CHAPTER 1
The Red Velvet Rope Policy

Imagine that a friend has invited you to accompany her to an invitation-only special event. You arrive and approach the door, surprised to find a red velvet rope stretched between two shiny brass poles. A nicely dressed man asks your name, checking his invitation list. Finding your name there, he flashes a wide grin and drops one end of the rope, allowing you to pass through and enter the party. You feel like a star.

Do you have your own red velvet rope policy that allows in only the most ideal patients, the ones who energize and inspire you? If you don't, you will shortly. Why?

First, because when you work with patients you love, you'll truly enjoy the work you're doing; you'll love every minute of it. (Well, almost every minute of it. It is work, after all.) And when you love the work you do, you'll do your best work, which is essential to booking yourself solid.

Second, because you are your patients. They are an expression and an extension of you. Do you remember when you were a teenager, and your mother or father would give you a hard time about someone you were hanging out with? Your parents may have said that a particular kid was a bad influence. As a teen, you may have thought about how unfair that felt, but the truth is that you are the company you keep. The people you spend time with make a significant impact on your state of mind and how you feel about yourself. Let this be the imperative of your business: choose your patients as carefully as you choose your friends.

The first step in building your foundation is to choose your ideal patients, the individuals or businesses with whom you do your best work, the people or environments that energize and inspire you. I'm going to help you identify specific characteristics of individuals or organizations that would make them ideal to work with. You will then develop a rigorous screening process to find more of them. I'm also going to help you prune your current patient list of less-than-ideal patients.

When Christine began her career as a chiropractor, she would work with anyone who had a pulse and a checkbook. But soon her days began with a sense of dread as she looked over the schedule. She bristled at the thought of working with certain patients whom she knew were not going to be a pleasure to work with. Some would show up late (if at all), others did not seem to value her services and support, and many more stubbornly refused to follow the prescribed recommendations. As a result, Christine would usually leave the clinic feeling drained and exhausted.

Eventually, Christine realized what was happening and began to implement her own red velvet rope policy. It was a total game changer, a complete transformation. She began her workday with hope. She was excited to see her patients and each day became more enjoyable than the last. This excitement and enthusiasm spread to her team members. They too were excited to start each day. Christine and her team were simply having more fun. Reducing the dread of working with dud clients will do that. Like Christine, you too can have the joy that comes from taking care of your ideal patients. Much more joy.

Another interesting thing happened when Christine started working only with ideal patients. Their results improved. Because she was more energized and excited about her work, she was able to spend more time performing at her best, delivering better adjustments.

Live by the red velvet rope policy of ideal patients. Doing so will increase your productivity and happiness. Plus, it enables you to do your best work, which means your patients get the best results possible, which in turn leads to more clients and referrals than you can handle by yourself.

For maximum joy, prosperity, and abundance, think about the person you are when you are performing optimally, when you are with all the people who inspire and energize you. Now think about all of the frustration, tension, and anxiety you feel when you work with patients who are less than ideal—not so good, right?

Wouldn't it be great to spend every day working with patients who are ideal for you, patients whom you can hardly believe you get paid to work with? This ideal is completely possible once you identify whom you want to work with and determine with certainty that you will settle for nothing less. Once you do that, it's just a matter of knowing which of your existing patients qualify and how to acquire more just like them.

1.1.1 Written Exercise: To begin to identify the types of patients you don't want, consider which characteristics or behaviors you refuse to tolerate. What turns you off or shuts you down? What kinds of people should not be getting past the red velvet rope that protects you and your business?

Dump the Duds

Let's take this a step further. It's time to dump your dud patients. We can just hear your shocked protestations and exclamations. “I thought this was a book about getting patients, not dumping them!” We're referring to the dud patients—not all of your patients. It sounds harsh but think about it. Your dud patients are those you dread interacting with, who drain the life out of you, bore you to tears, frustrate you, or worse, instill in you the desire to do them—or yourself—bodily harm, despite your loving nature and desire to serve.

The vast majority of chiropractors are servant leaders. They choose chiropractic as a profession because they want to help others. It's admirable, but over time, many of these same chiropractors experience extreme burnout from working with too many dud patients.

Christine found herself in this situation and, at first, was terrified at the thought of dumping her dud patients. She thought if she got rid of even one dud patient, her business would crumble. After all, a chiropractic practice requires many patients to be successful.

There are likely many reasons you think you can't dump your dud patients, and we know this can seem really scary early on, but hang in there with us. Embrace the concept and trust that this is sound advice from loving teachers and a necessary step on the path to booking yourself solid.

Why have patients, or anyone for that matter, in your life who zap your energy and leave you feeling empty? You might decide to dump 10 dud clients in one week or you may decide to dump one per month over the next year. The red velvet rope policy may be provocative. It might not feel like an easy thing to do. It requires a leap of faith (faith in yourself), but the emotional and financial rewards will be transformational. Within a few weeks of dumping your duds, you may add a dozen or more delightful patients. Sure, you'll increase your revenue if you add more ideal patients to your roster, but you'll also feel at peace and at ease as a business owner and chiropractor. You'll enjoy your work more. It may not happen overnight. But over time, your red velvet rope policy will serve as a protective moat around your castle. It'll keep the duds away and ensure you choose your ideal patients. People who inspire and energize you and, more important, enable you to do your best work.

Ask yourself the following: “Would I rather spend my days working with incredibly amazing, exciting, super cool, awesome people who are both patients and friends, or spend one more agonizing, excruciating minute working with barely tolerable patients who suck the life out of me?” Any initial discomfort or loss you may feel when dumping your duds will pay off in the long run.

Using the phrase “dump your dud patients” suggests that there is something wrong with them. But that's not necessarily the case. Well, in some cases you may have a real nut job on your hands, but most of the time, they're just not right for you. Patients who are not ideal for you could be ideal for someone else. Keep in mind that you don't need to create conflict and fire patients. You just need to help them find a better fit. You can be tactful, diplomatic, and loving. You can even attempt, when appropriate, to refer them to a colleague who might be a better fit. Whenever possible, keep it simple. Try “I'm not the best person to serve you.” Or “I don't think we'd be a good fit.”

Are you always going to get a positive response when dumping your dud patients? Maybe not. If the first thing that comes to mind is “I don't want anyone out there thinking badly of me” we're with you. We love helping people, and we want people to think well of us. But living life fully can require difficult conversations and you can't please everyone. To even try is an exercise in futility, as the following Aesop fable demonstrates.

The Old Man, the Little Boy, and the Donkey

An old man, a little boy, and a donkey were going to town. The little boy rode on the donkey and the old man walked beside him. As they went along, they passed some people who remarked it was a shame the old man was walking, and the little boy was riding. The man and boy thought maybe the critics were right, so they changed positions.

Later, they passed some people who remarked, “What a shame! He makes that little boy walk.” They then decided they both would walk.

Soon they passed some more people who thought they were stupid to walk...