September 2007

Competition

by Dr. Ogi Ressel

Okay. Enough being "Mr. Nice Guy." I need to pull out all the stops!

I need to address an issue that no one wants to talk about openly. Since associations dismiss it, boards don't give it any credence, chiropractic conventions and seminars pretend it isn't there and generally consider the subject taboo, it's left to the individual practitioner to handle... and it isn't easy!

Let's talk about competition.

Now I've said it. The bury‑your‑head‑in‑the‑sand unspeakable, the unmentionable, the unthinkable ‑‑ and the very real.

There seems to be some sort of unwritten code that doesn't permit chiropractors to even think about this issue. We simply pretend it isn't there. We pretend it doesn't exist. We pretend that every other doctor is as passionate and dedicated and altruistic as we are. We pretend that it doesn't matter that the new patient we had scheduled suddenly decides to see somebody else. After all, they're still receiving chiropractic care. And we fool ourselves into thinking that we're totally alright with this, yet all the while we are roiling inside.

Here's what you need to understand. Every new patient you see, the "other guy or gal" doesn't, and vice versa. Every patient another doctor sees, doesn't see you. This is a loss, either for you or the other doctor. This is the crux of competition.

And it all stems from the fact that the public does not embrace the chiropractic lifestyle as a household entity ‑‑ yet!

People have the mistaken idea that we do this back pain "thing." That's what we've taught the public to believe. We "crack" backs and necks and try to sell orthotics and vitamins to the unsuspecting public. That is the perception. And, that chiropractic's expensive and that "they try to get you to go for life."

Much of it starts with the concept that has been propagated by a number of seminars that in order to have your dream practice you need to market your brains out, and the one with the best marketing plan wins the game. Whether we want to admit it or not, this spawns severe competition for every patient! So, the game is, he or she with the best ploy, wins. Most doctors get so caught up in this vicious and very expensive cycle they fail to realize that marketed patients are one of the worst groups out there ‑‑ right alongside the "mall people." Who needs 'em? You do! Of course it's a case of need. Your need. But, what if you actually didn't need that patient? What if that patient needed you? Interesting concept.

Actually, competition is quite healthy. So, please admit to yourself that you are in direct competition with all the other doctors in town. The problem is that competition can also breed jealousy and resentment. And it can be the fodder for board complaints and all sorts of "nasties" that doctors have been known to do to each other, no matter how trivial ‑‑ for example, one doctor attempting to discredit another in the eyes of the board knowing full well that the board is under mandate to investigate all complaints made. Unfortunately, this occurs very frequently.

I've found that the best way of minimizing competition with other doctors in your town is to practice from the perspective that people need you and not the other way around. And the only way to do that is to become very sought‑after in your community. To become a wellness expert in family care and the care of children. To become the best and most talked‑about doctor your community has ever seen. Ever.

Not the best at marketing, not the best at sales, not the best at closing 'em, not the best at BS. No! The best at being a doctor.

You see, competition is for the average doctor who needs to market in order to survive. It is a survival mentality. That's when your life is focused on LACK.

I suggest that you rise above this mindset and focus on what it takes to become the best in your community. I suggest that you focus on abundance ‑‑ tons of children and their parents waiting to see just you, no one else. A waiting list of new patients that is weeks long ‑‑ and no one leaves.

And an office that's vibrant, fun, carefree, focused, and has no back doors.

Who needs competition?

(Dr. Ogi Ressel, author, researcher, and an x‑ray and pediatric specialist, teaches The Practice Evolution Program, the "fastest‑growing coaching program on the planet." Visit online at www.practiceevolution.com  and take the Practice Health Mini‑Checkup. Dr. Ressel may be contacted by e‑mail at drogi@practiceevolution.com  or by calling 800‑353‑3082. Interested in receiving his weekly THOTS "on seeing tons of children and families in your practice?" Send him an e‑mail and asked to be added to the list.)