December 2007

Advance through the four stretch quadrants

by Dr. CJ Mertz

The learning curve for building hugely successful, principled, profitable practices has jumped off the charts! If your practice isn't growing at least 25 adjustments per week each quarter, then you're missing the four "stretch quadrants" of growth.

Each person you serve deserves to have the greatest experience possible in chiropractic. The stretch quadrants are based upon this premise. Your practice grows in direct proportion to the "collective experience" of your patients, your team and yourself. This experience doesn't just happen, you must make it happen.

What "stretch" is

Stretch refers to what it takes on your behalf to create the greatest results possible for your patients.

1) The first stretch quadrant is specifically about your patients' healing process.

Stretch Rule #1: 100% kept visits equals 100% possible results.

It's one thing to give your patients your best recommendation for care. The bigger stretch, however, is that every patient keeps every appointment. Did you know that the average chiropractic practice has 24% missed visits each week? Missed visits reflect a lack of the stretch required to create the best possible healing results for your patients.

The human body corrects and heals by rhythm. Breaking the rhythm of adjustments is dangerous; it jeopardizes the achievement of corrective results for patients. In addition, patients who miss three or more visits (even if those visits are rescheduled), have a 9% drop‑out rate.

Become a bodyguard and protect your patients' interests. You must learn to stretch because your patients do not yet understand why or how to do so. I see chiropractors adding newfangled equipment to their practices (which is tremendously expensive) only to find that it didn't change their missed visits even one percent. The very things you are afraid to say or do for fear of losing patients are resulting in patients dropping away from your care. Learn this strategy and alter your future.

2) The second stretch quadrant is focused on your patients' fair exchange. Stretch Rule #2: Patients who pay ahead of time remain under care (and happily tell others).

The two biggest mistakes made against the fair exchange principle are when patients are either paying per visit or paying monthly (after care has been rendered). You must stretch to change your definition of fair exchange in order to advance. The outdated definition only refers to people paying you. The two mistakes just discussed actually cause patients to drop from care even though they "paid you." Your new definition of fair exchange must include stretch rules 1, 2 and 3 (discussed in next quadrant).

Ironically, the discussion has centered around your patients' experience and how to stretch so they can have the best experience possible. Advancing the growth of your practice only occurs through strengthening your patients' collective experience. Your patients don't have to prepay for a year as the only option; have them pay monthly ahead of their care instead of after. A healthy habit of investing in chiropractic leads to a healthy habit of care.

3) The third stretch quadrant handles your patients' contribution to your mission: referrals. Stretch Rule #3: First referral within 30 days, second referral within 90 days.

The average person knows 48 other people. However, average patients refer fewer than one person to their chiropractor. Your patients must develop motivation and responsibility for "passing the torch." Helping patients to help others is an integral part of your calling. In addition, patients who refer others to chiropractic tend to stay with chiropractic. Patient retention is directly linked to whether a patient has shared the message of chiropractic with others.

Of ten patients would refer others if you asked them to and showed them how to do it. Your stretch is learning to see this as a natural part of advancing someone's care. While people's health care problems are confidential and kept private, chiropractic isn't! Teaching your patients to understand the difference will lead them to refer bus loads of new patients. Patients who refer others validate their own experience, which makes their chiropractic care decision more permanent.

4) The fourth stretch quadrant is your commitment to making "black‑belt" educated patient workshops. The most successful practices in the world are full of patients who have attended a dozen or more of them.

Embrace your future! Become an educational institute (who also provides world class care) rather than a service provider (who also has a workshop). Thinking that people will "get it" by attending one workshop is like thinking you could get it and become a huge success in practice by attending one seminar (obviously ridiculous!). You should also use each patient's attendance as an opportunity to gift him or her and show your patients how much you love them and admire their commitment to optimal health.

Don't be afraid of repeating certain important information. Just remember how important it is that someone is repeating the core messages to you so that you can continue to advance in a practice. Of course, patients who attend three or more workshops are also succeeding in your first three stretch rules.

The four stretch quadrants and their unique stretch rules are worthy of your time, energy and commitment. Those practices that are learning these strategies are breaking one record after another and are seeing their patients experiencing the same! Don't hesitate to call and find out how to begin your stretch. As always, everyone is counting on you.

(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 information on WLP coaching service, please call The Waiting List Practice at 877‑TEAM‑WLP).