Everyone has a slightly different definition of success. Some people say their podiatry practice is successful when it makes a big profit. Others say it’s successful when they make a sufficient profit and they enjoy their job. Others just think they’ll know they’ve succeeded when it happens to them. However, our goal at Top Practices is for you to go beyond thinking about a vague ideas of success. We want you to aim to dominate and be Number One in your market.
Time to Redefine “Number One”
So what does being “number one” actually mean for you and your practice? This doesn’t mean being the biggest office in your geographical area. Contrary to what you might think, size is not a great indicator of market domination. You could own a big practice with multiple partners and a large staff and still feel harried, overworked, stressed, and constantly behind. On the other hand, there are several Top Practices members with small offices that are succeeding in their market and living the kinds of lives they want to live.
So size isn’t the measurement you want to use to determine if you are dominating your market. There are other factors that are much better indicators that you are Number One:
1. You are happy.
2. You have little to no stress.
3. Your staff is proud to work with you and with each other.
4. Your patients think you are the best thing that ever happened to them.
5. Your patients tell everyone how great you are.
6. You are known and respected in your community for many reasons.
7. Your phone is ringing off the hook with new patients.
8. You’re the top practice in your local market in Google search results.
9. Your social media overwhelms every other practice in your local market.
10. You wake up in the morning excited to go to work every day.
11. You are making the income you want to be able to provide for the emotional and financial stability and security of your loved ones.
In many ways, the emotional and financial stability and security of loved ones is the true core of all your efforts. All other goals can be boiled down to this one. All other goals are ultimately working toward it. Each of these other indicators, however, are key to being able to achieve this goal and still live the kind of life you want to live, instead of living for your practice. If you want to reach Number One, you have to redefine what that means and start tailoring everything you do to meet your goals.
So How Do You Actually Achieve This?
Reaching Number One in your market is possible if you know what to do. It doesn’t happen by luck. It happens when you implement key strategies and use tried-and-true techniques for managing and marketing your podiatry practice. But first you have to accept that efficient practice management and effective marketing are no longer “nice goals” for you to aim for; they are absolute requirements for you to dominate your local market.
In the past, podiatrists had a bit of a “pass” in these areas. You didn’t have to be an efficient manager or an effective marketer to be successful and make a good living. That simply isn’t the case anymore. You won’t see the kinds of patients you want in the numbers that you need if you don’t market well. You won’t know how to market or where to direct your efforts if you don’t manage your practice “by the numbers.” Most doctors never learn these things.
If you do learn these things, you have the advantage. Success is always simple, but it always requires work. This is where Top Practices can help. We’ve been refining strategies like the Four Pillars of Marketing for years—and have seen firsthand that it actually helps. If you’re serious about meeting the changes and challenges of today’s medical world to become Number One in your market, we’d love to have you in our Mastermind group. You can find out more about our group by contacting us through e-mail at [email protected] or by calling (717) 725-2679..