17. Are you telling people what they want to hear?
I find a vast majority of chiropractors fall into two groups.
One wants to be every patient's friend and won't tell people what they need to hear.
The other tells everyone they need 80 visits because they look at each patient like there is a dollar sign flashing above their head.
Neither of these options works well long term.
If you try to be everyone's friend, you will not be respected, you will find poor patient compliance, and that leads to frustration and poor results.
If you recommend 80 visits regardless of what's going on with the patient, eventually people figure this out, and referrals and reacts are few and far between.
Then screenings and talks become your life, which becomes exhausting and not much fun.
There is a better way.
How about being a friendly and a professional doctor?
A doctor who looks at each person's history, x-rays, alignment, and symptomatology, recommending what that person needs based on your technique, knowledge, and experience.
You tell everyone what they need to hear and not want they want to hear. You also make this recommendation based on the best interests of the patient and not your collections.
This is one aspect of great leaders and coaches. They are honest, they care, and they have the best interests of their people or team at heart.
The easiest way to do this, without looking self-serving, is using the word "ideal" when making your recommendations. "Ideally, I would do three times a week," "Ideally, I would recommend 28 visits over the next 90 days."
Doing this removes all the pressure and puts the decision on the patient.
Now they know what they should do. If the patient ends up choosing not too and if they don't get the results they want, it's on them, not you.
Let's take this profession to the next level by creating more successful and principled chiropracTORS!
Keep Charging,
Dr. FJ Schofield
