When it comes to practice success, there are just two kinds of habits that matter: the ones you need to create, and the ones you need to undo. What to start doing, and what to stop doing, in other words.

There are things that don’t serve us. Like habits of self-criticism. Or working too long past the point where we’re actually doing anything. Giving in to ultimatums.

And then there are the things that do serve us, and should be habits. Like failing faster. Making a little bit of steady progress on important things every day.  Surrounding yourself with great people. Or remembering to be grateful.

The list, of course, is endless. The trick is that habits are often subconscious. We need to drag them out in the light and intentionally look at them. To do it, the question you need to ask yourself is this:

What one habit could you replace in the next 30 days that
would dramatically change your practice?

What do you need to add, and take away, that would make it more fun? More profitable? More whatever-it-is-you-want?

Here’s the most interesting part: Stopping a habit that doesn’t serve you creates more than enough time space and headspace to create one that does. And doing it the other way works, too–create a new, empowering habit, and it’ll often steamroller right over an old one…

-Dan

PS – An interesting post from Steve Pavlina on How To Maintain Not-Quite-Daily Habits that you might find helpful, too.

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It occurred to me the other day that I could describe our clinic this way:

• We’re the most expensive
• We have the worst parking
• We offer the most inconvenient hours

Every one of those is true. But I’m not going to focus on them.

Why? Because faced with the decision to talk about our crap parking or our ability to resolve chronic problems that no one else has been able to, I’ll pick the latter. Why? Because I get to choose. I get to decide whether to a) obsess about the parking problem or b) focus on things that matter more.

I suspect you’re the same. You’re not shouting from the rooftops that you have the most cramped waiting room, or that your website sucks. We all know better.

But that choice we make about how to speak of our practices is the same choice we’re offered when we choose to speak about ourselves. So why, then, do we say things like:

• I’m bad with money
• I’m no good at business
• I’m terrible at marketing

When we could say:

• I’m great a connecting with people
• I make people feel comfortable
• I can listen better than almost anyone I know

It doesn’t mean you should ignore an important weakness. But you don’t have to describe yourself in the context of it. If you choose to describe yourself in negative terms, you’re missing out on far too many great things.

This isn’t just about positive self-talk. It’s about choosing to focus on strengths while you learn. There’s a difference, and it’s a choice. But if you don’t choose, you’re letting the part of you that’s scared decide on your behalf. And that’s a lot worse than lousy parking.

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There are a lot of names for what we do in practice – alternative, holistic, complementary, integrative. But behind the labels, we all have one thing in common: we’re trying to help others. The catch, however, is that in order to find those people who need our help, most of us have to make some effort to market our services.

Sometimes, though, the very thing that makes many practitioners so good at what they do – their ability to connect with and be sensitive to others -  also makes them very, very uncomfortable with the idea of marketing. Behind many of the questions we get from practitioners is a common theme: I’m shy/introverted/timid/reserved. How can I  promote my practice?

To answer that, let’s start with a few key truths about practice marketing for introverts:

Introverts Have an Advantage

So you’re an introvert. You’re inward-looking. You prefer the company of yourself, or a close interaction with one other person. You’re insightful, a good listener. All these things, as it turns out, make you a kick-ass practitioner, too. What no one may have told you, though, is this:

The same things that make you a great practitioner can make you a great marketer, too.

Not only is being an introvert not a flaw, you also have a unique set of advantages, well-suited for health care and health care marketing.

• You Listen Better – One of the greatest complaints about lousy salespeople and marketers is that they don’t listen. You’re telling them you want green, but they keep sticking red in your face over and over. As an introvert, odds are you’re a better listener than your extraverted counterparts. That means you stand a chance of actually hearing what it is your prospective clients want. What’s the biggest sales technique you’ll hear over and over in sales training? Listen to your prospect. It turns out that you’re a natural.

• You Get Others Talking – It may be that you don’t like to be the center of attention, or it may be those great listening skills, but whatever the reason, introverts have a knack for keeping others talking. That gives you a much better chance of hearing about a health concern or a subtle detail that might never come up otherwise. It means you learn far more about prospective clients than anyone else.

Introversion Isn’t a Character Flaw

We live in a culture that tends to value extraversion. Don’t buy in.

If you tend to be energized by time alone, and a little introspective, you’re in good company. Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and Steven Spielberg? Yep – all introverts. Who says introverts can’t find a little success in business?

And remember, just about everyone feels the way you do at some point. You are neither broken nor alone.

Introversion and Extraversion Aren’t Permanent States

Introversion and extroversion are one continuum. We move around that continuum depending on our environment and experience. While there are genetic components to personality, they are, as with most things, not the whole picture:

Even a broad category such as introversion is like Silly Putty once life gets hold of it: a “genetically shy” child whose parents gently encourage her to get herself into the sandbox and mix it up with other kids is more likely to outgrow her shyness by age 12 than a shy child whose parents take her trait as a given. <source>

Instead of thinking yourself as flawed because you’re nervous about getting out there, think of yourself as inexperienced. We don’t blame kids for not being able to ride a bike, we just support them as they learn. You should cut yourself some of that same slack, and go easy on the labels.

Extraversion Isn’t Bad

For many, the idea of marketing a practice isn’t the fear of the actual act of say, networking, but a fear of becoming an icky extravert. That stems in large part from our stereotypical view of the marketer as the deceitful used-car salesman in the plaid jacket and snakeskin boots.

Just as introversion doesn’t mean “loser,” extraversion doesn’t mean “phony.” You can adopt aspects of extraversion without compromising your integrity or losing your personality.

You’re Already Marketing

Those great client skills of yours? Listening, reflecting, connecting, empathizing, assessing, diagnosing, prescribing and teaching? They’re the hallmarks of exceptional salespeople. The ability to truly connect with another person, understand their problem and provide the perfect solution? That’s all sales and marketing is. You learned it in school, and you’re doing it all the time, but no one ever told you. So I’m telling you right now: you’ve been marketing all along. You just need to get comfortable with the idea of expanding your audience a little.

But How?

Here are a few tips to ease your transition.

1. Start Gradually

You’re not going to change overnight. Commit to some small changes, or one big move per month or quarter. You can find a massive list of marketing ideas here. Pick just one to focus on that’s a small stretch for you. Get it done, and repeat.

2. Don’t Sell. Solve.

If the idea of “selling” is making you feel squishy, that’s good, because selling isn’t what you need to do. Your job in marketing your practice is to connect with others and solve their problems. Your job is not to sell, it’s to solve.

You can never sell anything to anyone. All you can you is create the circumstances for people to sell things to themselves. So think of yourself as connecting, sharing, educating and solving. Not selling.

3. Engage With the World

Clients don’t have to come from information sessions, speaking gigs, media interviews and article writing. They also come from being at the gym, or a mom’s group, or at the hairdresser. They come taking classes, hanging in coffee shops. From art galleries and movie theatres.

The hardest way to find new clients is to never leave your house or office. Just get out there and engage with the world.

4. Use The Buddy System

Despite all this, it can be, beyond a doubt, nerve-wracking for the less-outgoing to…well, go out. If you’re going to engage the world, there’s no rule that says you have to do it alone. Find a buddy, and get out there. Intoverted, extraverted – doesn’t matter. Moral support comes in many shapes and sizes.

5. Focus on One-On-One Interactions

Even though you might teach, or speak to groups, or show up a cocktail parties and open houses, all the good stuff happens one-on-one. Think of crowds as opportunities for a series of monogamous marketing efforts, not a pitch to a pack of rapt listeners. You don’t have to captivate a crowd. Just connect with one person.

6. Don’t Be Distracted By the Easy Stuff

There’s an enormous trend right now toward web-based marketing, especially social media. There’s a good reason for it: it’s a viable way to reach a lot of people.

The pitfall for introverts, however, is that the web is just too easy. It offers the (questionable) promise of riches and practice growth without getting out of your pyjamas, and for those of us who are a little shy, that’s too good to pass up.

So don’t pass it up. You’d be crazy not to use some of this technology to your advantage – just don’t fall into the trap of using it as your only advantage because you’re too scared to do anything else.

In a nutshell, let’s remember the words of Winnie the Pooh, who sums it all up far better than I ever could have:

“You can’t stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.”

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During our sabbatical in Paraguay, we started a free clinic using donations from patients back home.

As word spread, it became a common sight to find people scattered about the various shady spots outside our makeshift clinic waiting for la doctora, and trying to get a some relief in a place where a dollar day wasn’t an uncommon wage.

Despite our best efforts to offer free care, though, it wasn’t long before payment started to arrive anyway. Sometimes it was mangoes, other times mandioca, bananas, corn bread and other locally grown goods, but it was payment just the same.

One of the first and most memorable of these, though, was a large plate of home made cheese.

The idea of cheese as money kinda stuck with me, and in a strange way, it’s been a helpful metaphor. So from the good people at the Dairy Department of The Practitioner’s Journey, here are a few Gouda ideas about money and practice…

1. Don’t Manage Your Patient’s Cheese

We have an expression we use when helping other practitioners: Don’t manage your patient’s wallet. Your services may be expensive for your client, or they may not be. The point is, you usually have no way of knowing for sure.

In practice you’ll find millionaires who won’t pay for their next treatment, and others who are struggling financially but never miss a beat. Value is subjective, and it’s your patient’s job to manage their cheese, not yours. Your job is to accept the cheese, should they choose to offer it.

2. Unclaimed Cheese Doesn’t Last Long

Accounts receivable are not like old cheddar – they don’t get better with age. And they’re not like Cheez Whiz, either, which, never seems to change with age at all. The money your patients owe you is very likely to be spent on other things if you don’t receive it. The lesson? If you have receivables, keep an eye on them – don’t let your cheese go bad, or be claimed by someone else.

3. You Can’t Afford a Dairy Intolerance

The natural medicine professions seemed to be particularly prone to financial struggle, much of it mental/emotional. We often hear (and to be fair, we’ve said it many times ourselves), “Won’t it be great when we don’t have to deal with this marketing/accounting/bookkeeping so we can just be doctors?”

The truth is, being a CAM practitioner almost always means you’re in business. And being in business means you have to accept money as a fundamental. You can’t have a dairy intolerance. You need to count your cheese properly. Make sure you have at least as much coming in as going out most of the time. You’ve got to care about the cheese. You don’t have to love it or worship it, but you can’t avoid it either.

4. Cheese Isn’t Evil…It’s Just Cheese

Money’s a handy thing. In our culture, though, it’s infused with meaning, not all of it positive, and it’s easy to forget that money is just a simple way to exchange goods and services. Being paid in live chickens, coconuts or tangerines is not always the easiest way to run a business.

The most powerful part of being paid in cheese was recognizing that it was a perfectly valid form of payment, but one that wasn’t negatively charged. Somehow, being paid in cheese was…easier. Part of that was our willingness to simply provide the service for free in the first place, but there was more to it. Stripped of its emotional baggage, it was just…cheese. Even being used as a form of payment, it was still cheese.

Cheese is just cheese, in the end, and money’s like that, too. It’s just paper. It’s a simple tool that makes it easier to be in business. It’s a convenient, universal symbol of value that lets you be a practitioner without your patients bringing squealing pigs and sacks of grain into your office. And trust us: most of the time, it’s a lot easier that way.

Until next time, don’t worry, Brie Happy…

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As your practice grows, you’ll be faced with challenges and critical choices that can make a huge difference in your success over time. When these junctures arrive, though, you’ll make your best decisions if you’re not hampered by fear. Here are some of the most common practice fears and tips on how to avoid them.

Fear of Debt/Spending
Top of the list for many alternative health practitioners is the fear of incurring debt. For most, it would be more accurately described as more debt – by the time they get out of school, many CAM professionals are heavily debt-laden.

Not wanting more debt is healthy and normal, but while bootstrapping your practice is a valid way of operating without racking up your credit cards, it can also slow your growth if you’re not careful. Fear of debt manifests itself in your practice in many ways, such as not having reception when you really need it, holding a second job, not accepting credit cards, and not having a business line of credit. And while these may seem like money saving efforts at the time, the results become visible five years down the road in the form of fewer patient visits and lower revenue.

The solution? First, be aware of your cash-generating potential. When you look at a new expense, for example, ask yourself how many extra patients you have to see to justify it – it may be fewer than you think. Second, accept that it may take time and money to grow your practice, and just as you invested in your education, you’ll likely need to invest in your practice at least a little.

Lastly, be on top of your numbers. Master the financials of your practice, instead of avoiding them. Learn to spend wisely. Make sure you think through large expenses carefully, and review small, recurring ones at least annually. The better your financial IQ, the easier it is to know when to spend and when to save.

Fear of Billing
While you were at school, a strange transformation occurred: you became more valuable. The odds are, however, that no one told you that. Many practitioners enter school at minimum wage student jobs and leave as doctors, unaware of the true economic value of everything they’ve learned. And because CAM / holistic health is so diverse, there are often no clear benchmarks for what things are worth.

What this means in practice is that it becomes emotionally difficult to charge people appropriately for your services. In the back of your mind is a little voice saying, “Whoa. That’s a lot of money. My patient is never going to pay that.” The result? You underprice, offer excessive freebies, and do pro-bono work beyond your comfort level.

Does this mean that you should happily charge everyone a small fortune? No. But it does mean that you should own your fees – be comfortable with them, whatever they are, review them annually, and make sure that you know you’re profitable. And accept that indeed, some people never want to pay, regardless of how inexpensive the service may be. For the most part, you’ll discover that excellent service, particularly in health care, is readily rewarded.

Fear of Competition
Here’s a scenario. A new chiropractor sets up shop down the street from you – instant competition. Do you cry in your pillow at night and find a new route to work so as not to pass their office? Step up your advertising and send spies to their office to check their fees?

Hopefully your answer is no to both of those. Competition is good for business, but it’s easy to be a little shaken when a new naturopath or acupuncturist hangs out their shingle on your turf. Fear of competition will keep you fighting over the same slice of pie, and in the end, bring better health care to far fewer people.

The solution? Recognize that every other practitioner is thinking the same thing you are. They’re afraid of competition, too. So whether you’re first in the market or last, make contact with them as soon as possible. Treat them as partners in creating a healthy community, not as competition in a scarcity game. They’ll be just as relieved as you are, and the synergies of collaborating will help your practice far more than turf wars and avoidance.

Fear of Status Quo
As the term alternative suggests, CAM therapies tend to exist outside the status quo. As such, you’re going to face critics who won’t approve of your practice simply because it’s different.

All the best changes in the world were first perceived as crazy. Remember that your fear of the status quo exists because the status quo is afraid of you, and the change you represent. It’s an unproductive spiral – if you find yourself worried about what the allopathic community thinks, or your neighbor, or your banker, you’re going to take energy out of your practice, and you’re going to worry even more about what they think.

A solution? For every person who dismisses your modality, consider first that they’re simply afraid, or ill-equipped to deal with a changing health care environment, and as such, need your help. Every criticism contains in it a cry for help – you can choose to respond to the criticism, and worsen the problem, or respond to the cry for help.

Make your decisions based on good care and good business, and the status quo will follow your lead.

These are a few of the most common anxieties in growing a CAM practice, but for any fear, try using this two-question system. First, ask yourself, “What’s the worst that can happen?” Once you’ve established that worst-case scenario, follow up with, “Why is this the best thing that could happen?” You’ll find this approach of debating the opposite side of the scenario a real eye-opener and fear-dissolver.

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