Written by Are you someone who is always looking for the keys to success? As a general rule, we tend to be a society of people who are constantly looking for that inside edge that will give us the advantage.
We look for dieting secrets that will help us to lose that extra weight before the next function. We look for the inside edge to get us that promotion we’ve been vying for.
But now you’re out on your own and the responsibility of growing and sustaining a successful practice rest squarely on your shoulders.
While there can be no substitute for hard work and dedication, there are a few secrets to a successful practice. In the end, it’s all about the mindset and culture of your practice. Today, we’ll look at four of them.
1.Begin with the end in mind.
It sounds kind of strange to adapt this mindset. Particularly if you are just starting out in private practice. However, thinking about what you want in the long run will help you stay focused on the plan. Think in terms of a mission statement.
Years from now, if someone were to describe your practice and the impact that it had in this world. How would you want to be remembered? What contributions do you want to be known for?
How do you want to retire? Do you want to pass your practice down to someone? Sell it off or close up shop and ride off into the sunset.
Beginning with the end in mind helps you stay focused on who you are and what you stand for.
2. Make your talents your specialties.
Regardless of what kind of practice you have, at the end of the day, it’s still a business. And in order to stand out in the market place, you really must have a specialty or two, that will separate you from everyone else.
Studies have shown that people are prepared to pay exponentially higher to find someone who possesses the exact skill set necessary to solve their problem. You do yourself a great service by marketing that skill set.
Even the people who are referring your services, will not take the time necessary to do the research it takes to call or write you and determine if you can handle the type of help their client needs. They will simply move on to the next person who does specify this.
3. Collaboration will get you there faster than competition.
This one is near and dear to my heart.
It’s amazing how much time and energy is wasted worrying about the competition. We spend so much negative energy thinking about what other people are doing instead of keeping our focus on our own business.
The bottom line is that there is plenty of business to go around for everyone. You only need to turn on the evening news to look at what is going on in the world to find evidence of this.
And, think about any time in your professional history or education where it was necessary to work in a team. You achieved more and did it much more rapidly in a team setting than you would have on your own, didn’t you?
Collaborating with other professionals is a terrific way of getting additional exposure for your practice while forming great relationships and gathering tools and resources your clients and your practice need.
My blog Can You Transform Your Practice Through Partnerships provides additional information about how to create smart collaborations. But the bottom line is, collaboration will get you to your goals much faster than focusing on the competition.
4. Invest in yourself and your practice.
The old adage, “you need to spend money to make money” is really true.
When you are offering your clients the very best version of yourself, everyone wins. You become more passionate about what you do and your clients see and feel that.
In turn, their exceptional experience will relate directly into more business for you.
If you need to improve on a specialty that you’ve chosen, then make that investment in yourself. If you need streamlined technology or equipment that will allow you to provide even better services, then make that investment.
Set aside a portion of your finances to go directly back into your practice so that you are always in a space of growth.
The bottom line strategy of all successful practices is that they are always focused on the end result of who they are, what they want to accomplish and how they show up in the world.
By doing this, the road map for the journey becomes a lot more clear.
We’d love to hear about your practice and your mindset for success, please post your comments below.
If you need help identifying any of the items mentioned above for your practice, feel free to book a consultation by clicking here.