A lesson from elephant trainers
If you want to help more people and generate more revenue, here is a question to ask yourself:
Could you see three times your average visit volume tomorrow?
That is, if you see 50 visits a day, could you see 150 tomorrow? Or, if you see 100 a day, could you see 300 visits the next workday?
This is a mental exercise, so just imagine that many patients coming in for care. Notice what emotions and attitudes automatically move into your mind. What are your thoughts? "Well, that sounds great, but realistically, we couldn't see that many." "I wouldn't get home till midnight."
LEARNED LIMITATIONS
There are certainly physical constraints to tripling your production overnight, such as cramped quarters and limited trained staff. I cover this in my book, The Goal Driven Business.
But, just like logistical log jams, our mental constraints are also present.
An example is how elephants are restrained in circuses. In the book Don't Shoot the Dog, Karen Pryor discusses a technique often called "elephant training" or "elephant psychology."
"The trick is accomplished in two stages. First, the young elephant is secured to a massive stake driven deep into the ground by a short, sturdy chain. At this stage, the elephant is too small to break free, no matter how hard it tries. The elephant quickly learns that attempting to move beyond the radius of the chain is futile. In the second stage, the fully grown elephant is restrained only by a slender chain or rope - easily broken by an animal of its size and strength. But by now, the elephant has learned that it cannot break free, so it makes no attempt to do so."
This illustrates how conditioning can shape an animal's behavior, even when the physical restraints are no longer an actual limitation. Unconsciously, the same phenomena can affect us.
STACK-A- DAY IN YOUR CHIROPRACTIC OFFICE
Way back in yesteryear, every quarter or so, a few chiropractic doctors with large practices we worked with would hold a Stack-a-Day.
On that day, they would have all their maintenance/wellness patients come in so that the patient count would be significantly increased. The extra traffic was invigorating for the staff. It was a challenge – something new.
But the patients were also more excited. "Well, Dr. Smith, things sure seem to be picking up at the office here. Word must be getting out how wonderful your practice is."
I would hear from doctors who did this that visits remained high for weeks after their Stack-a-Day. When the office saw more visits than usual after the Stack-a-Day, it would seem like a slow day.
MEET WITH YOUR HEALTHCARE TEAM
Meet with your team and ask them a similar question: could we see triple the visits tomorrow or on the next workday? Have them notice their reactions. Then, talk about how you might schedule a massive day for all your wellness patients to come in. Turn it into a fun game and see how many visits you and your team can see.
You can follow it up with a Patient Appreciation Day, or a BAB Day, Bring a Buddy Day. (Contact me for ideas on how to implement!)
There will always be logistical "reasons" that get in the way of practice growth. But it is also the mental chains we need to bust.
Use Stack-a-Day to blow out the mental carbon and allow everyone to Think BIG. Then, the marketing engines should be turned up, and the increased volume kept permanent.
Seize Your Goals
Ed
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If your practice building efforts aren’t taking you to your goals,
there are reasons -- many of which are hidden from you.
Find out what they are and how to sail to your next level by getting and implementing my new book, The Goal Driven Business.
The Goal Driven Business
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