December 2002

Team Tips: Success Certainty!
“Some People Dream of Success, Others Wake Up and Work For It!”
By Susan Hoy

So much has been written about attaining success, yet I've noticed that there are a multitude of chiropractors who see themselves as unsuccessful. As the above quote states, success demands work and consistency. Beyond that, success must be within you and must come from inside you. Every chiropractor tells the patient that the healing comes from inside-out, not outside-in and so it is with success. Success comes from inside-out! I, or any other motivational speaker, can talk to you for hours and get you excited and motivated. However, if you do not possess the success concepts in your heart, your excitement and motivation will be short lived.

We are about to begin a new year. Why not begin with a brand new success consciousness. The following are the necessary ingredients for a successful chiropractic office:

• Believe: When I give team training seminars, I spend a lot of time talking to team members about the importance of believing in their chiropractor, chiropractic philosophy and the value of chiropractic. What I have found is that often team members believe in the chiropractor more than the chiropractor believes in him or herself!

If you are going to have a flourishing, successful practice, you must believe in the philosophy of chiropractic and you must believe in your ability as a chiropractor. Success will never come from you if you doubt your product or in your ability to deliver your product.

• Clarity of Vision: Once you're certain that your product works and that you can deliver your product effectively, you must have that dream. Once your brain gets clear about what you want, your brain will take action. Confusion about your purpose will result in confusion from your team and your patients.

• Share your Vision: Now that you know exactly what you want, let your team know. How can they help you get what you want if they don't know what that is? Make sure all of you have the same vision. And as long as you're dreaming, dream big! Your brain will do the rest.

• Develop a Plan of Action: Now it's time to get to work. A dream is only a dream unless you take the steps necessary to attain your dream. Each team member must know his or her responsibility to the vision.

• Creating the Perception: Create a successful workplace. Make sure the atmosphere surrounding you is positive and successful. Walking into a shabby, cluttered office does not give the perception of success. An unprofessional staff or unprofessional procedures does not give the perception of success. Look around your office, what does it say about you? Take the time to create success energy by educating your staff and planting the success seeds in them as well.

• Educate Your Patients: It's not enough to believe in yourself and your chiropractic philosophy. Your patients must believe in it as well. You must have a patient education program and you must have a success plan for each patient. The reason patient retention is low for most chiropractors is because they have failed to educate the patient on the benefits chiropractic care will have on their most valued possession – their health!

Additionally, each patient must know your plan of action in relieving their symptoms and correcting their spine and how that will affect their long-term health and vitality. If you don't tell your patients the truth about chiropractic, the way you believe it, then you will constantly be looking for new patients.

• Focus: Every day you must remind yourself, your team and your patients of your dreams, your goals and your vision. Whatever you focus on will grow stronger. Start your day with a team huddle and renew your purpose. Remind every patient of his or her treatment goals. Never lose sight of your destination, but have fun along the way.

• Be Consistent: Never give up! Have a plan, work your plan and never stop doing what works, no matter how busy you are!

• Patients Come First, Then Money: Of course you have to stay in business. Yes, you need money to pay your bills. However, you must first serve your team and your patients. We communicate at a far deeper level than words. Your team and your patients will easily assess your motives. You must always do what you do out of your heart not your wallet. Every patient is a gift and must feel special. Remember, you are developing a healthcare partnership, not a money tree.

Are you willing to do what it takes to attract success? Right now is the time to create your dream and develop your action plan. Right now is the time to change your old habits and success inhibitors and decide to be successful and create a successful, thriving practice. It all starts with you and your thoughts.

Ms. Hoy speaks to chiropractic team members throughout the country and is an award-winning team trainer and consultant. She is the author of several books and a team-training manual and has just released a set of team-training cassette tapes. She writes a newsletter called “Team Work,” which focuses on chiropractic staff issues. Ms. Hoy served as an office manager of Snyman Chiropractic Group in Center City, Philadelphia for 11 years. She can be reached at 215-674-0130; suzzhoy@aol.com; or sign on to her website at www.beefitup.net