Even the most devout anti-resolutionist has a tough time not thinking ahead at this time of year, and we’re no exception. If you’re like us, your thoughts are turning toward the New Year, and how to improve your practice.

Here are three upcoming happenings here at TPJ for 2012 that we think will make a difference for you, including a way to get The Practitioner’s Journey for just $5 if you haven’t already got your copy.

1. How To Make 80K in Your First Year of Practice
We had the pleasure of interviewing a fantastic new practitioner who took home $80,000 in her first year of practice. I’m going to share her story early in the New Year. It’s interesting stuff. Her story should be required reading. And you can all do what she did – even if it’s not your first year of practice.

2. The Practitioner’s Journey Workbook – NOW AVAILABLE! Click here to order

We get a lot of feedback on The Practitioner’s Journey, but it’s the framework – the figurative journey that helps people better understand their practice growth – that gets the most comments.

What we’ve been asked for is a way to better put that framework to active work in practice. Enter The Practitioner’s Journey Workbook:

• Some 30 pages of exercises, assessments and tools to help find your difference, attract new clients, and leverage your existing ones
• Print it out as a paper workbook, or fill it out the interactive PDF right onscreen on your computer or iPad.
• We’ve also added an easy to use, but powerful spreadsheet tool for tracking your practice statistics. You can easily track your numbers, and watch your practice grow in vivid color. You just enter the basic data, it cranks out simple metrics that give you insight into your progress.
• If you haven’t yet read the book, you can get the original eBook, and workbook/stats package for a reduced price.

Click here to order your copy!

3. Our New Book: The Go-To Guru
After all the websites and business cards, the tweets and posts, the speaking gigs and networking, all practitioners are really trying to do the same thing: get attention.

We’re all clamoring for attention, and the truth is that attention (and the business that comes with it) flows to those best able to establish themselves as what we call The Go-To Guru. That’s the title of our new book, and it comes out in 2012. Woo! It’s based on our experiences and interviews with dozens of successful “G2G’s”, and the principles they use to become the practitioners of choice in their area. And, of course, like The Practitioner’s Journey, it’s not quite like other books…   Pre-order info and reader discounts to follow!

Here’s to 2012!

Thank you all for reading, sharing, and spreading the word.

-Dan

Related posts:

1. 4 Ways to Start Next Year Right
2. The Practitioner’s Journey: The Path to Practice Success
3. 3 Ways to Simplify Your Practice Marketing

Creating content is becoming more and more essential for practitioners. It’s hard to create a website that gets search traffic without good words on the page. Newspaper ads work better when you also write articles. It’s easier to engage your clients in the long run when you communicate with them regularly, and that, too, takes content. Even a 140-character tweet or a Facebook update takes the same thing: content.

We’ve written about creating great content to market your practice. but we heard from people who felt they were stumbling before the start line–they didn’t know what to write about.

The good thing is that inspiration isn’t as far away as you might think. We write a lot, and we get our inspiration from some sources that are both free and easy to digest. Here are five of them.

1. Google News
We skim the Google Health News most mornings–I’d say it’s the one source we track regularly. It’s an easy way to get ideas, and it also gives us a heads up about what patients might be asking about. They’re getting the same news from one source or another, and that often leads to questions. Being prepared to answer them is helpful.

It takes me less than a minute to skim the headlines, and perhaps another minute longer once in a while to read a news story that catches my interest.

2. Google Alerts
Instead of searching on Google for your area of expertise every time you want to write something, wouldn’t it be great if Google just kept tabs on that for you? Enter Google Alerts, a free service that will search Google for terms you specify–like “infertility” for example–and deliver you a daily, weekly, or as-it-happens list of the latest relevant Google search results.

3. Alltop
Alltop is an amalgamation of top news stories from blogs and websites in a huge number of categories. You can find the health directory here. Pick a category, and you’ll find dozens and dozens of news stories and articles. Whenever you need inspiration, just surf over and skim the headlines.

4. Twitter Searches
Even if you’re not a Twitter user, you can still skulk around and follow the action. You can search tweets here to find everything from news and research to success stories and more. You may have to sift through a few personal tweets, but it’s fast, easy, and free.

5. Journals & Publications
Many medical journals have open access options, email summaries, or blog or Twitter feeds that let you stay up to date on research and best practices without paying a subscription fee. Check the website of your favorite journal, or if you want something broader, try a journal watch service like Galen’s Watch. You’ll get bit sized research summaries you can easily skim to find something relevant for your prospective clients. (For a free option, you can read the Galen’s Watch blog here to get a feel for it.)

There are plenty more sources of free inspiration – Facebook, association websites, blogs, article directories and other news aggregators. But any one of them will take you a long way.

Here are the two important parts:

1. When something you read inspires you, infuriates you, or otherwise sparks something in you, pay attention. It’s a sign that a) it’s relevant, b) you have something to say and c) you’ll find saying it easier than when you’re trying to simply fill a page. Writing’s a lot easier when you actually care.

2. Capture the idea. You don’t need to write anything now. You just need to capture the source so you’ll have it when you need it. Collect your inspiration in one place–it only takes a second to bookmark a URL, or paste it into a document on your desktop. That way, the next time you need content, you’ll have something to say.

Related posts:

1. Growing Your Practice With Words: 6 Steps to Great Writing That Gets Done
2. The Gift: A Free Practice Success Book
3. Grow Your Practice with Google Places

When you search for a service in a geographically specific area – like massage therapy in San Diego, or a chiropractor in Miami – Google returns a different type of result, showing a map marked with the location of practices in the area, instead of just the usual search results. The service is called Google Places, and we mentioned it here, including a video for getting started, back when it was called Google Local.

Why This Matters For Your Practice

Results for Acupuncture in Phoenix, AZ

These types of results are becoming more and more prominent. As soon as Google realizes you’re looking for something local, it switches the results you get, offering up a map and a series of local listings, much like a yellow pages directory on steroids.

Although less than 10% of the visitors to our clinic website last month came from Google Places, I think that as a general rule, they’re good visitors – the kind of “qualified” traffic that turns into paying clients.

Also, we’re not in a dense, rural area, and our site ranks quite high in general – for many people, a good Places listing could deliver clients who might never find you otherwise. If you’re not on Google Maps, or having trouble showing up in Google searches for your area, a Places listing might be just what you need.

Starting and Tweaking Your Practice Listing on Google Places

The reporting dashboard for Google Places

This takes very little time to get going. You can get through the basics in 10 minutes, no problem.

1. Head to Google Places and start the process. If you want more info, or detailed help, there’s an easy checklist here.

2. Set up a Google account, if you don’t have one. If you already have a gmail address, you’re set.

3. Fill in the basics for your practice profile. This is pretty straightforward – you set up your contact info, hours, business category, upload photos if you like.

4. Verify your listing. This is Google’s way of making sure you’re who you say you are, and not just some stranger claiming to own your practice. Depending on where you live, you may have up to three options for doing this: by phone, mail, or text message. They’re all easy, and you’ll need to do one of them before your listing goes live.

5. Tweak Your Profile and Check Your Stats

When your info goes live, you’ll be able to view the stats for how many people have viewed your Places listing, and how many have clicked on it, as well as the top searches that have resulted in your listing being shown. You can also list events, and create offers (coupons) for people who find you via Places.

Try to add information to all the fields. One of the keys to having a successful Google Places listing is to try to have your business profile complete, and to have reviews from your clients/patients.

Related posts:

1. How (and Why) To Set Up Facebook Places for Your Practice
2. How to Grow Your Practice With Public Speaking
3. The New Found: Who Gets the Oh-So-Close Clients?

When we started this blog (four years ago today!) we were also working on a book. I thought it would be my next book, but then along came Escape 101. And then The Secret Language of Money, a collaboration that included our good friend and Go-Giver co-author John David Mann. And, of course, along the way we grew the clinic a bunch, too, which was an adventure all on its own.

I’m happy to say now, however, that our guide to success in practice, The Practitioner’s Journey, is on its way. Until it hits the stands, though, I’d like to introduce you to someone else’s book. Not only is it available now, it has the advantage of also being free.

There are a lot of free ebooks out there, but Practice Building 101 by Brooke Thomas is great because it’s great, not because it’s free. You don’t need to sign up to get it – it’s just there for the taking. You’ll find it a super-practical guide to growing your practice, particularly if you think you should be doing more online, but aren’t sure what the heck that means, or where to even think about starting.

It’s full of helpful, easy to digest ideas and resources, and Brooke has a great track record in growing her own practices (three in three different states, if I recall correctly!) – she knows what she’s talking about.

Brooke also has a great course called Practice Abundance that also happens to be pay-what-you can. You can find all the details here: http://practiceabundancecourse.com.

Happy Reading, and Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

-Dan

Practice Building 101

Related posts:

1. Practice Growth Workshop for ND’s
2. The Gift: A Free Practice Success Book
3. 5 Free Sources of Writing Inspiration for Your Practice

Tara and I had the honor earlier this year of becoming founding contributors of Integrative Practitioner, an amazing online community for practitioners of integrative medicine:

The Community already has more than 2,400 qualified members, including physicians, chiropractors, acupuncturists, naturopaths, herbalists, nurses, traditional healers, dieticians and massage therapists. In all, they represent more than 30 disciplines and come from 15 countries and all 50 states.

Right now, IP is offering free audio & video downloads of the entire 2008 Integrative Healthcare Symposium to members. You can hear from 30 visionaries, including Drs. David Perlmutter, Bernie Siegel, Mark Hyman and Jeffrey Bland in 29 sessions covering four major areas: Women’s Health, Environmental Health, Practice Management, and Movement/Energy/Healing.

The symposium content is great – getting it for free is a steal, and we thought some of you might be interested. The site is free to join, and a great resource for everything from difficult patient cases to practice management advice.

Enjoy!

Integrative Practitioner

Related posts:

1. 5 (More) Books Every Practitioner Should Read
2. The Practitioner’s Journey: The Path to Practice Success
3. Practice Growth Workshop for ND’s

The Online Nursing Degree Directory listed us in their Top 50 Alternative Medicine Blogs. Thanks to the ONDD!

The list is worth a gander from a practitioner perspective. It’s well categorized, with a few good sites I’d never seen. Head over and take a look.

Related posts:

1. Top of Everyone's Mind: Reconnecting With Missing Clients

Here are our favorite acupuncture-specific online resources for practice growth and management, in no particular order. Have we missed any? Let us know in the comments.

Acupuncture Business School

• Workshops, coaching, teleconferences, books, distance learning…ABS just about has it all. In the words of founder Andy Rosenfarb: “ABS is a developing resource for L.Ac.’s who want to better their situation in clinical practice. We want to provide real methods that work, rather than just a lot of fancy marketing talk. There are quite a few practitioners who are doing well and ABS was created to start to get these acupuncturists out of the woodwork and share what they are doing and what’s working for them. ” That sounds pretty darn fine to me.

Insights for Acupuncturists

• Lisa Hanfileti is a working acupuncturist who’s not only dedicated to helping other practitioners, she’s plenty nice too. Her site has a lot to offer, particularly for practitioners interested in passive income, and using the internet to market their practice. She’s also got a great list of online resources.

Community Acupuncture Network

• Community Acupuncture Network (CAN) is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to make acupuncture more affordable and accessible. The members are lively and active. You might also do yourself a favor and check out founder Lisa Rohleder’s book The Remedy, and her fantastic (and free) little ebook Love Your Microbusiness.

Build Your Dream Practice

• Kevin Doherty offers coaching, and a couple of great books. The first is Build Your Dream Practice, a beautifully put together ebook on practice management, filled with some great wisdom and advice. Kevin’s latest project, allows to co-author your own customized version of How to Thrive in the Modern World: A Layperson’s Guide to Chinese Medicine, for educating your patients and prospects. You can see samples of both books on the site.

Acupuncture Clinic Marketing

• Acupuncture Clinic Marketing has a free online quiz that evaluates your marketing. It also provides two free chapters for Never Market Again, a book on marketing acupuncture using word-of-mouth and education.

The Acupuncture Marketing Blog

• Bonnie’s blog is a great source of insight into marketing ideas and online resources circulating through the internet. There’s well over a year’s worth of blog posts – lots to keep you busy for a while.

Acupuncture Media Works

• Acupuncture Media Works is best known for their broad range of promotional print and office materials – everything from business cards and brochures, to charts and displays. What gets them on this list, though, is the remarkable quantity of stuff available in the “Tips/Free Stuff” section – a huge array of letters, forms, info sheets and more, all free for the taking.

Acufinder

• Acufinder acupuncture referral services has a solid list of practice management articles in their Learning Center.

The Acupreneur

• Dr. Eric Schneider provides some free articles on the site, but a quick signup will also get you a free copy of the ebook 52 Integrity Based Ways to Fill Your Acupuncture Practice. The book’s nicely arranged, and there are some real gems in the 52.

Other Resources:

• The forums at gancao.net
• The forums at TCM Student
  
• The TCM Practice Survival Guide on YouTube

Any Suggestions?

I know there are lots of resources out there – if you’ve got a favorite that we’ve missed, do tell. Don’t be shy!

Related posts:

1. A Great (and Free!) Practice Growth Book

Okay – I haven’t tried this out, but I have to admit the demo looks pretty slick.

Patient Prompt emails, calls, or text messages your clients to remind them of their appointments, allows them to respond to confirm, and it does it all automatically. Reminder calls consume quite a bit of time for us these days, but I can’t imagine not doing them. This might be just the solution.

I’m not sure how patients would respond to the automated system. You can actually record your own message so that clients hear a familiar voice, but I still tend to lean more toward the full-service, “real person” approach from a service quality perspective. If you’ve tried it, or have any thoughts, leave a comment and let us know.

Related posts:

1. Tips for a Successful Open House

Chuck McKay, author, marketing guru, and founder of Advance My Practice is looking for practitioners with a talent for writing who might be interested in joining their team of contributing editors. You’d be writing for fame, not fortune, but it looks like Chuck’s putting together a good team, and he’s a nice fella, too.

If you’ve got something to say about marketing a practice, you can contact Chuck here.

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ChineseMedicineTools.com offers a broad spectrum of TCM practitioner resources – you’ll find everything from forums, podcasts and a wiki to product suppliers and research. You can even get your own hosted blog. The site has over 400 registered users, so the forums have a reasonable level of activity. Registered users can submit their own sites/blogs to the site’s listings. Check it out here: ChineseMedicineTools.com

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