Master motivator Zig Ziglar frequently told audiences in his lectures how to cook frogs. "If you throw them in hot water, they quickly jump out," he explained. "If you place them in warm water and slowly heat them with a small candle, they relax and get cooked."
What can be done about it? Decide to learn from other people's failures. Once you do, it's easy to recognize the symptoms of a dying practice. You may suffer from one or more of these symptoms of complacency and not be aware of it. Keep reading and correct them.
Symptom #1: Poor Hygiene
I just finished consulting with an excellent chiropractor who is struggling to survive. When I met with him, he had just taken a shower; his hair was clean, but wet. His clothes, however, smelled, and his teeth were a wreck. I thought, Why would anyone want to see him, never mind let him touch them?
Needless to say, his practice was down, but he couldn't understand why. He was totally unaware of how he was choking his clinic to death!
Symptom #2: Poorly Aware
I'm always amazed at chiropractors who don't know their statistics. I think if you are the CEO of a company, you should know whether profits are up or down. Business never stays the same; like the stock market, it changes direction constantly.
Chiropractors who are not doing well are often unaware of how many people they are helping, services rendered, collections and overhead. When asked about specifics, they'll respond, "I don't know." This is insane.
Of course, a doctor's primary focus must be caring for patients, but to keep the lights on, pay for staff and stay in business, you must know these figures and more. To grow beyond the current level of service requires an understanding of what's going on and how to change a negative trend.
Symptom #3: Being Defensive
When asked how things are going, these same doctors will make defensive statements such as:
- "Business is down everywhere"
- "No one's coming in"
- "It's the economy, weather, my location" [insert your own excuses here]
What's wrong with these explanations? They are not entirely true. For example, is business down everywhere? Isn't someone doing better? These stiff-necked, wrong-headed observations make failure less painful and don't pose questions that could actually address the problem:
- What do I want and how can I get it?
- How can I improve?
- What attitudes are holding me back?
- What am I not aware of yet that's preventing me from growing?
- Who is doing well and how can I learn from them?
- What are they doing that I'm not?
- How can I make what I do more attractive and easier for others to enjoy?
- What are my immediate and long-term plans for future success?
Symptom #4: Resignation
The doctor I was helping had been failing for years. His once-thriving business had become an expensive hobby. He had to borrow money from his family to pay his taxes, and his credit cards were charged to the max. His clinic was dirty and disorganized.
What astounded me was he had no sense of urgency. If he were piloting an airplane diving toward disaster, he wouldn't bother pulling back on the stick. After years of commitment and study, endless financial sacrifices and hard work, he was done. He was less concerned than I was, and he owned the business and was about to lose everything. He had given up long ago. Shocking!
Symptom #5: Blind to Opportunity
This doctor confided in me that "no one" in his town had money or could afford care. I checked the demographics of his town to see if what he was saying had any merit. The median household income in his area was more than $100,000 a year, twice the national median (about $52,000 per year).2 The surrounding areas were even better off. His statements about the economy, etc., were nonsense, of course.
His fees were low, but he readily negotiated them downward if he sensed any reluctance on the part of his patients to start or continue care. He pointed out that although many people nearby were wealthy, there were also a lot of people hardly getting by.
Quoting the business magnate Lang Hancock, I said to this doctor, "The best way to help the poor is not to become one of them." I went on, "Accept reasonable pay for services rendered and donate to charity." Finally, I added, "Become so busy you need to hire staff and feed their hungry families." When it came to business, he was the Mother Theresa of chiropractic, but his clinic was definitely not in Calcutta.
Tips to Avoid Complacency
To be and stay successful, you must constantly raise your standards. Be concerned. Step up to the challenges, and handle problems quickly and fully as they appear. Ask the right questions to the right people, and decide to listen and act on solutions that allow you to help more people. Do whatever it takes.
Business is a moving target that requires constant adaptation to stay relevant and "vibrate" at the exact frequency of the people you serve. Wake up and stay awake. Refuse to settle. Find out how to improve and move.
If business is sluggish, make time to find out what your statistics are and answer the questions in this article. Here are more questions to help boom your business:
- Are the sidewalk and parking lot outside your practice clean?
- Does your staff look sharp?
- How is your grooming and wardrobe?
- Are your carpets worn?
- Are all the lights working?
- Does the paint need touching up?
- Is anything broken or worn?
- Have you been adjusted lately?
- Is it obvious to your patients that you are delighted to give them your best?
Just like the human body, a clinic is designed to thrive. Profit is a by-product of quality services rendered. Never be satisfied until your clinic prospers.
We all have blind spots. It's difficult to see what's holding us back, never mind do something about it. If your practice is not flourishing, take a look in the mirror. Make sure you haven't become complacent. Stay hungry.
References
- Carmody B. "Why 96 Percent of Businesses Fail Within 10 Years." Inc. Magazine, Aug. 12, 2015.
- "Douglas County Ranks in Top 10 Highest Median Incomes." CBS Denver News, Sept. 17, 2014.
Dr. Steven Visentin, a 1982 graduate of National College of Chiropractic, is a solo practitioner and clinic director at Care Chiropractic in Denver. He is also the author of an e-book, Blow Your Head Off Practice Building Secrets. For additional information, contact Dr. Visentin via his Web site, www.carechiropractic.com.