Chiropractic Health Assistant Education Leadership – reviewing the year and planning for 2010 D ecember tends to be a “winding down” month for many practices – patients begin taking holidays, people fall off their “normal” routines – so I realize it may appear counterintuitive to be planning for 2010 at this time. But, because of all this activity, this is the time of year that teams should get together and look ahead: before we know it, we will need to wind our practices back up again for the New Year. So, if you can leverage this time more efficiently, January can start off with a “big bang” for your business. There are really two general areas to plan for in our particular business, when looking to the coming year. One is our marketing plan and the other is our staffing plan. In my experience, many offices have neither of these. So, in a time of crisis, when a practice finds itself in need of either a marketing plan or a staffing plan, these get developed on a whim. But “on a whim” planning is directly related to an “on a whim” business, whereas well thought out, advanced planning, with measurable outcomes, is directly related to a successful business. DEVELOPING YOUR PLANS Developing your 2010 marketing plan with your team is a great place to start. There have been many articles in Canadian Chiropractor magazine over the last year about how to do this and I would encourage you to explore some of these strategies with your teams. For instance, monthly marketing strategies should be developed for your practice. What activities will you do every month, both externally and internally? What role do your chiropractic heath assistants (CHAs) have in each of these activities? Incorporate timelines and goals for each strategy and hang up a big year-long calendar in your of- fices, or staff rooms, that is accessible to everyone. The more everyone is on the same page, the more likely you are to meet your business and practice goals for 2010. I have written previously about the power of symbiosis when writing goals, leveraging your human resource capital more to help your practice grow and continuing to improve your customer service and patient-centred care for 2010. Developing your staffing plan for 2010 is as critical as developing your marketing plan. I have written extensively on this subject, because of my passion to retain the great CHAs we have in our businesses. Personal and professional goals for your CHAs should www.canadianchiropractor.ca Canadian ChiropraCtor | DECEMBER 2009 • 17 Brandi Macdonald and her hus- band, dr. don Macdonald, have a high-volume, wellness-focused chiropractic office, called Southside Chiropractic and Wellness Centre, in Edmonton, alberta. Brandi is a team teacher for parker Semi- nars, an author and owner of true Concepts, inc. – a business which provides a coaching program for chiropractic practices. She can be reached at info@brandimaconald. com or www.brandimacdonald.com. feature Brandi Macdonald
Chiropractic + Naturopathic Doctor December 2009: Page 17
