6 Things I’ve Learned After Serving Non-Ideal Customers

Many of us get stuck in a bad cycle where we try to get results, but we end up feeling powerless to actually get the tasks done.

Let me share what I have learned about helping customers, and why it’s better to define your philosophy, write out policies & procedures, and expect at least a few people to be unhappy no matter what you do.

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Who are Ideal Customers, and What Do They Look Like?

Your “model” buyer, client, or customer is someone whom you target because she or he has several characteristics. I will explain each of these below.

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What’s in a Name? Why Business Owners Have the Gift of Choice

We dont get to choose our first name, at least not for the first 18 years of life. It’s something our parents pick; their first gift to us, so to speak.

While we do have the option to change it once we reach adulthood, most of us stick with our given name for life.

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Why Picking a Successful Niche is Like Tending a Garden [Video]

Gardening requires a strong stomach.

If you let everything grow, you end up with chaos. A bountiful harvest is only possible when you prune back any growth that doesn’t serve your goals.

The same principle applies in business. An ambiguous business focus will result in chaos, but a well-defined niche specialization can set you apart and attract Ideal Patients to your doorstep.

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Why a Niche Will Make Your Healthcare Practice More Successful

The natural health industry is booming.

With rising costs of conventional medicine, consumers are increasingly receptive to trying alternative healing methods—many of which are finally getting well-deserved recognition for their scientific validity.

Even with this tremendous opportunity in the vast healthcare industry, many practitioners make the mistake of offering services that are broad, generalized, and non-specific… which leads to a practice that is forgettable, even in a booming market.

In this post, I’ll explain why choosing a niche can help your practice stand out and succeed.

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Book Review of “60 Minute Operational Risk Management” by Stewart Lancaster

The book 60 Minute Operational Risk Management is a reference guide for leaders who want a practical framework for recognizing and responding to risk. It breaks down complicated, abstract concepts in easy-to-understand and visual concepts.

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The Ultimate Strategic Planning Framework Tool: A Detailed Review

Your strategic plan doesn’t belong in a cabinet like a set of fine china. In my last post, I talked about the many benefits of using a Strategic Planning Framework:

  • a clear vision for the future
  • foresee vulnerabilities and dangers
  • identify areas of healthy growth
  • effectively get control of your company

This simple tool answers 3 important questions:

  1. Why are we doing this?
  2. What is required?
  3. How will we do it?

Within these questions are a variety of areas that should be included in your strategic planning process. Let’s look at each of them in more detail.

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What Happened When I Became an “Employee For a Day”

Do you ever go through an “a-ha moment” that suddenly makes you aware of a totally new perspective?

That happened to me a few years ago. Like many top-level leaders, I had slowly and imperceptibly developed “Corporate Ladder Bias” during my transition from employee to executive. This subconscious change occurs when our field of vision is consumed with all the problems and headaches at the management level. We become blind to the day-to-day frustrations of what I call the “Foundational Staff.” These are employees at the lowest levels of an organization, including:

  • Housekeeping
  • Direct Customer/Patient Care
  • Food Service (or Dietary)
  • Maintenance (or Physical Plant)
foundational staff, organizational roles, organizational chart, housekeeping, direct care, food service, maintenance
Grace LaConte’s 4 Types of Foundational Staff

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11 Compelling Reasons to Niche Your Healthcare Practice

Have you ever whittled a stick before? When I was 8, my grandfather taught me how to carve wood in his workshop. For weeks, my favorite pastime was finding a nice block of wood, chopping off the bark, smoothing it down, and cutting off all the excess pieces until a final image appeared.

If you’ve ever watched a master woodcarver or ice sculptor, you know how it feels to see an ordinary object transform into a work of art.

Every natural health practitioner has the opportunity to serve a very specific, clearly defined group. Instead of meeting all needs and conditions for a vast number of people, niching your practice allows you to be selective. When you “whittle down” to just a handful of options (thus avoiding the Paradox of Choice), people actually start to pay more attention.

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