Being Real, by Dr. Ogi Ressel

Sunday, February 1st 2009

Warm hellos to all,

My last three THOTS were somewhat lengthy - you'll be pleased to
discover that this one is fairly brief and to the point.

Let's talk about reality for a moment...and there are varying levels
and expressions of this...
Many DCs feel that Chiropractic is simple and therefore cannot understand
why people don't get it and drop out of care.

Let's listen to a conversation between two friends across a backyard fence:
"Hi Joe, good to see you - it's been awhile."
"Yea...I've been busy with my son and his Asthma."
"So, Jim, how's Bobbie doing?"
"He's doing much better since we've been seeing Dr. Smith, the chiropractor
down the street."
"Wonderful, Jim, ...but what's cracking the back got to do with breathing?"

So...a pretty down-to-earth honest exchange, would you not think?

How Jim answers that question will entirely depend on his reality and
what you have taught him.
But ....here's the most important question: Will Joe be intrigued enough
to call Dr. Smith about his daughter with Colitis and his wife with killer migraines?

Are you teaching your patients how to answer their friends' questions?
If not, why are you surprised that you are not getting any referrals?
To the average Earthling, Joe's question is very real and to the point.
Something to think about...

Let's talk about another reality.....how we appear to our patients.
I must laugh at an ad I saw in the yellow pages recently. Picture this
for a moment: The ad had a photo of two DCs in full length white lab
coats, with a stethoscope around each neck. ...there's reality for you!
No wonder the public is getting mixed messages!

I am going to suggest that you all do the following "homework";
I'd invite all of you to watch at least two shows of "Oprah".

Why? Here's the reason:
Why does everyone love her?
She's real!
There are no "airs and false graces".
She's been through literally everything; poverty, riches, court cases, etc.
She listens to everyone - whether you are a celebrity of someone from
the audience - everyone is important and gets her total and undivided attention.
She's warm.
She's genuine.
She's authentic.
She doesn't dress uptight.
She's close to the audience at every show.
She gives amazing service.
She's not flashy - and people can easily relate to her.
The result is that she has the number one talk show on the planet.

There is a lesson here:
If you want the practice of your dreams, you need to be real to your
patients - your office and procedures must be real to your community.

So....you may want to look carefully at what you do, your office procedures,
how you conduct yourself, and what people think about what you do.

.....and that is one of the strengths of the PEP Program - it is real to your patients.
No fluff, no bovine excrement, no sales, and no gimmicks.

Ask any of the PEP doctors listed on the website: www.practiceevolution.com -
they'll be happy to tell you.
...and for those who haven't done so yet, take the Practice Health Mini Check-up
on the same website - I promise that you'll learn tons about your practice.

Talk with you next week,

Warmest wishes,
Dr. Ogi Ressel