I took my lovely wife Regina to a Broadway show Friday night, and after a wonderful evening of entertainment, we returned to the parking lot to discover…a flat tire. The guys at the lot were only too eager to change it for me, and ten minutes and twenty bucks later, we were on our way home.
The next morning, I took my car over to one of my favorite businesses in the world, All Weather Tire on Depot Road in Huntington. I arrived to realize that it was Saturday morning and the place was jammed. I pulled up in front, since there was no place to park, and moments later, a manager in a blue All Weather shirt strode briskly to my car and courteously said, «Please pull around the corner and park in the first available spot, I’ll have one of my men meet you there and we’ll help you.»
I did so, and before I was finished parking a young man was there, asking me how he could help me. I explained my dilemma, and he immediately took charge. He took the flat from my trunk, brought it over to his machine, and checked to see if the tire could be salvaged, or if it needed replacing. He carefully and professionally did his job, pulled a rather gruesome looking spike from my tire, assured me that the tire could be fixed, and took me to the office to pay a ten dollar repair fee.
Keep in mind, there were probably thirty or forty customers being helped at exactly the same time, all with the same degree of focus, precision, and personal attention. None of the workmen seemed to be over twenty-five years of age, but they were attired neatly and acted as if every movement represented the company, and it was important to them to do well. It was a remarkable accomplishment of leadership and training, and I made sure to tell the owner so.
Even though it was «crunch time,» my needs were addressed swiftly, skillfully, and with gentle authority. It made me wonder, how well do chiropractors do at crunch time? How smooth is your office procedure at the busiest times in your week? For many businesses and even chiropractic offices, the way you perform at these critical times can determine your level of growth and success.
I call them «peak hours,» Bob Hoffman calls it «demand time,» but whatever you call it, the ability to process many patients during your busiest time requires four things — first, a concept and vision that creates the possibility to handle the increased volume; second, a willingness to develop the identity and self image of a team that could indeed handle the crunch; third, a strategy for execution that makes the vision and the identity manifest in the real world; and finally, the drive to see it through.
Every great business that directly serves the public must learn to handle crunch time effectively. If you find that your busiest hours have no more capacity than any other hours, you will be restricted in your ability to grow, because like it or not, people are going to want to come in at the typical times people want to come in. Yes, you can stand on ceremony, but the best chiropractic practices have implemented methods of handling large numbers of people during those demand times that necessitate it. If you want to grow a larger practice, pay attention to the way you and your team show up during peak hours, and look for ways to streamline and improve your performance when it counts.
Dennis Perman DC, for The Masters Circle
PS You’re probably already starting to see and hear about The Masters Circle Third Annual SuperConference — this one is going to be the biggest and best yet, with over 1600 already registered! Guy Riekeman, Wayne Dyer, Patrick Gentempo, Bill Esteb, Jack Canfield — what a line-up! Please call 800-451-4514, or visit our website at themasterscircle.com for more information.
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