by Gilly Woodhouse | Nov 20, 2018 | Business building, Business Vision, Confidence, Inspiration, Marketing, Patient list growth |
Sometimes in my work, I can initially feel a bit of resistance from new Clients, to doing things differently. Moving out of our comfort zones, even if they’re unpleasant, can still feel daunting.
However, a point has clearly been reached where reality is worse than the effort required to change things.
So we work together to create a shift, approach marketing from a completely different angle and learn new skills to attract new patients. Because our world is evolving at breakneck speed, it’s vital that we keep up lest we get left behind!
However, once I’ve developed my Clients’ mindsets, I can notice a shift in their confidence. And once I’ve coached them in highly targeted marketing they begin using their bespoke strategies to easily attract new patients.
Watching children at play
Sitting on the tube the other day, I noticed two little girls swinging around the central pole by the doors. It was delightful to watch their simple pleasure and also to note that their mother wasn’t micromanaging them! They spun around in opposite directions, the smaller child skimming under the arm of the taller girl, her fluffy topknot ponytail bobbing back up each time.
I realised after a few minutes that they were largely oblivious to us onlookers. They were living in the moment, playing with what was available to them and exploring their surroundings. They didn’t care what we thought and they had no regard for ‘rules’ or what was ‘expected’ of them.
It’s a shame that during our teens we start overthinking everything, something which can often continue into adulthood. The fears in our heads are almost always about what others will think of us or, worse still, peer judgement. Our thinking can ‘make up’ stuff that has no basis in truth but which stifles our ability to reach our potential.
And in business that can threaten our success because if we can’t market ourselves confidently, our results will likely be mediocre.
How to easily attract new patients
That’s why the first thing I work on with Clients is clarity of purpose, playing the long game and developing their expectation of success. They soon shift up their thinking, get over themselves and get out into their communities with powerful messages.
Then they’re soon coming back to me on their coaching calls saying:
“3 new patients yesterday.”
“6 new patients booked in this week already!”
“35 patients last week – and that’s the most ever.”
“I’m so busy I need to look for an Associate soon.”
and after only one week of opening a brand new clinic…
“3 new patients last week, 5 new patients this morning and 3 more booked for Friday!”
It may surprise you to know that these are all actual Client quotes from only the last TWO days!
So strip back that stifled persona and unleash your inner child on the world.
I promise that your new patients will applaud you for it.
by Gilly Woodhouse | Sep 18, 2018 | Business Vision, Confidence, Inspiration |
When a new Client comes to me, or indeed a new Patient to you, they are looking for change.
They may be fed up with the status quo, they may be in so much physical or financial pain that they have made a decision to act.
Some may stay very stuck in their own pain, unable to create that shift because of the fear of change and what that might mean. To someone in pain, it might mean that feeling better may alter the dynamics in their relationships and that could feel scary.
Change may lead to us fulfilling our potential
Some may feel fearful of the process they need to go through to achieve better financial stability. What would success actually mean or say about them? Would it make them appear arrogant even? Or would it mean they had deservedly reached their potential?
I have seen people stay rooted to the spot resisting change for all they are worth. And I have seen people take a deep breath, get clarity, focus and stride forwards into the unknown with courage, knowing that ultimately they will be fine.
Change has been a major factor in my life; for a start I’ve moved home 15 times and who knows, I may not be living in my final one…
Having a child with twenty years of major life-threatening illnesses has meant huge changes, massive uncertainty and mega episodes of fear.
Eventually, I was able to stay grounded, solid and focused. I accepted I was on a roller coaster of change that I was not in control of. Instead of worrying myself to death I (eventually!) gave thanks for every single day I spent with both my boys. I felt gratitude for the opportunity to protect and nurture them to the best of my ability. And ultimately I accepted that if I lost my son, I would still feel massively privileged and honoured to be his mother.
My work is all about creating positive change
I keep my eye on business strategies, what’s working and what’s hot! I invest hugely in my own development and put myself on advanced business and coaching courses to ensure I stay ahead of the curve of change.
When a new person starts working with me I encourage them to dream big and imagine a different and more fulfilling life. Our lives are a whole and my mission is to develop the person, not just the business.
Embrace change and strive to always improve
By far, the biggest and most positive changes I see in those I work with are always in improved confidence, personal growth and happiness. Despite the key goal being to increase patient numbers, I have to say that a more confident practitioner and business owner is always my ultimate goal.
Some years ago I realised that change is a constant in our lives. I kept hearing people complaining that ‘things’ had changed and they usually didn’t like that. But really that’s like saying the tide has turned and we don’t agree with it!
We might as well embrace it. And if we don’t like how something is in our lives, then we have the power to change it. Even if that’s really tricky we can still decide to change our thinking around it and keep striding torwards our dreams and goals.
We live in extraordinary times of phenomenal change. Change means that there are new possibilities opening up to us. If we do embrace change and new ways of working or doing things, we continue to grow. Otherwise we could risk stagnation in our business and ourselves and could end up feeling like we’ve been left behind.
How do you view change?
by Gilly Woodhouse | Aug 7, 2018 | Burnout, Business building, Business Vision |
Agility in sport is crucial to staying ahead of the game and winning. So too is it a vital component of a modern business.
We are lucky to live in phenominal times of massive change and opportunity. Technology is racing ahead at an incredible pace.
In the past twenty years, the way in which we use systems, market ourselves and operate in general bears almost no resemblence to back then.
The likes of Woolworths, Blockbuster and even some of our favourite pubs have disappeared from the High Street and our communities. More agility may well have saved them if they had mutated faster and provided what the changing population demanded.
Lightening speed lives!
Lives are lived faster than ever, we move less, sit more but dash around squeezing more into our days than the previous generation ever did. It’s easy to become ‘time poor’ when there are so many demands on our lives.
The problem is that as we get stressed trying to cope wiht all the demands on ourselves and our time, often the weakest link is the one to break.
This could be our close relationships, our families, friends or our business.
I’m probably guilty of putting a disproportionate amount of energy into working with Osteopaths rather than chilling out with friends! But I know this about myself and I’m good wth it. Having spent long, long weeks and months stuck in hospitals with young Toby over two decades, I’m only now able to forge ahead with my own dreams and goals.
Agility in business
In general then, it’s a good idea to reflect on how the business is working and uncover the areas which don’t work so well.
- Which parts of it drive you nuts?
- Which aspects take too much time and make you feel under pressure?
- What do you dread doing?
- How could you farm out ‘£10 tasks’ so that you don’t become exhausted with it all?
- Where are there savings to be made?
Look at every expense and make it count, reduce it or ditch it!
The costs in a business can be the difference between making a profit and working for a pittance! Perodically check through these and strip out unnecessary expenses.
Plot your patient journey
However, agility in business doesn’t just mean looking at the structure of the business and weeding out waste.
Providing the kind of superb experience your patients deserve is also critical.
Here’s a simple checklist:
- Is it easy for them to find you online?
- Do you promote consistently to ensure potential patients understand your primary role?
- Is your image, character and values obvious or is there only a dull logo representing you online?
- Is it easy to book?
- Are people reminded of their appointments?
- Do they know where you’re based and how to get there?
- Is the waiting area comfortable and uncluttered?
- Are the treatment rooms clean and fresh?
- Are all linen, covers etc new and appealing?
- Are they sure of the process as a new patient?
- Are they clear on what happens next?
- How can you further improve the patient experience?
- Do you follow them up once treatment has ended?
- Do you keep in touch generally?
- Is there an opportunity for them to give referrals/testimonials?
Monitoring what happens at the centre of your business is crucial to maintaining osteibiz agility. Keeping abreast of the constant changes in our online and offline worlds will help to ensure that you operate in peak condition.
Osteobiz agility
Indeed, I’ve been working through this exact process in my own business. It’s now obvious that some changes will enhance my offerings and better serve my Clients and community.
Products, services and prices will be adjusted over the coming month and systems streamlined. There’s only one of me and it’s become apparent that my time has to be used more effectively. If my business is to continue to grow as rapidly as it has in the past year, this streamlining exercise will enable growth.
As small business owners, we can become exhausted automotons who go through the motions each day. Never reviewing our practices or coming up for air can mean that either our business collapses one day or we do ourselves!
If you’d like a quick chat about how I might help you to stay on track and prosper, why not book into my diary? Let’s unpick any issues and decide the best solutions.
by Gilly Woodhouse | Jul 10, 2018 | Business building, Business Vision, Marketing, Patient list growth |
Out in the Osteobiz fast lane, I work with action takers who want results.
And I urge and inspire you to drop any limited thinking and dream big. Let’s not accept the limitations of average. Let’s go in search of sensational.
Because on the Osteobiz Motorway, you’ve got control of the wheel, you’ve got your foot on the gas and I’ve got the map to where you want to go!
Osteobiz Gold is by far the fastest way to a fully booked diary. We work out the exact strategies for YOUR unique Osteobiz and what you want it to look like when we’ve finished building it.
Join the Osteobiz fast lane and create a thriving Practice in the shortest time possible. In return, I invest my complete attention on your business development and sustained results for as long as you need it.
But hold on tight because we are going to crack on at lightening speed! Destination Osteobiz Success is where we’re heading…
We’ll look at every aspect of your Osteobiz. We’ll look for where savings can me made. We’ll look at your pricing, your team, your strategies and your systems.
And then we’ll work together to get it all sorted, once and for all.
Osteobiz Blueprint and Osteobiz Whiz are my two most popular online CPD courses.
Osteobiz Blueprint does exactly what it says on the tin. It simply consists of the key elements of the strategies I share with my VIP Clients but delivered via online modules in a step by step manner. So you still get quick results but in a fabulous and supportive group setting.
The current group of global Osteopaths (Bluepers) are tight knit and support each other in their journey together. If they’re stuck they come to the group. If they have a great win they share with the group. They are real trailblazers and I’m very proud of them and the massive results they are achieving.
Osteobiz Whiz is perfect for those who don’t know where to begin with their marketing. This entry level course gives you the tools to understand who you’re trying to attract and what to say to get their attention. We work out how to perfectly present yourself on social media and out there in your specific community.
Say goodbye to feeling stuck and start finding out how to attract hundreds more patients who need your help.
Osteobiz Mastery is very low investment monthly subscription support group but still has great tools and resources. This is less about strategic business building and more about what’s new on social media, what’s working right now etc.
My graphic designer makes us lots of beautiful memes each month. All you have to do is add your website so they are your property and pop them out on social media – simples! There’s tips, advice and Q&A sessions. We take the strain out of markeitng, so you can get on with treating! Roadtest it here for only a tenner.
No matter how Osteopaths work with me, I’ve noticed that there is one key element to all my Clients who grow and are successful.
It’s their mindset.
They don’t whinge. They don’t worry about stuff they can’t control. They don’t blame organisations,competitors, the weather, the time of year or the economy.
They pick up the Osteobiz baton and they TAKE ACTION and IMPLEMENT!
They pay attention to the course strategies and my specific advice. They stay accountable to themselves, to me and to the process and they GET THINGS DONE!
Think Alex Polizzi and ailing hotel owners!
Investing time, energy and money into working with me is vital if you’re fed up with the status quo and want to create a thriving health hub for your community.
If you put in the effort, your return on investment will stagger you. More than that, you and your family deserve to be enjoying the fruits of your labour rather than muddling by.
And instead of FEELING like a local charity, you can now start properly GIVING to charity.
Out on the Osteopathic Motorway, you can reach your desired destination quickly or slowly. It really is your choice.
But I highly recommend the Osteobiz fast lane.
Where shall we go today?
You can decide right now.
by Gilly Woodhouse | Jun 26, 2018 | Business building, Business Vision, Patient list growth |
Time can be so elusive.
What’s the biggest complaint I hear about getting things done so as to result in Osteobiz growth and development?
I’ve got no time!
Which, when you think about it, is weird as we all have the same amount of hours in the day:
“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”
― H. Jackson Brown Jr.
So it’s not about the hours and minutes themselves but the WAY in which we use them.
I believe it’s all about our perceived priorities. If we don’t like doing something particularly, then we prioritise something else and shove the other thing down the list. And then we blame time.
That’s why I implore each and every Client – and you too – to priortise slots in your diaries for business development. Whether these activities are social media posts, newsletters or contacting local groups, it’s vital that you take charge of your Osteobiz growth and take positive action.
As you may know, I started this business several years ago from a standing start. There were NO coaches focused only on Osteopaths. I passionately wanted more people in pain to find Osteopathy. To do that I believed that I would need to work with groups of Osteopaths around the globe as well as working one to one.
Those many hundreds of Osteos who listened and then chose to ringfence specific slots to work solidly on the development of their Osteobiz, found that new Patient numbers and weekly bookings very quickly rose.
Funny that…
You never WASTE your time
When you are exchanging time for money, as you do, you are also giving treatment to help them back to health alongside that time. Which is the greatest part of what you do.
What then, when you get a ‘no show’?
Are they wasting your time? Do you feel angry or miffed?
Or do you flip the event and reframe it as a short period which has been released to work on Patient list growth and to up your game on social media? Time to write the bones of that newsletter? Time to investigate getting rid of the time-consuming and boring accounts to an enthusiastic number cruncher?
Or even some space to reflect on what you want to bring into your skillset, family, Osteobiz and general life experience in the next six months?
The Old Boy will return later and no doubt will ask why we have no dinner prepared.
And I’ll just tell him that I was soooo busy with my exciting Osteobiz work that I simply didn’t have the…
by Gilly Woodhouse | Jun 12, 2018 | Business building, Business Vision, Confidence, Inspiration |
Last Friday I hosted the Osteobiz Inspiration Day in West London. Usually I work online about 99% of the time which means I can reach and inspire the global community of Osteopaths, which is very important to me.
However, one day a few months ago, I got a message from Walter McKone on LindedIn. He said, “Golly – how can I help you?” (Don’t you just love autocorrect?!)
I was taken aback as I know that Walter is a highly respected Osteopath, Lecturer and Philosopher. I replied with something vague as I didn’t quite know what he wanted. He asserted, “Answer the question!” a couple of times until I said I’d sleep on it
When the Universe/HIgher Self/Opportunity gives you a prod, it’s a good idea to notice and reflect on what’s possible.
So many keep their eyes down, their possibilities limited and their life experience boxed firmly in.
But when we open up to chance, opportunity, synergy, synchronicity and coincidence, we can explore further and decide if this is indeed the next indicated step in our lives. Being awake and open to these signposts can lead us to grow and develop within ourselves and our work.
Walter’s nudge prompted an idea…
And so the Osteobiz Inspiration Day was born!
The day was planned to be a smorgasbord of tasty, bite-sized lectures and practical activities which were all designed to inspire and stretch the group. Once or twice I felt their resistance to moving outside their comfort zone BUT very quickly they embraced it AND thoroughly enjoyed the gentle challenge of it!
We discussed video marketing, having a clear vision of our future lives, bringing extra tools to our skillset and thinking in a very different philosophical way. At the end I shared several examples of Osteopaths I had worked with who were playing a bigger game.
This conference achieved what was promised – ‘Inspirational’. Such a friendly conference with inspiration from the talks, practicals and colleagues. Gilly loves to do things differently and somehow it works!
Deborah Smith
Steven Bruce and Claire Short, Academy of Physical Medicine
Steven and Claire do excellent work in bringing us great CPD which is available online to suit busy schedules. Since I had the cutting edge idea for Osteobiz some 5 years ago, it makes sense to have even more opportunities to learn online. It saves on time, money and energy travelling to distant places and having to find childcare in many cases. It’s lovely to spend valuable time with others sometimes but easily accessing quality learning and CPD has to be a great resource.
You can scroll down to watch Silva’s video recorded at my event and join the Academy here.
Out of the box and into Africa!
I’ve long admired Emma Wightman’s intrepid spirit, as I’ve watched her traveling to Kenya and treating the Maasai Mara people. As you might imagine, facilities are basic and the team work tirelessly to help as many as 400 people a day who queue up in the heat to get vital help.
Emma’s presentation was so poignant and powerful that several in the room were inspired to look into joining Emma on her next trip in October.
If you’d like to help, please sponsor Emma’s next trip here
Inspire with Yoga
After a hearty lunch, Anji Gopal, Osteopath and Yoga Teacher gave us clear insights into the benefits of adding yoga to the Osteo toolkit. We could have listened to her reassuring velvety tone all day! She guided us through a few moves which energised us after a spell of sitting and post lunch sleepiness.
Dotted throughout the day I shared some new material around business development. But by the end of my afternoon session I had many powerful and inspiring stories to tell about some of my own Clienits’ brilliant succeeses. Between them they’ve created rapid growth, added in a rehab facility, developed a real community health hub and built a clinic which is so elegant and beautiful that I well up with emotion every time I look at it!
An eclectic mix of speakers kept us engaged. By 5pm I didn’t want the day to end…
Juliet Richards
Osteopathy and the Philosophy of Empathy
Walter McKone’s talk on Osteopathic Philosophy soon had our jaws dropping as he sped us through the history of the great thinkers. He explored ways of changing our thinking and perspective and I’ll admit my head practically exploded! He demonstrated the change he could make in his treatment. Changing his intention via the touch on the shoulder of a senior Osteopath and she was clearly amazed at the greateer level of impact he could make.
The entire room were left wanting more.
At the end of the day, Team APM returned to share with us a video they had created for one of our group. We were all suprised at how powerful it was, after much of it was filmed whilst we had watched. The editing was excellent and Lucy came across as friendly and expertly skilled.
Here’s another reason to join APM – take a look at the fantastic video here!
My heartfelt thanks to all these speakers who helped me to create a superb day for our delegates! Also to my sons, Max and Toby, who dealt wth the tech, organisation and time-keeping!
Well organised event which captures your attention the whole day. You come away with lots to think about and even more to implement. Thank you Gilly and team!
Karen Snowling
In conclusion, this room of Osteopaths were inspired to return to their Practices and play a bigger game!
Shyness and confidence issues are huge within the Profession and it’s something I always tackle on my courses and in my VIP work. I’ve witnessed the struggling and nervous, develop and flower into the epic Osteopaths they were always meant to be.
And that’s a superb goal for you too. Helping more people in your community back to health. Helping them to feel empowered to take better care of themselves. Guiding them to live their lives with less pain and greater freedom is a gift and an wonderful path to be on.
And if or when you decide to play a bigger game, it would be an honour to nurture you and your Practice to serve your community like never before.
Meantime what can you do today to motivate and inspire your potential new patients to find their way back to health?
