Five Star Web Log

Everyone's a salesman

2010-02-18T08:54:00.000-08:00

Sales has a bad rap for some reason – especially among chiropractors. Doctors balk at the idea that they’re selling something, but the truth is, everyone is selling something. Teaching a prospective patient about the importance of chiropractic and why they need it is a sale. Convincing a prospect that your clinic is the right clinic is a sale. Encouraging the patient to come back and maintain their care is a sale. So the best way to get good at it, is stop pretending it’s something it’s not and embrace it; become the best salesperson there is and the patients will be knocking your door down.

“The best salesmen identify a need, have a solution for that need, and understand how their product/service/idea helps someone in their need,” says Dr. Noel Lloyd, Five Star Management coach.

He encourages all his clients to have passion in their sales; it’s one of the most important hooks. If you care about what you’re selling, then the patient will to. If you’re cavalier about their care and chiropractic in general, can you expect anything better from the patient? Show them what you believe, and what’s important, and they’ll be on your side in no time.

You also need to be sympathetic. “You need a clear understanding of the prospect’s needs and how your product/service/idea helps the patient,” Dr. Lloyd said. This means, talk to them. Listen to them. Don’t try to sandbag them into coming to your office and just throw endless information at them. Find out why they’re interested in chiropractic, and then give them points that respond directly to their concerns. Nobody wants to be coerced.

It’s also important to get your message out to people in an effective way. A huge billboard may look nice, but it’s not going to do anything. Get out and talk to people, talk about your practice, and talk about chiropractic. People have questions and will want to ask them; be available for them and show them that chiropractic is their answer.

A good tip Dr. Lloyd offers people who are uncomfortable with the idea of sales is to substitute the words “persuasion” or “education” for sales; suddenly, it’s not so bad. Sales doesn’t have to be an underhanded, sneaky trade. In fact, it shouldn’t be thought of that way. People need your service, and you’re simply helping them get it. Once you do away with the sales stigma, you’ll be shocked at the amount of new patients coming in.

External marketing: putting your clinic out there

2010-01-29T09:03:00.001-08:00

Nothing is harder than convincing someone who's never heard of you, never heard of your clinic, never heard of chiropractic for that matter, that they need your help. But by brushing up on your external marketing skills, going out and getting new patients won't be something to shy away from – it'll be something you look forward to.

"We have to take the chiropractic message out of the chiropractic office and bring it into the real world in order for it to do as much good as it should," said Dr. Noel Lloyd, Five Star Management coach.

External marketing is all about getting out of your comfort zone – which we all know is the best way to grow. You'll talk to people you've never met before, you'll be in situations you've never been in, and you'll sell yourself and your clinic as their solution. Teach prospective patients about the importance of seeing a chiropractor, and make them realize that chiropractor should be you.

Moreover, there are a variety of different ways to take on external marketing; it doesn't always mean screening for hours in a mall. Here are some great methods that Dr. Lloyd recommends:

Set up a Health and Wellness lecture for a nearby business. Every employer is concerned about the cost of health insurance for their employees, and every employer wants to see their employees be healthy, happy and productive – that's just good business. So, host a lecture for them and speak on proper nutrition and excercise, how to take care of yourself, and relieving stress. And don't forget to offer spinal screenings during the lecture – the new patients will ne flooding into your office in no time!

Invite people to a Dinner with the Doc event. This event will pull in some of your internal marketing skills. Post a newspaper ad, hang flyers, and tell your patients to tell their friends, to come have dinner on you at a particular restaurant. During the dinner, speak about the importance of chiropractic and invite a couple of current patients along to tell their stories. At the end of the dinner, offer them an incentive to come in to your office.

Develop marketing partners in your area. Find five to 20 nearby businesses who are marketing to the same demographic (but not competing), and offer to hand out their flyer/coupons if they do the same for you. Find a new marketing partner every month, and you'll reach a whole range of people might not have met otherwise.

Introduce yourself to other health care providers in the area – MDs, dentists, etc. Leave a few business cards at their clinic, and get familiar with the referrals coordinator at every clinic you visit. That way, when the MD needs to send their patient to a chiropractor, you'll be the first one on their mind.

No matter what you do, just make sure to do something. Remember that even though you don't know these people, you do know they need to be patients in your clinic. Help them understand this as well, and your appointment book will be full before you know it.

Internal marketing: the art of patient referrals

2010-01-25T10:25:00.000-08:00

Marketing strategies come in all shapes and sizes, but one of the most important categories to get familiar with is internal marketing. You can talk your practice up night and day, but if someone hears the good news from a peer, they're going to feel better about coming to you for care.

Your current patients and their chiropractic stories are some of your most valuable marketing tools.

"Your patients have powerful stories to tell; patient education combined with persuasion and urgency will get those stories out," said Dr. Noel Lloyd, Five Star Management coach.

Your goal should be to make sure every patient is so pleased with their care, they can't wait to share it with their friends, families, coworkers, and everyone else they meet. Always put your patients number one, and encourage them to share their experiences. Some tips Dr. Lloyd offers on getting referrals from your current patients are:

Educate them on chiropractic. Make sure your patients attend the New Patient Orientation Class; teach them exactly what chiropractic will do for them, and make them understand why it’s important to their health, and why everyone needs to be under care. When patients understand that chiropractic can make their lives better, they’re going to want to let others know.

Talk to them about their care. Don’t be nervous to get to know them and their stories a little better; get excited with them about what chiropractic has done. Encourage them to write up a short review or testimony for the clinic and impress on them how important it is to share that story.

Interview them. If they’re hesitant to write a testimony, offer to quickly interview them about their chiropractic success. Write the story up and post it around your office, on your Brican system, on your Web site, anywhere people can see it. People like to talk about themselves, and when you let them know how important and special their story is, they’re going to want to share it with you.

Offer them incentives. Create a raffle or drawing for all the patients who bring in referrals; retting as many people in as possible will become a game for them. Host a patient appreciation day; show them how important they are to you with treats, raffles, and free services for all the friends they bring with them.

Pamper them. Host a Ladies Night of Indulgence and have all your women patients to the office for champagne, chocolates, jewelry, spa services, skin care advice, anything. The list can be endless.

Think about it; if you went somewhere and got really horrible customer service, wouldn’t you be sure to tell everyone you know? The same is true for really great customer service. Don’t fall into the “just average” category; no one is ever going to talk about you. Make your patients remember you, and make them want to bring their friends in to see you.

Marketing 101

2010-01-19T08:58:00.000-08:00

Marketing may not be high on your list of priorities, but the dirty truth is, everyone needs to be doing it if they want to have a successful practice. And that means every D.C. Marketing assistants are a great asset, but real success starts with the doc.

"Every chiropractor needs to wear the marketing hat, and needs to take responsibility for marketing in the office," said Dr. Noel Lloyd, Five Star Management coach.

You are the best person to spread the chiropractic message, and the best person to convince people that they need to come into your office. You're also the best person to get your staff excited about the importance of marketing. As a leader, you need to be able to guide your staff and teach them the best way to bring in new patients.

"If you're not getting enough new patients, it's just because people don't know you're there, don't know what you do, and they don't know how great chiropractic is," Dr. Lloyd said.

Not everyone is going to be comfortable with throwing themselves right into marketing, but Dr. Lloyd encourages docs to at least do one thing; master one form of marketing, become an expert at it, and move on to the next. Some tips he offers to get comfortable are:

Have fun. In whatever you're doing, make sure that you're enjoying it. If not, tweak it until it's just right for you.

Market to give back. Make sure what you're focused on is helping the patient – not just counting how many come in the door. Provide them with the information they need and the opportunities to truly get healthy, and the experience will be far more rewarding.

Bring a buddy. Screening can be intimidating if you're standing there alone – for both you and the prospective patient. Bring your assistant along to help, especially if the two of you have a good rapport. When people see two comfortable, friendly, approachable people offering free screenings and chair massages, they'll be much more interested in coming over.

Don't screen all day. The screening may be booked for eight hours, but you don't need to be there the whole time. Choose a couple of hours in the middle of the day when traffic is high, so as not to burn yourself out.

Screenings are one of the best forms of marketing, and a good one to try out if you're still not a pro. Some other forms of marketing that Dr. Lloyd recommeds are health talks, and getting in contact with all the businesses in a five mile radius of your clinic. The most important thing to do is just to get out of your comfort zone and talk to people.

And if you're still having trouble getting the marketing quite right, talk to your coach – we're always here to help.

This one is no fun at all

2010-01-16T13:46:00.000-08:00

I'm particularly blessed. Great family, good health and I love my work. In fact, helping other chiropractors help more people, have more fun and be more successful is my calling. That's what makes this entry no fun at all.

The vast majority of time, Five Star clients not only do well, but do their best ever years in practice while with us. Not this time.

A young man called me a while ago. He was in serious financial trouble and needed help. Virtually every aspect of his practice, other than his heart to help people, was in crisis. To make a long story short, he didn't make it. He'll close his practice, bankrupt out of his debt and is even thinking about doing something other than chiropractic for a while. Ouch.

I know many great DCs who struggled, even failed, in practice at the start and I know that he can turn things around and succeed, but he feels badly and so do I. It's not OK that it turned out like this.

So, why blog on this less than cheery subject? Because more potentially great docs fail than you might think and usually for the worst of, and very preventable. reasons.

IF you know someone who's stumbling, tell them to call me at (800) 224-4876.

But please, tell them not to wait too long. We've done near miraculous recoveries, but they can wait too long - like my young friend.

My favorite city in the world

2009-12-07T14:37:00.000-08:00

Moving quickly down narrow rain soaked streets that are ablaze with Christmas lights, I have a smile on my face that can be seen a block away. "I can't believe it! I'm in London!" I say aloud. We're headed to a busy (everything is busy) Thai restuarant from a pub where we were joking with locals and other tourists from around the UK. The mood is happy and everyone is smiling.

We sit around the table and the conversation bubble from the enthusiasm of the season and the seminar George and I taught that day. New clients, long-time clients and a former client all crowded around the table, everyone eyeing the menu and ordering exotic dishes. The meal was excellent, but the fellowship was even better.

I can't even count the times I've been at a wonderful meal with great friends who love chiropractic the way I do and gratitude wells up in my heart for the men and women to do so much for their patients and The Profession.

How superman became superman

2009-11-17T07:54:00.000-08:00

There are two major schools of thought when it comes to greatness and achievement. One says that great people do great things and the other says that you become great by doing great things. It's called the DO vs. BE debate. I think that both views are true, but I'm particularly fond of the one I can control, so I like what I call The DO View.

IF you feel a strong calling to heroic action and achievement and that spurs you on to practice success, super and good for you! That's your greatness bubbling up inside you. However, if you just have a dream of a wonderful practice, helping lots of people and want to succeed and, in spite of your fear and trembling, you press forward, acquire the skills, surround yourself with friends headed the same direction, and never give up until you succeed - that's you doing great work and becoming great.

I've read too many biographies of great men and women and many have had greatness thrust on them due to circumstances they had little control over.

However, at the end of the day it really doesn't matter where the greatness comes from, does it? Just choose the battle and great will find you.

I was speaking to a client who has struggled in practice for years who decided that he would press forward, acquire new patient skills, press on and never give up. He now has nine special events to produce new patients between now and the end of the year and will have his strongest November, December ever.

When we discussed all that he was doing, he quickly reminded me that he wasn't a new patient guru. But in doing great things ordinary men and women become great, David. Keep this up and we'll have to change your title.

The Assasin Disguised as a Friend

2009-11-10T10:26:00.001-08:00

Who's the assassin disguised as a friend? It's your comfort zone. Your comfort zone wants you dead as fast as possible. Overly strong statement? Maybe, but I think it's more accurate than we would like to think. Our comfort zone is nothing more than a set of fears that bind us.

Those fears use a familiar soothing voice and promise rest and protection, but kill initiative and enjoyment (Oh, my! What if it doesn't work? What if they say no!). Fear seeks to paralyze us and keep us down (I better not try that new idea, I might make a mistake and look foolish.)

Every I watch a client breakout of their comfort zone, I see fear confronted, action taken and excitement - sometimes a little terror, but never boredom. Instead of "selling the problem" (I can't because of this or it won't work because of that) they are buying into the solution. Fear of hard work and disappears and enthusiasm takes it's place.

So many choose to be slowly embalmed, giving increasingly well crafted excuses and rationalizations for why their problems need to be and defend the fears that want them dead.

I want to commend everyone fighting the good fight, especially Jerry Dreessen who said "When I met Noel Lloyd I said good-bye to my comfort zone and I haven't seen it since."

How did you feel after that first parachute or bungee jump, after that steep drop on your snow board or standing up in front of that large group and giving your first persuasion lecture?

You felt excited. Not everything needed to go perfectly (except the skydiving) in order for it to be a success. You had living proof that you looked fear right in the face and fear blinked - not you! YES! Give me a high-five! Do you feel it? Now think about living your whole life this way. Instead of running from one hiding place to another you team up with others heading the same direction and together conquer fear and boredom.

SCUHS Visit

2009-10-20T13:27:00.000-07:00

Over 25 years ago I met a wonderful woman in chiropractic. Her name is Debbie Mitchell. We reconnected earlier this year at Parker in Vegas and I found out that she's the assistant to the President at Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCUHS) in Whittier. Both the school and the president are blessed to have Debbie on their side, and so am I. That's how I got invited to speak on the SCUHS campus to "10th-tri" students just ready to graduate.

I feel a great responsibility to these men and women. They have many challenges and opportunities ahead of them and I've seen the wreckage of bad decisions and the smiles of clients who I've helped build quickly and well. There's a lot at stake.

I did three hours on the 13 secrets to going from 0 to 200 in record time and how to have a best-ever year in practice -- every year. I'm afraid some of my points missed the mark because my group had no practice experience. I feel I can do a better job next time.

During our time there we surveyed the group for their biggest concerns and most important questions and will follow up with them to share what their classmates are thinking and to answer each question in a blog for students. Guess what: they're worried about money and how to get new patients. Smart group.

As we were leaving I noticed we accidentally got the evaluation sheet the instructor requested on my talk. Here's what was written in the comments section: "Got me excited about chiropractic. Gave very valuable information about building [a] practice." I'm grateful for those comments, I hope I reached more. Thanks, Debbie, Dr. Jaffe and thanks future chiropractors.

Teachable Moment

2009-09-28T13:13:00.000-07:00

I love my job. Everyday I sit in the best seat available in chiropractic. The reason I say that is that from this chair I reach out over the phone and Internet and interface with thousands of chiropractic patients around the world. BETTER YET, I get to co-labor with some of the greatest men and women in the profession as they plan to help more people, have more fun and be more successful.

Case in point: My client in Eastern Ohio who added 160 visits a week to his practice this year while cutting his stress in half. Mind you, I'm not saying that this was easy, but the result is a lot more ease and lot less stress than the 60 visits a week that he used to do. It's fun to take it apart, put it back together again and see it run better. I love watching my clients win just the way you like seeing your patients receive their chiropractic miracles.

Another client has been working on putting her associate program together for some time. Her associate is succeeding and more profitable (makes for the doc more than she costs) in her first month! Isn't that great? AND here's the best part: this doctor is teaching her associate just the way I taught her and becoming an excellent trainer, I might add.

One last one; my associate Paul just tied his all-time high patient visit week and has already beaten his best-ever collections for the month. I've been up close and personal for this whole journey and it is extremely gratifying to see him transformed in the process of transforming his practice.

OK, I figured it out. Everyday I get to help people do what I love so much - chiropractic.

Thank you, associates, staff and clients for letting me live my life in the front row at your victory celebration.

Noel Lloyd, DC

Shake it up

2009-09-17T16:16:00.000-07:00

We all get stuck in ruts. Even if you're doing great, your practice is in a best-ever year, new patients walk in every day, and all those other pluses being a Five Star client brings you are happening, things can get stale. But don't let yourself get bored with the status quo! Any doc worth their salt should be continually seeking out ways to make things bigger, better, and more exciting.

With that said, don't limit yourself to the minimum; we want to do everything we can to help you grow and improve. There's more to Five Star than just scheduled coaching calls and seminars – take a look at one of our newest Web sites, http://www.0to200inrecordtime.com/, and get a new piece of advise sent to yout inbox every day with "The 13 Secrets to Success." Keep our tips fresh in your mind for continued success, and even the most established doc might find something they haven't tried before.

And don't forget to share your secret – us! Send a friend over to our Web site so they can benefit from less stress and an improved practice, too. Remember, Five Star has a lot to offer anyone who's up to the challenge.

Hire a Coach

2009-08-16T07:17:00.000-07:00

When the best, the brightest tell you the best advice they've received is to have a coach, the smart and the eager to grow listen.

“The advice that sticks out I got from John Doerr, who in 2001 said, ‘My advice to you is to have a coach.’ The coach he said I should have is Bill Campbell. (See “Secret Coach” on fortune.com).

I initially resented the advice, because after all, I was a CEO. I was pretty experienced. Why would I need a coach? Am I doing something wrong? My argument was ‘How could a coach advise me if I’m the best person in the world at this?’ But that’s not what a coach does. The coach doesn’t have to play the sport as well as you do. They have to watch you and get you to be your best. In the business context a coach is not a repetitious coach. A coach is somebody who looks at something with another set of eyes, describes it to you in [his] words, and discusses how to approach the problem.

“Once I realized I could trust him and that he could help me with perspective, I decided this was a great idea. When there is [a] business conflict you tend to get “rat-holed” into it. [Bill’s] general advice has been to rise one step higher, above the person on the other side of the table, and to take the long view. He’ll say, ‘You’re letting it bother you. Don’t.’ ”

- Eric Schmidt, Chairman & CEO of Google

Fortune Magazine July 2009

Interestingly, Five Star coaches typically pay for themselves in the first month, sometimes on the first phone call. If it's time to make the phone call, the number is (800) 224-4876.

London

2009-07-03T15:52:00.000-07:00

The United Chiropractic Association of the UK invited me to London to teach a Five Star Special called "Success: The Big Picture!" I love London and the UK DCs I've met have been so great that I was looking forward to the trip for months. I asked Dr. George Birnbach to accompany me and he was as excited as I was.

We arrived a couple days early to adjust to the 8 hr time difference, do a little sight seeing and brainstorm about Five Star. We stomped that city into the ground, had a great dinner with Dr. Paul Irvine and his lovely new bride, Donna.

The seminar started with "The Five Most Exciting Things You'll Ever Love About Chiropractic" and went on to The 13 Keys To Doing Your Best Ever Year and (of course) New Patients. George presented riveting one hour intensive on how to do a persuasive lecture and we ended with by constructing a Blueprint for Success. Everyone pitched in and the seminar was an unqualified success! Every practice tool we brought to help our guests was snatched up right away and George met and signed many motivated new clients. We couldn't have been happier.

Later that night, seven of us ended up at Dr. Des Dee's favorite restaurant for dinner. We sat down at 830PM and laughed and talked until we left at 11PM. Early in the evening I raised a glass and toasted chiropractic, chiropractors and those who love what we love. After handshakes and hugs George and I hailed a cab. On the way back to the hotel I thought about the many lovely dinners with wonderful people I've enjoyed because of chiropractic. What struck me was how similar we chiropractors are. We are a band of brothers and sisters with a purpose and that purpose is our precious chiropractic.

The Gymnasium of the Soul

2009-04-14T10:11:00.000-07:00

Several great coaching calls brought this thought to mind this week: Your practice is the gymnasium of the soul. In the gym you work on your physical fitness. In the practice you work on your emotional and spiritual fitness. In the gym you lift weights and do cardio. In the practice you lift heavy emotional and spiritual weights and work on perseverance.

Every time you step out of your comfort zone and present a complete chiropractic care plan, set up a screening, give a lecture, confront a staff person or just see a tough project through to completion - you work out in the gymnasium of the soul. Your building your courage compassion, confront and capacity. You are building your character.

In the coaching calls I was thinking about, I function as personal trainer. WE craft a vision. WE set goals. WE agree on a plan of action and you together WE see your soul "buff up". Sometimes my role is to not except your excuse. Sometimes its my job to remind you of how far we have come.

What is happening is a great thing to watch. Its also called emotional fitness. You lift heavy weights without tiring and enjoy the race. You get braver, more direct, burn less emotional energy with indecision and become more confident.

With a few months of physical exercise you can stand in the mirror, see the difference and smile. After years building your practice with your personal coach you do the same. Here's to another "best-ever" year with Five Star.

Best-ever Five Star!

2009-03-24T16:41:00.000-07:00

Two years ago I laid out a 12 year plan. I was 58 and looking toward the future with an eye to continue to grow, learn and produce my best work. There's no fun in aiming for your 5th best year. I'm happy to report that things are right on track. Let me explain...

Last year was a best ever year for income due to several smart decisions over the years, but the best growth is happening right now in Five Star.

We sold out the Seattle "Too Many New Patients!" due to the fact that the hotel couldn't hold another person. That is due mainly to Five Star clients referring their family and friends like never before. Huge thanks and standing ovation to our clients!

BUT, it's what happened in that packed house that has made me so proud. First, the energy was amazing. Dr. Roy Strickland started out by sharing his Five Star story and how he used Five Star systems to put 98 new patients in his office just last month. Recession? What recession?

Secondly, George Birnbach knocked the ball out of the park introducing tons of new material that brought rave reviews from everyone.

Third, according you our clients my opening segment got everyone on board and on purpose for the weekend!

Fourth, Brandi MacDonald could not have been better. The CAs just ate her up and are hungry for more. Thanks, Brandi.

Fifth, the Five Star staff of Linna and Stella took expert care of the entire group and took the overload in stride. Thank you, ladies.

Sixth, but not last - Five Star has the best clients on the planet. There was not one mention of the ecconomy, unless it was to share how you were doing well inspite of bad news on other fronts.

So, where do we go from here? To the NEXT LEVEL and to our new seminar location - Chicago! I enjoyed Pittsburgh and loved the people and I'm eager to serve the entire country from our new base in Chicago.

So, with my 60th birthday under my belt and looking at the next 10 years, I'm excited about Five Star's future, because it means that our clients win. See you in Chicago!

Life Changer

2009-01-30T20:39:00.000-08:00

How many people have you met that you know changed your life? One of those people in my life is Dr. Reggie Gold. My first encounter with Reggie was as a 19 year old Palmer College freshman in the dorm theater. I literally stumbled into his impassioned presentation on "real chiropractic" one night quite by accident. He was speaking to a small number of students and over the 90 minutes he taught, I moved forward in the audience 2 or 3 times until I was sitting in the 5 row. When he asked if he should go on I was the fist to yell "Yes!"

What I heard about Innate and Universal Intelligence filled in each and every blank spot in my chiropractic philosophy so perfectly I was changed from that night forward. From there I got involved in other "radical" and "principled" students and started attending Sid William's DE Meetings with other students like Guy Riekeman and Gerry Clum. From that night my brain was on fire and Reggie struck the match.

Exactly 40 years later, I had the distinct pleasure of hosting Reggie at a Five Star in Pittsburgh where I introduced him the an adoring crowd. When he finished we gave this 83 year old warrior for chiropractic a standing ovation. Thank you, Reggie.

Breaking through

2008-06-13T11:52:00.000-07:00

When I'm "breaking through" a barrier to my success or growth, I'm usually doing something new and out of my comfort zone. Later, looking back over my shoulder, this new thing can look so simple - even easy. However, most of the time I try something new, the same set of questions and apprehensions pop into my mind:

"How will I really do this?"
"What's my next step?"
"Is this going to be worth it?"
And the deadly "What if..."

You know what I mean. In my rear view mirror it's the smallest speed bump, but ahead of me it can look like sheer rock wall.

That's when I have a little talk with myself. You know the "little talk" I'm talking about. It typically goes like this:

"Hey, I can do this. If he can do it, I can do it. I'll make if fun. I'm the most tenacious person I know. Even if I crash along the way, I'll have a great story to tell. Think of all your successes from the past!" Here's the big one "Remember, everything looks hard to start with, but on the other side is your break through. You can do THIS!"

Breaking through is all about THAT conversation. If you find yourself short on perspective and thin on enthusiasm - call your Five Star coach. We'll tell you what you need to hear, prime the pump and set you straight. How can we do that? Because we've been there ourselves. Think about it.

Five Star in real-time

2008-06-07T09:55:00.000-07:00

We're at Five Star right now! Lee is doing a great piece on Peak Performers and everyone is focused like a laser on each word.

I love Five Star seminars. Everyone's locked in on the target and the energy is palpable. I'll bring you up to date through the weekend. I want to quit this and listen to Lee.

Later...

Great seminar, tons of positive comments on the seminar evals. We're looking forward to seeing you at Five Star soon. For more info on Five Star go to www.myfivestar.com and see what's in store for you.

Old dog, new trick

2008-06-06T09:22:00.000-07:00

Two months ago I started coaching a 50+ year old DC with a big set of bad habits and some questionable attitudes. That's a bad combo that usually spells a bad result. He told me he was an "old dog." Oh, oh, not good.

But he also wanted to ad an extra 100 visits a week to his practice and was willing to sign up and make the effort. Our first conversation quickly got to "what are you willing to change to get what you want?" Then he said the magic words "I'm a client. I'll do whatever you tell me to."

I've been a consultant for 25 years and I've heard that line before, but to my amazement, he was not only sounding, but acting serious. Before you knew it, we found his number one problem: he was being late for everything. He squirmed a little, but admitted that it was a huge problem, he needed to change. We went right to work.

To make a long story short, by showing up early he gets done early. Go figure. AND there's a lot more time for the things like new patients, paperwork and working with his CAs. Practice is more fun

Result? A 22% increase in just 60 days. I can hardly wait for this "old dog" to learn another trick. He and I will take over the world. Think about it.

Blog is short for web log...

2008-06-01T09:35:00.000-07:00

"Captains Log, Stardate 2376.8..." I grew up watching Star Trek and hearing Capt. James T. Kirk sart most episodes with an entry into the captain's log. I learned that a log is a combination of journal and diary - a written history with commentary.

Today we can post our missives on the web and call them web logs or blogs. Blog is such a good name - great sound, rolls off the lips well.

I subscribe to a couple blogs. I enjoy the short updates, news and ideas. Hopefully you'll enjoy reading what I think is important in chiropractic, Five Star and for the chiropractor.

If you click on the "subscribe to posts" it will make sure you're alerted when I update the Five Star blog. We also have a Five Star Galaxy Blog for our Galaxy clients and those who aspire to join Galaxy in the future.

I want to encourage you to comment on my blog pieces. Look below each entry to see how that's done.

"Five Star Date 06/1/08. Captain's log: "We are almost half way through the year with tremendous opportunity to serve and succeed just around the corner. I can feel the excitement building. Don't miss the next episode."