January 2007

The four stages of business success

by Dr. Mike Reid

I was recently conversing with Anthony Robbins, one of my master coaches, about what makes some businesses successful while others struggle. He described some new business technology stages that allowed, or at least helped businesses identify where they were at in their growth and prosperity. These he labeled alpha, beta, gamma and delta. He then applied some rules to assist owners of these businesses maintain the most desirable stage...alpha, a stage of awareness and control of one's business strategy.

Why are these four stages so important? Simply because they can easily be applied to any chiropractic practice in today's changing world to help keep it on track for success.

Alpha stage is best described as a warm spring day. Everything looks good, there are lots of new patients in the books, lots of adjustments happening. Even your CAs are smiling and thoroughly enjoying their jobs. Life is good in your chiropractic practice. Today. You run a well oiled machine and it shows.

Stage two, Beta, comes along, best described as a thunderstorm on the horizon. The winds are picking up and it's starting to rain. In your office it may look like the day where you had a record number of no shows. Perhaps the new patient machine has been dry for more than a week. Your team is way off script and everyone is dropping the ball. Your office lacks team training, cohesion, and a congruent vision.

Now Gamma arrives. This stage was best described to me as being tied up in the trunk of a car that's rolling downhill toward a lake. Have you ever had one of those days where the vortex of universal chaos comes sweeping through your office? A team member hands in her resignation, the board just sent you another letter, and you just discovered that your office manager has been skimming off the top for 10 years. Perhaps I'm being a little harsh, but you get the big idea.

The final stage, Delta, is reconciliation day. The sun is finally shining again. Things are running smoothly once more, as your new team has taken command of your practice and your clinic is once again hitting all sorts of new records.

Why are these four stages of business success so critical in today's health care model? What we identified in the coaching world, is that in order to maintain oneself in the most desirable stage of Alpha, a business owner ‑‑ a chiropractor ‑‑ should master the majority of the following, in order to maintain and prosper in today's health care arena:

***  Annually plan marketing strategy 12 months in advance

***  Network with at least six or more like‑minded doctors, once a month

***  Train with his or her team weekly on procedures and customer service

***  Maintain daily rituals of exercise, nutrition, and meditation or prayer

***  Measure and monitor the practice results for adaptation and/or change

***  Create a team "vision board" for practice growth

***  Build ownership into the team with bonuses or gifting

***  Spend 30 minutes every day improving his or her mental and physical skills

***  Create or learn strategies for attracting, educating, and retaining patients

***  Reinvest five percent of the practice gross into upgrading the practice's technology, look, and training skills

By following the above, any chiropractor can maintain an Alpha stage and thus ensure a successful business for years to come.

(Dr. Mike Reid is an international lecturer, Canadian president of the World chiropractic Alliance and the international director and head coach of Anthony Robbins' chiropractic coaching program called "Fortune." Merging his "Gorilla chiropractic Coaching" with Robbins' personal empowerment technologies, Fortune is an elite and executive‑level program designed to create extraordinary practices and extraordinary lives. A member of the class of 1992 from CMCC, Dr. Reid maintains a private, cash‑based wellness practice in Ottawa, Ontario. For more information, contact him at 800‑781‑8127.)