Have you ever had that client that you see on the schedule and just know …”oh no, she’s going to take all of my time and cause me to get off schedule”?
WE ALL HAVE.
Our clients love us because we listen to them and they love that quality in a practitioner. It creates a safe, nurturing healing experience. But it can be a problem if it causes us to lose our rhythm, or get behind for the next client etc. I’ve been in practice for nearly 20 years and I have a few tips to share in this area. I’ve run two rooms at a time and also had periods where I ran three rooms per hour. I’ve had to be concise and find ways to get those needles in without the client feeling as if I was cutting them off or rushing their experience. There is an art to this. Don’t get me wrong…. I spend quality time listening to my clients and I pride myself on my ability to be present with them but there are times when I need to rely on a way out.
So here are a few ideas I can offer you that may help when you find yourself wondering how to get out of the room on time. I don’t use these tactics for everyone… just those special clients who tend to monopolize my time.
- I have all my clients go ahead and lie down in the room and I let them know I’ll be right back after I wash my hands. This way they are already relaxed somewhat before we start talking.
- If you have a receptionist, ask them to quietly knock on the treatment door if you start to run 5-10 minutes behind. I can usually make up 10 minutes on the go, but if I stay in there any longer my schedule will get wrecked.
- If the client is very persistent and has a Heart issue that includes incessant talking, I tell them that a back treatment would be great today and we go ahead and put them face down. The back treatments usually work really well for these types of clients. If I want to flip them half way through, they will be nice and relaxed mid-way through the treatment.
- When we get way off track (like they are talking about something completely unrelated to our session whatsoever) and I’m no longer in control of the conversation, I say ” I’d really love to hear about that because it sounds interesting, but that will have to wait for another time because I want to stay on schedule today”.
- If I’m really at a loss for how to regain control, I often tell them I need to run and get some supplies in another room. When I re-enter, I have a new starting point where I can begin a new topic that is more related to the treatment.
- If the client is already on the table, I will go ahead and put in Yin Tang or Ear shen men while we are talking just to get them to start winding down.
- I start dimming lights and closing blinds immediately after all the needles are in. I put a wireless doorbell in their hand and say “enjoy your rest” before any questions surface.
- When I take needles out I do not begin conversation. I usually just let them initiate questions. If they don’t, I just slip out saying something like “take your time and make sure to reschedule as you leave today. I want to see you for 6 more weeks in a row.”
- If they do begin to ask a lot of questions, I will usually tell them that we can discuss it at the next visit after we see the response from this visit.
- HANDOUTS: : create a handout about returning for 6 weeks and then re-evaluating the results. This is very important and it can explain what to expect, what side effects or flare ups may occur, and why one often needs a few sessions to keep the progress moving forward.
- If you don’t have a receptionist, it’s crucial to get them rescheduled, but it can take too much time with this type of person. I often will take payment and schedule next weeks visit on the way into the treatment room. That way they can just float on out of the clinic after I remove needles .
If you have any things to add to this list please send me an email. I bet we all have had to work through this experience and we can all teach each other something in this area.
