massive amounts of money. It is very easy to carve out a rich lifestyle of fancy cars, houses, etc. I am very much in favor of living an awesome lifestyle provided that you are not deficit spending. Deficit spending is using credit to obtain good and services with the intention that the money will be collected in the near future. This one fatal tactic has caused many once successful chiropractors to go bankrupt. The problem is if the money does not get collected you have got a BIG problem. If you learn nothing from this article learn DO NOT DEFICIT SPEND!
  4. Get professional help. Hire an accountant, attorney, coach, insurance agent and compliance company. Every professional listed has a unique and needed function. Do not forego obtaining help in any of those categories. Choose the right professionals by asking others who are successful for recommendations. Then make sure that you do a proper due-diligence and conduct a proper interview. If you do not resonate with the professional MOVE ON. The same goes if you feel pressured or if you feel that the professional does not have the proper plan for you, MOVE ON and keep searching for the right team.
  1. Establish Retirement Funds. The sure way to beat debt is to accumulate wealth. The sure way to wealth accumulation is establishing a retirement account and funding it to the max every year. Speak to your advisers about what the best type of account for you would be.

Your financial future is in your hands. The government will not be there to take care of you in retirement. If this article scares you, then I hope it scares you straight; straight into the land of knowledge. If you follow these tenets you will have a long profitable career; use debt wisely, live below your means, establish retirement accounts and fund them to the max, and obtain professional guidance.

Dr. Paul S. Inselman is President of Inselmancoaching and an expert at teaching chiropractors how to build honest, ethical, integrity-based practices based on sound business principles. From 2008-2016, his clients’ practices grew an average of 150% while the general profession was down 28%. His 31 years of clinical experience coupled with 10 years of professional coaching has allowed him to help hundreds of chiropractors just like you. He can be reached at 1-888-201-0567. To schedule a free no obligation consultation, click here.  His email address is inselmancoaching@gmail.com.

Four Action Steps That Will DESTROY Your Practice

Leave a reply

Four actions that will destroy your practice. Avoid them at all costs.

1. Dishonesty-Sadly when economies turn south, good people sometimes do bad things. When you are in a position to sign insurance forms, disability forms and accept credit cards you have been given a huge social and legal responsibility. Not only is it your ethical duty to protect the patient but it is also your legal duty. Dishonesty always starts small and then mushrooms out of control. Never think of padding a bill, falsifying records, or charging a credit card improperly.  Everyday we read of business leaders and doctors who have lied, cheated, and stolen assets of innocent victims.They never believed that they would get caught. If you are doing dishonest deeds cease immediately.

2. Poor Management– Many practices are brought to their knees because the doctor did not know how to run a business.It is imperative that you know how to run a business. If you are bouncing checks, paying late fees and don’t know how to read basic financial statements learn as quickly as possible.

3. Patients are not Relevant- Are you rushing from room to room? Are your patients waiting more than ten minutes? Does it take you more than 24 hours to fill out requested forms? Your practice is based on your patients. Excellent customer service is the key to having them come back. You must make your patients feel special on each and every visit.

4. Refusal to Hire the Proper Advisers– Business owners fail to realize that the money that often think they are saving by doing it themselves ends up costing much more in the end. Did you spend money on marketing this year? Did it yield the number of new patients that you expected it too? Did you get at least a 4:1 return on investment? Strategic-based marketing is the key to improving your marketing efforts. Learn how to create a UVP and how deploy strategic campaigns and I am confident that you will be very happy with your results. Never be your own attorney. I spend more time trying to get doctors out of bad leases, partnerships, and deals that they made by being their own attorney. Had they hired the attorney in the first place they could have saved a ton of money in the long run.

Like it or not you have spent or you will spend more money if you act as your own: Attorney, Accountant, Business coach, Insurance agent, or Compliance expert. Each of these professionals you will either hire willingly and invest money with them to help you grow your practice and protect your assets or you will pay via mistakes. According to statistics, people who hire professionals make or save more money than those that do not. Our clients have increased their income 145% since 2008 with the help of coaching. People who use investment advisers statistically earn an additional 3% on their portfolios after paying their advisory fees.The lesson-hire professional to help you.

By preventing and or limiting mistakes will put more money into your pocket and allow you to deliver better care to your patients. Remember mistakes cost you time, money and energy. If you made a mistake and you are now worrying about it, your worry is taking precious time away from your patient which could and usually does lead to a down-turn. Remember to always practice PTC (present time consciousness).

Click here to schedule a free consultation to learn about our very affordable custom coaching programs without contracts.