August 2007

Who is on your team?

by Dr. CJ Mertz

When Dr. Riekeman evaluated the strength of his graduates at Life University, he decided it was time for a change. The board unanimously agreed to pursue a path no one, up until then, had traveled.

Actually, the path Life University is taking has been frequently used by practice champions, but never tested at the college level. It has been one year and The Waiting List Practice is proud to be the practice management of choice to launch the first‑ever student coaching program as an integral part of the curriculum.

Nothing of this magnitude ever happens without an exhausting amount of research. All the information leads to one shocking conclusion: college graduates are not properly equipped to build a successful practice.

Fast forward five years after graduation and the average practicing chiropractor won't see an income change of more than $2,500 per month for the rest of his or her career.

In fact, while the average DC won't give more than 80 adjustments per week, properly coached graduates are serving 200 adjustments per week inside their first year. It should be no surprise to learn that more than 90% of the practicing chiropractors who see more than 300 patient visits per week are coached.

As the wellness revolution continues to make sweeping changes within society, the 21st century chiropractor must be properly trained to have the right skills and strategies to succeed.

This, however, must be carefully tempered by an in‑depth understanding of the governing principles upon which chiropractic is founded. These principles are based in truth and, therefore, will never change.

The most successful chiropractors today are the perfect hybrid of 20th century philosophy and 21st century technology and communication skills. Where is this type of training to be found?

Approximately one‑third of all DCs who begin coaching are actually "re‑starting." They received coaching and their practice really grew. Then, like so many things in life, it worked so well they stopped getting coached. Invariably, the practice began to slip (as well as their confidence) and they decided to return to the level of training that got them to the top in the first place.

Chiropractic college was not intended or designed to be the "end‑all" of a chiropractor's training and preparation. The sooner the student and the graduate realize how prosperous the right coaching relationship can be for them, the higher the chance of their success in practice.

Today, many students (in America) will have invested more than $200,000 to graduate from college. Most of them will admit they don't fully understand how to make a return on that investment ‑‑ an answer filled with uncertainty and anxiousness both before and after graduation.

Ironically, the most successful chiropractic practices in history are being built today. There's never been a better time to be a chiropractor. More people are turning to chiropractic than ever before. You can transform the belief systems of an entire town of people and make a huge difference from inside your practice.

You can marvel as your practice doubles, then doubles again, by continuing to apply the same strategies and principles the world's most successful practices execute every day. But, it's clear you can no longer practice from the bleachers. You must believe and have confidence in yourself and chiropractic to get down on the field. You must be willing to take more chances in order to touch the number of people your heart desires.

Most important decisions

All champions make these five vital decisions to...

1. Dream the ideal practice and turn it into a vision that becomes relentlessly pursued.

2. Take field trips and visit practice champions who are living their dream (or close to it).

3. Only hire people with the highest standards, energy and commitment who will turn their dreams into reality ‑‑ and accept nothing else.

4. Hire a trustworthy coach and allow him or her to design the plan to reach their dreams, being sure this coach is someone who can inspire and at the same time lead one to build the necessary skills to succeed.

5. Decide to enjoy every day they practice and value the journey as much as ‑‑ or more than ‑‑ the destination.

(Dr. CJ Mertz is the founder and head coach of the prestigious Waiting List Practice chiropractic training organization. See the WLP 300 patient per week opportunity on the back page of this issue. For seminar tickets and information on WLP coaching services, please call The Waiting List Practice at 877‑TEAM‑WLP).