Tuesday, February 12, 2019
Do you want to work with more physician clients? Align your actions with the Golden Rule of Physician Engagement:
If you want to conduct business with physicians, conduct yourself as one.You know that people do business with people they know like and trust.
Now neuroscience explains why. Our brain is wired with cells called “mirror neurons.“ The statement “I like you” really means “I’m like you. I see part of myself reflected in you.”
Here are a few ways you can put the Golden Rule into action.
Manage your encounters with doctor prospects and clients the same way doctors manage your medical visits when you’re a patient.You have an intuitive sense of the steps you can expect when you see your doctor.
Step #1: The story The medical appointment usually begins with your doctor asking a general question like, “What brings you in today?” A series of questions help your doctor uncover your story.
You want to uncover your prospect’s story too. Ask questions like these:
- Where does it hurt?
- What have you tried in the past?
- What made it better? What made it worse?
Step #2: The examNext, when you're the patient your doctor collects the observed, objective data.
She might review lab tests or look at x-rays.
When you're the expert, your discovery process is an effort to collect the objective information that will help you decide whether you can, in fact, help this doctor. If you are a financial advisor, for example, you look over a doctor’s portfolio, tax returns and insurance policies.
Step #3: The assessmentAfter the exam,
your doctor puts together all of the puzzles pieces and arrives at a diagnosis —or a list of possibilities.
You, too, put your prospects’ puzzle pieces together.
In this stage , you can put your story and the doctor's story side by side. “I heard you articulate a fear that one day you would be a bag lady. However, based on what I observe of your spending and saving habits, you could comfortably retire today and never outlive your money.”
Step #4: The plan Your own doctor visit ends with a plan. Your doctor might order further tests, or suggest a treatment plan.
After you perform complete assessment of your doctor prospect, you may believe that your product or service will improve the doctor’s condition.
Buying your product or service is one choice for your doctor prospects.
However, there are other choices, including doing nothing differently than they did before they met you.
Lay out these options, and talk about the potential risks and benefits of each approach.
Respect your prospects' autonomy. Generally, people will make the choices that serve their best interests and alight with the value they hold most dear. Please remember that no one likes being sold; however people like solutions to their problems.
Don’t skip steps.Imagine how you would feel if you walked into your doctor’s office and said, “I have a cough.” Then, without any further questions or an exam, the doctor said, “You just need a dose of antibiotics. Fill this prescription and you’ll be fine.”
While the doctor could be right, you would not have confidence in the plan because the evaluation was incomplete.
Do your doctor prospects and clients trust that you have done a complete assessment before you make a treatment recommendation?
Diagnose before you treat. Tell doctor prospects and clients what they need to know to make informed choices.When I described the proposed surgical intervention to patients, I told patients what they needed to know to make an informed choice.
I showed them where the incision would be, and the expected post-operative course. I did not tell them what suture material I would use, although I would happily answer any questions patients asked.
As you speak with doctors, are you discussing the incision—or the suture material? Use medical metaphors.The familiar feels safe to us, and the unfamiliar often feels scary. How do you make the unfamiliar less scary? Use velcro learning. Hook new unfamiliar ideas into familiar cognitive frameworks.
If you are a financial advisor helping physicians build wealth, your client might ask, “What kind of return will I get on this investment?”
Say, “I’m sure that when you treat patients you would love to promise a great clinical outcome; however, factors outside of your control influence results. While I can quote historic returns, I don’t have a crystal ball.
Be the person you want your own doctor to be. If you could create the profile of your ideal doctor who would care for you and your loved ones, what qualities would be on the list? Do you value compassion, strong listening and communication skills or humor? Embody those characteristics yourself!
Avoid actions that would constitute medical negligence.Just as you would avoid a negligent physician, so, too, doctors avoid business people who do not uphold professional and ethical standards.
Align your actions with the Golden Rule of Physician Engagement:
If you want to conduct business with physicians, conduct yourself as one.© 2019. Vicki Rackner MD. All rights reserved. You may reproduce this post with this byline:
Vicki Rackner MD is an author, speaker and consultant who offers a bridge between the world of medicine and the world of business. She
helps businesses acquire physician clients, and she
helps physicians run more successful practices. Click
here to get a complimentary copy of her latest book
The Myth of the Rich Doctor .