Did you know that the Passionate Training is accredited for Continuing Education points? Not just in massage, but across a whole range of natural health modalities.

All you need to do is pass the 5 tests and you will receive your certificate of attendance.

Massage Continuing Education enough?

A lot of practitioners I encounter spend a lot of money on learning new modalities and refining massage skills. This is no doubt an important investment to keep abreast the newest developments.

However, if you do not have enough clients to serve, the additional knowledge will not help anyone.

Action focused training

That is why I developed the Passionate Training. Its main difference to other programs: It is completely focused on action. There are exercises spread over 25 days (you can of course do it at your own pace).

If you have any questions about the training (or any feedback for the ones who have done it) please leave a comment. I look forward to hearing from you.

Alexander

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Practice management software? Any ideas on what to choose? A replacement for MYOB, appointment book, tracking clients writing letters, emails birthday records etc.

I know Health quest has been recommended to me and smart soft front desk has been as well , just wondering before I spend thousands if you have had any good ones or anyone has any comments on software programs?

I am sorry Jodie, I do not have a good answer for you.

When I started out with Passionate Management, we offered a remote receptionist service for natural health practitioners. Their phone diverted to us, we booked clients in and looked after the invoicing and payments.

We used a system called Ealth. We mainly chose it because of its online capabilities, practitioners could access it from their homes. Its biggest downside was how slow it was, so I would not really recommend it.

Decide what you need

What I would do is write a list of your needs. Do not even look at all the features that are available in the different programs, just think about your business processes and what you need.

Here are the steps:

1. Look at all the different places you keep data (e.g. patient addresses, treatment records). Write them all down.
2. Write down what you do with that data (after you have recorded it). How do you use it (e.g. sending birthday cards, using addresses for invoices.
3. Add what you are not currently doing but would like to do (and what data you need to capture to be able to do that).
4. Think about each item, deciding whether the current system is working well (a lot of patient management software can keep treatment notes, but very few practitioners are faster putting them in than writing them on paper). Do not go for things that you do not really need, just because they are possible.
5. There might be some items that are not clear cut. Mark them as your optional functions.
6. Send your list with the features you need (the essential ones and the optional ones) to a sales rep from the practice management software companies and let them get back to you with what their program can do.
7. Do not get too excited about additional features. They often make the program more complicated. Simplicity makes it quicker to learn and quicker to work with.

I know that it is always different to actually use such a system, so if anyone has a suggestion for Jodie, please leave a comment.

I am out of questions. What else is bugging you?

I guess, if no more questions are coming, we’ll close early and select who receives the Passionate Training as a gift.

Let’s give it two more days (until the end of January). If more questions come in I’ll keep going with the answers, if not, then the Passionate Training will be awarded.

Alexander

Without knowing where you are at in building your practice, my answer will be a bit broad.

But it is true all the same: Focus on creating value for your clients. By having in mind what you are giving – what your contribution is – you will make the best decisions.

What Is Your Contribution?

Being a health practitioner is about serving other people. It is about
contributing something to the world, making it a better place, helping others
to become healthier and more aware about themselves.

It usually involves some or all of the four levels of experiencing life: the
physical, emotional, mental and spiritual level.

Why are You a Health Practitioner?

What made you decide to be a health practitioner before you started out?
Has that changed since being in practice? Honestly ask yourself how much
time you spend worrying about having enough money and how much time
you spend contributing to the wellbeing of your clients?

If money outweighs contributing, you might need to reassess your
approach. Are you really ready to be a full-time health practitioner? If you are
just starting out, have you got the funds or the backing to keep you going
without much of an income for 6-12 months? That is a normal time-frame to
build up a reliable client base, when you really work on it.

If this concerns you, think about ways you can generate financial stability:
get a part-time job, reduce your expenses, use your savings, or even borrow
money (be sure that this reduces your stress).

Once you have created financial stability, start concentrating on what it is
that you actually contribute to your clients’ wellbeing.

From you email address I take it that you are a Physiotherapist. My wife is a physio as well, so I had a talk to her.

She always had troubles with overrunning allocated session times as well. She wanted to use as many beneficial techniques as possible.

And then she realised that focusing on finding one technique is all it takes to have happy clients. So her advice was to focus on quality, rather than quantity.

She also has a clock on the wall of each treatment room, so that she always knows how long there is to go.

I do I encourage my clients to recognise that they play a part in their own healing, the responsibility for making a difference isn’t totally mine.

I do not really have a good answer for it, because I am not a health practitioner myself. But I know how important that is.

Here is what comes to mind:

If you are having bad experiences with people that do not want to take responsibility for their own healing, then you might need to build clarity on both your expectations, before your start treating them.

That is an excellent way to build trusting relationships and to weed out the clients that do not have the right fit for you.

You can even use that in your marketing and offer a free assessment for new clients. Assess their problem, but also whether they are willing to play a part in their own healing.

You might lose some clients that way, but gain a whole lot more by word-of-mouth from your satisfied clients.

That is a big question. Here are some thoughts:

Do you know what factors stress you the most to bring you close to burn out?
If you do not, find them first. Really take some time to look at your life and identify what is hard and what is good.

Once you know them, think of ways to change those factors.

Here is an example:

If you are working 8 hours a day to make enough money to pay your bills, then either your expenses are too high (decide what you can do to reduce your living expenses) or you do not earn enough.

If you work 8 hours a day, you are great at attracting clients (assuming that you are self employed). That means you charge too little. Increase your prices to reflect the value your clients are getting from you.

If you are exhausted from the repetitiveness, think of other ways to use your skills and expertise to vary what you do.

Another stress factor might be that you are not attracting enough clients. One solution might be searching for employment where you do not have to worry about marketing or administration. Or you need to get some professional help with the marketing.

And possibly the most important factor is whether we enjoy what we do. Even though it might have been your dream once, it might not be any more. Maybe it is time to switch direction…

It is Christmas Eve.

Wishing you the most wonderful days with your family. Enjoy the time off and create a great vision for 2008.

I wanted to leave you with a few massage marketing tips:

1. Spend a few minutes each day, reviewing your vision.
   It acts like a beacon for you to keep on track. It is so easy to lose sight of it in the daily tasks.

(more…)

After much consideration, I have finally decided to close down the Passionate Forum. It was part of the training where participants could ask questions and I would answer them.

But very few used it.

I still had to go in there every day and check whether any questions were being asked.

Now I closed it, and I feel relieved that I do not have this obligation. You can contact me either on this blog or via email and I will still help. (more…)

My focus has been away from helping natural health practitioners to be more successful. Here is what I focussed on:

The birth of our second daughter Amelie. The main impact was that I am spending a lot more time with our two-year-old Marlalena. That is a great joy.

The start of a new website aimed at Home Based Business Entrepreneurs. This has been an extension from my work with Natural Health Practitioners.

And working with a copywriter to fine-tune the copy on this website, so that I can communicate even better with you what the benefits of the Passionate Training are.

In that time I have learned a few more things about the Internet. In the process our community of participants in the Passionate Training has grown. I am still trying some things out to make sure I can serve you best.

But my aim is to post some useful information once every two weeks. For those who have downloaded the report “The 7 Biggest Business Mistakes Natural Health Practitioners Make“, you will receive these thoughts via email. Or you can just check this Blog.

Alexander