The Practitioner's Journey » office space

How To Earn $80K in Your First Year of Practice

Dan — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:41:50 +0000

We recently spoke to students at The Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine on the theme of “Your First Ten Patients”. A good time as always, but we were nicely upstaged by superstar Mary Caracoglia, ND, who told the story of her remarkable first year in practice.

Mary received her license to practice and opened her doors in October. Twelve months later she had taken home over $80,000.

This is the how she did it.

What You Need to Know First

I want you to see this through the right lens. It’d be easy to dismiss this as good luck, the result of some special skill, or setting up in an area with no competition. None of that is true.

Mary’s area is “saturated”. The only naturopathic college in Ontario is in Toronto, and many practitioners stay there after graduation. While I don’t buy the competition excuse, really–and Mary is proof that it’s not a big factor–you should know that Mary accomplished what she did in a market that was by no means free of competition.

Mary’s not “special“. (No offense, Mary ) She’s wonderful, positive, bright and energetic, but most practitioners I meet have those traits in abundance. Like you, though, she has moments of uncertainty, fear, and disillusionment, too. In her words:

“I want to start off by saying that something most grads don’t talk about is the feeling that just after all of this school, all of these tests, all of this clinical experience…you can feel completely INCOMPETENT and scared out of your mind.” - Mary Caracoglia, ND

Mary’s just like you, folks. The difference is not in her personality. It’s in her behavior. Here’s my distillation of how Mary did what she did.

Strategy 1: Start Early

“Most grads from my class didn’t look for space during the summer… instead of starting work in October which was the earliest you could start once getting your NPLEX results, they had to wait until January.” – Mary Caracoglia, ND

Mary graduated in April, but had to study all summer and write board exams in August in order to finally get a license to practice by mid-autumn. Most practitioners simply wait until then to start the process of opening their practice. Not Mary. By June she was spending a day a week working on her practice–a practice that wouldn’t start until October.

Why it worked:

Starting early gave her several advantages:

Study breaks
A jump on the rest of her graduating colleagues
Time to form relationships
Time to pick the right location

The first two are nice, but not earth-shattering. The last two are game-changers, as we’ll see.

Strategy 2: Choose Your Location Wisely

“You need to spend a lot of time thinking about what you want…keep in mind that what you think you want will change the more offices you see and people you meet. I literally cold-called as many places as possible.” - Mary Caracoglia, ND

The last benefit of starting early–time to find the right location–was one Mary put to great use. She called over 40 offices inquiring if they were interested in renting space, and then gradually booked meetings to see the space, meet the players, and get more details.

Why it worked:

I don’t know of anyone who’s looked at that many spaces, but the logic here is pretty clear:

Other than buying a practice, your single biggest opportunity for new clients when you start your practice is referrals from other health care professionals…
…The easiest way to do get those referrals is to set up shop with someone busy who will refer to you like crazy…
…The easiest way to do that is to look around. A lot.

That’s what Mary did. She found two places with the right fit, that would benefit her the most. And by “benefit the most” I mean deliver referrals. A ten percent better split and a nice waiting room don’t mean anything if you’re not seeing any patients. You need the referral traffic.

If you’re starting out, or thinking of moving your practice, do some speed dating. Get on the phone. Visit as many practices as you can. And if you’re not thinking of moving? Maybe you should be…:)

Strategy 3: Focus Your Marketing on Personal Connection

“I met a great number of other health care professionals and created a referral network.

I literally stood at the front desk or hung around the waiting room in the offices introducing myself to patients checking in and out with reception. I told them who I was, and offered them a free consultation on the spot. Most people were willing and interested.” - Mary Caracoglia, ND

Why it worked:

Health care is a business that delivers very personal services to people. It’s no surprise, then, that the best way to grow that business is by forming personal relationships with people.

Mary did the usual marketing stuff. She’s online, but not in a big way. She wrote articles. She has a website and blog. But her most of her marketing was about creating relationships with people. Meeting local practitioners and business owners. Talking to prospective patients. Mary’s job is to treat people, in person. So she went out there and met people, in person.

Sound squishy? Hard? Not your bag, baby? It wasn’t entirely easy for Mary, either….which leads to the next strategy.

Strategy 4: Stretch Yourself

“That’s something [lack of confidence] you need to get over very quickly. There’s nothing special about me. I’m not shy, but it’s uncomfortable to go to a networking party by yourself. I was terrified. But you do it. And it gets easier.”

“You will have days where you question your decisions and question the path you chose…days where you need to push through because you are completely out of your comfort zone “- Mary Caracoglia, ND

The Mary that graduated in April, and the one that had a successful practice a year later were the same person, personality-wise. But they’re world’s apart in terms of their skills, experience and wisdom. Mary succeeded because she learned. And not just any old learning. She learned to connect with people. To market herself. To talk about what she does and why it works. She learned things that are scary to think about, but that deliver results.

Why it worked:

What Mary grasped intuitively is something we can all take to heart: The skills that got you to graduation aren’t the same ones you need to successfully grow your practice.

To grow a successful practice you need to continue to learn. It’s the way out of the Cave, as we call it in The Practitioner’s Journey. The good news is that you’ve already proven you can learn. Now, though, you’re going to have to do it in a new way: without a net. Far fewer lectures and textbooks, far more being scared out of your pants. You need to take some risks. Emotional ones, just like Mary.

Strategy 5: Decide to be Busy

“I was sick of hearing that it takes three years. You can’t expect people to just find you…be proactive and find them….Other practitioners are sitting in their offices. I’m parking myself in the waiting room. I’m talking to people.” - Mary Caracoglia, ND

Mary said one phrase to the students, and then later to me, many times:

“I just wanted to be busy.”

Seem simple? Don’t blow this off. This philosophy is what drove Mary’s actions.

She started right away, staying busy during her study summer schedule.
She decided to start two locations, instead of one, knowing that she wasn’t likely to stay busy full-time in one office right away.
Rather than sit in her office and hope, she stayed busy hanging around the waiting room, meeting new patients as they arrived to see other professionals.

Why it worked:

1. Practice success is directly related to practice activity. Note that Mary didn’t say, “I just wanted to have a lot of patients.” She said she wanted to be busy. And that was 100% within her control–she could be as active as she decided to be.

2. She was busy with the right stuff (see strategies 1 through 4). It’s easy to be “busy” hiding in your office, updating your FB status and checking email. Wrong kind of busy.

Can You Copy Mary?

Can anyone do this? I think so. Your mileage will vary, based on billing rates and practice models and a hundred other things, but the blueprint is there:

Don’t wait
Find a productive place to grow
Get out there in the world
Do what you’re afraid of
Stay busy and focused

It’s not rocket science. Just that age old recipe of elbow grease, focus, courage, persistence and all the other good stuff that makes practices–and the world–go ’round.

And for you veterans: Your first day of practice might have been long ago. But you can have another first day tomorrow, right?

How (and Why) To Set Up Facebook Places for Your Practice

Dan — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 13:59:51 +0000

Hi all – if you want to skip the ‘why’, just scroll down for the how-to part. It’s easy. There’s also a clinic sign we made at the bottom that you can download in PDF… -Dan

Facebook has become one of the largest sources of traffic to our clinic website. And the more traffic we get from it, the more we play with it. And the more we play with it, the greater the potential seems.

We recently set up the clinic as a Facebook “Place”. While a “Page” is like a Facebook profile for your business, Places is a location-based side of Facebook. It lets people use their phone or mobile device to “check-in” – to say to their other FB friends, “Hey – this is where I am, right now.”

How Places Can Help Your Practice

1. Traffic and Awareness

When someone checks in to a Place, an entry goes into their FB feed. It look something like this:

My FB friends (or friends of friends, etc, depending on privacy settings) can then click on the clinic link to take them to our Page, or they can comment on my location, or Like it. I can also tag any FB friends who happen to be with me at the time – all of which serves to basically send the clinic name and link spinning around Facebook in one form or another. That brings people to our page, where they can Like the clinic, or visit our website. All of which trickles down into someone eventually showing up.

2. Deals

Places also offers you the ability to create “deals” – essentially rewards to your clients for checking in when they arrive at your practice. There are four kinds:

We haven’t used any deals yet – I’m not sure they’re a fit for every practice – but we may test it out. Regardless, I’m intrigued – if anyone’s tried it, let us know in the comments.

How To Set Up Facebook Places

This is one of those things that’s really easy, but isn’t necessarily intuitive. You’ll need to be at your practice with your mobile device to get started. Here are the instructions I used. They worked just fine, although the last step of merging our clinic Page and Place seems to be taking awhile. But it only took a few minutes to get it all up and running.

(For those of you really into this stuff, merging Places and Pages seems to be in flux, with various pros and cons, including problems with multiple locations. Might be worth waiting a little while to merge, but there’s no reason to not set up your Place anyway. If this all seems like Greek to you, just go ahead and set up your Place, and forget about the merging part for now. )

A Sign for Your Waiting Room

I’m not convinced that there’s a heap of traffic in our waiting room that will check in via phone, but I’m curious. I thought I’d put up a sign in the clinic letting people know they can do it. Here’s a generic version of the one we made – you can download the PDF here if you want to print it out and do the same, or drop in your own name or logo.

Tips for a Successful Open House

Dan — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:22:54 +0000

We had our annual Celebration of Health at the clinic a few weeks ago. It’s become a tradition for us – we invite patients and the general public, and spend an evening at the clinic enjoying some great food and drinks, and generally enjoying ourselves.

It was a great success, but this year I was trying to pay particular attention to why. Here are a few of our thoughts, but we’d love some further tips. Anyone have any great ideas? Leave them in the comments!

Have a Designated Greeter

This year I spent most of my time serving drinks, and from my vantage point I had a clear view of the main entrance for most of the night. The one thing I noticed more than anything else was how uncertain new people looked when they came in. Fortunately, there were enough of us around that someone was usually able to welcome them give them a tour or point them in the direction of food, drinks, samples, etc., but in hindsight, I think having a “greeter” would have been helpful.

The greeter doesn’t need any special clinical knowledge – it can be a friend or family member. They just have to make people feel like they’ve come to the right spot for the right reason. Next year, we’ll have someone assigned to the front door the whole time.

Spread The Word Widely

People show up from an amazingly diverse range of places. We promoted the event:

On our website
To our patient mailing list
In posters in local stores and shops
On clinic signage
In postcards left with local practitioners and other vendors
In newspaper ads and events calendars
In various local online calendars and community sites

Many of these sources were free, and they all helped spread the world. It turned out that just about everything connected with someone. As we’ve discovered with new client marketing, you never quite know where the people are going to come from.

Don’t Underestimate the Power of Invitation

We sent letters to all our patients to let them know about the open house, and it was a pleasant surprise for me just how many clients seemed to truly appreciate simply being invited. It was a great reminder of how much people long to feel special, or a part of something. The letter included other services and events, but the lead item was an invite them to the event, and people responded, many with messages of gratitude. It made the whole process of marketing the open house quite enjoyable.

Apparently, Recipes are Big

We had advertised that we’d be sharing recipes for unique and healthy foods, and there were people who came for that reason only. Who knew? Apparently Tara did, which gives you some insight into who does most of the cooking at our place. At any rate, recipes=more people!

Free Stuff Is A Big Draw (and Easy to Get!)

I think this was our biggest year for freebies. Our supplement suppliers and local retailers really came through for us, and it was surprisingly easy. We brainstormed a few ideas in advance, made a list, and simply asked. The people at the open house loved it, and the suppliers were super-keen and helpful. It also had the added bonus of moving people through the clinic. By placing freebies throughout the office, people tended to explore a little more, and become more familiar and comfortable with the space.

Partner

Back when the clinic was a lot smaller, we arranged to have our open house on the same night as the massage therapists down the hall. We were both relatively new in practice, but by holding events on the same night, we were able to create a much busier (and more enjoyable) event for both of us.

This year, we had a local personal trainer and raw food expert spend the evening with us. She blended up some amazing organic green smoothies, and actually turned out to be the biggest hit of the evening. She was a hugely successful addition for us, and was able to promote her own services at the same time. A great collaboration.

Have a Way to Stay in Touch

A good open house can bring a lot of new faces in the door, and it’s nice to be able to get in touch with people after the event is over. Our approach was pretty simple: a door prize that people entered by writing their name and email address on a ballot.

The next day, I simply emailed everyone a short message thanking them for attending, and included a link to the recipes from the night before on our website. The key? Respect their email address, and offer something of use. Having a great email newsletter solution makes things a heck of a lot easier, too.

Anyone else have any practical tips for making the most of an open house or other event in your practice? Let’s hear your ideas!

The Unexpected Joys of Great Service

Dan — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:12:55 +0000

We’re thrilled with our new clinic. We’ve been able to offer better (and more) services because of the extra space, and the goldfish effect really seems to be kicking in.

One of the small drawbacks, though, is that our patients have to pay for parking – ouch. It was one of those little things that didn’t sit well with me, and it didn’t seem to fit our vision for the clinic.

What to do? Pay for it, of course. We put a small bowl on the counter full of change, with a sign reading “Please allow us to pay for your parking.” We encourage patients can help themselves to whatever they need.

It made sense for us – the cost of a visit in our office is relatively high, so paying a little bit for our patients to park is easy and seemed like the right thing to do.

When service becomes more than service

It turns out that people love it. What’s interesting, though, is that most patients comment on how nice it is but don’t actually take any money.

What’s really wonderful though, is how many people put money in to pay for other people’s parking! I love it. People keep tossing in change “For the next person.”

For some reason, our little parking dish seems to spark a little something. That little spark, though, is more than just pay-it-forward niceness. It adds one more little bit of positive joy to the customer experience, too, and sends people out the door feeling that much better.

Our decision to provide a little extra service to our patients seems to just bring out the shiny side of folks, and I like that. A lot.

Are you missing any opportunities to help your clients shine by serving them better?

Of Practitioners and Goldfish: How to Grow Your Practice without a Bigger Bowl

Dan — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 11:34:52 +0000

We had our first day of business in the new clinic last week – January was a hectic month!

The space is about three times as big as the old clinic – a significant increase. It seems like a lot, but as I moved the last items out of the old office, I remembered how big it seemed at one time. Now I can’t imagine how we ever fit in there.

The last move – five years ago – seemed like a leap of faith at the time, but shortly after we settled into the larger space, business took off. It was like we were goldfish, and all we needed was a bigger bowl in order to grow more. Now it’s happening again.

What’s behind this “goldfish effect”?

There are many causes for this phenomenon, ranging from the simple to the arcane, but here are a few reasons why we tend to expand to fit our bowl:

Rising to the Occasion: A larger space generally means higher costs. When faced with having to grow in order to meet costs, most practitioners rise to the occasion. It’s amazing what you can do when faced with a must.

Taking Plans off Hold: Prior to moving to larger space, there tends to be a downturn in marketing and other practice improvement activities. This is in part due to the time and energy demands of getting a new clinic up and running, but it’s also because we tend to put things off “until we get into the new clinic”. New products, services, marketing efforts, promotional materials, office processes – they all get bumped, then activated in the new space.

Pride: There’s nothing like having a shiny new clinic to make you want to share. We can’t wait for people to come through the doors. In contrast, the old space was looking a little neglected – I found I didn’t have the same desire to “show it off”.

How to Create The Goldfish Effect Without Moving

What if you’ve already got lots of space, or you’re in an excellent location? What if moving just isn’t in the cards? Here’s a secret: you can benefit from the psychological impact of larger space without actually moving. Here’s how:

Declutter: This was essential in our small office. Schedule a block of time to completely declutter and de-crapify your practice. Be relentless. Get rid of:
- Old files you’re not legally obligated to keep
- Excessive brochures and business cards
- Flyers and announcements
- Bits of paper stuck everywhere around reception and office desks
- Stacks of paper, mail, and unread magazines
- Furniture that’s never used
- Excessive knick-knacks and decorative items
The secret here is to be merciless. You won’t miss these things, and you’ll notice a remarkable change in how your patients perceive your space, and how enthusiastic you are about being at work.

Redecorate/Renovate: You can dramatically change your office with just some fresh paint, but if it’s been a while you might consider new flooring, artwork, or furniture depending on your budget. If it’s been more than five years, you’re definitely due for a new paint job if nothing else. And the best thing about painting is that you have to move everything, so you end up doing the declutter job by default.

Change It Up: If you can’t renovate or redecorate, can you reorganize? Try switching things around. Move furniture and change the look and flow of things.

Add Products or Services: Can you add something to your offering? If you’ve been thinking of investing in a new piece of equipment, for example, then perhaps now is the time to make your bowl seem bigger by offering more. Providing a new service to our patients almost always seem to improve health outcomes and generally gives us access to a broader patient niche. Every time we add a new service, referrals jump.

Stop Waiting: Are there things you’ve been putting off doing until “you have more space” or until the dreaded “someday”? Make a list, and then pick them off one at a time. Decide to do just one a week, and you’ll make substantial progress.

Don’t fall prey to “someday” or “when I have more space”. Act as if you already have that space, and before you know it, you’ll have the growth to justify it.

Finding the Right Office Space at the Right Price

Dan — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 11:32:39 +0000

It looks like we’ve finally found our space. No signed lease yet, but we’re just about there.

This is our third home – we’ve grown again, and I’m pretty sure now that we’re losing money every month we stay in our current space. There are some new treatments we’d like to offer, and we need more staff. All nice problems to have – we just need more space to start solving them.

While everyone’s space needs are unique, we’ve learned a few lessons over time that are helpful for anyone on the prowl for new space, regardless of profession:

Look at Everything

Really. Even the ugly stuff in the wrong place. Look at everything you can get your hands on.

Here’s why:

You’ll be surprised. It’s the book-by-the-cover syndrome. Sometimes places are bigger, better, cheaper, cooler, readier and nicer than you’d think. Don’t miss out.
One space leads to another. Looking at lots of places lets you meet lots of people – owners, agents, tenants, customers who can tell you about other possibilities you might never found otherwise.
You’ll get an education. Even if you know the place you’re going to see to is not going to work for you, the time spent looking is getting you a homespun MBA in the current office space market – what space is worth, how landlords are handling leasehold improvements, traffic and construction issues, etc.
You’ll have more options. And more options=better choices and a stronger negotiating position.

Don’t Use An Agent

Or, more accurately, don’t use a single agent. Start by doing web and street level recons – find all the places you can on your own, and call the listing agents for them. Then get those agents looking for you, too. One agent can’t do the job right, and can never be as connected as a whole bunch of them. You don’t really need a agent to represent you, and trusting one person with finding all the options doesn’t work well.

Do Your Homework on Leasehold Improvements

In addition to looking at everything you can get your hands on, you’ll need to build a little wisdom on things like average costs for leasehold improvements (how much it’s going to cost to renovate your space). Costs can vary wildly, and a few reference points are a handy thing.

If you tap your network, you’ll likely find a few health care professionals who have recently renovated or moved. In our area alone we were able to talk to a chiropractor, a dentist, a denturist and an acupuncturist/TCM practitioner – all with very similar office needs to a us, and recent leasehold improvement numbers. Everyone was very generous with their time and experience, and those conversations helped us identify some ridiculously expensive renovation quotes.

Always Negotiate

Although it might seem awkward, you’ve got to negotiate. The system is designed that way – it’s not like buying groceries or going to the movies (0r health care, for that matter). Property owners price their space expecting to negotiate. If you don’t, you’ll pay more than you need to.

Remember – no one’s going to be offended if you counter-offer or ask for something extra. A real estate agent may tell you that the owner will be offended, but that’s usually just a deal-closing tactic. Ignore it.

Be Willing to Walk

Nothing puts you in a stronger negotiating position than being willing to walk away from a space. Falling in love with the perfect office is a great feeling, but you generally pay for that sensation. This isn’t necessary, but it’ll get you the same space for less money.

Being Lazy Costs A Lot

Do you have to do all this stuff to find a new space? No. Certainly not. Just bear in mind that not doing your homework costs a lot in the long run. You’ll likely negotiate less effectively, and pay more for a space that’s not as good as what you could have found by doing some legwork up front.

It’s tempting to rely on the land owner to take care of everything, but being “hands-off” in your office search and renovation tends to drive up the cost. Many owners will offer to do all the leaseholds for you and amortize the costs over the life of your lease. This definitely is convenient, but don’t be afraid to go looking for your own contractor and financing if you feel the building owner isn’t giving you a competitive price or interest rate.

Are You Playing Practice Offense or Defense?

How Much Office Space does Your Practice Need?

Dan — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 15:34:00 +0000

If you’re in the market for new space, how much do you really need? Tough call – it depends on many factors, and varies from practice to practice. Here are a few things to consider, though, and some space calculators to help you get in the ballpark.

It’s About People
In CAM practice, business revolves around people – those providing the care, and those receiving it. This is where we started planning our latest space. How many staff and practitioners do you have? How many people need does your reception area need to accommodate? Do you have treatments that involve multiple clients being treated at once, or are they all one-on-one? We broke our space down into “people chunks”: practitioner offices, patient treatment areas (other than offices), waiting areas and staff space (lunch, meeting, etc).

Don’t Forget Hallways and Bathrooms
I know it sounds crazy, but it happens. Halls,entries and corridors alone can add up to 20% to your space. Don’t forget to factor them into your layout.

Does Size Matter?
Within reason, larger office space is generally associated with higher quality or “high end” service. For this reason, the size of your office should match your target market. Are you a more expensive boutique-style service, or are you competing on price? It’s hard to pull off a premium service in a crowded space, but it’s also hard to be profitable if you’re competing on price while trying to pay rent on a huge, ritzy office.

Useful Links
Real Facilities Space Calculator
How Stuff Works: How Much Space is Enough Space?

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Should You Buy or Lease Office Space for Your Practice?

Dan — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 20:04:00 +0000

Since we’re going through the process of finding better, bigger office space, I’d thought I’d post along the way on some of the key challenges and decision points.

Buying or leasing can be a challenging one for many practitioners. Interestingly enough, I think it’s more challenging later in your career, when you have the cash to consider buying, and the experience of pouring money into someone else’s real estate, but it’s a question that everyone likely faces several times during their professional lives.

It’s easy to get caught up in complicated financials – depreciation, tax rates, etc. – but there are some easier questions that can help make the decision.

How’s your cash flow?
Have you got (or can you get) the cash for down payments, renovations, taxes and the multitude of other costs associated with buying? When you lease, you often spread the cost of getting your office “patient-ready” over the course of the lease. When you buy, you’ll likely need more cash up front.

Do you want the responsibility?
It’s more work to own your own joint. You’ve got to deal with your own repairs, lawn care, snow removal, parking lot upgrades and plumbing emergencies. Are you up for it, or would you rather have the owner/superintendent of the building you lease in take care of it all? Most of us would rather not deal with this stuff, but having someone else manage it comes at a cost. Remember that most real estate owners aren’t in business to lose money; everything that takes away responsibility from you is likely being paid for by…you.

How’s your growth?
How do you see your practice growing over the next few years? Do you see yourself adding associates, colleagues, partners or other professionals, or will you be more of a one-person show? If you’ve got a lot of growth planned, you’ll either need to plan to move again, or get more space than you currently need.

Moving is more complicated and expensive when you own your own space, so if you’re buying, you may want to envision your practice over a longer time frame than the typical five-year lease.

How important is predictability of expenses?
It’s easy to be surprised with leasing or buying. You can get an awful shock in five years when you renegotiate a lease under different market conditions. But you can get an equivalent shock when you need to replace the roof on your office building the first year. I find leasing tends to be more predictable in the short-term. Buying tends to have a lot more surprises up front, but you can monitor your long-term costs by keeping an eye on mortgage rates and the condition of your property.

Does real estate turn you on?
For me, this is critical. Do you want to own your space? Do you get a thrill from knowing that you’re building equity in something, rather than paying for someone else’s building? Do you feel a sense of pride in owning and caring for your own place?

What business do you want to be in?
I think this is the big one. When you buy an office for your holistic or alternative health practice, your essentially entering the real estate business, even if it’s just with one building. Over a career, that decision can make a huge difference – paying rent to someone else for 20-30 years is not making you wealthier. But if you just don’t want to be in the real estate business, then maybe you’re better off leasing and focusing on your practice.

In the end, I think it’s ultimately an emotional decision for many. The only caveat is this: be smart, not scared. If the money’s similar, it’s really not a big deal owning your own place. Even buying your first home can seem scary, too, but after it’s done you realize it wasn’t so bad after all.

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Creating High Quality Alternative Health Practices

Dan — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 10:51:00 +0000

In the end, you’?re only as good as the quality of the products and services you provide. Great marketing, financing and hard work will only take you so far unless what you offer is of sufficient quality.

What defines a quality experience in an alternative health practice? Many consumers will equate quality with value. That is, they’?ll compare the complete experience they’?ve had in your practice against the dollar price they paid, and using an abstract formula unique to them, calculate the value. Was it worth it? Did they get more than they paid for? Less?

This internal mental formula that your patients use to calculate value is unique to each person, and unknown to everyone, including the client themselves. But rest assured, it exists. And while we can’t know the formula precisely, we do know some of the factors that affect quality, and as a result, value.

The Visit Experience

The client “experience”? with your practice is an amalgamation of a vast number of aspects of the visit. Here are a just a few:

Staff

Was the staff pleasant? Effective?
How was their phone manner?
Were they informed, helpful?
Did they seem to enjoy their job?
Were they respectful?
Did I feel they respected the rules of professional confidentiality?

The Office

Was the office clean and uncluttered?
Was it odorless, or at least pleasant smelling?
Was it nicely decorated?
Was the waiting area comfortable?

The Office Process

Did the office seem to follow a procedure for dealing with patients?
Were the waiting times short?
Was the billing clear?
Was it easy to pay?
Was the next visit clearly specified and easy to book?
Are the hours consistent, clear and convenient?

The best way to improve your visit experience is to note each time you find yourself having a good or bad experience in another business, and correcting your own practice accordingly.

The Relationship

The doctor-patient relationship can be an intimate one. This is particularly true of alternative health practices that tend to have a longer average visit time. The longer the visit, the more time the practitioner and client have to connect.

Time’?s not the only factor, however. A genuine interest in the well-being of your patients can compensate for very short visit times. The more your patients perceive their relationship with you as being unique and important, the more they’?ll perceive it as having high quality.

The Health Outcome

In the end, there will be no greater test of your value as a holistic practitioner than the health of your patients. Success in health care spreads like a brush fire, particularly within groups of people with common complaints.

Bringing your patients to a state of good health is the single best way to ensure that they return to your practice, and refer others. Combining that with the other aspects of quality will almost guarantee regular return visits and steady referrals.

5 Random Files: An Easy Way To Reactivate Clients