by ALAN ROUSSO, DC
Is a coach in your
future?
Pick a coach to fit your goals
Imagine working in your office or at a screening or in a public place, marketing your practice and someone approaches you, challenging: “Why do I need a chiropractor? My back doesn’t hurt!”
Depending upon your philosophy, you might
respond that chiropractic care is not just for people who hurt, but also for
those who choose to be healthier.
A similar paradigm exists among chiropractors: Some practitioners want to “just
not hurt,” which means they want to make a living, pay their bills and support
their family. Others want to raise the bar and make a difference in chiropractic
in both their practice and in their community because they understand what a
significant.
Neither type of chiropractor is right or wrong. It’s a matter of perspective,
based on a belief system and the school in which the person was “raised.”
Coaching reflects this same dichotomy. Some consulting firms are strategy-based.
They teach procedure and guide practitioners into streamlining what they do and
how they do it. Strategy-based coaches emphasize increasing efficiency as the
way to grow the practice – a little bit or a lot.
Other consulting firms use an identity-based approach, which bases coaching
processes on values, beliefs and personality traits, rather than a strict
procedure.
Both types of consulting firm focus on developing skills and competencies in
three areas:
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New patient acquisition – how to find and attract new patients;
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Patient retention – how to increase your patient visit average; and
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Business acumen – how to manage finances and collect fees.
Strategy-based firms concentrate on achieving
the end results for these three areas. Strategy-based coaches challenge you to
set goals and to establish plans to achieve them.
Identity-based firms focus on the philosophies and identity of the practitioner
to achieve goals – how the doctor feels about him or herself, his role in
running a practice and her feelings of self-worth.
Both types of coaches challenge their clients to see their current practices in
a realistic light, to set goals about what they would like the practices to be
and plan the steps to make a smooth transition to the goal.
Patients come to chiropractors with the hope of getting well but also, with a
fear of the unknown. In most cases, patients find relief from suffering and a
brand new way of thinking about health.
Practitioners who look for a coach experience a similar plethora of sensations –
fear that it might not work or that they will waste time or money and knowledge
that they are actually making an investment in their practice and in the future
realization of their dreams.
Just like in practice, some patients come for acute care, get some results and
leave, and they never truly reach a higher level of health and wellness. When a
chiropractor comes for coaching, it’s the long-term commitment to change, the
willingness to risk and the break from comfort zones that ultimately lead to
your definition of Success!
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