The Seven Secrets of Successful Practices
One of the top questions I frequently get asked is, “what can I do to grow and build my practice?” This is a hot topic and what we will be teaching and helping those who join the year long Clinician’s Mastermind Circle.
Take a look below as I would like to share with you the 7 secrets I have seen empower the most successful practices. The truth is, they are not so much secrets, but rather habits and ways of operating that some of the best clinicians do to help clients build a successful practice and thriving business! I believe that both go hand in hand.
1. Remember the Purpose & Why You Do This Work
Successful clinicians don’t just know how to help people, they are driven by purpose. They’re clear about why they are helping people, and have a purpose greater and deeper than just making money. They also remember how their work changes lives for the better and that:
“Creating wealth, is a happy side effect of creating health.”
2. Bring Passion & Enthusiasm to Your Work!
Successful practitioners love what they do and it shows. Though it shows up as everything from quiet confidence, to joyful exuberance, their patients feel their commitment to their work, and excellence.
3. Consistent Use of Clear Systems
Thriving practices have developed, often with expert guidance, efficient, and effective ways to receive and care for patients. They tend not to wing it day to day. Their patients feel like the practice is on top of things, that details are being cared for well. And rather than guess, they are consistent in how they work with patients through a plan and flow of care – from the first hello, to long-term maintenance care. In the upcoming Clinician’s Mastermind Circle, we will dive deep into the best practices and systems.
4. A Focus on Wellness & Prevention
Strong practices don’t rely on a huge influx of new patients every week, only to see them two or three more times for care. They commit to the wholistic model of wellness care, focusing on preventing illness and increasing overall quality of life. They make sure every patient understands the flow — from acute to corrective to wellness care, and they encourage all patients to continue regular, less frequent treatments as part of their wellness lifestyle.
5. Educate! Educate! Educate!
Great practitioners attract and create great patients. They know that great patients who want and pursue long-term wellness care, have been educated about how the treatment works and helps, and all the many conditions and goals the treatment can help with; and, great practitioners see patients as partners in care. They teach patients about the importance of their lifestyle choices in creating their future and prove that patient education is the foundation of lifestyle medicine.
6. Success is a Team Sport
Almost every successful clinician has a staff of one or more assistants who free up their time, so they can focus on doing things that only they can do – seeing patients, working on, not just in, their practice – creating future goals, strategies and plans. They hire, train and manage well, often learning these often non-native skills from successful clinicians who have gone before them.
7. Growing from the Inside-Out
Every thriving practice grows mostly through referral. By doing a great job, creating an exceptional patient experience, and simply caring more, successful practitioners ask for and inspire referrals from their patients and colleagues. Inferior practices need to invest heavily in advertising and new patient marketing since their work does not inspire referrals and long-term care. Great clinicians consistently attract patients who resonate with their work.
Let me say that it is important to master the art of referrals and have a system in place to automate this piece of your business if you want it to grow.
What I’ve found is that simple ideas and changes can make a big difference. I encourage you to take an inventory of the above tips and pick one area to focus on over the next month. Take one action that can you can improve, write it down and reevaluate it within 30 days to see if it’s working.