Yesterday was certainly one of my most favorite days in practice! After reading that, you are probably thinking that you are going to read a patient testimonial or about some crazy chiropractic miracle, however we saw NO patients yesterday.

Every quarter we take an entire day and spend it together developing ourselves and our team. In the morning we usually spend time reviewing our goals and refreshing office procedure skills that need polishing, and in the afternoon we simply go have fun! In the past we have done paintball, bowling, BBQ, etc. This day was very different.

8:30 am We gathered at the office for a light, nutritious breakfast and spent time connecting with each other. It was a great start to the day, catching up with everyone.

9:00 am We spent 20 min discussing the exciting developments that are happening in our company… the purchase of a new 6,200 sq/ft building in Redmond that will house our newest satellite practice and the offices of Worksite Wellness. We also discussed the 2008 Blair Chiropractic Convention in Dallas this year and of course our famous annual Mexico Trip.

9:20 am We dove into a presentation on the Starbucks Experience. The Experience was broken down into five categories and we discussed how they would apply in an Upper Cervical Office.

Make it your own
Everything matters
Surprise and delight
Embrace resistance
Leave your mark

10:00 am Our guest speaker for the morning was Craig Sigl, CHt, NLP-t. Craig is a certified hypno-therapist who is also a NLP Master and certainly the real deal. He has specialized in helping golfers break 80 by removing mental barriers. For two hours he took us on a journey to clear the belief systems that hold us back in life. We found out that many of these programs are so deep we don’t even realize them. Then he gave us some tools that we could actually use on our own to start removing these limiting beliefs. I think what hit us most was how specific we need to be with what we want our life to look like.

1. Decide specifically want you want
2. Clear all of your mental baggage
3. Focus on the end result
4. Take Action!

12:00 pm Lunch was delivered by O-ToGo Organics. A nutritious, completely organic lunch that we were able to enjoy while discussing what we experienced. It was so cool to hear that the chatter over lunch was all about what we had learned in the morning, and how it could could be applied in our everyday lives! No gossip, news or meaningless banter.

1:00 pm We arrived at Red Hook Brewery. Except… this was no brewery tour! Because nestled behind the brewery, was a high ropes challenge course that I have been dreaming about for years. We spent 2 hours on the ground performing challenges that brought us together as a team and gave us each insight into how we operate. For me this was a huge surprise, I was really only concerned about getting on the ropes course however, I was amazed at what we were able to uncover playing some really simple games.

Just Jump!

3:00 pm We hit the high ropes course! WOW! The was some of the most fun and growth I have had in a long time. It was fascinating to see how our team operating individually in a super challenging environment. We saw a side of Ashly, our newest team player, that we have never seen before! Naomi, our veteran Massage Therapist, who was clearly the most apprehensive for the weeks lead preceding climbed entirely through the whole course. Molly infectious laughter could be heard for miles. Christina, Susan, and Brigit were the only one to attempt the triple black diamond challenge. Imagine standing on a platform 150 feet in the air then having to jump off and out 6 feet to a dangling rope only to have keep the momentum to swing another 6 feet to the other platform! I was impressed and would NEVER have guest they would have done that! Our Myers Brigg personality expert said ORANGE, ORANGE, ORANGE !!

Our Facilitator, Scott from Adventura Consulting was the true glue that held the afternoon together. His ability to join us as a group and elevate us up was fascinating. He had this amazing ability to call us on out shit without anyone taking a defensive position. He was real, authentic and super versed in this subject. We liked him so much we may even take him to Mexico with us!

The day ended with a few well earned cold beers from the Red Hook Brewery. It was nice to spend some time talking down the high points of the day.

The feedback since has been great! I think we all had some real takeaways both personally and professionally. We really got to understand how each of us makes decision and operates inside of challenges. We certainly became closer as a team and it was the perfect event to take us to the next level.

What about our patients!

They loved it, they were so enrolled in that fact we took that time together. LIFE is way to short to not have fun at work. In fact, WORK SHOULD BE FUN. I really believe that when you are linked into something bigger than each of us, we truly amaze ourselves with what we are really capable of!

Here’s to more outstanding experiences!
Darren

To add to that stress you may even take on more debt to start a practice. Then what? How the hell do you get rid of this debt?

1. Do you pay off the highest interest rate first?
2. Do you pay the smallest debt first to get an easy win?
3. Do you pay a little on everything?
4. Do you consolidate?

Just after I bought my practice the weight of my debt felt like an 800 pound gorilla on my chest. Dr. Newman turned me on to a great tool that helped me burn though my debt at a record pace AND I didn’t even have to pay attention to it. Then we created a written financial plan to start investing the payments I was applying to my debt.

Snowball your way out of debt!

This FREE program will allow you to enter up to 20 debts, with corresponding APR, and minimum payment information. Then it will actually create a written plan to kill your debt in record time! When compared to consolidating you debt this method works faster and will save you thousands of dollars.

Let others know of any great debt tools in the comments section below.

Onward and Upward,
Darren

To piggy back on that weekend I would like to tie in 6 basic human needs we have that people seek out in their experience.

The Dream

Our office experience targets the 6 human needs creating a peak emotional state so our patients make the best decisions for their health and family.

Tony Robbins

I have always been fascinated by the teachings of Anthony Robbins. I have been to most of his seminars and listen to him continually on my phone. Specifically he has great insight on why drives us. In other words he explains why we make every decision, whether we know it or not. Below is a great video of Tony explaining the 6 Human Needs.

What does this mean to us?

We need to frame our office “experience” to serve each human need.

Certainty – Having specific, well rehearsed procedures that guarentees the same level of exceptional service on any visit. Also when they send in their referrals they experience just what was said about the office.

Variety – Continually having a new piece of information / education is a super way to keep patients engaged.

Significance - Every team member required to greet patients by their first name, the Doctor knowing and asking about family / life. Specific, personal thank you notes

Connection / Love – Our initial exam and report of findings should capture the heart and mind of the patient and instill hope.

Growth – This is an easy need to meet. You can achieve this through a New Patient Class, or scripting out the first X number of visits to include an educational / philosophical piece. Amazing opportunity to transform the way people think about health.

Contribution – Allow your patients to refer in others as a way for them to share their new found success.

Robbins also mentions that anytime you meet 3 needs you create a habit.

Comment below to let others know your ideas to meeting the 6 Human Needs during a Chiropractic Visit.

Darren

In a typical Chiropractic office there is a team of people helping you keep in touch with yours patients. They call them to remind them of appointments, they call when they miss, they schedule and they also have some procedure to stay top of mind or stay in touch so that we don’t loose patients through he cracks.

You don’t have that luxury. I would love to turn you on to a great piece of technology that will help stay top of mind in your patients lives AND reduce your stress.

What is an AUTORESPONDER?

An Autoresponder is an online tool that allows you to load your patient’s contact information into a system that you can set on autopilot to stay in touch with your patients.

What is the Dream?

Imagine that a patient starts care with you and after their first visit they returned home only to see a personal email from you checking in on their experience with you and congratulating them on one of the most important decision they may ever make. Then each week for next 5 weeks they recieve an email detailing 1 of the 5 factors of health along with the opportunity to forward that email to their friends. Every once in a while the email also outlines an opportunity start care in the College’s Student Clinic where they can receive the most advanced care at a discounted rate. Then one week in the near future you announce your famous 40min Health Talk at the College and from your list alone 20-40 pack out the room. From that you generate 10 New Patient!

Your Commitment

60min One Time to set it up ….then 60 sec per new patient to keep the dream alive.

Below are some great systems. If you use getresponse.com then you could email me any questions since that is the one I use.

www.getresponse.com (I use this one)
www.icontact.com
www.constantcontact.com

These resources all have great video tutorials. But essentially this is what it takes.

1. Sign up for an account (some are free)
2. Create a new campaign
3. Write all the emails that you would like to deliver
4. Assign a day interval that you would like them to receive it. For example email 1 day 1, email 2 day 5, etc.
5. Bam! You now have a simple campaign

From there, at anytime you can send an email broadcast. That means you write one email announcing an event or whatever and it will go out to your whole list.

You could set up an e-course for example on something you may have an expertise in. Dr. Endel, in my main office, has written a course on how to get out of clinic FAST called BE THE FIRST. This was used with an autoresponder.

Can you take me off your list!!!

This system is all permission based. That mean at the end of each communication they always have the opportunity to take themselves off the list. To us, this means the list is on autopilot. No management necessary.

Hope this was Helpful. Please comment below on how you have used an autoresponder. Share your success!

Darren

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We have a huge problem in Healthcare. We are spending 2.3 trillion dollars per year only to have the distinct award of having a healthcare system that is also our number one killer.

The Solution

It is happening right now. Just check out Paul Zane Pilzers book, The Wellness Revolution. I also referenced a recent study that points out the fact that an overwhelming 81% of surveyed companies will implement some sort of wellness initiative next year. The Wellness train is full speed ahead.

The Kicker

The train is headed in the wrong direction. 91% surveyed that their #1 intervention to reduce health care costs were to implement prescription compliance policy’s!!!!!! Yes That is what I said.

Our Opportunity and Revolution

We have the secret Sauce! We, as Chiropractors, have the INNATE view on the problem. We are holding the real solution and it is time for us to step up and claim our position in Health care. It is very simple. We just need to commit to presenting Wellness Programs in our local business community.

As soon as I get it I will add the audio version as well.

Get on the inside LOOP. Hear things that happen BEFORE anyone else does

Follow me on Twitter (enable device updates)

Darren….

The information is designed to give you all the information to open the practice of your dreams! I have left nothing out. This information has been put together with 34 successful practice starts, 78 subscriber feedbacks and lots of personal experience and research.

Get it today! Please take advantage of this complimentary information. Then give us more feedback so I can always keep it updated!

The Blueprint is your plan to the Dream Practice. It includes:

The vision / mission
The Chiropractic Algebra
Location, Location, Location
The Business Plan
Getting the Money
The Grand Opening Campaign and Marketing Plan
High Volume Low Stress
The Coach / Mentor
Pay Yourself First!
80 / 20 and the Dream Team

Thanks again for all the great feedback! Keep it coming and I will keep updating.

Please sign up below

Darren

Don’t miss out on the Blueprint to your Dream Practice!

The Blair Chiropractic Society is honored to have Dr. Dan Murphy speak at 2008 Blair Chiropractic Conference in Dallas, Texas, September 26-27. I had the amazing opportunity to listen to Dr. Murphy present his material on the importance of the Upper Cervical Specific at this year’s Spring for Life at Life West Chiropractic College. I was on the edge of my seat. This man has an unbelievable ability to retain, assimilate and present the latest review of research in a way a 5th grader could understand!

You are not going to want to miss what this year has to offer. Dr. Dan Murphy will present the latest Upper Cervical Chiropractic research it a way that will both captivate and blow you away! Watch carefully though as he moves fast! Future Health is sponsoring our Blair Office of the Future where we will have a mock up of the Dream Office of tomorrow.

This years Conference will be held at the Sheraton in Dallas. Please go to www.regonline.com/blair2008 to register. The Sheraton hotel can be reached at (214) 922-8000. You can also call (800) 325-3535 for toll free central reservations.

As of this post I have 7 student spots left for FREE lodging! Please register soon to take advantage of 3 nights free lodging. Go to www.regonline.com/blair2008

Darren…

On Tuesday at my staff meeting I am posting a standing offer for $1000.00 to anyone who would like to quit! Sounds crazy but I think this is a win / win for both the employee and the employer. In my experience when someone quits they actually check out months ago. The employee is no longer enrolled in the bigger vision and is now imposing their schedule of scanning craigs list, IMing friends and perusing monster.com on the company’s dime. During this time there is an immeasurable loss of productivity, things being brushed under the rug and more importantly a huge drain on team morale. On the employee side this is frustrating, depressing, scary and mostly an energy suck on their life! What if we threw them a little motivation to cut those months into days! They make a faster transition into their new life. The employer gets to mitigate their loss of production and morale. It’s just like riping off a band aid.

Below is where my thots were inspired from. Please post your comments below

Darren…

Details here, courtesy of Bill Taylor, former Fast Company editor, who writes in Harvard Business Review about the hiring practices of Zappos, the legendary online shoe company. He says:

Indeed, CEO Tony Hsieh and his colleagues keep raising the size of the quit-now bonus. It started at $100, went to $500, and may well go higher than $1,000 as the company gets bigger (and it becomes even more difficult to maintain the all-important culture and obsession with customers.)

I am a huge fan of metrics. I firmly believe that you can’t grow anything you can’t measure. A book I highly recommend called “The Game of Work”, Charles A. Coonradt, speaks well to the need for metrics.
In his book he used a widget company as an example. He noticed that if we just measured the production of units created per day, without telling anybody they were being measured, the numbers kept increasing. Then once they told the factory workers that they were being measured and provided daily feedback they increased even more. And finally management decided to add rewards for high production and consequences for low production the results increased exponentially compared to no measurement at all.

This being true we measure almost every procedure in out office. Not only do thing increase but it also serve as a wonderful way to see and correct small problems in the practice before they become critical errors.

Let me know if this was helpful and if you have any other questions.

Click on the image below to see how we review performance numbers each day.

Darren

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]]> http://www.ownyourdreampractice.com/Blog/2008/05/chiropractics-vital-statistics/feed/ 4 http://www.ownyourdreampractice.com/Blog/2008/04/the-chiropractic-algebra/ http://www.ownyourdreampractice.com/Blog/2008/04/the-chiropractic-algebra/#comments Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:06:57 +0000 Darren White http://www.ownyourdreampractice.com/Blog/?p=16 ]]>
One of my favorite questions to ask a prospective associate is where they see themselves in 3-5 years. I usually qualify he answer i am looking for by asking them to expand on their vision of what their practice looks like. Almost without exception the biggest unknown is how many patients they are seeing in one week and how much money they think that might equate to. And if they were to know how many patients they wanted to see… how many new patients they would need to see each week to achieve that goal is an even bigger mystery.

Fortunately there is a very simple formula that helps us understand where our focus should be.

NP X PVA X OVA = $

NP = New Patients – # of new patients in one month
PVA = Patient Visit Average – the average times a patients will see you
OVA = Office Visit Average – The average cost of a visit in your office

The result of this equation equals the amount of revenue expected each month.

20NP X 15PVA X 45OVA = $13,500
25NP X 20PVA X 45OVA = $22,500
35NP X 25PVA X 45OVA = $39,375
50NP X 40PVA X 45OVA = $90,000 (Million Dollar Practice)

If you look at these examples closely you will notice that small changes in each category make for huge changes in overall revenue.

Using these numbers we can get the pulse on the practice and it give us the information we need to grow the practice. In fact every single thing it takes to grow a practice will fall into one of those categories. Your practice is all about attracting new patients, keeping them healthy for as long as you can and charging them for services/products you provide. That’s it!

Give us your feedback below!