December 2004

They did it ‑‑ so can you

by Dr. Greg Loman

We'd like to honor three of chiropractic's most recent heroes: Doctors Roger Romano, Paul Reed and Charlie Majors. They've entered into a very prestigious club of chiropractors and are deserving of a round of applause.

They have reached the pinnacle in practice of seeing 1,000 patient visits a week. Their hard work, vision, and persistence developed not only the practice they always dreamed of, but they've been enabled to help as many people in their communities as most hospitals do.

Thank you, doctors Romano, Reed and Majors ‑‑ for showing our profession that people truly want chiropractic.

Will you please be next?

I remember speaking at a philosophy night in Miami. I asked who in the room would be the next 1,000 patient visits a week practitioner. An eager young man stood up and said, "I'm next." This young gentleman was Dr. Dan Yachter who now is seeing more than 1,400 visits a week. The fire in his eyes was unstoppable.

Why do these and many other chiropractors want to see 1,000 patient‑visits a week? Most believe it's ego or financial drive. Yet, if you interview all of these DCs, they'll all say it's their mission to help as many people as they can. It's something that is in their hearts. Actually, most chiropractors have this feeling in their hearts. We're a profession of givers and servers. If I am describing you, thank you for being in our profession.

What does it take to adjust 1,000 people in one week? Would you want to do it if it could be done with integrity and the highest level of service? Here's what it takes: desire. You cannot allow anything to get in the way.

The biggest obstacle that stops a chiropractor from growing to 250, 500, or 1,000 visits per week is his or her head. Look at what happened to the four‑minute mile. For hundreds of years no one could break this milestone. Then Roger Bannister came along and shattered it. Within six months of his record, literally dozens of runners had broken the four‑minute mile. What changed for those who followed him? Their heads and a certain level of training.

The other day I was cycling, and decided to ride my bike to downtown Naples where my massage appointment was. While preparing, I didn't think I was going to make it on time. I estimated it would be about 18 miles to the appointment. As it was, I made it with 20 minutes to spare. The computer on my bike read 10.22 miles. I was astonished, not only by how short the trip was but also by how easy it was to make it all the way downtown in that period of time. My perception of how far it was had jaded the reality of the situation.

When dreaming of developing a 1,000 a week practice, don't get jaded by the idea that it can't be done. Maybe your level of experience and thinking is the interference that needs to be removed. You can develop that large of a practice. You need to develop that size of a practice. The people in your town need you to step up to the plate and teach the world about chiropractic!

(Dr. Ben Lerner and Dr. Greg Loman manage Teach The World About Chiropractic, a coaching, seminar, and product company and Body by God International. They have two of the highest‑volume clinics in the history of chiropractic. Dr. Lerner, author of the New York Times best-selling book, "Body by God: The Owner's Manual For Maximized Living," was the chiropractor for the Olympics of 1996 and 2000.)