Here is a post from one of my heros, Seth Godin, an author, marketer and thought-leader, on the lifetime value of a customer.  Too often when we’re coaching chiropractors or when chiropractors are considering coaching, marketing or any other ‘cost’ to growing a practice it is seen as just that – a cost vs. an investment.

At year end, have a look at your retention (Patient Visit Average) for the year of 2009.  We consider 60 PVA a bare minimum for a wellness practice.  Then calculate how much a new person is worth to you.  Not because we see people as dollar signs, but so that you can make good decisions on investments to grow your practice.  If a new person is worth on average $2000, don’t you think it’s important to have your systems and communications wired so you don’t blow it when they come in?  How about ROI and marketing decisions?  Without this knowledge, as Seth Godin states below, $50 investment can seem expensive.

Enjoy the read!

Embracing lifetime value

Tags: chiropractic, Chiropractic Coach, chiropractic communication, Chiropractic Consultant, Chiropractic Practice Management, Chiropractic Practice Success, chiropractic systems, Chiropractic Wellness Model, Lifetime Value, PVA, Retention, Rosen Chiropractic Coaching, rosen coaching, Seth Godin

One of my main sources of inspiration on leadership is author, blogger and marketer Seth Godin.  I feel his ideas on change and leadership are not only timely, but very relevant to the chiropractic profession.

I do not believe our profession has an identity crisis. As a chiropractic coach, consultant and speaker in our profession, when I survey the crowd we mostly all agree on what we do and what we are trying to accomplish. What tangles us up is the ‘how’ we do it.  We know who we are, but the rest of the world does not know what we do. We don’t have an identity crisis but a communication crisis! How do I know? For the last 100 years, although the profession has grown, we have not reached our Tipping Point. Still a measly 10% of the population in North America sees a chiropractor regularly. If we didn’t have a communication crisis, most people would know what we do! But they think we’re back doctors…

In Seth Godin’s recent talk at TED, he dives into concepts that are essential for chiropractors to embody if we are going to have a health care revolution and change the world!  We no longer can persuade and push people into our care using Scare Tactics. Rosen’s Care vs. Scare approach is the cutting edge of communication and leadership for chiropractic practice management.

Are you challenging the status quo?  We need to lead people, be a heretic and do the opposite of what ‘everybody’ else does and what ‘everybody’ else knows. Why do you want to be just like ‘them’ anyway? Trying to appease and belong to the status quo is what has damaged our profession in the first place.  If you are not stepping up in your community, speaking your truth and sharing the story, we need to address your mission, vision, values and Certainty. This is the first step in becoming a true leader in your community.

Are you creating a culture and connecting a tribe of people? If they are in your office, they want to be lead. What is the culture you’ve created? At my office, we had a culture statement about what we stood for. And then we created a tribe of people who wanted what we were about!

They key to building strong tribes is two-way communication. Have curiosity about the people in your tribe, help them share and connect their stories to spread the word. Ask questions of your tribe. At Rosen Coaching, our entire communication model is centered around asking questions! Long gone is the ‘I’m the doctor, you’re the patient’ approach. We are human beings first and doctors second. Let us help you connect and communicate in a way that is consistently building relationships with your tribe.

What do most people want? They want to be heard. They want to feel important. They want to be missed. Make them a part of something. Make them a part of our movement to change the world with chiropractic wellness care. Our philosophy of living is one that needs to be heard – the health of the world depends on it.

Tags: care tactics, Care vs. Scare, Certainty, Chiropractic Coach, Chiropractic Consultant, communication, Culture, Leadership, Seth Godin, Status Quo, TED, Tipping Point, transform, Tribe