November 2004

Zero to 300 in 18 months or less

by Dr. CJ Mertz

About eight years ago, I turned to a couple great friends of mine, Bruce Wong and Nick Scandalios, and tried to express my extreme frustration with students failing in practice after graduation. Dr. Scandalios simply said, "Let's do something about it"!

In looking around at the available student coaching programs and what they offered, our findings were dreadful. So, we set out with the outrageous objective of training new DCs to go from zero to 300 patient adjustments per week in 18 months or less. I'm happy to announce we've achieved this goal and want to share how our unique strategies can help you reach your goals.

Students have neither bad habits nor deeply ingrained beliefs around how something should happen in practice. As a result, when we train students, they don't need to "undo" or "unlearn." They're sponges who absorb at nearly 100% capacity.

A brand new graduate can implement and execute our entire system with no fear and no hesitation, whereas a chiropractor in practice for years, given the same instruction and the same training materials only implements one tenth of the system. The new graduate goes from zero to 200 adjustments per week in the first 20 weeks, while it may take the seasoned chiropractor a year to see a 50 patient per week increase in his or her practice. The key is to re‑establish the "student mind" so that your rate of learning is matched with your rate of implementation and practice growth.

When chiropractors feel they have nothing to lose, they'll try anything and make it happen. When they perceive there IS now something to lose, they'll resist new strategies and be slow to change and implement with less than 100% commitment.

Most DCs I've coached have had practices made up of forms, systems and strategies left over from various seminars or courses they had attended over several years. In other words, most practices are set up in a completely arbitrary fashion, rather than based upon proven results and congruent integration with every practice strategy.

Why is it chiropractors hold on so tightly to the limiting habits of their practice? Because they're familiar, and remember, if familiarity is now something you have to lose you will automatically resist change. In reality, there's nothing to lose but the limiting habits that are preventing you from making significant growth in your practice.

Imagine next week 10 new patients call to make an appointment. Now imagine seven of them converting to an entire year of care and four of the seven choosing to take care of their fees in advance. Can you see it? Next imagine five out of the seven patients have the rest of their family scheduled for a check‑up within two weeks of starting care. Imagine four out of the five of the family commit to starting care in your practice. Finally, imagine this all happening again the following week.

This imagination has become reality for hundreds of chiropractors every year. Reaching 300+ patient adjustments per week in less than 18 months is definitely possible ‑‑ if you can undo and unlearn the habits that currently shackle your growth in practice!

Here are a few important benchmarks you'll need to know and achieve in order to become part of the 300+ club:

***  If your practice has eight out of ten new patients coming by way of referral, that's not good for your future growth. The same is true if eight out of ten new patients are coming by way of advertising or promotions. The "four to six" zone is where virtually all strong growth occurs. Learn how to reconstruct your marketing strategy (internal and external) to generate the four to six zone.

***  If your practice isn't averaging six out of ten patients choosing at least one year of corrective care, then your reporting process needs a lot of work. Learn how to create more influence and lead your patients to predictably better decisions with their care.

***  Your workshop attendance should be at least five percent of your weekly adjusting volume. For example, if you see 200 patients per week, your weekly workshop attendance should be a minimum of 10 people in the audience. If not, your retention will suffer proportionately and prevent your practice from growing to the next level.

Serving more than 300 adjustments per week requires a strong sense of purpose, a mind determined to achieve success, and commitment to master proven strategies that have helped thousands of DCs reach the 300+ mark. This holiday season, take a few private moments to give yourself the greatest gift of all: permission to fulfill your potential, to truly make a difference in your community, to become a member of the 300+ club! Prepare to make 2005 the best year ever in practice.

(Dr. CJ Mertz is president of the International Chiropractors Association, executive director of ChiroUSA, and founder and head coach of the prestigious Waiting List Practice [WLP] chiropractic training organization. For information on WLP coaching services and products, call Kate Golle at 877‑TEAM‑WLP.)