Selling Is Your Business - Like it or not

I am reading a book, "Selling Is Everyone's Business" by Steve Johnson and Adam Shaivitz. This thinking rubs me the wrong way. I went to Chiropractic School to learn to help others like I was helped. Yet I have found if I can't sell myself, the patient, the insurance company, the spouse, the parent or whoever is involved, the person never seeks my care, never gets what they need to get well or does not follow through.

Therefore we are in the business of selling, like it or not. So let's like it. The only way to like it is to understand the rules and execution. Selling like adjusting is an art. As the doctor/owner that most of us are, we also become the boss and manager of our practice. I really hate that. I want to treat the patient and not do the other stuff.

Too bad. You know what the E-Myth says by Gerber. You and I have to be Entrepreneurs, Managers and Technicians. Not knowing and doing the things that create a successful practice is what causes so many failed practices or poor results. I get many questions on how to help doctors build better more profitable practices.

We will do several Puzzle Pieces on how to grow your practice. Patients can only receive the Nutri-West Nutrition, get increase healing form the Erchonia Laser, footbath, etc. if you get them in the office and use proper procedures to educate them and give them proper care. This makes you the boss and it makes your staff the front lines of your organization. This book has helped me to see it is a lot more fun and productive to be a coach to your team and for your patients.

So below are some direct quotes from the book:

"We have found that the most effective leaders in top organizations perceive their role as that of coach, not a boss. That's why ... we use the term coach where many would substitute boss or manager. Some of the key differences between a boss and a coach are specified in the following list. In which category does your management style put you in?

• - A boss drives his people; a coach leads them.

• - A boss depends on authority; a coach on goodwill.

• - A boss inspires fear; a coach inspires enthusiasm.

• - A boss says "I"; a coach says "We."

• - A boss says "get here on time"; a coach gets there ahead of time.

• - A boss fixes blame for the breakdown; a coach fixes the breakdown.

• - A boss says "go"; a coach says "Let's go."

• - A boss uses people; a coach develops them.

• - A boss sees today; a coach also looks at tomorrow.

• - A boss commands; a coach asks.

• - A boss never has enough time; a coach makes time for things that count.

• - A boss is concerned with things; a coach is concerned with people.

• - A boss lets his people know where he stands; a coach lets his people know where they stand.

• - A boss works hard to produce; a coach works hard to help his people produce.

• - A boss takes credit; a coach gives it.

Clearly, the coach is more effective in building a great salesperson and leading a team to a collective goal." ... "What is a coach? Roget's Thesaurus lists trainer, athletic director, tutor, private teacher, and mentor as synonyms for the noun, coach. Train, instruct, tutor, teach, drill, advise, guide, and direct are all synonyms for the verb to coach." ... Successful coaching is the act of doing all these things well enough to create a successful team.

... "Robert Ripley, in his famous column, Believe it or Not, once said, "A plain bar of iron is worth $5. The same bar of iron, when made into horseshoes, is worth $10.50. If made into needles, it is worth $355. If made into penknife blades, it is worth $3,285, and if turned into balance springs for watches, that identical bar of iron becomes worth $300,000."

(Johnson, Steve and Adam Shaivitz. Selling is Everyone's Business: What it Takes to Create a Great Salesperson. New Jersey: Wiley & Sons, 2006. pages 4-7.)

We can recommend the book and the philosophy to create a team concept in your office. Capacity Management has told us over and over that the doctor need only do the Smart-Gal/Guy stuff and the staff is the team to carry out most of the plays.

A NOTE FROM DR. BRIMHALL

We look forward to seeing you soon at a seminar. We have complete training for doctors and their staff. We have had questions lately on what is taught and when for the CA's. They start out every morning with the doctors for the philosophy and have workshops in the afternoon. They learn everything the doctor does except how to adjust. It is a hand's on training showing them how to test for the Nutri-West nutrients, use the percussor, the foot baths and the Erchonia laser.

Like Zig Ziggler says "I will see you at the top!"

John W Brimhall, DC and the Wellness Team