Many DC's reading this web page have been involved in other "coaching and management programs". If you are reading this, it is likely that either you don't yet have a relationship with a coach or that your relationship with your current coach is not all it could be. We are not a practice management group. Rather, we focus on developing your practice from the inside-out, instead of from the outside-in. Our first task in educating DC's to our identity is removing the fear from selecting products or a coach. First, we guarantee our products and our coaching. Second, we don't have long-term contracts. Third, we don't get a percentage of your profits. All of our members pay the same monthly fee for our coaching program.
Practice management experts have a different take on how to build your practice from the outside. These experts show you a seemingly endless array of
external ways to increase your income. They show you everything and anything, except how to improve the doctor from the inside. Mall screenings, scripts, coupons, marketing gimmicks and the like all fall under the heading of how to become a salesman. The pitfalls of this common
external approach are:
- A terminally low patient visit average
- The need to become a salesperson
- People telling you what to do
- A practice completely dependant on insurance
- Identifying yourself as a short term back therapist
- Replacing departing patients with new patients... the typical leaky bucket practice
- Patients who have low respect for you, your office and of course, Chiropractic
When DC's are considering purchasing our educational materials or becoming Mentor IV family members, they are clever enough to know that a Chiropractor does not have to struggle to be successful. Others are doing what you want to do, so why not you? The biggest obstacles to your success are the following
internal psychological barriers or belief systems:
- Too much belief in medical science
- Too little belief in yourself to accomplish change (confidence)
- Too little belief in Vertebral Subluxation Complex and Innate Intelligence
Your belief systems directly influence your levels of success and enjoyment of practice. Changing the
internal parameters of your belief systems is the way to permanent success in all areas of your life. Have you ever caught yourself saying, "My patients are different. This won't work in my town. People here are different." Be honest with yourself...these are the effects of internal psychological barriers or belief systems, not of external events or conditions. No matter how many external methods of attracting new patients you employ, you will continue to struggle or, worse yet, to increase temporarily only to crash after the initial excitement wears off. This is the typical roller coaster practice. Does this sound familiar, doctor?
FACT: We are in the relationship business. We happen to be life coaches for Chiropractors. We develop relationships by listening to your concerns and by providing solutions to your challenges.
Do not confuse success with being a hard worker. Do not confuse activity with accomplishment. If you want to become more successful, then the changes must be directed internally, not externally. A house begins with the foundation and so does your understanding of why patients are not coming to your office and staying there. Most DC's who purchase our educational products and systems are tired of the struggle and want a permanent solution to their success needs. Get off the "hunting-for-new-patient merry-go-round" once and for all! Learn to educate instead of sell.
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- Does insurance cover it?
- I can't afford it.
- I don't have the time.
- It's too far to travel.
Without a complete system of office procedures and patient education, you will be a victim of these objections for the rest of your career. The solution to this is surprisingly simple: attract pre-interested, pre-qualified, pre-motivated patients to your office. The cornerstones of our educational materials and our Mentor IV Coaching Program are:
- People have no idea of what wellness Chiropractic is all about. As a result of this lack of knowledge, people have a low opinion of Chiropractic and are naturally hesitant to participate. This is all they know about our profession, until someone takes the time to educate them about wellness.
- DC's must give their offices and Chiropractic a new identity that is unique... wellness. This way you won't have to hear the four deadly objections, people will pay cash if they don't have insurance and you won't have any competition from other DC's, MD's, PT's and others.
Marketing and selling the idea of what people want Chiropractic to be, is a dangerous game. By not educating people about wellness, you are eating your young. You allow people to tell you what to do and how to do it. It is no wonder there is so much frustration in our profession today. Not only does this de-value Chiropractic, but it causes your own self-esteem to plummet. They key is to re-educate people to what Chiropractic is in your office... not to offer what other offices are doing or offering. That's what our educational materials and our coaching program are all about. They create a unique factor that your patients can't get anywhere else. They remove the selling aspect and replace it with a system of educating patients about Chiropractic so that they can make their own decisions. The effect of our educational materials and systems are to deliver ideal patients predictably, dependably and almost automatically with no stress. No tricks, no gimmicks, no schemes: treat people like you want to be treated and you will be rewarded with profits beyond your wildest dreams and the practice you always dreamed about.
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In most Chiropractic offices, the largest expense besides payroll is marketing and advertising.
Every patient that leaves your office without a clear understanding of the benefits of Chiropractic costs you thousands in money and in lost identity. It costs you five to eight times the amount of money to market to a new patient than to keep an existing patient. Here is a typical cost audit of a DC's advertising and marketing budget:
- Yellow Page Ad ($1,000 a month)... return on investment = short-term, condition-based patients who tell you what to do and who have been around the block; competition is high.
- Mall Screening (your time away from family and recreation)... return on investment = short-term, condition-based patients; forces you to become a salesperson.
- Newspaper Ads, Value Packs, Inserts, etc. ($1600 a month)... return on investment = getting your name out in your community, but actually attracting few new patients; competition is fierce.
- Promotion, gimmicks, etc. (???)... return on investment = short-term, condition-based patients; huge cost to your identity in community
Many DC's purchasing our educational products and systems not only report savings of thousands of dollars a month, but also express having more time to do the things they want to be doing, like spending time with family and friends and recreating. Learn from the family dentist. They have what's called a "lifetime value" with every patient. It varies from office to office, but it's typically within the $20,000 to $50,000 range. Now, multiply this by the number of family members and you will understand the reason for educating and keeping patients instead of looking for more patients to replace those who have departed...the typical leaky bucket practice. How much is not educating your patients costing you doctor?
FACT: Most DC's think that by working harder and longer hours they will be more successful. Our family members report less working hours, more family time, and much more income.
