Making the Best Start

THE BEGINNING

Can you feel it? That excitement. You’ve had a break finally and had time to percolate all those ideas that you want to get started on. You are so totally motivated your mouth edges and teeth hurt from champing at the bit. You set yourself up at your desk feeling the surge of all of those ideas rush to your head. This year is the year and you are going to set the world on fire with your private practice success.

SO LETS GET STARTED WITH YOUR LIST. IT GOES SOMETHING LIKE THIS, I AM GOING TO:

• Sort out my book keeping once and for all
• Create a book-keeping schedule so I don’t freak out at the last minute like every other year
• Create a list of articles I am going to write this year
• Set time aside to write those articles
• Schedule those articles into a regular e-news instead of the sporadic virtually non-existent version I did last year.
• Re-write my web text to improve SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
• Find out what Search Engine Optimisation means.
• Go out to connect with other practitioners…write a list of those I want to meet.
• Set aside regular time to study more on my modality
• Create a study group
• Start posting regularly on social media
• Oh wait that means I need to create and find content to be able to do that..add that to the list…hang on this is the list
• Work on my client retention
• Set up some sort of client analytics so I can keep track of things like new client retention.
• Look at that online scheduling software I have been putting off for the past 8 months
• Make sure I don’t get distracted by things and finish what I…..
• Make sure I am only working 5 days a week this year… but man I have a lot of things to get through
• Overwhelm myself and slowly rock in the corner shaking (tick)

Ok so that’s not working so well is it? Actually it didn’t work that well last year either or the year before. How can you get on track and resolve all of these issues without losing your mind?

MANAGING OVERWHELM – PRACTICE PLAN

Overwhelm is a sneaky little critter that can get under your skin and cause havoc if you let it. First off reduce the pressure to make everything run perfectly. Life is always a work in progress and so is your practice. It’s great to have goals as a point to aim for your private practice success. Deadlines help make it more realistic but remember the world will not end if you don’t make it. You will however have put a dent in your to do list and that is always a good thing. In essence keep it all in perspective.

LETS APPLY A LITTLE STRUCTURE TO YOUR LIST AND CREATE A PRACTICE PLAN:

1. What do you want to achieve this year and why?

More clients to be able to help more people understand their health better

Greater financial stability 

Improve my skills in my modality

More time to be with family and friends

1. How can you achieve this?

Improved client intake

Improved client retention

Better financial tracking

Time allocated to study cases

Clearly defined work/ home time

1. Break them into sub sections

Practice marketing

Client management

Admin/ Time management

1. Distribute your list at the top into these sections

1. Create the time to achieve your list

1. Action – put it into practice and refine it as you go.

Practice Marketing

• Articles– List

– Create content

– Images research (you can use free photos with attribution)

– Schedule e-news (try Mailchimp, it’s our pick)

• Networking – List of who

–

• Website – SEO research

         – Research how to change SEO on my platform (we recommend

• as the most user friendly platform)

– Change web text

– Add articles for e-news on to website (double up the use of

   content)

• Social media

– Check out social media scheduling platforms (we

    recommend Hootsuite,find out how)

 – Create content for posting (we recommend setting up Google
    Alerts, find out how) Schedule content in advance

– Schedule content in advance (Hootsuite again)

– Can use e-news articles for some posts

Client management

• Online scheduling
  – Research options (Take a look at Cliniko, Mindbody online, Fullslate, Acusimple)

– Some systems provide client retention analysis

          (additional problem solved)

– Some integrate with e-news platforms (time saver)

– Some integrate with book keeping platforms (another

time saver)

– Clients can book online (time saver and better service)

• – Set time for study of cases etc
• Client retention – If clients don’t come back you have a serious problem. Identifying the causes

can take a bit of time but you can check out this article for some pointers

Admin/ Time management

• Schedule – Set time to complete ongoing tasks each week
• – Set time to complete other projects each week
• – Set time for study of cases etc

Here’s a very basic example

• Reduce distraction
  – Take social media accounts of my ph

– Check social media once a day only, create a set time

– Check emails at set times (we suggest 10am and 4pm)

– Or only respond to emails that require immediate

• Put the rest into an action folder.

What this gives you is set times to complete important tasks with decent amounts to get something done. Don’t fall into the trap of trying to fit these tasks in around clients. In the end it doesn’t work and it drives you crazy. This schedule creates enough time for clients 30 hours, enough time to do the things that make your clinic and your life run smoothly 12 hours and time with family and friends.

Take good care and may 2019 be your best yet.

Jeff Shearer is a massage therapist, Chinese medicine practitioner and teaches practitioners how to navigate the hurdles we all face being able to create a successful and sustainable practice. Find out more here