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Welcome back everyone! Today I’m excited to interview Dimitri Boules, L.Ac., founder of The Oak Point Method. The Oak Point Method is an online course where Dimitri shares his approach for clinical success and practice building.
One thing I love about Oak Point Method is that it teaches functional assessment, with step-by-step videos. This isn’t something I learned a ton about while I was in school but I think it’s fascinating and, more importantly, incredibly helpful in understanding the root cause of symptoms. This, in turn, helps us treat the patient so much more effectively and get faster results.
I also love that Dimitri combines not just his best tips for getting outstanding clinical results, but also teaches fantastic marketing skills and combines the two – so it’s the full package for clinical success, presented in a really unique way.
You can check out the Oak Point Method here, and I recommend that you hop on one of his free webinars were he goes over tips that will help you, your patients and your practice for free. You can start incorporating them into your practice immediately. Plus there’s an awesome $150 discount code at the end of the webinar and even more resources you can use – so free learning plus savings đâ¨
Dimitri has also written a book about the Oak Point Method, which you don’t want to miss.
Okay! Enough talk form me. I’m so excited to introduce you Dimitri today. He’s got so many fantastic success stories to share with you, and I think you’ll love his reason for creating Oak Point Method in the first place – it has to do with his wife’s (Anna) maternity leave! Read on for more.
Dimitri and I talk about:
- How functional assessment of patients can significantly boost the success of your practice
- The marketing that’s worked for him in building his clinic
- How the Oak Point Method helped keep his clinic full while his wife was on maternity leave
- The biggest mistake acupuncturists make in growing their practices
How long have you been in practice?
I have been practicing since 2012. About a year prior to that, I was interning at a professorâs clinic and after getting my license, started working in one of his busy locations.
Where did you go to acupuncture school?
I went to NY College of Health Professions in Syosset. I loved the energy in that school. I had some outstanding professors and great classmates.
What inspired you to pursue acupuncture as a career?
This is a great story. So me and my beautiful wife Anna were in different industries; she was an esthetician and I was a personal trainer. We loved what we did but we wanted to help our clients even more. One day, Anna was watching a morning show that featured cosmetic acupuncture. That sparked her curiosity and lead her to do some research and find local schools. That evening she told me about it and I offered to drive her to a school that seemed very reputable. After getting there and listening to the conversation my wife was having with the counselor, I turned to Anna and said âI’m signing up too!â and thatâs how it all started. I owe it all to her.
What makes the Oak Point Method unique?
The Oak Point Method treatment integrates functional assessment, traditional and contemporary acupuncture.
Functional assessment helps clinicians understand where the mechanical breakdown occurs in the kinetic chain and how that affects what the patient is feeling. For example, a weak glute medius muscle can cause abnormal movement adding more strain to the lumbar region causing lower back pain. If we donât take that into consideration and restore proper function to the glute med using acupuncture and only treat the lower back, our clinical results will be temporary at best.
So the technique portion goes over how to functionally assess and treat 95% of the conditions I (and our colleagues) see in my clinic DAILY.
The marketing portion goes over effective and affordable marketing that ANYONE can do. These are strategies that I used and continue to use:
- Social Media
- Blogging
- In-office marketing
- Connecting with the community
- Connection with other healthcare providers
- And the list goes on!
In short, The Oak Point Method helps the clinician get OUTSTANDING clinical results and let the community know that they are the go-to acupuncturist in the area.
How did you develop Oak Point Method over time?
Well, I noticed that acupuncture school left us with some gaps. (Not just my school.) Now, that is not to say that they are at fault. I believe acupuncture schools did/do what they are supposed to, which is introduce us to this AMAZING form of medicine and help us pass our boards. Now itâs up to us to become EXPERTS.
Since I noticed that they were gaps early on, I was (and continue) taking PDAs even while I was in school. Each course I took had some really valuable information but, it was just one piece of the puzzle.
For example, some courses showed how to market a practice. Some taught how to assess. Some taught how to treat Sports Injuries. None of the courses taught a complete system. Thatâs when I decided to put together what has worked for my practice and address those gaps I mentioned earlier.
Through practice and finding out what works and what doesnât, I added my own flavor to it and that is how The Oak Point Method was put together.
How long have you been teaching it to others?
After our first child was born and my wife was on maternity leave, I started to get burned out. I was running a practice and treating not only my patients but hers as well. That is when I decided to hire some staff and started teaching them The Oak Point Method. Later on, I started teaching live seminars.
What made you realize you needed to share this with the rest of the acupuncture community?
When I was training staff to work while my wife was on maternity leave, I was writing a bunch of notes for them. LOTS OF NOTES! One night, as I was typing away on my lap top, papers all over the kitchen table and highlighting key points, my wife (once again) joked and said, âWow babe, you might as well write a book!â At that moment I decided to put it all on paper and share it with our community.
So there are two ways the OPM helps boost patient numbers – by getting awesome clinical results, and with marketing education. Can you talk about your marketing philosophy a bit?
My philosophy is simple:
- Get AWESOME clinical results and get your patients feeling better FAST.
- Let your community know that you are the expert.
My goal is not to see 100 patients per week. That is a byproduct. My goal is to get the patient moving and feeling better ASAP so they can tell their friends and family members about me. The marketing I do supports that.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received about running a business?
CARE! Caring will set you apart from others.
RESULTS! Focus on getting people well fast. It might sound like a terrible business plan (LOL) but in the long run, you end up having a waiting list!
What specific marketing efforts have worked best for you?
Sorry if I sound like a broken record but itâs results. Your patients are walking around your community and when you care for them, help them feel better and offer a great experience, the ROI is priceless!
I had a patient traveling to Europe and while traveling started small talk with the person next to her. The conversation lead to health and that my patient was getting acupuncture at our clinic. The person sitting next to her asked where she receives Acupuncture and my clinic name came up. She immediately said âI’ve heard great things about that place. Does Dimitri treat you?â
So this person knew about me and my clinic and had never met me before.
Like I said, priceless!
Any marketing efforts that have fallen flat/felt like a waste of money?
If your mindset is not right, you can have the best marketing blueprint fail you. I tell this to students going through my online course: your intention and mindset will make or break you.
With that being said, print is out and digital is in. I believe an acupuncturist will get more bang for their buck if they invest in social media ads and online marketing. It is cheaper but very easy to lose money if not done correctly and that is why I dive into that topic in my course.
Agreed! Mindset is huge because it determines whether people will actually make a consistent effort with their marketing. And consistency is essential in marketing.
What advice would you give to current acupuncture students regarding starting their practices? What can they do right now to get a jump on starting their clinics?
Your education really starts from the time you graduate. LEARN as much as possible about a specific niche and become the expert in that field. If you have a passion in sports medicine, study that extensively. If itâs fertility, read all about it. You get the point.
It is much easier to not only become really good at treating one niche but also to market yourself when you have a specialty!
I’m always encouraging my students to choose a specialty – you’re right, it’s SO much easier to nail your marketing when you have a specialty to guide you.
What do you think is the biggest mistake that acupuncturists make in starting their clinics?
- They stop learning. Biggest mistake a practitioner can make.
- They donât put in the work to change things.
Recently I was talking to a practitioner that was not happy with where his practice is right now so I offered him some advice. Every idea I was giving him, he had an excuse and didnât want to go forth with it. I then said âEveryone wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die.â
Meaning, if you are not willing to put in the work to change things, then:
- Donât complain
- Donât expect things to change
This may sound a little harsh, but itâs the most real advice this person had heard. Thankfully it influenced him to make that shift needed and has led to positive changes in his practice.
I don’t think it’s harsh, I think it’s just reality. We all need a little tough love now and again. I know I do!
Thank you for sharing, Dimitri!
Be sure to check out The Oak Point Method online course here.
And tune into one of Dimitri’s free webinars to get your $150 discount code (!) here.
Read the book here.
And follow Oak Point Method on social media:
- Facebook: @theoakpointmethod
- Instagram: @oakpointmethod
Have questions for Dimitri? Feel free to reach out at info@oakpointhealth.com
See you guys next week!  đ đđ˝