I want to introduce you to a concept that I think can dramatically improve your results with your patients, your practice as well as improving your own personal life!
I think this concept is so simple yet incredibly profound.
By now I believe we are all very familiar with the power of questions. All of our communications programs are based on LAASR or Listen, Acknowledge, ASK, Solution, Resolution.
And you may have heard recordings where I have said, Listen, Acknowledge, ASK, ASK, ASK, ASK, ASK, Solution, Resolution.
We also talk about asking “Clarifying” or “Differentiating” or “Socratic” questions to get our patients to think and come up with the solutions on their own. We discuss how critical it is to ask such questions to get our information past the reptilian brain which is filtering 99% of all information coming into the brain, so it will send the information to the neocortex for thinking and reasoning. Therefore, we find out what our patients truly want in relationship to what we can truly do for them and then just show them how to get what THEY want. (If you are not fully aware of this information flip me an email and I will send you a few recordings which go into EXTREME details about that.)
THE SIMPLE NEW CONCEPT IS THIS:
ALL QUESTIONS have PRESUPPOSITIONS that DRAMATICALLY affect what your brain does with them. Which dramatically affects the outcome of the questions.
Let me explain.
Think of your “Subconscious mind” or “Reptilian brain” as Google. You type in a question and in the background, it is continuously searches for all answers that may pertain to your question.
The specific part of the brain is the Reticular Activating system.
When I bought my Corvette, I was not in any way looking for cars or a Corvette. I literally drove by the lot and saw this amazing Vette sitting front and center on the raised landing. I walked into the store, took it for a test drive and purchased it on the spot. (I can be a bit impulsive 😊)
On the way home I saw 6 other Corvettes and 3 of them waved to me!
I literally had never remembered seeing other Corvettes on island. But my reticular activating system or my subconscious Google was literally searching for other Vettes and they were popping up everywhere.
I am sure we have all had this experience in one way or another.
So, if you ask the question, “Why is my practice so slow?” Your subconscious Google is continuously searching for answers to PROVE to you why you SUCK and why your practice is so SLOW!
Hear the presupposition of this question. “Why is my practice so slow?” What is the presupposition?
My practice is so slow.
What is your subconscious Google now looking to find and prove?
Why your practice is so slow!
Do you see that there are no solutions being presented? Only problems!
(Imagine typing, “Bad dog” into google. And then typing, “Good dog” into Google. Would you get different results? YES! And they would be dramatic!)
On the other hand, if you asked the question, “What can I do to even see more patients?”
What is that presupposition? Right, that I already see patients and I want to see even more. Your subconscious Google is now searching for what you can do to see even more patients.
You then just let it go and start looking and listening for answers. Your subconscious Google will be searching for things you can do to see even more patients. All of a sudden, a great opportunity will show itself, you will get an email about a new program you want to study, you will finally get off your butt and coach with us! You will have a patient ask if you can come to speak at their office. There are a million and one things that can line up.
One of my great mentors says that the universe is always CONSPIRING to help me! All I have to do is ask the right questions, listen for the answers and take appropriate action immediately!
He says that when spirit, or God or the universe (whatever word works for you) gives us opportunities we need to act on it right now because there is literally a window of opportunity. And if we don’t act on it the universe will go to someone else and ask them to bring it into existence, and more importantly stop sending us these amazing opportunities because it knows we will not act on them. Personally, I have seen this to be true.
He also says the more you ask the right questions, listen and take appropriate action the more the universe will bring to you.
Alright, so back to the questions.
We have all heard that the quality of the answer lies in the quality of the question.
And since most all questions have these presuppositions that are going to dramatically change what your subconscious Google is looking for we want to be extremely conscious of the questions we are asking and the presuppositions they entail.
Here are some ideas:
- How can I see even more new patients?
- How can I see even more new patients who get what I do and want what I offer?
- How can I see even more new patients who get what I do and want what I offer and are happy to stay, pay and refer for a lifetime?
- What would I need to do to figure out my niche market?
- How can I bring in my niche market patients?
- How can we connect with even more like-minded people who will have benefit from our services and happily stay, pay and refer?
- How can we build even more mutually beneficial relationships so we can serve even more people?
- How can we fill our practice with the perfect people who get amazing results and are happy to stay, pay and refer and stay as full as we like to be?
- How can we create even more value for our patients or this patient in front of me?
- How can I get them to even love working with me more and get even better results right now?
- What would it take to build the perfect alliances so I can have ultimate success, love my work, work the hours I want and make more money than I ever thought possible?
- What would it take to create the practice and life of my dreams?
Think of other areas of your life that you may want to get your subconscious Google working for you:
- How can I be even more joyous, centered, peaceful, powerful, successful and happy right now?
- What can I do to be even more healthy and make even better choices now and in the future?
- How can I stay at my perfect weight with great ease?
- What can I do to enjoy my life to the fullest with fun and ease?
- How can my wife/husband/lover and I have an even more loving, passionate and fun relationship?
What questions could you ask your patients to help them take more responsibility for their health and get even better results? The old standby that is critical is, “Why do you think that is?” but here are some more.
- What can you do to help yourself get better faster and stay healthy longer?
- How can you find a healthy diet that you love and helps you get healthy and stay healthy? (The solution may be coming to my nutrition talk).
- What type of exercise program can you do that you will enjoy and be really great for you?
- What can you do to be even healthier and happier than you are right now?
You can see that this is endless.
Now remember the key to making this work is:
- Ask the right types of questions of your subconscious Google recognizing that most all questions have presuppositions.
- WHAT and HOW questions usually work best.
- Why questions often lead to a negative presupposition i.e. “Why is my practice so slow?”
- Look and listen for the answers
- Take immediate action.
As an aside. I was having a conversation recently about the power of affirmations. Back in the 70’s and 80’s affirmations were huge! And to this day they get a lot of playtime.
My experience is more often than not affirmations do not work. I remember in 1989 I was at a N.E.T. seminar and Dr. Scott Walker was talking about the NEC’s or neuro emotional complexes that we have that cause us to NOT have what we want in life. (In essence the emotional subluxations deep in our subconscious that are like hidden software bringing things into our lives that we don’t want.)
And Scott said, “If you want to know what some of your NEC’s are just look at what your little yellow stickies say that are stuck on your bathroom mirror.” I.e. “I weigh this much.” “I make this much money.” “I have this wonderful relationship.” Etc.
The challenge is when we have these NEC’s that are constantly recreating the things that we don’t want, when we say these affirmations, we are really reaffirming that we DON’T have the weight, or bank account or relationship that we want and it literally causes more problems!
Obviously doing work to deal with such NEC’s i.e. NET, QNRT, EFT etc. are crucial.
But I want you to try this. Think about one of your long-term affirmations that has haunted you for years. Say that affirmation out loud and see how it feels.
Now instead of saying that affirmation to yourself. I want you to type it into your subconscious Google with an appropriate presupposition and see how different that feels.
Here is an example.
I see 200 people per week.
(Now you know you are only seeing 100 per week and every time you get to 120 your practice crashes.)
Can you FEEL how bad saying, “I see 200 people per week” feels?
Now try this.
What would it take for me to see 200 people per week with great ease?
How can I easily and joyously get my practice to 200 per week and easily stay there?
Do you feel how different these feel compared to the lie that you have been telling yourself for all these years?
I am very interested in what questions YOU come up with and how this works for you.
Please share!!