You went to med school. You speak medicine. You speak healing, healthcare and patient happiness. So if the idea of sales and selling makes you want to go jump off a cliff… yeah, we get it.
If you’re thinking about transitioning to Direct Care, or even starting fresh with Direct Care, there are two things you need to do. The first thing is call us, because we offer free practice management consulting services. Yep, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about making the transition, opening the doors of your practice, and managing it once you have patients coming through those doors. Seriously, call us. It’s free. As in, doesn’t cost you anything.
Now that we’ve shamelessly plugged our FREE consulting services, what about that other thing you need to do? You gotta wrap your head around the fact that you have business management in your future. And yes, that includes sales. If you’re still standing on the edge of the cliff, we’d like to invite you to chill out and take a step back. Sales in Direct Care looks different than it does in other industries, so throw out that used-car salesman image you have in your head. Get this: you don’t have to break down doors, beg people to become patients, or even convince anyone of anything. Direct Care has already done the heavy lifting by providing a platform to give people something they value. Your role in the whole thing is to just spread the word about it. Which you’re already doing, because it’s something you care about, so you’re naturally going to talk about it. See? That’s not so bad. Care to take another step back from the ledge now? There we go.
You Already Have the Tools You Need to Sell.
Have you ever heard the phrase “a truly great product sells itself?” That applies here, too. All you’re doing is educating people about the features and, more importantly, the benefits of Direct Care. You’re talking about your job. You’re exposing them to a better way – one that will benefit them from a bunch of different angles. Direct Care makes so much logical sense, especially given today’s healthcare situation where people are so desperate to get away from the ACA. So really, you’re a teacher. Which is great, because you already do that, too. You spend your days teaching patients about their health… or at least you wish you did. Those seven minute appointments don’t lend much flexibility to casual conversation, but we digress…
Does Sales Make You Feel Dirty?
Sales gets slimy when you think you have to convince people to give you their money. But, newsflash! That’s not what you’re doing at all. Be open to a perspective shift on this one. You’re educating them on the value you have to offer. You provide quality care at an affordable price. But wait, there’s more!! You’re also saving them insurance headaches, frustrating phone calls and negative customer experiences by getting rid of those third parties. And these are all things your Direct Care practice will do without you having to lift a finger. Yup, these principles are literally built into the walls of DPC. You have something people will want to pay for. You’ll be solving a problem for them. Making their lives easier. Better. Think about it. You’d be happy to pay for a product or service that did those things for you, right? Patients are exactly the same. We’re so happy you haven’t thought about that ledge in a couple paragraphs…
You’re Not Convincing, You’re Influencing.
Trying to talk someone into something can be exhausting. You feel like you’re immediately on the defensive. You’re charged with the task of changing their position. Daunting, huh? Don’t look at it that way. Do your thing, tell your story, and know that the end result isn’t to convince them, but to influence their perspective. Convincing feels like you’ve twisted things around so they do things your way. Influencing feels like you’ve stated the facts from an angle you truly believe in, but they’re the ones who make the ultimate decision. How much better will it feel when you get a brand new patient when they decide it’s the right thing to do rather than being talked into it?
Where Should You Sell?
We’ve talked a lot about how to sell, but now let’s talk about where you’re going to do all this storytelling, educating and influencing. Every community is different depending on size and some other factors, but generally that’s where you want to be when you’re just getting started: out in the community. Go to chamber events. Write an article for your local lifestyle magazine. Take to social media – Facebook and Twitter have proven great ways to build an online presence. Visit businesses personally to introduce yourself and your practice. If you, ahem, call us, we’d be happy to give you some actionable ideas for your particular situation!
Take a Break from New Patient Acquisition.
Ready for another breath of fresh air? There’s an aspect of sales that doesn’t involve selling – at all. You need only to do your job really well, and the rest will fall into place. By that we’re simply saying take excellent care of your existing patients. They’ll refer you and word of mouth marketing is the absolute most effective kind. This applies if you’re still in the traditional healthcare environment, or if you’ve already made the transition and are working to grow your panel. Going back to the traditional setting thing for a minute, though – if your patients knew you thought you could do a better job for them, knew you wanted to spend more time with them, and knew you cared about saving them money, don’t you think they’d be interested in what you had to say? Name one person you’d knowingly dismiss knowing they wanted to serve you better. Just sayin’.
Bye, Bye, Ledge.
Wow, confidence looks fantastic on you! Let’s recap. You’re not selling, you’re educating and influencing. You don’t have to feel bad about asking people to pay for your services because you’re providing them something they value. A simple perspective shift from thinking sales is slimy to recognizing sales is just a method of communicating your practice’s value will act as a confidence booster for you as you book that speaking event, submit that article, or knock on that door. You can do this. You already know how, and because Direct Care has laid such a solid foundation of pure quality, all you have to do is talk about your job. So really, going to medical school is what’s going to make you so great at sales!
One last thing. Remember our shameless plug from earlier? We were serious about wanting to help make your Direct Care practice the best it can possibly be. Kirk is our transition expert and can either answer your questions himself, or direct you to someone else who can. If you’re not quite ready to reach out, that’s cool. But don’t stop learning how to transition to DPC if the interest is there. Hop over to the DPC curriculum for more “getting started” info. Lots of good stuff over there.