There are three words (alright it might be only two) that are most likely killing your practice. In this vlog Craig shares what they are and how to change them.

In this short video, Craig shares his insights on chiropractor's getting "friend-zoned" with patients and the pitfalls associated.

As chiropractors, we’ve all run behind at some point in shift. You have assistants sending you little messages which start from little memos of inspiration;

“You can do it!”

“You’re doing great!”

These then slowly evolve to that of pictures that reassemble a poop emoticon- indicating you’d better pull your finger out!

Perhaps you’ve had an acute patient come in that required more time that was allocated. Perhaps you’re tired from having a sick child at home and you’ve lost sleep. Perhaps you just haven’t got your head in the game! Either way do not apologise for running late! Please let me explain.

Saying “I’m sorry” makes it about you feeling better and not them! .. Saying “I’m sorry” says that what you have been doing is of little importance you have wasted both your time and theirs. Saying “I’m sorry” means that one day- should they ever be acute- you will also...

I was a buoy which had lost its mooring. My direction went with the tide, dependant on factors external to myself. I went this way and that to make others happy and content. I was tired both physically and emotionally.

I then observed that all the greatest chiropractors, (or for that matter world leaders) had one thing in common; they were all lighthouses. Rock solid standing up against the elements with their unrelenting bright light. Now the thing about lighthouses is that they are dependable. Ships use them for guidance away from danger. Some ships may have another destination and will pass it by, however many will use its guiding light to find safety.

Buoys without moorings are useless to ships. They could be floating over rocks or a deep channel but the ships are never sure- loose buoys are dangerous!

Now I consider myself a lighthouse.

Steadfast in my beliefs and in the services I provide. People who don’t wish for my services (ships with other destinations) will pass...

Three-way communication at the front desk is critical in taking a vague referral into a concrete one. Clearly stating the next action and who is responsible at the front desk to both the patient and your CA is absolutely essential to ensure you are not missing opportunities being presented. Dr. Foote shares his tip on using three-way communication in actioning a referral within your practice.

I'm not talking about statistics this time. I'm talking about do you know about what is happening within your practice, but outside of the room that you are in? Is what you’re doing and saying congruent with what your staff are doing and saying as well?

I've always found that a successful chiropractor (and I'm not necessarily just talking about volume- rather impact) is one that is congruent with both their philosophy and their actions. When we look at the clinic as a whole however you can have a congruent chiropractor and have staff members perhaps not doing what has been agreed on.

Whenever we have had new Chiropractic Assistants (CAs) start (and we've had some fantastic ones)- I've always stated that I will never hear what they say if they are saying the right things. I will however develop super hearing skills and hear things that SHOULD NOT be said from the very back of clinic.

Let me give you some made up examples-

• "Oops."
• "Just come in whenever you feel like...

Let me paint you a picture.

You’ve been in practice a couple of years and each day when you get into clinic you likely say the same thing to your colleagues and patients. Then you start about going through the same routines that so far have got you to the point that you are. Now that may- or may not- be a good thing!

You are almost certainly on remote control or auto pilot and often, before you know it, time has passed and you may very well ask the question- “Where did the time go?”

What we know about neuroplasticity is that we become accustomed to our surroundings and often become blind to what is going on.

 I recall having a holiday and one of my friends who was locuming for me, moved my tables by literally 5cm (2 inches). The first 3 days back in practice I kept on hitting my shins on the metal edges of my tables because I wasn’t used to them being in that position. I had grown accustomed to where they had been for the past few years.

Now over the...

Running behind in practice? Sometimes find patients sharing their stories with you can weigh you down? It looks like washing your hands can do a lot more than just get rid of germs.

Catch up if you’re fallen behind.

Ok so you’ve been a bit off and thrown some curve balls with the patients you’ve seen so far in the shift. You’re got people banking up in the waiting area, people are looking at their watches and your support staff are giving you daggers. Each person you see is wanting you to spend more time with them and it seems that each case is getting more and more complicated. The very best thing you can do is take a moment quietly walk down to the bathroom and wash your hands.

Breath. Take a moment. As you are washing your hands focus on washing off the “accumulated crap.”

Researchers Lee and Schwarz in 2010 found that it seems that hand washing may remove past concerns and gives a person the feeling of a clean slate. (Lee & Schwarz, 2010)...

...their own name.

Have you ever noticed that if you hear someone calling your name you instantly look around to see who it is? It sounds obvious but your name is your identity.

When a new person comes into your practice it actually is YOU being assessed. 

It is said that “people don’t recall WHAT you told them, they remember how you made them FEEL.” Getting their name right is the first step towards making these people FEEL like they are in the right place and in the hands of the right person. 

Looking at their name on the new patient form and making sure you get it right as quickly as possible is critical to creating a connection with them. You have about 20 minutes to mispronounce their name as much as possible. This is around the same length of time as an initial new patient assessment. After that time should you continue to either mispronounce their name, or worse forget it and call them someone else’s, you are likely up the creek without a...