December 2008

Honor

by Dr. Ogi Ressel

So, you want to see more kids. However, there's a certain quality all parents are looking for in a doctor before they allow him or her to see their children.

Honor.

Now, there's a concept!

I don't think there is a higher bar to living your life than maintaining your honor and integrity. Your word of honor means everything to a patient in your community. When you give your word, your community should know that you stand by it! Honor means your patients and community trust you. And when people trust you, you're going to see their children -- tons of them!

This is the fastest route to the practice you've always dreamed about.

Old, outdated values you think? Think again. As a society, we're moving back to some old world values -- values that were so important, people died and were jailed for maintaining them not that long ago. These values meant and stood for something. And as we move forward ever faster in our technological advance, more and more people are beginning to embrace those family values that were instilled in them from childhood -- honesty, integrity, truthfulness, and honor, among others.

Yes, honor!

For example, the idea of the written contract is fairly new. Most people on the planet still use their word of honor as a guarantee. Your patients and business friends should be able to count on you unconditionally in that same manner. Period.

When you give your word, it should stand for something -- no matter what happens. You need to remember that we, as a profession, are in a service industry. This means that our patients' needs come first. Your behavior, your purpose, and your honor reflect chiropractic.

It's a sacred trust. Please guard it with your word.

Contrast this higher calling with some unscrupulous games doctors are taught to play with their public trust at some seminars.

How do glib, fear-invoking phrases such as telling a patient that "It's worse than I thought" figure into this picture of honor? Or, "…your spine is rotting, your bones are fusing…" to a patient in her early 20's? Or, "I need to see you right now -- this can't wait"? Or, playing the "yet" game -- asking a patient whether he or she noticed xyz symptom yet, or spotted this other problem yet?

Some seminars are very clever. They disguise their cheap fear and pressure tactics in the name of religion. That's supposed to make it all okay? Right!

Are these examples of honor? Or examples of desperation? Are these the traits of a wonderful doctor, or one who's needy?

You decide.

I would like all of you to practice from the perspective that you are not needy, that your patients need you, not that you need them. I like that!

It's true that alarm and game techniques work on people because they evoke a sense of urgency and fear in patients -- and those are powerful motivators. But is there any honor in these?

Would you like to be handled in that same manner by an unscrupulous brain surgeon who just told you that you need brain surgery immediately, or else? I think not!

The problem I have with this approach is that it is solely based on fear. Yes, fear. Fear of the unknown. This approach preys off the fact that patients are not clinically educated so it's easy to scare them into accepting and signing up for care. But, place yourself in the shoes of a patient. Would you respect a doctor if he or she ever said something similar to you?

Using these phrases to get patients to sign up with you is the same as psychological abuse, which is not well tolerated by your community.

We all know that good news travel slowly and bad news is like lightening... it strikes fast. Using fear-based marketing is the fastest way to kill your practice that I know. While it may work initially, soon your office begets a certain reputation and your credibility becomes irreparably damaged. The name "HUSTLER" comes to mind (I'm embarrassed to say I've met a few -- and they call themselves chiropractors).

I think you'll agree with me that women, moms in particular, are more intuitive than men and the transparency of these doctors and their approach is readily seen by them. Do you think you'll ever see their children or family in your office? Hell would freeze over first.

Listen, when you tell the truth, you never need to remember what you've said. Truth has that certain ring to it that never needs to be explained, or justified, or rationalized. It just IS. It reaches down to the very recesses of the soul and people innately and instantly know when you speak truth. If you don't, you need to spin elaborate tales that need to sound plausible to the average earthling, and that's a tough thing to do.

Honor. It can never be replaced. It should be your highest calling.

(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.)