Perhaps the three most important characteristics of a good coach are having deep knowledge of and a great passion for their subject, combined with the ability to teach. Knowledge, passion, and teaching ability. It sounds easy but finding someone who combines all three qualities can be difficult.
My husband, Marc Hudson, and I have been coaching Chiropractors for over 20 years. And I’ve known many other coaches over the years. While many are very good, others have left me with my mouth hanging open in amazement. I’ve met DCs who, a year after graduating and failing miserably in practice, start advertising themselves as chiropractic gurus. Sadly, failing in practice seems to give some an urgent incentive to get into the coaching game.
But it’s not just Chiropractors who’ve never achieved chiropractic success. There are people who don’t even know what chiropractic is, who advertise themselves as chiropractic coaches. I’ve received ads for weekend courses that promise to teach me how to coach Chiropractors, dentists, medical doctors, and physios for just a few hundred dollars. A course like this sells generic advice and all the buzz words for each of those professions to the would-be coach. Imagine if you end up paying good money to one of these people?
So how do you recognise the genuine article?
Here are some points to consider:
A good chiropractic coach is still very much involved in seeing patients
Someone who was successful ten or twenty years ago does not have the expertise needed to deal with the realities of practice now. Does this coach have a clinic or clinics? Are they still adjusting or still working closely with their associates? If not, then what they teach will be largely theoretical and not based in reality.
Be wary
Be wary of high-pressure sales techniques, elaborate sales funnels, programs that they claim usually cost thousands being offered for hundreds, and any offer that seems too good to be true. If they can only get clients using these methods, they probably have a worthless product to sell.
Look closely at testimonials
Look closely at their testimonials. Sometimes, these are invented. Even video testimonials can be purchased cheaply from actors on Fivver. Are you able to track down the Chiropractors shown? Do their comments seem real?
What is the coach actually selling?
Are they offering the latest gimmick for getting new patients in the door? These gimmicks come and go but are rarely worth paying for. By the time you have mastered them, social media and search engines have changed their algorithm.
Seek out recommendations from Chiropractors you know and trust
Speak to someone you can see has grown because of specific coaching. Sometimes, DCs will praise a coach even when they did not grow from the experience. I have no idea why this happens. You probably know which aspects of practice you need help with. Find out if their coach is an expert in those areas. It might be getting new patients, but it also might be learning efficient procedures, or better patient communication.
Now, let me just give a shout out to our coaching team at Willow Chiropractic. And yes, I am one of them, also. We provide ongoing coaching to our associate docs in each of the Willow practices. Our coaches are some of the very best in the profession anywhere on the planet. We are right there in the trenches every day.
Between the four of us, we have many decades of experience. From the moment a DC joins Willow, they are guided and helped toward their ultimate success. As coaches, we are on call for all their needs regarding each aspect of chiropractic success. We combine the three characteristics that I mentioned earlier. We are knowledgeable and passionate about chiropractic, and we know how to impart that to our docs.
If you are interested in coming to work with Willow Chiropractic in the Bristol area of the UK, please contact us for details. We would love to speak to you.
- Lynn McAvenia
