You are probably either a practioner already or are thinking of becoming one. This manual is designed to help you acheive success in reaching your goals.
Please feel free to contact Steve Veltkamp at steve@bizshop.com if you have any questions at all as you work through this material. I'd also very much appreciate hearing of any successes you have.
Steve Veltkamp is a speaker, trainer and entrepreneur with a passion for freedom through self-employment. Trained as an instructor and qualified as a Master Training Specialist in the Navy, he created Biz$hop. Called a "master of multi-tasking" in Success Magazine, his business ventures include import/export, consulting, publishing, webmaster services, and seminars. Steve is the Executive Director of the Olympic Home Based Business Association, the Global Trade Society, and the Olympic Chapter of the International Webmasters Association. A noted expert on home-based business, he has spoken at national and regional conferences.
Since 1992, Steve has been teaching others how to start a business or make an existing business more profitable. He shares a wealth of tips in each three hour seminar, described by attendees as "info-packed" and "fun." His no-nonsense, down to earth teaching style helps students become free and stop being wage slaves!
As a consultant, Steve has helped start many businesses. He thoroughly researches what is involved. Frequently, his clients let him take care of all the details before turning over the business to them on a turnkey basis. His position as leader of the Olympic Home Based Business Association, and as publisher of trade publications for small business, also gives him great exposure to the needs and problems entrepreneurs face. Lastly, he brings an enthusiasm and love of learning to everything he does.
One of the difficulties in this field is that there is no common terminology. More correctly, there is a jumble of meanings to the terminology that does exist.
Even the basic terms are in disarray. What do we call the professional category?
Holistic Health?
Traditional Medicine?
Healing Arts?
Complementary Medicine?
Integrated Medicine?
Alternative Medicine?
Each has their own problems. Most of the public has no idea what holistic means - and it seems to include some New Age practices that have nothing to do with physical health.
Traditional medicine in the general public mind is worse - because for the common person the doctor they see in the hospital represents 'traditional' medicine. Though there were healers long before there were medical degrees, this is considered 'New Age' - not traditional.
Healing arts encompasses all forms of healing - and also has a connotation of psychological counseling.
Complementary medicine - say complementary and most people think immediately "Free" It is an instant relation, perhaps even subconsciously formed.
Integrated - well, of course you'll treat people of all races ;-)
Perhaps the best term to use when dealing with the general public is Alternative Medicine or Alternative Health - since that is what they think of most of our practices anyway.
Some terms we use may very well have the effect of shooting ourselves in the foot. Mention 'enery work' and people think you are 'fringe' or one who believes in strange things.
Do we call the people who use our services patients, customers or clients? I tend to use the terms almost indisciminately, although clients tend to imply long term customers.
Note that in this manual I tend to talk of we and our - I am not a practioner myself, but when I consult in the field I have to put myself in the place of a practitioner, and I do the same when I'm writing.
Any references in this manual to he,his,him,she,her is purely for convenience - there should be no gender difference at all in this profession.
We'll commonly use the abbreviation AP (alternative practitioner) in this manual as well as MD or the allopathic medical practioner (regardless of whether they have a 'Medical Doctor' degree).
In 2002, the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) Section staff of the National Library of Medicine classifies alternative medicine under the term complementary therapies. This is defined as therapeutic practices which are not currently considered an integral part of conventional allopathic medical practice. They may lack biomedical explanations but as they become better researched some, such as physical therapy, diet, and acupuncture, become widely accepted whereas others, such as humors or radium therapy, quietly fade away, yet are important historical footnotes. Therapies are termed as Complementary when used in addition to conventional treatments and as Alternative when used instead of conventional treatment.
The National Library of Medicine's previous definition was an unrelated group of non-orthodox therapeutic practices, often with explanatory systems that do not follow conventional biomedical explanations and non-orthodox therapeutic systems which have no satisfactory scientific explanation for their effectiveness.
Others define it as medical interventions not taught at United States medical schools or not available at United States hospitals.
The Panel on Definition and Description, CAM Research Methodology Conference, Office of Alternative Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, April 1995 defined complementary and alternative medicine as a broad domain of healing resources that encompasses all health systems, modalities, and practices and their accompanying theories and beliefs, other than those intrinsic to the politically dominant health system of a particular society or culture in a given historical period. CAM includes all such practices and ideas self-defined by their users as preventing or treating illness or promoting health and well being. Boundaries within CAM and between CAM domain and the domain of the dominant system are not always sharp or fixed.
Alternative therapies include, but are not limited to the following disciplines: folk medicine, herbal medicine, diet fads, homeopathy, faith healing, new age healing, chiropractic, acupuncture, naturopathy, massage, and music therapy.
Thursday, May 27, 2004, 10:00 a.m. ET NCCAM Press Office
According to a new nationwide government survey1, 36 percent of U.S. adults aged 18 years and over use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). CAM is defined as a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine. When prayer specifically for health reasons is included in the definition of CAM, the number of U.S. adults using some form of CAM in the past year rises to 62 percent.
"These new findings confirm the extent to which Americans have turned to CAM approaches with the hope that they would help treat and prevent disease and enhance quality of life," said Stephen E. Straus, M.D., Director, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). "The data not only assists us in understanding who is using CAM, what is being used, and why, but also in studying relationships between CAM use and other health characteristics, such chronic health conditions, insurance coverage, and health behaviors."
The survey, administered to over 31,000 representative U.S. adults, was conducted as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) 2002 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Developed by NCCAM and the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), the survey included questions on 27 types of CAM therapies commonly used in the United States. These included 10 types of provider-based therapies, such as acupuncture and chiropractic, and 17 other therapies that do not require a provider, such as natural products (herbs or botanical products), special diets, and megavitamin therapy.
Although there have been many surveys of CAM use to date, the various surveys included fewer choices of CAM therapies. In addition, they often surveyed smaller population samples primarily relying on telephone or mail surveys versus in-person interviews used for this survey. Thus, the results from the CAM portion of the NHIS provide the most comprehensive and reliable data to date describing CAM use by the U.S. adult population.
Overall, the survey revealed that CAM use was greater among a variety
of population groups, including women; people with higher education; those who had been hospitalized within the past year; and former smokers, compared to current smokers or those who had never smoked. In addition, this was the first survey to yield substantial information on CAM use by minorities. For example, it found that African American adults were more likely than white or Asian adults to use CAM when megavitamin therapy and prayer were included in the definition of CAM."We're continuously expanding the health information we collect
in this country, including information on the actions people take in dealing with their own health situations," said NCHS Director Edward J. Sondik, Ph.D. "Over the years we've concentrated on traditional medical treatment, but this new collection of CAM data taps into another dimension entirely. What we see is that a sizable percentage of the public puts their personal health into their own hands."CAM approaches were most often used to treat back pain or problems,
colds, neck pain or problems, joint pain or stiffness, and anxiety or depression. However, only about 12 percent of adults sought care from a licensed CAM practitioner, suggesting that most people who use CAM do so without consulting a practitioner. According to the survey, the 10 most commonly used CAM therapies and the approximate percent of U.S. adults using each therapy were:In addition to gathering data on the use of CAM practices, the
survey also sought information about why people use CAM. Key findings indicate that:The results of the survey reveal new patterns of CAM use among
various population groups and provide a rich source of data for future research. Furthermore, the survey results provide a baseline for future surveys, as it establishes a consistent definition of CAM that can be used to track trends and prevalence of CAM use.NCCAM, a component of the National Institutes of Health, DHHS,
is dedicated to exploring complementary and alternative healing practices in the context of rigorous science, training CAM researchers, and disseminating authoritative information to the public and professionals. For additional information, call NCCAM's Clearinghouse toll free at 1-888-644-6226 or visit NCCAM's Web site at nccam.nih.gov.The NCHS is a component of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC). NCHS's mission is to provide statistical information that will guide actions and policies to improve the health of the American people. The CDC protects people's health and safety by preventing and controlling diseases and injuries; enhances health decisions by providing credible information on critical health issues; and promotes healthy living through strong partnerships with local, national, and international organizations.1.Barnes P, Powell-Griner E, McFann K, Nahin R. CDC Advance Data
Report #343. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Adults: United States, 2002. May 27, 2004.![]() | Home > News & Events |
What Business Are You In?
by Irene Brooks
A couple of weeks ago I was talking with a friend of mine. She was excitedly telling me all about the new coaching course that she had just developed and how awesome it was.
I patiently sat and listened to her.
I could see that she was really enthused about what she had just created. After she finished, I asked her, "That's great, now the real trick will be getting people to buy it."
Her first reaction to my comment was, "What do you mean? Of course people are going to buy it. It's the best work I've done to date." But as she pondered for a moment about my comment she realized that she had fallen into the age-old deadly small business mistake that most entrepreneurs fall prey to; forgetting the principle objective of her business.
I subtly reminded her that her principal occupation is NOT coaching; it's the MARKETING of her coaching services.
There is an old advertising quote that says, "Any fool can make soap, it takes a clever man to sell it." This is as true today as when it was first uttered many years ago. Any Tom, Dick, and Harry can make a bar of soap. Even if it's the most advanced soap on the planet earth, it won't matter if no one buys it. Now, I'm not comparing my friend's wonderful coaching coarse to soap, in fact her course is truly masterful - But the fact of the matter is, that it is exactly like soap.
There's a thousand great coaching courses out there
- but it takes a clever person to sell it!
Failing to understand (or accept) this principle is so poisonous that it can kill any small business fast. You see, to make a small business successful you need cash flow. To get cash flow you need customers. To get customers you must sell your product or service.
You might be a plumbing wizard or a crack electrician, but so are the fifty other plumbers and electricians whose ad sits right next to yours in the yellow pages. No matter how great your technical skills are or how innovative your product is, your business will wither away and die like 80% of all small businesses if you can't sell it.
How Would You Do Things Differently If -
Let's suppose for a moment that you truly did internalize this critical principle. Suppose that you sincerely believed that your most important function was the marketing of your products and services. What would you do differently tomorrow morning?
- Would the contents of your daily to-do list change?
- Would you allocate and prioritize your time differently?
- Would you change the criteria and process with which you screen new partners?
- Would your training agenda change?
I would suggest that if you really believed deep down that your primary business objective (and number one goal) is to *market* your products and services, your to-do list, the way you allocate your time, your role in your company, and your personal training would be radically different than it is today.
Now that you know what your primary business objective is, what are your going to do about it?
If you worked for a corporation, your Director of Marketing would perform those activities.
You must become the Director of Marketing!
That should be your new role in your business.
Why leave the absolute most critical part of your business to someone else?
I can hear you saying right now, "But I'm already doing all those things." And my response is, "How much time are you devoting to those "high value" activities?" Do you need to hire a manager or assistant to relieve you of all your other duties so that you can focus exclusively on those activities that have the most impact on your business?
Brian Tracey, a famous author and speaker has said that, "To be really successful, you should stop doing any activity that wouldn't normally pay you what your worth." For example, if you think you're worth $50 an hour, why would you be filing papers when someone else can do it for $8 an hour?
Becoming a Master of Direct Response Advertising
I often get e-mails from people asking, "Irene, I only have $1,000 to market my product. Where should I spend this money to get the highest return on my investment?" My response is always to invest it on your personal education. Nothing will bring you a greater return on your marketing dollar than your personal investment in becoming a master of direct response marketing.
I regularly spend thousands of dollars every year investing in books, tapes, CD's, workshops, conferences, videos and every other form of educational medium. In fact, as I have interviewed many successful business people I have consistently found one common trait. Each person had a passion and insatiable desire to learn and invest heavily in their own private education.
What Do Bill Gates and Oprah Have In Common?
Other than their own personal Fort Knox, Bill Gates and Oprah both have an insatiable desire to learn. Did you know that every year Bill Gates goes away for a week with a suitcase full of books just to read. If Bill can find time to do it so can you.
Oprah is famous for her "book of the month club." Do you have a reading list and if so what is on it?
One of the worst mistakes you can make as a small business owner is to be fooled into thinking that you are in the business of producing and delivering products and services. Wrong! You're in the business of *marketing* products and services. The faster you realize this, the faster the cash will flow.
I've always said, good marketing can make up for a bundle of operational sins (just ask Microsoft). Marketing IS your business, not just part of it. Become an expert in direct response marketing by investing heavily in your own education. Reevaluate how you are managing your business by asking yourself some of the questions that I've mentioned.
What I've shared with you may require a new paradigm shift. But if you want to not only survive, but also be a super-success, you must make the shift.
Irene Brooks is a Professional Life and Business Coach, speaker, writer and marketing consultant who specializes in helping small business owners and entrepreneurs to quickly and easily generate a constant stream of customers without wasting time and money on ineffective marketing techniques. She has successfully built two businesses of her own via traditional, internet and non-traditional marketing techniques. Visit her website at http://www.3-DSuccessCoach.com
Intro.vym | 2005-09-02 | vym 1.7.0 |