http://www.dcmentors.com/forum/topic.php?id=478 Chiropractors Discussing the Business of Chiropractic en-US Sat, 25 May 2013 01:31:07 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0 q http://www.dcmentors.com/forum/search.php http://www.dcmentors.com/forum/topic.php?id=478#post-4004 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:58:20 +0000 Alan 4004@http://www.dcmentors.com/forum/ <p>Maireed,<br /> Isn't great to know we're all in this together, none of us are perfect (Well, Dr Frank said he was:)Great encouragement from your brothers and sisters. I also had a recent conversation with Dr Sea and he gave me a perspective view. I've been in practice 32 years and have moved and started 5 practices. I don't wish that on anyone (the 5 practices part). I was whining about not being where I think I should have been after all these years, how my colleagues are more successful than me in practice and he said, "Dr Ludwig, you have been following the same BS and playing the same tapes in your head that you learned from all those other management groups (6 of them) for all these 32 years. STOP IT! Of course things didn't get any better. You have only been with DCM for 6 months and you have grown and changed tremendously. I'm starting to see who you really are at Brain Spa and in the Forum and our calls. So your practice really started 6 months ago, leave the past behind." I told him I feel like I have sooooooo much to do to get all this right, DISC, EQ, read 14 different books, listen to audios, etc. His advise to me ( and mine to you) was go back to the basics, go through the modules. I was having lunch at my desk today and watched Foundation 6 again. I thought, "Hey, this is good stuff. How did I forget this (or not even register it?)" So, at this juncture you are committed to the musical. Bravo, and enjoy. However, when you are at the office, be there. Call a coach and get focused. Stop all the noise in your head.<br /> I would suggest you not share your business with family and friends. If you share with a chiropractor outside this group, someone close by, be careful, unless they think in an upward way. Sometimes it feels good to talk to someone who tells you things are bad so that you can feel miserable together. That might be OK for crying in your pint but it is not good for you. If you keep up like this you'll be "puttin on the long finger and be knackered". Not meaning to be blaggarding:)</p> <p>Just to hitch hike on Danellas' thought about paying attention to other people and then I'll get out of here. We've all heard about how we might spend our day if we knew it was our last day on earth, but I heard a great motivational writer, Og Mandino put a twist on it. "How would you treat people if you were the only one who knew this was THEIR last day?" </p> <p>Slán agat </p> http://www.dcmentors.com/forum/topic.php?id=478#post-4002 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:36:40 +0000 Chip Patterson 4002@http://www.dcmentors.com/forum/ <p>Hey Mairead! Great thread...all of the above are great suggestions. I can understand your want and need to get out there and DO more. As long as you are taking care of your in house stuff, like everyone above mentioned...go for it. I would suggest finding a service organization that you have interests in...not sure what is over there. We have groups like Kiwanis International, Rotary, Lions Club, etc., etc...I'm a member of Kiwanis and although I don't go to get New Patients, they come as a result of all the relationships we've built through the community. Also, your musical endeavors would be a great place to put your time, like Danella said, are you wearing your chiro hat there? I knew a couple guys who opened a practice and were very involved in the local symphony...they built a very large practice on this aspect alone. I'm sure your friends and the people you meet there have needs, and by working on your contactibility and being open to the possibilities, these relationships will be built. Just from the few times that we've met, I can tell you are a very personable person with a strong desire to help people...let that out as you go into your community and you can't help but to become more attractive. Just by opening yourself up to the desire to serve and help more people, the universe will start aligning in your favor. Have fun with this, get out there, find a way to help more people and it will come back to you! </p> http://www.dcmentors.com/forum/topic.php?id=478#post-4001 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:17:22 +0000 Dr Hassig 4001@http://www.dcmentors.com/forum/ <p>As you can see Dr. Mairead, you are not alone in this. Sometimes you can feel like you're playing with "house money" when you've experienced growth. It's at those times that you lose your edge, and the stress that produces growth is dealt with differently. I had a conversation with Dr. Sea where he "redirected" my thoughts on how my year had gone. We grew more than we had in any other year, but instead of taking time to briefly apprecitate that fact, I was more focused on how we were going to have an even bigger impact this year. </p> <p>Your ability to recognize a need to change is a great starting point. There are many excellent suggestions listed above on how to follow through with it. Just don't repeat the mistakes I've made and sprint to the other end of the teeter totter trying to do many big things all at once, only to burn out, crash back down to a comfortable level, and hit yourself in the arse!(love that word) You have all the tools you need, just give and behave like the huge success you already are! </p> http://www.dcmentors.com/forum/topic.php?id=478#post-3996 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:15:48 +0000 Ed 3996@http://www.dcmentors.com/forum/ <p>If I can add to this thread the notion of serving unconditionally! And this dovetails very neatly with the pod call last week. Our situation Mairead is absolutely no different to a patient asking when will this pain go away. Answer being we just do not know, we dont have a crystal ball. But what we do know is that by adjusting their subluxations they will have a far greater chance of reaching that goal! Likewise unfortunately neither do our coaches have a crystal ball, but what they do know is how to get to the pinnacle, they are all testament to that and so are plenty of DC Mentors clients, the Whittakers, Orr, Perron, Eyfords to name but a few! So this stuff really works, it really is hope with a plan. Which means that our focus should purely be on serving others, it should not be on the number or the bottom line. If it is and I know this all too well it can be a frustrating process. So rather than building momentum all that happens is you build a little roller as Chris describes, which you quickly fall off and then you set about building another. And this all takes energy and alot of emotional energy I can tell you! But eventually you reach the point where you say well this just is not working and you throw in the towel in and start something else! So whilst it is incredibly hard to focus on just giving when the euros are not adding up and the pressure is mounting that is exactly what you must do. Acknowledge where you are and then ask the right questions, which are those that are asked from an expanded state not those that are asked from a fearful contracted place which oozes the scarcity mentality. So look at improving your systems, improve your technique but above all focus on the patient in front of you! Look after them and the practice will grow, one patient at a time. And I can assure you as good as an actress you may be your patients can tell whether you are in an excited, joyful and expanded state! So as Jason said develop discipline but do not let yourself walk in to your office with a fearful attitude - that is a cast iron guaranteed way of shrinking the practice even further - just look at how those pink lines can build in the appointment book! Trust me on this you do not want to go there. But what is fantastic is this is just an attitude that needs to be changed. This is why Dr Frank went to great lengths to remind us that self awareness is all well and good, but it is pretty worthless if we dont look at the other steps such as self regulation and motivation! If you have not read the book that Dr Unruh recommended the Go Giver, do and then reread it. And what will happen when you change your focus, suddenly the day gets filled with walkins and callins - that I promise. </p> http://www.dcmentors.com/forum/topic.php?id=478#post-3994 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:03:57 +0000 Anonymous 3994@http://www.dcmentors.com/forum/ <p>Hi Mairead,<br /> This is such a great topic on so many levels. There are a lot of us out there who yes are happy that our office has "changed" since last year, but there is also a level of not being satisfied with where we are at. And that is great... to be totally satisfied would mean to be totally fulfilled with your goals and "boom" your done. Which in the short term is what you saw happen in December. I think you need to have a certain level of unrest in order to grow and change.<br /> So in addition to what Jason and Chris said (which I totally agree with, in particular about our personal discipline), I'd like to point out that you are already doing a certain level of networking just by doing a musical. (Seriously... how cool is that!!) And Jason will totally disagree with me here based on his experience with acting... but that is what marriage is all about :). I think it's important to have outside hobbies, they feed the soul. But what's extremely important, and what we have all been working on throughout the year is being contactable. Are you being "open" to opportunities when you are at your rehearsals or are you taking off your "Chiropractor Hat" at the door and saying to yourself "this is not the place for that"? What I know for sure is that Everywhere is the place for that. Everywhere we go is an opportunity to be contactable and engage in a conversation with someone. This is not the same thing as being totally cheesy and walking around handing out business cards to "5 people a day" (insert annoying music)... it's being open to possibilities and the potential of a relationship. So, in a nut shell... enjoy your musical. But don't look at it as a distraction. See it as an "opportunity creator".<br /> Mairead... if you ever have the opportunity to go out for dinner with Dr. Frank... jump in with both feet. If you really want to see the definition of being contactable that is where you will see it. When we were in Chicago we went out for dinner at this restaurant and it was absolutely amazing to watch (in fact it totally changed my outlook on being contactable... life changing stuff). Cathy... if you are reading this it would be an awesome experiment to use one of those pen cameras and record Dr. Frank when you guys are out sometime (without him being aware). Anyway... His level of "engagement" with our waitress was incredible. And it was totally selfless... he wasn't doing it to get something from her, he was truly interested in her as a person and the effect it had on her level of service was amazing. What really got me was how my internal self reacted to it. If I am totally honest there was a point that I said to myself "Come on Frank... we have important things to discuss... you are never going to see this woman again... is this really important" (I'm a bit embarrassed to admit it, but there you go).... But it is important. Every interaction (let me say that again... Every Interaction) that we have with another person is an opportunity to influence, to learn, and to grow. And if you really want to impact your community and to grow your practice that is a huge part of how you do it. </p> http://www.dcmentors.com/forum/topic.php?id=478#post-3992 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 06:16:54 +0000 DrPerron 3992@http://www.dcmentors.com/forum/ <p>That was a great share Dr. Mairead and I have been there MANY times, with regard to taking the foot off the gas and then the thoughts of "what the heck happened? I thought I had figured things out." Naive confidence in my case, those were the "rollers" Dr. Sovinsky referenced at BrainSpa vs a Wave. I don't say this to toot my own horn but along the same lines in that you were not whining, just sharing. I have just had my busiest Quarter ever, four weeks ever and tied my alltime best last week, etc. And what I did differently was mainly address that list in your last paragraph, but on a much more consistent basis. That is understandably the often relatively boring stuff but it is the self disciplines that ensure that you have the energy to care for more people (physically and mentally) and the shear act of daily disciplines tied to our greater goals will undoubtedly keep your head in the game more. When I skip the piece of cake at lunch (most of the time :) or I am working out. The purpose runs through my head as to why I am making that decision. It is not to be healthier unto itself, it is because I can't take a nap in the afternoon so lunch is often the healthiest meal of my day just to make sure I don't crash around 4:00. I have done it enough times to know it will happen. So your awareness of what you need to do is obviously clear, and I am telling you first hand that those items are more important to get a handle on than any networking group. Time is limited and you need to come first. With that said, my goal for this year is to get out more and do some public speaking and hold in-office talks regularly. The reality, that I know now, is that my systems were not capable of handling a sustained big influx of new patients so I have spent the last year getting my "house" in better order. But I would go with educational talks first versus the traditional "networking" groups where everyone is there to "get" something versus "give" something. I was invited recently to give a talk at a monthly Parkinson's support group meeting, by a patient. That's a first for me but I know that is where it is at for me at this point but will also continuing to tweak the office and keep tabs on myself. Last, (promise) I bought my practice from another doctor over 11 years ago now and they had averaged about 90/week for years. Within six months of taking over we hit 174, without even changing one system and they were not the best systems, and no marketing. Then we settled down to a comfortable 140+/week and hung out there for about six years until joining DCM. It was exhausting seeing that many people with poor systems. My point is that you likely have "enough" patients to be able to grow from internally quite a bit. And to reinforce your point about it not being the economy, I wanted to share my recent progress with you. So personal discipline. I know, it sucks. :) But that is what Dr. Sovinsky was referring to when he brought up "Learning to love the things you hate." I am only just getting started and I will tell you that it really is not that bad when you get in the groove and it is getting more and more fun. </p> http://www.dcmentors.com/forum/topic.php?id=478#post-3991 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 06:04:39 +0000 Jason Whittaker 3991@http://www.dcmentors.com/forum/ <p>Maireed,<br /> First of all answer your emails......I have something I want to ask you. </p> <p>Secondly, ask yourself what it means when you "subconsciously" take your foot off the gas. If you were an objective observer of yourself during that time period what would it look like? Therin lies your answer.</p> <p>Third, and this may seem odd or from left field, but do spinal hygiene and stabilization exercises everyday. Trust me it's the most impactful and tangible thing you can do for your EQ and subsequent success.</p> <p>And you're right, you are not alone. </p> http://www.dcmentors.com/forum/topic.php?id=478#post-3989 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 04:48:47 +0000 Mairead 3989@http://www.dcmentors.com/forum/ <p>I figured this would be as good a place as any to share some thoughts. I have reflected on last year, actually I reflected on it when looking at my stats at the end of November and as 2011 was a better year than 2010 I subconsciously took my foot off the gas (OMG, I'm hanging out with you Americans/Canadians way too much,gas??) leading to a quiet enough December and a quiet start to 2012. Often times on this forum we celebrate each others success but please do not be afraid to share your struggles. I was speaking to Dr Sea y'day and I was talking about my Dec/Jan and mentioned that he had had a simialr conversation with a number of docs over the past week or so, and you know what it made me feel not so alone and desperate. When sharing with friends or family about how 'busy' the clinic is they must feel that I am asking for their opinion on why things are the way they are, they generally give a comment blaming the economy and I suppose if you hear that over and over I start to think well yeah maybe that is the problem, when in truth its just a teeny tiny factor.<br /> On last weeks webinar Dr Sovinsky spoke about making an impact on our communities, he mentioned that if you are seeing up to 100 patients per week then really you are not making a huge impact as that really translates to just 50 people or less. I am happy for those who do not need to market their clinics and can rely solely on patient referrals but you know what I'm not there so I would like some advice. Whatever it is I am doing or not doing is not working. What is your experience with network groups etc.<br /> Let me finally clarify, I am not whining. I am optimistic about the year ahead. I'm simply seeking some direction. I'm in a musical in 4wks time and I know I am hugley distracted by that at the moment, its taking up way too much head space. I know that I didn't follow the rejuvenation system last year so by Xmas I was dying for a break. I know I need to work on my patient communication. I know I need to call the Lifeline more often. I know I need to become a better me, eat better, exercise. I'm aware of all these things I can change and the things I can happening in the future. </p> http://www.dcmentors.com/forum/topic.php?id=478#post-3949 Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:29:11 +0000 drbrooke2 3949@http://www.dcmentors.com/forum/ <p>This came across my email last week. It is from Bill Esteb's Monday Morning Meditation. Certainly some things worth considering....Happy New Year!</p> <p>This week, review the low points and highlights of this past year and set some goals for the next.</p> <p>Create some journal entries by addressing answers to some of these questions: What was the most significant decision I made during the last year? What new habit or skill have I acquired? How is the world different because of my contributions?</p> <p>While these questions may be convicting, you have the opportunity to turn things around by living more mindfully in the year ahead:</p> <p>What is the greatest risk you intend to take? What self-limiting belief do you plan to give up? What difficult conversation (that you've avoided) are you prepared to have? What personal boundary (that you've compromised) are you going to enforce? Who do you need to thank or acknowledge that you've neglected? What will you delegate that you've selfishly kept for yourself?</p> <p>Resolve to make 2012 your best ever. </p>