I know very few people who have come through the last year financially unaffected. Almost everyone has had some shift in their financial life: lowered spending expectations, higher credit card interest rates, retirees having to go back to work, people losing jobs and relocating, fewer patients in our clinics and those who do come in opting for fewer visits. Whoever we want to blame for the financial tsunami that has affected most of the planet one way or another, anyone with sense can see that it is going to take time for this contraction to “respiral” itself outward into renewed growth.

That being said, if we truly believe in the fundamental principle of our medicine…the co-creating and codependent yin and yang of the universe…we know that nothing can or should expand forever. Within any alive and, therefore, dynamic system there must be a balancing force of contraction. The good news is that nothing lasts forever; and the bad news is that nothing lasts forever.

So what can inspire us in our work and our lives through this current difficult financial cycle? Perhaps the year of the OX (ending Feb. 13, 2010) was a help to all of us, the energy of the OX being plodding, persevering, steady. The coming year of the Tiger, however, could be energetically more volatile and certainly not plodding or patient, though the Tiger can be both fierce and tenacious. We may have to try harder to stay focused and to accomplish our lives with compassion for ourselves and the larger world. Below are a few things I think about to help myself until the universe changes the flow of things.

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Here we are in 2010. Perhaps it’s good not to be overly concerned or impressed by such moments, since all moments are precious and juicy no matter when they are. That being said, it is hard to believe we are already so far into this century, that we have a mixed-race Harvard grad in the White House, that we are working our way through the worst economic downturn in many decades. Even with all the problems and divisive politics that our nation has, however, I think we have to count our blessings when we look at the devastation in Haiti, Darfur, and other severely poverty-stricken places around the planet. Then, as business-people, we have to think something like “how much more could I help the suffering of the world if I were more prosperous?” So don’t give up! Work on growing your business not just for the sake of your self and your family, but for how much good you could do in the world if you were more prosperous. Think like Bill Gates and Paul Newman!

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Or perhaps the 4th world? Hard to say what world it was after 14 days in Bodhgaya, India. At night it reminded me of the dark, wet, noisy, dirty world of the director`s cut of Blade Runner. Though I had been to India before, I did not remember it to be this harsh, dirty, polluted, and difficult for the people who live there...totally in your face. And this is the international epicenter and pilgrimage site of Buddhism, which is in some ways absolutely perfect, but that`s a longer discussion.

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by Honora Lee Wolfe

Our general manager, Bruce, asked me to write up part #4 of this series on marketing prior to my departure for India. So while I’m continent-hopping, you can read my thoughts on this very sensitive subject…how to price your services.

I have stated in print that I am, fundamentally, in support of the Community Acupuncture movement in the US, mostly because it brings the benefits acupuncture to a larger group of patients who might otherwise not try it because of financial constraints. That is a worthy goal. (I have heard rumors about something of which I don’t approve if it is true; paying practitioners shamefully low wages to work at such clinics. I hope this is the rare exception to the rule!)

All that being said, some practitioners in the same towns where these clinics exist are saying to me, “We’re getting killed on price by new, young practitioners who are offering lower priced services at community acupuncture clinics. How do we attract patients to our clinics when we charge, in some cases, twice as much per treatment?”

I don’t believe that you necessarily need to lower treatment prices to compete. Consider that not everyone is purchasing the least expensive cars or houses or anything else…even in this economic climate. Most important to remember is that people don’t always or even usually choose health care based on price. These choices are based on trust, results, reputation, and referral. If you look at long-established practitioners, they will tell you that they don’t necessarily lose patients by raising their rates…often just the opposite. Still, it remains tough times for many and almost everyone is looking for ways to save money. Thus, this post is a discussion of pricing, discounts, packages, and all that jazz.

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As I prepare to leave for India in a couple of days, it occurred to me that I had posted Part #2 of this series of blogs on marketing solutions several weeks ago and that I won’t be back to post any more for three weeks! So here goes…this is the third most common marketing problem that I hear about from students and young practitioners and my comments on how to approach it. Wish me happy trails and I’ll let you all know how this trip went and continue with these marketing ideas upon my return to Boulder in mid-January.

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