A few weeks ago we talked about how to increase professional referrals to your practice. Developing this referral source is essentially a networking exercise, but the point of the post was to provide a framework in which to do it without feeling weird, creepy, or uncomfortable.

I know there are a lot of alternative and complementary practitioners who are involved with networking groups like BNI. While I don’t generally promote those groups a great deal, I read a fantastic tidbit from Ivan Misener, the founder and CEO of BNI, in a piece on Entrepreneur.com:

3. Word-of-mouth is more about farming than it is about hunting.

Building your business through word-of-mouth is about cultivating relationships with people who get to know you and trust you. People do business with people they have confidence in. One of the most important things I’ve learned in the past two decades is this: It’s not what you know, or who you know, it’s how well you know them that counts. [emphasis mine]

It’s a great metaphor for the development of your professional referral base. The approach we recommend - of slowly gathering background and connections before you approach someone - is aboutchoosing to farm relationships. Nurture them gradually in the form of inquiry, research and contemplation. Plant them, water them, and watch them grow, but don’t harvest them until they’re ready.

And whatever you do, don’t hunt them. That’s what everyone else is doing because they haven’t yet realized that you can only eat prey once, but you can harvest a garden forever.

Related posts:

1. New Patient Referrals: The 5 P’s

Here are our favorite acupuncture-specific online resources for practice growth and management, in no particular order. Have we missed any? Let us know in the comments.

Acupuncture Business School

• Workshops, coaching, teleconferences, books, distance learning…ABS just about has it all. In the words of founder Andy Rosenfarb: “ABS is a developing resource for L.Ac.’s who want to better their situation in clinical practice. We want to provide real methods that work, rather than just a lot of fancy marketing talk. There are quite a few practitioners who are doing well and ABS was created to start to get these acupuncturists out of the woodwork and share what they are doing and what’s working for them. ” That sounds pretty darn fine to me.

Insights for Acupuncturists

• Lisa Hanfileti is a working acupuncturist who’s not only dedicated to helping other practitioners, she’s plenty nice too. Her site has a lot to offer, particularly for practitioners interested in passive income, and using the internet to market their practice. She’s also got a great list of online resources.

Community Acupuncture Network

• Community Acupuncture Network (CAN) is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to make acupuncture more affordable and accessible. The members are lively and active. You might also do yourself a favor and check out founder Lisa Rohleder’s book The Remedy, and her fantastic (and free) little ebook Love Your Microbusiness.

Build Your Dream Practice

• Kevin Doherty offers coaching, and a couple of great books. The first is Build Your Dream Practice, a beautifully put together ebook on practice management, filled with some great wisdom and advice. Kevin’s latest project, allows to co-author your own customized version of How to Thrive in the Modern World: A Layperson’s Guide to Chinese Medicine, for educating your patients and prospects. You can see samples of both books on the site.

Acupuncture Clinic Marketing

• Burton Kent’s blog is relatively new, but his new book Never Market Again has got some great business advice, and is on sale until Feb 14th at 50% off.

The Acupuncture Marketing Blog

• Bonnie’s blog is a great source of insight into marketing ideas and online resources circulating through the internet. There’s well over a year’s worth of blog posts - lots to keep you busy for a while.

Acupuncture Media Works

• Acupuncture Media Works is best known for their broad range of promotional print and office materials - everything from business cards and brochures, to charts and displays. What gets them on this list, though, is the remarkable quantity of stuff available in the “Tips/Free Stuff” section - a huge array of letters, forms, info sheets and more, all free for the taking.

Acufinder

• Acufinder acupuncture referral services has a solid list of practice management articles in their Learning Center.

The Acupreneur

• Dr. Eric Schneider provides some free articles on the site, but a quick signup will also get you a free copy of the ebook 52 Integrity Based Ways to Fill Your Acupuncture Practice. The book’s nicely arranged, and there are some real gems in the 52.

Other Resources:

• The forums at gancao.net
• The forums at TCM Student
  
• The TCM Practice Survival Guide on YouTube

Any Suggestions?

I know there are lots of resources out there - if you’ve got a favorite that we’ve missed, do tell. Don’t be shy!

Related posts:

1. Acupuncture Practice Growth Resources
2. Acupuncture Marketing Blog Roundup
3. Affordable Acupuncture - Charge Less, Earn More?
4. More Acupuncture Pricing Debate
5. CAM Information Resources

I was recently interviewed about our book Escape 101 by Mark Hayward of MyTropicalEscape.com, who’s a consummate escape artist himself.

You can check out the interview here, but what I really want to draw your attention to is his interview with Scott Rigsby, who became the first double amputee in the world to finish an Ironman distance triathlon.

Rigsby used “swim legs” to navigate the difficult 2.4 mile ocean swim, “bike legs” to cycle 112 miles through the heat and gusting winds of the Big Island lava fields on a standard road bike, and “run legs” to complete the marathon segment in darkness and intense pain.

It’s a great piece of inspiration to share with your colleagues and patients, and a heck of a fine way to start off a weekend. Check it out: Do the Unthinkable - The Scott Rigsby Interview.

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We had our first day of business in the new clinic last week - January was a hectic month!

The space is about three times as big as the old clinic - a significant increase. It seems like a lot, but as I moved the last items out of the old office, I remembered how big it seemed at one time. Now I can’t imagine how we ever fit in there.

The last move - five years ago - seemed like a leap of faith at the time, but shortly after we settled into the larger space, business took off. It was like we were goldfish, and all we needed was a bigger bowl in order to grow more. Now it’s happening again.

What’s behind this “goldfish effect”?

There are many causes for this phenomenon, ranging from the simple to the arcane, but here are a few reasons why we tend to expand to fit our bowl:

• Rising to the Occasion: A larger space generally means higher costs. When faced with having to grow in order to meet costs, most practitioners rise to the occasion. It’s amazing what you can do when faced with a must.

• Taking Plans off Hold: Prior to moving to larger space, there tends to be a downturn in marketing and other practice improvement activities. This is in part due to the time and energy demands of getting a new clinic up and running, but it’s also because we tend to put things off “until we get into the new clinic”. New products, services, marketing efforts, promotional materials, office processes - they all get bumped, then activated in the new space.

• Pride: There’s nothing like having a shiny new clinic to make you want to share. We can’t wait for people to come through the doors. In contrast, the old space was looking a little neglected - I found I didn’t have the same desire to “show it off”.

How to Create The Goldfish Effect Without Moving

What if you’ve already got lots of space, or you’re in an excellent location? What if moving just isn’t in the cards? Here’s a secret: you can benefit from the psychological impact of larger space without actually moving. Here’s how:

• Declutter: This was essential in our small office. Schedule a block of time to completely declutter and de-crapify your practice. Be relentless. Get rid of:
  • Old files you’re not legally obligated to keep
  • Excessive brochures and business cards
  • Flyers and announcements
  • Bits of paper stuck everywhere around reception and office desks
  • Stacks of paper, mail, and unread magazines
  • Furniture that’s never used
  • Excessive knick-knacks and decorative items

  The secret here is to be merciless. You won’t miss these things, and you’ll notice a remarkable change in how your patients perceive your space, and how enthusiastic you are about being at work.

• Redecorate/Renovate: You can dramatically change your office with just some fresh paint, but if it’s been a while you might consider new flooring, artwork, or furniture depending on your budget. If it’s been more than five years, you’re definitely due for a new paint job if nothing else. And the best thing about painting is that you have to move everything, so you end up doing the declutter job by default.

• Change It Up: If you can’t renovate or redecorate, can you reorganize? Try switching things around. Move furniture and change the look and flow of things.

• Add Products or Services:Can you add something to your offering? If you’ve been thinking of investing in a new piece of equipment, for example, then perhaps now is the time to make your bowl seem bigger by offering more. Providing a new service to our patients almost always seem to improve health outcomes and generally gives us access to a broader patient niche. Every time we add a new service, referrals jump.

• Stop Waiting: Are there things you’ve been putting off doing until “you have more space” or until the dreaded “someday”? Make a list, and then pick them off one at a time. Decide to do just one a week, and you’ll make substantial progress.

Don’t fall prey to “someday” or “when I have more space”. Act as if you already have that space, and before you know it, you’ll have the growth to justify it.

Related posts:

1. Should You Buy or Lease Office Space for Your Practice?

In support of our post last week on giving as the key to professional networking and referrals come two things. The first is scientific research revealing a link between charity and wealth. The second is a fantastic new book, The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea.

The Go-Giver is the story of Joe, an ambitious young man who yearns for success. Joe’s trouble, however, is that the harder he works, the further away his goals seem. That all changes when Joe meets an enigmatic man named Pindar who teaches him that changing his focus from getting to giving—putting others’ interests first and continually adding value to their lives —ultimately leads to unexpected returns.

I saw a many parallels with the CAM professions when I read this book. The Five Laws of Stratospheric Success, which Joe discovers in his journey (I’ll keep that journey a secret for now), seem so relevant to practice growth that I think this book could have been written with alternative medicine in mind.

For anyone in the healing professions, I can whole-heartedly recommend this one. The parable format makes it an easy, enjoyable read, and the content is pure gold. Tara and I both loved it. This one’s worth it—for your practice and your personal life.

You can pick up a copy of the The Go-Giverhere.