overloaded

This year has kicked off with lots of time spent re-calibrating my own and other practitioners’ businesses models via business mentoring and it’s such a privilege.  One symptom that seems to creep into almost every practitioner’s business model though, is one of over-delivery. (Curse that empathy and all those good hearts hey!)  Over-delivering comes in many forms, it might sound or look like this…

“I always run over”

Rather than responding to this with further self-criticism and , pledging better allegiance to the clock – we could hear this as a reflection that our appointment structure is out-dated or unsuitable.  We need to restructure to allow for the time we really do spend and need to spend with our clients and then adjust the appointment fees appropriately. Having said that be aware of the other golden oldie:

“I often think I go into too much detail and maybe overwhelm patients”

I get asked all the time, “how much information is too much?” Let me ask you this, when you take your car to the mechanic and they start to explain the finer details of your car’s inner workings (& failings) at the level that only a car mechanic would understand, do your eyes glaze over?  Here’s a confession…mine do.  I think, ‘Your job, not my area of interest, or I would have got under the car myself!’  Now health and the workings of the human body is arguably more pertinent for all of us to have some understanding of but in essence, when your patients are seeking your help, like when I need the mechanic, the only key messages we all want to hear: “I know what the problem is.  I believe it can be fixed and this is what you need to do to prevent this happening again.”  I truly think over-whelming patients with micro-detail, or, excessive expectations for their capacity for change, is one of the key catalysts for disengagement…and that simply translates to the patient who doesn’t continue or come back.

Over-delivering is not limited to one to one private practice models.  I am aware of this tendency in all different models of healthcare.  It could be the practitioner owned and run clinic, where the room rentals for other practitioners are below the going rate and the explicit expectations of cross-promotion, inter-referral and contribution to the shared client database are all informal or virtually non-existent.  It could be the integrative GP who practises in an ‘integrative way’ because they are passionate about health and feel their patients deserve this, at their own expense – both in terms of time and money.  It’s happening.

But seriously, over-delivering in business hurts everyone.  That’s right even your clients. And in case you’re wondering…we’re the donkey in this scenario 😉

Are you a practitioner having to simultaneously find your feet as a business, marketing and accounting expert? We know, you don’t get told about this part! Rachel is offers Business Mentoring Breakthrough sessions. In this 60min session Rachel helps you breakdown your business objective while giving you coaching, strategy and clear direction. If you’re interested in how this can support your business, read more about it here.