Every so often I talk with a chiropractor who's panicking about the competition. Maybe a new chiropractor opened up down the road, a new clinic moved into town, or the busiest chiropractor in the area is cutting corners or doing things that are less than honest. All of that can be true and frustrating. But obsessing over it won't grow your chiropractic practice, and it might actually be making things worse.

This is a short episode, more of a mental reset for chiropractors who are struggling with the environment they're practicing in. It came from a client of mine who has high integrity, is really good at the craft, and has become consumed by what the other chiropractors in town are doing. I get it. But when you focus on your opponent instead of your own practice, you lose twice: you stop improving, and you drain the emotional energy you need to attract patients.

I talk about the famous Michael Phelps photo where the swimmer next to him is looking over at Phelps instead of the finish line, and why that's such a good picture of what competition-focused thinking does to a chiropractor. I also share my own hardest year in practice. It was my ninth year, I had the marketing knowledge and the momentum, and the practice still struggled because of what I was going through personally. When you're carrying that kind of emotional weight, people can feel it, and it pushes them away.

The better path is figuring out why patients would choose you over every other chiropractor in your area. If you don't have a superpower, people will choose you because you're close, cheap, or both. I cover how to find the overlap of opportunity, interest, and talent in your chiropractic marketing, why the busy chiropractor down the road might simply be riding momentum, and what my two year old has taught me about failure and growth.

Give people a reason to come to you, and stop worrying about why they shouldn't go to someone else.

Topics Covered:

• Why chiropractors panic about competition, new clinics, and dishonest competitors
• How obsessing over other chiropractors drains your energy and your practice
• Why would patients choose you over another chiropractor in your area?
• Finding your superpower so you're not competing only on price and convenience
• The Michael Phelps photo and focusing on the finish line instead of your opponent
• My hardest year in practice and how emotional strain affects patient attraction
• Choosing chiropractic marketing methods that fit your strengths and interests
• How momentum helps established chiropractors and why new practices don't have it yet
• Failure, growth, and why it's impossible to improve without struggling
• Giving patients a reason to choose your chiropractic practice

Call to Action:
Want me to take a look at your chiropractic website and local SEO? Request a free Website and SEO Review at RocketChiro.com, no pressure. If you're a new chiropractor getting started, or you've been in practice a while and feel stuck, check out my NEXT Step coaching program at RocketChiro.com.

If you've been a chiropractor for longer than two days, someone has tried to sell you something. I've been on both sides of that. I spent nine years in practice buying coaching, services, and products, and in all that time, not one person ever told me I was a bad fit. Looking back, that bothers me.

In this episode, I walk through five signs that a chiropractic coach, marketing company, or service provider may be more interested in closing you than helping you. I'm not naming names, and I'm not saying a bad result means you got scammed. You can do everything right and still end up with a disappointing outcome. But the more of these signs that show up while you're deciding, the more it makes sense to slow down.

I share the story of the first coaching program I signed up for, with no research of my own, taught by someone who specialized in pediatrics when I never wanted to be a pediatric chiropractor. I also explain why a brand new chiropractor in a competitive market shouldn't be paying $1,500 to $2,000 a month for SEO, what to do with that money instead, and the one question I'd ask any company before paying them: how would I be a bad fit?

If you're happy with the companies you work with, stick with them. This episode is for the chiropractor who is frustrated, especially if what was promised at the start doesn't match what happened after.

Topics Covered:

• Why no one telling me I was a bad fit in nine years of practice is a red flag
• Why a bad outcome doesn't automatically mean you were scammed
• Sign 1: Promising outcomes they can't control
• Sign 2: Not investigating your situation, including your finances
• Why new chiropractors in competitive markets should skip expensive SEO and build the foundation first
• Sign 3: They've never told anyone no
• Sign 4: Unnecessary urgency or pressure
• Sign 5: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is
• Why boring, consistent habits beat shortcuts

Call to Action:
If you'd like me to look at your website and SEO with no obligation and no pressure, request a free website and SEO review at RocketChiro.com. If you want to go beyond the podcast, check out my NEXT Step program, also at RocketChiro.com.

During my nine years as a practicing chiropractor, my approach to the new patient consultation changed a lot. When I first started, I flew by the seat of my pants, which I don't recommend. Then I got into practice management and started using scripts that never felt natural. Eventually I settled on a simple structure built around three questions I asked every new patient.

In this episode I focus on the second question: "What are you hoping to achieve from your time here?" It sounds simple, but the answer gives you the information you need for one of the hardest parts of being a chiropractor, which is managing people.

I walk through four reasons this question matters. It defines what a win looks like, so you don't help a patient with 99 things and miss the one thing they actually came in for. It gets you and your patient on the same page, which cuts down on the unspoken expectations that cause so much frustration in practice. It becomes the foundation for your report of findings, so you're connecting the dots between your exam and their goal instead of handing them a puzzle to put together. And it becomes the foundation for patient education and ongoing care, so recommendations for stability or wellness care are tied to something the patient actually cares about rather than a vague idea of being "proactive."

I also share my own story of first going to a chiropractor for headaches, not back pain, and why I would have said chiropractic didn't work if only my back had improved. Then I explain why scripted consultations fall short. When you already have your next line planned, the patient's answer doesn't matter, and that's not how you build a long-term relationship with a patient.

If you're frustrated with how patients follow through with care, or you feel like you're always on a different page than your patients, this question is a good place to start.

Topics Covered:

• How my chiropractic consultation approach evolved over nine years in practice
• Why chiropractic consultation scripts often feel unnatural
• The question I asked every new patient: "What are you hoping to achieve from your time here?"
• Defining what a win looks like for each chiropractic patient
• Why patients say chiropractic didn't work when you miss their primary concern
• Getting on the same page with patients and setting realistic expectations
• Using the patient's goal as the foundation for your report of findings
• "Don't give people puzzles": closing the knowledge gap in patient education
• Why you should never make connections that aren't there
• Explaining stability care and ongoing chiropractic care in terms patients care about
• My own story of going to a chiropractor for headaches
• Why scripted consults hurt patient relationships and care follow-through

Call to Action:
Want me to take a look at your chiropractic website and local SEO? Request a free Website and SEO Review at RocketChiro.com. If you're a new chiropractor getting started, or you've been in practice a while and feel stuck or overwhelmed by the business side, check out my NEXT Step coaching program at RocketChiro.com.