A BIG, BOLD NEW YEAR will require a breakthrough in reaching new patients.
SOME FACTS: Candidly, there was 1 month where we had 3 hurricanes and only saw 60 new patients that month. The rest were over 100. Why only 13 years? We paid even more attention to retention.
The fact is, I owned multiple clinics throughout Central Florida adjusting over 10,000 people a month based on relationships in the community.
HOW? Social media and Google are great places to get new patients and build your reputation. Yet, the most important KPI for a fast-growing and sustainable local business of any kind is relationships. Industry leaders in all professions know this truth: “The success of your local organization is highly dependent on the relationship you have with the leaders of other local organizations.”
WHAT? Build relationships with the leaders of: schools, sports teams, churches or other religious centers, big-box stores like Walmart and Target, charities, health food stores, other patient care providers, restaurants, salons, banks, big and small companies, civic organizations, fitness centers, city/county offices, and first responders.
STEPS? We have a process and a best way to communicate for each area. Relationship “marketing” is a great way of life and the most effective way to sustain your mission. Here are a couple of examples
STARTING AND SOLIDIFYING THE OUTSIDE RELATIONSHIP
MY FIRST CHURCH
I walked into a local, medium sized church. I wasn’t able to speak with the pastor the first time I visited, but I kept following up over and over again by phone, e-mail, and in person and would just keep telling his secretary that I was thinking about the church and wanted to know if I could help.
Finally, one Tuesday the pastor himself calls me and asked me if I wanted to speak at his church on Wednesday night to his whole congregation. They had a growing number of sick and overweight people and he had brought it up to his team in a meeting. They agreed someone should come in and speak about health and I was clearly the most committed doctor they knew. (FYI: 1 day notice and never spoke in a church – I was nervous!)
Long-term, the plan is on-going relationships. I discussed having more “wellness ministry” then just the 1 talk. The talk I did that Wednesday produced 10 new patients and the pastor with his family coming in. The relationship, however turned into 3 talks plus 1 major event every year at the church.
BIG BOX STORE RELATIONSHIP BUILDING (AND SUSTAINING)
Another example of building and keeping a relationship is with Sam’s Club. In this example, I had a solid relationship with the manager, but the manager changed three times! At the beginning, I was free to do anything to serve our community, their patrons, and discuss our practice. We did screenings, corporate wellness for their employees, and did a co-produced Kids Day America with over 1500 participants at their store. To sustain, every single time I would go shopping at Sam’s, I make sure I fill my cart up with everything I need, make sure the manager saw that I was a model customer, and walked around the store talking to every employee. When the manager changed the first time, the new one said I couldn’t screen there anymore. However, the other employees explained that I was a member of the Sam’s team and part of the fabric of their community. He changed his mind and allowed me to continue. Eventually, I had a great relationship with the new manager and he actually helped me transition in with the 3rd manager that eventually took over for him.
This is about creating relationships, not just marketing contacts. The goal is creating a life and not just a business. This occurs when the leaders of the other organizations become trusted friends, you know about each other’s families and hobbies, and you commit to making the world a better, healthier place together.
HOW CAN THE EXPERTS SAY RELATIONSHIPS ARE YOUR MOST IMPORTANT ASSET?
When you have good relationships; FB can’t change the algorithm, it doesn’t matter how much “competition” there is, you’re transcending the impact you could have on the community by yourself, with little to no cost, and everyone wins.
Do you need help being uncommon? Click here.
Have fun saving the world
Dr. Ben
