My Year-End Thoughts

Time to enjoy the season!

The end of 2011 is nearly upon us and it is the time of year to celebrate with family and friends – A time of sharing joy and spreading the warmth of kindness with whomever you contact whether it be at the neighborhood department store, a neighbor, or the longer journeys across the state or continent.

Let’s back up for a moment… I’m talking about having truly enjoyable time off…Time off without the business anxieties – in other words, QUALITY time off.

But… how does today’s Private Practice Owner secure enough time to share with others outside of the workplace, or maybe just a bit more time for oneself here and there?

You most certainly deserve it!   Hmmm… no need to take a survey here, but some of you may find this hard to conceive so I ask you to please read on!

As an owner you shoulder the responsibility of your clinic and like most owners you might wear numerous hats as treating patients, overseeing areas of marketing, setting goals, meeting payroll, scheduling details for staff and public events, etc.

Although I’m not in Private Practice myself, I own my own company and similarly wear several hats and over the years have discovered some tips to enable myself to spend more time outside the company with the ones I love –Aren’t they the reason we work so hard in the first place?

• Delegation – Hire and retain responsible staff, which take their duties to heart! They are your lifeline for the future so respect them and show your appreciation whenever possible.  A “Thank You” and “Good Job” and other such acknowledgments go such a long way! Let them know they are appreciated and valuable to you and the group.
• Organization –Without organization in a group, chaos ensues; if you find troubles and confusions, better organization is needed to ease or remove it.
• Set a good Example – After setting the policy and rules for the Practice show the best example of these in all your actions. You are a leader and others look to you to set the example, pace and general tone.
• Hold regular staff training – Work consistently to improve or raise the standards of your practice. Choose a topic, do your research and planning, and drill these as a team activity with the eventual accomplishment as your goal.
• Track Production – Quota the necessary levels of production for each staff and area of the practice and push the game to meet these.
• Ask for regular Information Reports – Waiting until the end of the week or month is far too late to find out how you’re doing both financially and with production in the various departments of your practice. Stay well informed on your current production and income and keep ahead of any foreseen problem time periods.
• Implement a new Cash-Paying Program – Don’t rely on Insurance Companies to solely provide your needed income levels. Survey to find what YOUR particular public desires. Pilates? A weight loss system? Aerobics classes? Spa/massage services?  Any one of these may double your production without the need for additional space.  Keep the costs in check while adding valuable new income.
• Spice up the marketing! – Take what you’ve got and find ways to make it new and exciting.  Think for a minute… Would you do your holiday shopping in a store that looked the same month after month, season after season?  Probably not… you’d want new items, new sales, new colors, etc.  Keep it new!
• Offer deals and specials around the holidays – free consultations, new promotions at your local fairs, farmer’s markets, etc.
• Discover what makes your practice different and market the heck out of it.  Market, market, market!

These will go a long way to free your time for family, friends and your community.

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Craig Ferreira, CEO                                                                                                                              Survival Strategies, Inc.