The Centre for Powerful Practices

Quote of the Week

2012-01-24T15:22:00.001+10:00

“Character is the ability to carry out a good resolution long after the excitement of the moment has passed”.

Cavett Robert

Practice Pointer

2012-01-19T12:59:00.004+10:00

Service Bookends

Bill Esteb recently discussed the marketing concept of “service bookends”. These are services that are intentionally provided before and after a product or service is supplied, in order to create a lasting impression.

At a restaurant, for example, the bookends are the complimentary assortment of freshly made bread brought straight out after you sit down, and the platter of fine chocolates that accompany your coffee or the bill. These often create the lasting impressions we take home with us.What service bookends do you have in your practice?Is the first impression people receive in your practice the caring voice and welcoming smile of your CA, or a five page questionnaire that is thrown into their lap by the CA who has too much on their plate?At your next team meeting, brainstorm some ideas. Here are a few bookends to get you going:
- A hug (with consent of course).
- A printed “thought-for-the-day” handout.
- A question: "What's the best thing that's happened to you today?"
- A compliment: "You look fabulous today" or “I love that colour on you”
- An energy pick-me-up piece of fruit from the bowl
- Support to straighten their collar
- Remembering to ask about their holiday or sick parent
- A special phone call to check how a client is doing (eg. they were upset during their visit because of a family or personal concern)
- A bunch of flowers for referring a client

Your service bookend will soon become a “USP” (unique selling proposition – Practice Pointer archives 2010, week 31) that your practice is known for when it is used regularly enough to become part of your practice culture.

Practice Pointer

2012-01-12T15:46:00.001+10:00

Making the Most of Change

Change can be a scary prospect for some people. At a recent Dynamic Growth Experience in Adelaide, South Australia, Dr Ryan Yorke discussed four strategies for making the most of changing circumstances, particularly when going after goals:

Maximize your possibilities for opportunity. Typically we know what we want and why, but the how is often unclear at the beginning. Begin anyway. By taking any form of action in the right direction, new possibilities and opportunities have the potential to show up which you may not have considered.

Listen to your intuition. Intuition can provide incredible guidance, especially in discovering key opportunities or people.

Expect the best outcome. The path may not be the one you envisioned, but by holding onto your vision and trusting the process, it is amazing how it often works out over time.

Enjoy the ride. Be grateful for all the obstacles, experiences and guidance you come across along the way, as they will help make your dream realization even more satisfying.

Don’t let the fear of the unknown hold you back from achieving your dreams. By employing these strategies and moving forward confidently you will set the scene for many incredible experiences.

Quote of the Week

2012-01-10T15:01:00.002+10:00

The starting point of all achievement is desire. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small fire makes a small amount of heat”.

Napolean Hill, Author

Practice Pointer - Life is Like a Blender

2012-01-10T14:58:00.001+10:00

Which one is life like? A blender...or a roller coaster? Blender? Roller coaster?

“Life is a roller coaster : you have your ups and downs unless you fall off!

That is what life is like, isn’t it? With it’s ups & downs, twists and turns, steep climbs and even steeper descents, fun, laughs, sadness, tears and JOY!!!!

I used to think life was like a roller coaster UNTIL Carol Ann Malizia used the analogy of a blender to describe life.

My interpretion of this (if Carol Ann doesn’t mind) is that life rotates like a blender: as it goes around, it gets smoother and smoother and when more ingredients are added (change), some lumps will appear. When we blend a bit more, (ie. work, play, change belief systems, take new actions, develop different strategies, meditate, etc.) the lumps eventually iron out again and things become smooth. Some big chunks can be added from time to time and these can take longer to smooth out, but the key is to keep blending until it all works out.

One of my greatest lessons in life is to graciously accept the lumps because if I keep ignoring them, life gets very messy. If I ignore them for too long and forget to blend, the lumps become hard and difficult to mix. Life then becomes drudgery and it is nearly impossible to see the “smoothie” at the end of the tunnel.

Life is like a blender - when you add stamina,
it gets smoother!

Practice Pointer - Physiology

2012-01-10T14:51:00.003+10:00

Did you know that you can change your thoughts and attitude by simply changing your physiology?

Recently, Dr Doug Herron, senior coach and mentor with The Centre for Powerful Practices, shared an example of how movement can perk up your physiology. Doug had committed to dancing classes with his wife, Deena. Fatigued after a challenging day, he was not enthused by the prospect of learning the Cha Cha, but reluctantly, he attended. That night, as he stepped onto the dance floor and began moving, his physiology and attitude both picked up. In fact, he thoroughly enjoyed the experience and he had a renewed sense of energy and connection with his wife!

A simple change in your physical space can reset your mental state

By moving, we can change our physiology and therefore help change our thoughts and eventually our attitudes (the Cha Cha is not always appropriate!). Here are some simple ways to move:

Skipping - when was the last time you skipped joyfully like a child? Skip down the hall or to the mailbox and see how it feels.
Change your posture
Dance
Hold your head up while taking in a deep breath.
When you are stuck or feeling down, simply MOVE!

Movement really does change your physiology and therefore your thoughts. Give it a try the next time you are a little down and your physiology is not supporting you.

A good stance and posture reflect a proper state of mind. Morihei Ueshiba

Practice Pointer

2011-12-22T13:44:00.002+10:00

Treat Your Practice Like Your First Child

I was privileged to hear Rick Markson’s presentation during our recent Power Hour teleconference in August 2011. On that call, Rick provided a model that will certainly help others to see their practices differently.

Many of us have experienced being handed our first child, and regardless of how prepared we think we are, it can certainly be a challenging experience. Yet the rewards for caring properly for our child are immense. Rick suggests that we look at our practice as if it is our own child.

When a child doesn’t get what it needs it will cry. Similarly, our practice will falter when it does not receive what it needs. Like our child, it needs one of three things:

1) Food: What do you need to “feed” your practice? If you don’t have it or can’t afford it, what do you have to do to make it happen? For our child, we would do whatever it takes. We need to do the same for our practice…just make it happen.

2) Love: We don’t necessarily love every moment of being a parent but we would never lose sight of our unconditional love for our child. Be there physically for your practice and clients when they need to be loved and nurtured.

3) To be changed: What are we tolerating in our practice, and what do we need to change to freshen up the feeling in the office to move forward? Look for the possibilities of what needs to be updated or upgraded.

Caring for and providing your practice with its basic needs will allow your practice to grow and develop into its full potential.

Quote of the Week

2011-12-20T12:33:00.002+10:00

“Throughout the centuries, there were men who took first steps, down new roads, armed with nothing but their own vision”.

Ayn Rand, Novelist

Feature Article - It's All in Your Head by Blair Singer

2011-12-20T12:25:00.003+10:00

How to quiet the negative "little voice" that holds you back!

Sales equals income. It’s really that simple. During the past 20-plus years, no matter what business or individual I have dealt with, if there is a cash flow problem, somebody doesn’t know how to, refuses to, or thinks it’s not important to know how to sell.

What many people don’t understand is that the toughest sell of all is selling yourself to yourself. It’s overcoming that “little voice” in your head that says, I’m not that kind of person. What if they don’t like me? What if I look stupid? I’m too old, too young or too dumb. That little voice is Public Enemy No. 1 to your income and personal growth.

I almost got fired from my first sales position (selling calculators door to door), because my little voice wouldn’t let me out of the car to make a sales call. It convinced me to take long coffee breaks in order to avoid the potential scorn. It took making 68 cold calls in one day to finally not care what others thought of me. Now, I don’t necessarily recommend the 68-cold-call solution, but here is what I do suggest.

Practice and role play handling objections. Doing this for 15-30 minutes per week will reduce fear and boost energy and confidence quickly. I have seen this practice increase sales activity by more than 282 per cent in a matter of weeks!

Review and debrief every call and interaction. Ask yourself these five critical questions:

What worked?
What did not work?
Why?
What did you learn?
How will you use what you learned to improve the next time?

You will actually look forward to debriefing so you can make quick corrections and get out there and try again.

Another sneaky trick your little voice plays on you has to do with your self-concept. No matter how responsible, diligent or hard working you are, if your self-concept is low, your results will never exceed it. If your little voice beats the daylights out of you and tells you that you are stupid, incapable or a poor salesperson, your self-concept will be low, and your results will follow suit.

So how do you manage that little voice? Here are a couple strategies:

Start with affirmations like, “I’m an awesome salesperson, and I know I can do this.” Repeat this every time doubt seeps in. Your little voice is simply a result of your prior programming, and you can re-program it quickly. I have witnessed immediate 50-85 per cent sales increases in teams that have adopted this approach.

Another great way to overcome the little voice in the face of fear is to recall a time in your life when you had a big win. I learned this technique from Tony Robbins, and I use it constantly. Recall where you were, what you saw, how it felt and what you were saying to yourself at the time. When you can recall it, make a fist and shout, “Yes!” Your energy will come up, and you will walk into your call with the memory and feeling of success instead of fear.

The bottom line is there is a much bigger person inside of you than you give yourself credit for. When you learn to master your little voice, the big, bold, powerful, rich you will emerge. It is your destiny. Now, be awesome!

Blair Singer is the co-founder and CEO of SalesPartners Worldwide, a global franchise network of professional mentors and business builders. He is the founder of Little Voice Mastery Institute, the virtual learning centre that helps people move beyond their “Little Voice” to become the bigger, more powerful people they were meant to be.

Summary from Dr Clinton McCauley, Coach and Mentor, The Centre for Powerful Practices

Practice Pointer - Opportunity Knocks

2011-12-15T15:20:00.003+10:00

How do we know when opportunity is knocking?

The obvious answer is when we hear the knock on the door. However, it can also be beneficial to open the door and invite opportunity in before it knocks. The way we do this is by asking.

The fact is, most people don’t have the guts to ask for what they want!! When we keep the door of chance open by asking for business, it is amazing what just might come our way. Someone once asked me, “If your kids were being held for ransom and the deadline was tomorrow, who would you ask for help?” When the “why” is big enough the “whats” take care of themselves.

- Ask intelligently
- Ask politely
- Ask consistently

…just keep asking!

By continuing to ask people for what you want, whether it’s business, money, or support, eventually something will come your way. Yet most people sit in judgement of themselves at how cheap they might appear, at what the other person may think of them, or that they may get rejected by a “no”.

If confronted by a “no”, utilize the 4 SW’s: “Some will, some won’t, so what – someone’s waiting.” In other words, “who cares; move on!!”

Clinton Swain from Frontier Training says that if you get a “no” you have either
- Asked the wrong person
- Asked the wrong question
- Haven’t asked enough

Keep the opportunity of chance open by consistently knocking on the door and asking for business.

Quote of the Week

2011-12-13T15:10:00.002+10:00

“Start by doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible”.

Francis of Assisi

Practice Pointer

2011-12-08T14:00:00.002+10:00

5 Things About Leadership

In a recent coaching session, a client of The Centre for Powerful Practices was asked the following:

“If there were 5 key things that you have learned over the years about leading others and being a good team player, what would they be...”

His response was:
Listen, listen, listen
Accept 100% responsibility for your team’s results
Inspire others with a captivating vision
Praise frequently and look for the best in people
Walk your talk as a role model

What would be your five keys?

Quote of the Week

2011-12-06T16:09:00.000+10:00

"A man, as a general rule, owes very little to what he is born with. A man is what he makes of himself."

Alexander Graham Bell

Practice Pointer - Building Relationships

2011-12-02T12:27:00.000+10:00

It is human nature to do business with people you know and trust. What’s more, as people do get to know and trust you, they often refer others to you as well. One time-tested method of building a solid relationship with your current clients is to stay in touch through regular correspondence, and a newsletter can be a great way to do this.

Sometimes it may seem easier to have a professional organisation prepare your newsletter for you. There are many that do a great job of this, even to the point of sending it out for you with your details on it. Unfortunately, with the amount of advertising and internet information we have at our fingertips every day, many of these never even get opened.

The best way to build a personal relationship is to put a bit of yourself into your newsletter such as:
- Where did you go for your last seminar and what did you learn that could help one of your practice members?
- Something about your family or a recent holiday
- A picture from your recent theme day or team outing
- Who won the colouring competition (with their permission of course)?
- What upcoming events or changes clients could expect to see around the practice
- The answers to the practice quiz or brain teaser

In fact, we have seen many clients pick up a newsletter, read the personal columns, skim through the articles (to see if there is something relevant to them), and then put it down again. It is even possible that a personal, one page, photocopied newsletter may be read by more people than the glossy, professionally produced product.

“Acting as if” you already have a personal relationship with your clients by sharing some personal and practice information is a sure way for most businesses to build better loyal relationships with their clients.

FREE POWER HOUR TELESEMINAR

2011-11-29T15:05:00.000+10:00

Listen to Dr Charles Ward speak on "You Are the Reflection of Your Goals and Dreams". Create Your Future and Make a Plan of Action.

Phone The Centre for Powerful Practices on +61 2 6674 0777 or email sandra@powerful-practices.com to register for your complimentary download. Available for 48 hours from 9.00am AEDST November 30.

Dr Charles Ward is a Chiropractic legend and the wisdom that Dr Ward brings to you and your practice is a real-world experience.

Quote of the Week

2011-11-29T14:04:00.000+10:00

"Great things are not something accidental, but must certainly be willed".

Vincent Van Gogh

Philosophy Award 2012 Recipient Announced

2011-11-28T10:45:00.000+10:00

The Centre for Powerful Practices would like to announce the recipients of this year’s “Philosophy Award”, granted to assist students in furthering their Chiropractic development by helping them attend the 2012 Dynamic Growth Congress in Brisbane, Queensland.

This year’s scholarships have been awarded to Broderick Gordes from the Chiropractic program at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and to Brian Lanoue from the New Zealand College of Chiropractic.

As part of their purpose to support the profession and assist students to succeed in practice, The Centre for Powerful Practices offered one $500 scholarship to a student in each of the four Australasian Chiropractic institutions. Unfortunately, no entries were received this year from either Macquarie University or Murdoch University.

Students were asked to write an essay describing their understanding of Chiropractic philosophy and to explain how they envisage applying this philosophy to enhance their practice success into the future.

In his essay, Brian provided a modern day analogy of Chiropractic philosophy: “Like building blocks, each biological being’s own innate intelligence is connected to the greater universal intelligence. Like the internet as a network, it is the same force that innately connects us to every other form of matter from the molecular world to the world we see.”

Broderick discussed how he will apply this philosophy: “…my vision is to take the philosophy of chiropractic to the streets and to the people, with effective communication strategies and broad media coverage. I won’t be doing this to only enhance my own practice success, but to enhance the chiropractic profession as a whole.”

The scholarship funding is intended to be used for registration, a ticket to the Gala Ball, and some assistance towards the cost of travel or accommodation. The Centre for Powerful Practices will invite the winners to share a table with them at the ball and spend time together at other events over the weekend.

The Centre for Powerful Practices is very committed to assisting the future development of Chiropractic in Australasia and congratulates all the students who participated in this year’s competition.

Practice Pointer - Proactive with Intention

2011-11-25T12:05:00.000+10:00

At a recent Dynamic Growth Experience in Adelaide, South Australia, Dr Brett Hill discussed the challenges Chiropractors face when looking back over a year that did not provide as much practice growth as they were used to seeing.

Brett explained that it is easy to provide excuses for these results but ultimately, they are just that – excuses. He suggested that the way to get back on track was to be proactive with intention and to do the following:

Acknowledge – accept where you and your practice are currently and why it has occurred.

Take Action – pick up your game in both personal and professional activities that are important to do consistently, but you have let slide over time.

With Intent – you can proactively ride a bike but be heading in the wrong direction! Be very clear on what needs to be done and remain focused on moving along that course.

Accountability – ensure that you have someone that you report regularly to, or that checks in with you from time to time to keep you on track.

Take some time this week to look over your results from this past year and acknowledge the areas that you could be doing even better in. Set some new intentional goals for the upcoming year that will create the results you choose, tell someone about them and then take massive action!

Quote of the Week

2011-11-22T15:37:00.000+10:00

“Think big thoughts, but relish small pleasures”.

H. Jackson Brown, Author

Practice Pointer - Responsibility

2011-11-21T14:07:00.000+10:00

Jim Rohn said, “You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.”
When we take responsibility, life becomes so much easier! By accepting what is happening currently – the practice is booming, the practice is quiet, the Chiropractic Assistant is leaving, etc- you are taking responsibility. This is the first step in overcoming challenges and creating new opportunities.
When things are not going your way, the best way to turn it around is to take full responsibility. Only then is it possible to change. Without responsibility blame takes over and starts to spread negative energy in all directions.
What can you see around you that you would like to change? Look inside yourself and see where you can take more responsibility around this matter and ... CHANGE! eg. If you want more enthusiastic clients, look at how often and how enthusiastically you present your ‘Creating Health Workshop.’ Or, you’d like more Ideal Clients – how many ‘Ideal Clients” have you asked for referrals from? TAKE RESPONSIBILITY TODAY!

Responsibility starts with the willingness to experience self as cause. It starts with a willingness to have the experience of yourself as cause in the matter.
Responsibility starts with the willingness to deal with the situation from and with the point of view, whether at the moment realized or not, that you are the source of what you are, what you do and what you have. This point of view extends to include even what is done to you and ultimately what another does to another.
Author Unknown

Quote of the Week

2011-11-15T15:24:00.000+10:00

“Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment. Full effort is full victory”.

Mahatma Ghandi

The Ladder of Success

2011-11-11T09:46:00.000+10:00

100% - I did
90% - I will
80% - I can
70% - I think I can
60% - I might
50% - I think I might
40% - What is it?
30% - I wish I could
20% - I don't know how
10% - I can't
0% - I won't

B.J. Palmer - “As A Man Thinketh”

Picture your challenges as the rungs on the success ladder and use them as stepping stones towards your goal. By applying the wisdom of BJ Palmer, this ladder can make success more achievable by taking one rung at a time.

Here’s an example of how to utilize the ladder when a Chiropractor is feeling challenged about presenting a ‘Creating Health Workshop’:

0% - I won’t “There is no way I will ever do a Creating Health Workshop (CHW).”

10% - I can’t “I can’t possibly do a CHW.”

20% - I don’t know how “I don’t have any idea what to present.”

30% - I wish I could “I wish I could present a CHW.”

40% - What is it? “What do I need to learn?”

50% - I think I might “If I observe other Chiropractors and learn about workshops, I think I might be able to do it.”

60% - I might “With some research and help I might be able to present a CHW.”

70% - I think I can “I actually think I can do this.”

80% - I can “With practice I can do this.”

90% - I will “I have set the date, I will do this.”

100% - I did “I did it! I did it! I actually did a Creating Health Workshop. It was great fun!”

BJ Palmer, and many others, taught us that Success is about taking that first step – in other words, taking ACTION. Use the ladder of success, step up each rung, and SUCCEED.

Practice Pointer - Perceived Indifference

2011-05-27T07:50:00.000+10:00

Statistics show that 68% of people who leave your practice do so because of perceived indifference! What does this mean exactly?

According to the Macquarie Dictionary:
Perceived: means to gain knowledge through one of the senses.
Synonym = apparent

Indifference: means lack of interest or concern
Synonym = apathy

In a simple explanation, the clients who leave because of perceived indifference believed you didn’t care.

Recently, one of our mentor groups which meets regularly to play Robert Kiyosaki’s financial game ‘Cashflow 202’, had a great experience at dinner after the game. In a local restaurant, we were treated to delicious food and friendly service in a beautiful setting. On our return eight weeks later, the décor was still beautiful and the food was still delicious. However, there was one enormous difference: the service could only be described as “indifferent”, as the staff didn’t seem to care (or this is what we “perceived”). We have now moved venues for our debrief dinner because of the perceived indifference of the staff!

Check your team, check your service, and look after every person as a VIP on EVERY visit. This one single action of giving excellent, caring service can increase your client retention - not to mention provide your clients with an experience they will want to revisit. And, if you give exceptional service and inspire your clients, it is more likely that they will refer their friends and family to you.

LSMFT = LOVING SERVICE MY FIRST TECHNIQUE
Dr James Parker

Practice Pointer - What is True Balance? What is Pendulism?

2011-05-25T15:25:00.000+10:00

“Is it OK not to be in balance”? Carol Ann Malizia , during one of our Power Hour teleseminars last year, eloquently explained that she does not seek balance. In fact, Carol Ann stated that being in balance is actually not a great place to be.

When we consider the concept of balance, we often visualize a set of scales with the weight evenly distributed on either side. If you were to examine scales that are “balanced”, what would you see happening?

BALANCE = NO MOTION

That is correct … nothing is happening, because when there is balance, there is no motion.

Our dear friend Charles “Tremendous” Jones described life as a pendulum swinging from one side to the other, creating learning’s along the way (definitely not being static!).

Berni Ireland, Coach and Mentor with The Centre for Powerful Practices, has coined this phenomenon “pendulism”: instead of seeking balance which lacks “real life”, we live on a pendulum in harmony with our soul. This pendulum can sometimes swing wildly and this is when we need to conduct our orchestra to get more in tune.

WE ARE THE CONDUCTOR OF OUR OWN ORCHESTRA/OUR OWN LIFE

PENDULISM = ORCHESTRATING LIFE IN HARMONY WITH SOUL

Practice Pointer - Relieving People’s Fears

2011-05-11T17:13:00.000+10:00

As Chiropractors, we often don’t realize the amount of courage it takes some people to even get to our office. We have all heard the things these people hear, such as “They will hurt you, it’s not safe, and it will cost a fortune” etc etc. These comments often come from people in trusted places in their lives – their partners, their parents, their friends or their doctors.

So how can we allay these fears quickly, and build rapport without dragging out the old stats of how many people really get injured seeing a Chiropractor?
It is often best to address all of these fears straight up. Get them out in the open and show people you are genuine.

Here is an example-

“Mrs. Jones, I want you to know that my goal today is to find out if Chiropractic can help you. What we will do is spend the time to actually find out what’s happening with your spine and your health. If I can help you, I’ll let you know. If I can’t, I will let you know that too, and I will do my best to find the right person for you. Does that sound ok with you?”

What we have done is tell them that we have their best interests at heart, we are in this with them, and we will do what’s right by them. Who wouldn’t want that?