Is THIS your Dream job? Are you doing things you thought you’d never do?
You might not have planned on all this “business stuff.”
You went to school to learn how to provide excellent care. Maybe you felt called, maybe you were simply fascinated. But one way or another, you ended up choosing a career as a healer. You probably didn’t plan on a career in marketing.
Many acupuncturists find themselves struggling to make ends meet. They are capable, committed, even passionate, but also a bit lost when it comes to attracting the patients they need to run a successful practice. They do all the right things, or at least they think they do, but the patients don’t come. Too many of these practices fail; too many good healers are lost to the profession.
Let’s fix that.
The first thing you need to realize is that you are running a business. Like it or not, you are a businessperson. If you’re not comfortable with that notion, for whatever reason, you need to change your thinking.
Perhaps some of us associate business with greed. This is wrong. Business merely means an equitable exchange of value. You provide valuable care, and your patient provides remuneration for that care. It is a fair exchange.
Furthermore, if the exchange does not happen, you will not be able to provide care for long. In other words, if you can’t make a living from your practice, you can’t help anyone.
Therefore, no matter how altruistic your motives, your first priority MUST be building a successful practice where you can make a good living. This will enable you to help the most people and do the most good.
It is your DUTY and your OBLIGATION to be as successful as you can be. If you find you’ve generated a surplus, you can certainly find charitable ways to use it. This is not greed. In fact, it is the opposite.
OK, comfortable with that concept?
Now, there’s another idea we need to discuss. The most important thing you must do in your business is MARKETING.
Everything else is driven by this function.
Of course you have to do accounting, legal, regulatory, supplies, scheduling, billing, and so on, but if you don’t have patients, none of these things matter. Marketing is job one, now and always.
Does that make you uncomfortable? It’s OK if it does. By the time this series is over you will have a new perspective!
Before I go on I should point out Dr. Fratkin’s Special Repo
rt talks about methods and tools that simplify the process of attracting and retaining patients.
If you missed his guest blog, be sure to catch up here.
You can also download Dr. Fratkin’s complete report – Click here.
In my next blog, I’ll show you how to make marketing comfortable, understandable, and easy – Click Here.
You really can do this. It’s not as bad as you might fear. In fact, once you understand marketing, you’ll find it can be one of the most rewarding and exciting parts of your practice!
Until next time…have a great week!
Alan R. Gifford, MS
Practice Coach
@acupromoter
#alangifford
#practicecoach
