The buzz in business today is the acquisition of Zappos by Amazon. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Zappos, it is an online store started by a brilliant young man named Tony Hsieh (pronounced Shay). Zappos started selling shoes at discount prices and has grown to become an online discount superstore selling mainly shoes, clothing and apparel. But what makes Zappos distinct is their very unique culture that Hsieh obsesses over constantly. (Read this article from Inc. magazine to discover more about how Hsieh has developed an amazing culture.)
In a letter sent out by Hsieh, he describes what the joining of the two companies will mean and reassures his employees that the only thing that will come from the alignment is growth and prosperity. Also, Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon created a video to support the merger, and in it, lists the “Things That I Know”. I highly suggest you watch it, as it marries perfectly with what you ought to be doing as you build your practice. I’ve taken the liberty of relating the things Bezos knows to Chiropractic and your office. Perhaps some helpful suggestions to take your practice to the next level.
Essentially, Bezos knows four things:
1. Obsess over customers. Are you obsessing over your patients? In our competitive world, we get so wrapped up in beating our competition that we forget how to win long term. It’s all about the customer! Always. Focus on the ways you can enhance your patient’s lives and take action to do it. There are millions of suffering people out there, and you have the responsibility to communicate our lasting purpose to them to educate and inspire them to take command of their health. When your intent is to serve your customers with excellence, your practice will explode!
2. Invent. Employees at Amazon never accept either/or thinking, they create solutions that gets them both. Are you creating systems and solutions to make your office more efficient? Take a step back every once in a while and observe your systems. Are they as efficient as they could be? What is the low-hanging fruit that you can fix easily? Where is the bottleneck that slows everything down? These things kill efficiency and therefore profits. Be creative, ask your patients what would make their experience better, and then do it! When your employees and patients know that you are listening to them, your retention will go through the roof and referrals will skyrocket.
3. Think long-term. This is a very difficult one. Some of you may be finding it hard to meet your overhead for the month, and therefore get trapped in the rut of survival. When you find yourself in this situation, take a breath and think about your long-term strategy. What do you envision 5 or 10 years down the road? Use your mission and vision statement as your roadmap. Once you’ve determined your destination, what is the most efficient way to get there? You may have to cross turbulent rivers and traverse mountains to get there, but it will be worth it. Once you’ve established your vision, stick to it and take the necessary action steps to get there. Be consistent and you will get to the mountaintop.
4. It’s always day one. Do you remember day one? Reflect on how special it was when you unlocked the door for business, when you received that call from your first patient, when you gave that first adjustment, when you collected that first fee, and when you first changed someone’s life. Carry that feeling with you every single day. Hold on to it. Always remember your purpose and know you can always obsess more over patients, you can always be more creative, and you can always do something more that will enhance your business and your life. Be willing to do whatever it takes to succeed and let nothing hold you back from greatness.
Brian Flannery, DC is lead instructor and Coordinator of Principles of Practice and Business Management at Life University. He is a sought after speaker and consultant of Practice Leadership and can be contacted at bflannery@life.edu
Thursday, July 23, 2009
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