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EBOOKS Little Book of Healthcare Marketing
STEVENS
FOR THE PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
Helping Clinics and Practitioners Build
HEALTH Brand and a Thriving Practice COLLECTION
LIBRARY Drew Stevens, PhD
Drew Stevens, Editor
Create your own Medical marketing is something not often thought of by p

hysicians,
Customized Content yet it is the most important business aspect of their practice. Ifthere
Bundle the more is no marketing then there will be fewer patients. In order to build
books you buy, a flourishing practice and retain e
xisting clients, physicians must
market and advertise their qualities and showcase what sets them
the higher your
apart from others. This book is designed to help physicians under-
discount!
stand the importance of e
ffective, targeted marketing in o
rder to
build relationships and attract new clients.
THE CONTENT
Little Book
The ideology today is that providers are in the relationship
Nutrition and business. The more relationships providers develop, thegreater the
Dietetics Practice opportunity for a larger marketing poolpeople want to know who
of Healthcare
Little Book of Healthcare Marketing

their providers are and will choose a practice based off relation-
Psychology
ships and trust. Todays doctors must create a c ommunitya strong
Health, Wellness,
Marketing
oneif they want to build or maintain a thriving practice. This book
and Exercise
will provide the tools and t echniques to become a brand, manifest
Science
a community, and instantly attract others to you.
Health Education
Dr. Drew Stevens, PhD, works with struggling physicians and
THE TERMS
transforms them into wealthy professionals. He works with medical Helping Clinics and
practitioners and their practices to create e
fficiencies that build
Perpetual access for leaders, manifest brand, and orient the practice into a profitable and Practitioners Build
a one time fee sustainable entity. Dr. Stevens is an international keynote and plenary
No subscriptions or speaker whose most asked-for topics include but are not limited to: Brand and a Thriving
Practice
access fees 7 Challenges that Plague Medical Practices, Leadership Secrets
of Successful Medical
Practices, and Successful Strategies in
Unlimited
Patient Engagement and Experience. His focus includes practice
concurrent usage
management
revival,
practice management marketing, talent
Downloadable PDFs acquisition and retention to improve cash flow, and developing the
Free MARC records proper patient experience. His works have been featured in media
outlets such as CNN and NBC as well as industry journals such
For further information, as The Journal of Medical Practice Management and P
hysician
a free trial, or to order, Practice and Medical Economics. He is the founder and instructor
contact:
sales@momentumpress.net
in the healthcare management program at Maryville University. He Drew Stevens
is also the author of eight books that include P
ractice Acceleration
and The Handbook of Practice Management.
ISBN: 978-1-60650-939-5
Little Book of Healthcare
Marketing
Little Book of Healthcare
Marketing
Helping Clinics and Practitioners
Build Brand and a Thriving
Practice
Drew Stevens, PhD
MOMENTUM PRESS, LLC, NEW YORK

Little Book of Healthcare Marketing: Helping Clinics and Practitioners Build
Brand and a Thriving Practice
Copyright Momentum Press, LLC, 2016.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,

stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any
meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other
except for brief quotations, not to exceed 400 words, without the prior
permission of the publisher.
First published in 2016 by

Momentum Press, LLC
222 East 46th Street, New York, NY 10017
www.momentumpress.net
ISBN-13: 978-1-60650-939-5 (paperback)

ISBN-13: 978-1-60650-940-1 (e-book)
Momentum Press Practice Management Collection
Cover and interior design by Exeter Premedia Services Private Ltd.,

Chennai, India
First edition: 2016
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America.

To my soulmate and my best friend who has helped me through my
victories and defeats, yet has always been my biggest fan helping me
through the finish lineChristine. And to my pride and joy Andrew
and Ashley whose smile and support make your dad so proud.
I want to thank my best friends and grandparents who told me

tonever lose hope and reach for everything I desire. And I want to
thank Anthony Box James who never lost faith in my abilities. And
finally Sudhir Jain MD a great friend and wonderful advisor.
God bless you all!

Abstract
Medical marketing is something not thought of by physicians. The notion
is that referrals will come from insurance companies, so there is no need
to worry about patient flow. Yet, our contemporary world with its prev-
alence of the Internet especially with websites and review sites places too
much control in the hands of the patient. With this in mind, patients
have choices and no longer use insurance companies for referralsthey
use other patients.
Your role as a practitioner is changed and so is your staff. The ideology
today is that you are all in the relationship business. When you develop
more relationships, you allow these new individuals to your marketing
world. Todays doctors must create a community and a strong one. The
larger the community, the stronger the brand. If you want to build or
maintain a thriving practice, then this book will provide you the tools
and techniques to become a brand, manifest a community, and instantly
attract others to you.
Medical practices are very complex and different from general

business. As a doctor, you naturally have to be an expert in your
field but you also need to work with rapid changes in healthcare,
new governmental policies, Insurance changes and reimbursement
changes. Drew Stevens has developed an impressive, comprehen-
sive step-by-step strategy that leads to a successful healthcare
practice. This is a must read for anyone in the medical field con-
cerned about increasing patient care, revenues and position in the
market. (Sudhir Jain)
Keywords
branding, how to run a medical practice, marketing, medical consulting,
practice management, practice management books, practice management
branding, practice management marketing, small business management,
what is a practice management program
Contents
Afterwordxi
Acknowledgmentsxiii
Chapter 1 Marketing FoundationsRelationship..............................1

Chapter 2 Creating Value and Differentiation..................................13
Chapter 3 The Importance of Target Marketing...............................23
Chapter 4 Learning to Articulate Value with a Proper Message.........31
Chapter 5 Integrated MarketingConveying the Message...............37
Chapter 6 Patient Loyalty for Referrals.............................................43
Chapter 7 Patient Review Sites and the Benefits of Reputation
Management....................................................................53
Chapter 8 Websites and Social Media for Doctors and Staff.............59
Chapter 9 Using Staff as Marketing Avatars......................................65
Chapter 10 Thoughts on Portals.........................................................71
Index75
Afterword
Now that this book is concluded, it is a good time to offer some insight
into what made me write this piece of art. I find after so many years of
working with chiropractors that there was little information that really
assists them in running an efficient practice. Many times I am brought
in to some medical colleges to speak to their pregraduation classes about
what to expect upon taking the board. I am bewildered by the egos or
shall we say cockiness of many of those sitting in the seats thinking that
they will not graduate with the aspirations they dream of. I can see and
there arrives that almost 80 to 90 percent of the students sitting in the
audience are expecting to make an instant six- to seven-figure income
with medical care.
While admittedly we live in an aging population and one that is
booming with the need for health care, operating a practice requires sim-
ple business sense. Unfortunately I find that there is not only a lack of
information but education in this required area. Just a quick review of
some of the curriculum in medical colleges indicates that there is a lack of
sound proficient advice on operating the medical practice. While admit-
tedly some of the colleges offer business planning, there is more to run-
ning a practice than just planning for it. There is the care of staff, there is
the marketing for patient acquisition, and most of all there is the service
of attempting to retain those patients so that they continually return. No
one said that operating a medical practice was easy. You might consider
this book as an alternate to what they did not teach you in your medical
college. However, rather than look at the bad, it is best to look at the
future and what opportunities will come from a book such as this.
My hope in writing this book is that doctors will use this as a tool
to run their practices more effectively and efficiently. They will use it as
a learning tool for their office staff so that staff and principal can work
cohesively to build the best practice possible while also attracting the
patient choice. Alternatively, since many texts in the colleges do not exist
in this area, I am hopeful that some of the colleges will use this book as
xii Afterword
a building block for future courses, future ideas, and future remedies for
those students who require it. Individuals must realize that its not only
the patients they are treating but also the adherence to sound financial
practices, empathetic marketing principles, and consistent and relentless
communication to patients and chronic customer service to all alliances
staff and patients so that the practice they have builds a brand.
My hope in reading this book is that as a doctor you gain the foun-
dations necessary to build the practice of your dreams. I hope that the
information enables you to create a legacy for your practice.
May God bless you and your business in health and happiness always.
I remain your trusted advisor.
Drew Stevens, PhD
Acknowledgments
Developing a work like this is no easy task and not one for any single
man. There are so many people to thank along the way but unfortunately
I will somehow wind up missing someone near and dear to me and for
that I apologize. However this text would never have come about without
the expressed love and support from my dearest soulmate Christine and
that of my immediate family Andrew and Ashley. Many nights they sat
on the couch watching me keyboard away in trying to find solutions to
bridge the gap on the lack of knowledge and the intellectual property
chiropractors need. Yet this work would never have got into your hands
without the terrific enthusiasm and excitement of Momentum Health
Press and my wonderful editor Peggy Williams. I cannot begin to thank
Peggy and her team for the amount of hours in time and encouragement
in supporting this work.
During my many years in business, I have had mentors that have
come and gone. Most recently those that have really placed a positive
effect on my business include both Alan Weiss and Rob Nixon. Alan, you
have made me realize what value and articulation of value mean to clients.
And Rob, you helped me understand how to package and promote my
business so that others truly understand what I bring to the table. And
finally, the true inspiration to the stories, case studies, and examples in
this book could not have come from a better core group than 30 years of
clients whove allowed me to serve them unquestionably over the years
while allowing me to place a positive spin on their business and on their
business future.
And finally, no author or expert could ever use just those present in
his life. My principles, my core beliefs, and my on-dying methods for
achievement would never have been set if not for those in my adoles-
cent years. From Anthony Box James who taught me the value look-
ing forward and always looking at the finish line, to both Golda and
George Jeffrey who taught me the value of research and self-appreciation,
to finally Marni Ranani who lit a candle to my future and blew out the
xiv Acknowledgments
candle to my dysfunctional pastall of you have illuminated my way and

continually shown me the light each and every day so that I may light the
way for others and guide them to the achievements you always thought
of me. God bless you all!
CHAPTER 1
Marketing Foundations
Relationship
In 2012, according to the American Marketing Association (AMA)s new
Physician Practice Benchmark Survey, 53.2 percent of physicians were
self-employed, 41.8 percent were employed, and 5 percent were inde-
pendent contractors [1]. What this means if you are in private practice
is that you are responsible for the facilitation of a business. This requires
staffing, talent management, operations, and most importantly branding
and marketing your practice. Yes, you read that correctly, marketing your
practice (Figure 1.1).
Marketing is not a notion many physicians take heed to. There is
rationale to this: (1) referrals stem from primary care doctors, (2) referrals
come from carriers, (3) referrals come from other patients, and (4)refer-
rals are serendipitous. These are all wonderful methods for growing and
maintaining a practice but they are not sustainable. First, of the 878,000
plus physicians in the United States, there is tremendous competition
enabling patients to choose any physician they desire. The Internet
enables prospective patients to review an infinite number of web and
patient review sites allowing them to decide the best doctor.
Social Insurance
Website media referral
Push or pull method of communication

Medical practice
Requires Patient
Must fulfill trust and
patient wants relationship
and needs
Networking Existing Review

patient site
Figure 1.1 The marketing pipeline and the communication required

to market with patients
2 LITTLE BOOK OF HEALTHCARE MARKETING
Marketing for a doctor is not different than it is for organizations

such as Cleveland and Mayo Clinic; they market daily. While there are
websites, brochures, news reports, press conferences, and other events
that bring these organizations attention, nothing is more important
than developing and implementing proper marketing strategies so that
patients become aware. This is not to say that traditional advertising or
creating brochures is imperative but rather marketing today for doctors
and many other organizations requires a plethora of activities so as to be
heard among the large amounts of noise and competition.
According to the AMA, Marketing is the activity, set of institutions,
and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging
offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at
large. Marketing then is required for any and every physician so that
they can help their clients (patients) to uncover and satisfy their wants
and needs.
In fact, marketing is not about brochures and other collateral mate-
rials. Ironically marketing is often confused with either advertising or
selling. Marketing especially for physicians is about the understanding
of patient issues and developing trust and understanding. Marketing is
the state of consciousness so that the doctor and the practice create rela-
tionships. Physicians and staff then are all marketing professionals. All
must operate to create relationships with patients. Marketing concen-
trates on relationships and the manifestation of these equate to brand
equity. Once relationships with the medical practice develop, patients
become comfortable and continually return. The repetitive visits help
to build brand while lowering the cost of acquisition. This is vital to the
practice because patients invest in relationships of those they know and
those they trust.
Many doctors rather than just thinking they are in healthcare need
to think of themselves as being in the relationship business. For example,
think of a time when you purchased a home, an automobile, or invested
in stocks. Our contemporary society allows you the same research as
patients; however, you still require an individual to assist you with your
acquisition. There is a need to enter into some relationship with a real
estate agent, automobile dealer, or stockbrokerhence you need to trust
the person before you exchange dollars for value. The same holds true for
Marketing FoundationsRelationship 3
you and your patients; they must know you, believe you, and trust you
before you can help them.
In Figure 1.2, patients judge the use of a doctor much like you might
judge a real estate agent or automobile dealer. First, how much compe-
tence does the agent have? Is the vendor able to provide enough informa-
tion about the product or service, the industry, and the organization to
make him sound credible? Does the agent provide information different
from a website and brochure propaganda that encourages belief? Once
competence is recognized, then trust is built allowing the client or in your
case the patient to make a better decision because he is beginning to trust
you. As the trust is building, the next phase you or your patient migrates
to is need. In other words, does the vendor provide the proper informa-
tion, value, and differentiation to help satisfy the need? And, finally as the
conversation continues and trust is building, one of the items required to
help develop the relationship is testimony or case study. Patients want to
know as you would about a product or servicecan you defend what you
state or better stated; what do your patients say about your work? Patients
want to know from other patients what you have done to help. Patients
do not want you to hide behind claims; they want to understand what
others have to say based on similar situations. This is why the relationship
perspective is so vital to the marketing construct.
Trust
Case study
Understanding
Competence
Need
Figure 1.2 Marketing relationships

One ideology that is imperative to the overall marketing concept is

that the center of all marketing activity is the patient. Therefore, market-
ing must be developed based on the needs of the patient and not based
on the practice, the staff, or the location. All physicians must think in
terms of the patient being the center of the practice. The patient then
will control the services, the fees, the diagnosis, the location, and the staff
and culture of the practice. This does not infer that marketing will take
over all these activities; rather, it means that marketing by interpreting
patients needs will provide direction for all the activities of the practice.
Marketing Concept and Patient Value

Marketing health care services is no different than marketing coffee,
hamburgers, or for that matter sweatshirts. There are numerous factors
at play such as price, convenience, recognition, staff, emotion, physical
feelings, and symptoms. For example, someone who has a cold for several
days may desire to visit an Urgent Care facility to gain quick access to
a physician. They may not want to wait for several weeks for their pri-
mary care physician, or they may not have one. Perhaps, they just want
to pay in cash and not use their insurance for payment. Perhaps, they
are merely seeking something quick because they are leaving on a trip
and just require someone to write a quick prescription. Perhaps, they
do not feel well and do not want to or cannot travel far to their regular
physician.
These factors all suggest benefits as they pertain to the patient. The
patients view of these circumstances is important so this all eventually
leads to patient valuethe benefits that a patient sees from a market
offering and the costs used to obtain these benefits. Patients are more
satisfied when the value is higher and benefits exceeded.
Therefore, when we think about marketing and the patient experi-
ence, all factors weigh heavily on value and differentiation. Value is the
benefit achieved by the patient. And, value can either be perceived or real.
For example, a perceived benefit is the perception that the patient has for
the doctor or the clinic. Cleveland and Mayo Clinic have a moniker for
being the best medical facilities in the world. A patient then perceives that
when he is ill, these are the only places to get healed (Figure 1.3).
Value
Benefits
Figure 1.3 The value criteria
In addition to perception there is a real value. The patient can see

the culture of the practice, they can build a relationship with the doctor
and staff, and they know the location is convenient. All of these are real
values and benefits that aid the patients experience. It is due to this value
that a patient visits, returns, and informs others.
Second, there is benefit or value in differentiation. The patients expe-
rience vis--vis marketing is based on how the physician and his practices
are different among the competition. Albeit many doctors do not think in
terms of marketing or competitionthey need to. Think for a moment
of the number of podiatrists, cardiologists, dentists, orthopedists, pedi-
atricians, oncologists, and endocrinologists all within a 10 to 15 mile
radius. I recall conducting research for a Saint Louis Missouri-based
firm and noticed that within 20 miles of a healthcare college there were
over 474 similar doctors! If you want to keep your practice busy, money
flowing in, and have a sustainable future, you must think in terms of
competition.
Differentiation is the value of the services you provide that stands
head and shoulder above all other physicians. For some these are real
services such as the equipment, diagnosis, and doctorpatient relations,
while others are implied such as culture, staff attitude, and office esthetics.
No matter what is chosen, your practice must think in terms of differenti-
ation. What do you do or what do you offer that many in the local com-
munity do not? Conversely, what do you do better or more insightfully
that other physicians dont? I suggest investing some time here because
the notion of being different and offering value all falls in line with the
patient value.
Developing relationships with patients is smart business. Why? It

lowers the cost of acquisition. There is no need to advertise. There is no
need to worry about referrals from primary care or insurance companies;
there is no need to worry. When doctors and staff develop relationships
that count, all patients become marketing avatars. Patients that develop
relationships with you and admire your practice inform the world. When
this occurs, the best marketing in the world happens. And, the practice
becomes a magnet for others seeking outstanding medical assistance.
Building relationships with patients simply makes good business
sense. Yet, it requires all in the practice to become exceedingly patient-
focused. If the patient has an issue with an invoice, office staff cannot
pawn the issue off to an insurance company. If the patient has a need
to question the doctor, office staff cannot simply take a message and
offer rote excuses for the doctors unavailability. When a patient needs
to make an appointment, staff should not be apathetic to the patients
issues by stating, The next date for the doctors schedule is 18 months
from now. And, if the patient calls to schedule an appointment, staff
cannot ignore the voicemail. The long-term relationship with the patient
and the lifetime value of the patients future is threatened unless all in the
organization are focusing on patient value. If the practice does not deliver
on the processes it states in advertisements, brochures, or other marketing
paraphernalia, the patient is able to visit any other physician in the area.
In other words, whenever the patient benefit is reducedbecause the
benefits of the services are decreased--the relationship is weakened.
With a practice that decides to adopt the marketing concept, every-
one winsthe patients and the practice. Everyone looks for ways to
explore and implement patient valuein fact, patients even offer sugges-
tions! When patients continually visit and they become marketing ava-
tars, there is little the practice needs to do but continue to do it. Ideology
becomes habit and patients continually return, bringing in new patients
with them. The practice becomes more profitable and continually builds
on the relationships with its patients. And, as the practice continues to
grow, the brand of the practice becomes more evident. (We will explore
this in another chapter; however suffice to say brand also increases the
patient value and practice profitability.) Following the marketing concept
for patient value is simply smart business (Figure 1.4).
Offer Mission
superior and vision
value
Satisfy Patient
patient value
needs statements
Marketing
Patient
to atract
avatars
patients
Patient Hiring
experience patient-
policies centered
staff
Figure 1.4 The patient satisfaction pathway
Marketing Strategy
In providing a proper marketing concept, we must have a proper mar-
keting strategy. Marketing strategy for any medical practice requires
becoming less tactical and more strategic in approach to the rationale for
conducting the practices marketing efforts. To help you better under-
stand marketing strategy, lets first start with a succinct review of strategy.
One of the most used and often abused terms in corporate and finan-
cial lexicon is the word strategy. Many organizations believe they are
strategic and operating at maximum efficiency. The issue with these firms
is that they act tactically. There is much ado about nothing. Operating a
practice without a strategy is analogous to traveling to a new destination
without a map or global positioning system.
Strategy is the what of the business. Strategy allows organizations
to set course and direction. Centuries ago as Columbus set sail, he did so
without proper navigational maps and understanding of the aquatic envi-
ronment. Imagine operating a practice similarly. The rationale of these
actions is to produce results. The inherent issue is focus.
However, most practices tend to work on the little things that do

not focus on strategy. Tactics allow organizations to see the playing field,
but only a clear strategy ensures success by being on the field. Therefore,
as you must understand the nature of strategy, embrace the changes it
brings, and set priorities that surpass the competition. Strategy becomes
the overarching force that maintains focus of the business. Strategy cre-
ates focus for two organizational virtues: (1) patient acquisition and
(2)patient retention.
I recall walking into a practice many years ago when the receptionist
did not greet me as I entered, and each member of the team wore some-
thing completely different. Phones continually rang, patients were stand-
ing everywhere and the doctor did not even greet me upon entry. As you
can imagine this is not a strategically run organization. The practice was
haphazard and things ran by a minute rather than strategically. Strategy
will fail when it sits on a shelf or there is simply a lack of it.
What is a strategy? There are a myriad of definitions and interpreta-
tions over the years. With research on this subject for over 25 years, the
best interpretation I have found is, a framework of choices that deter-
mine the nature and direction of an organization. Strategy is the reason
or purpose for the business. It becomes the state of consciousness for
establishing goals, patient value, shareholder value, purpose, direction,
and competitive position. Strategy also affects the mission, vision, and
values of the organization. These attributes establish priorities for talent,
culture, and patient acquisition.
When we speak of marketing strategy, we review the big picture of
what a practice will do in some market. There are two essential compo-
nents of a marketing strategy:
1. Target marketthis relates to the group or groups of individuals

whom a practice wishes to appeal.
2. Marketing mixthese are the vital components and variables for
how a practice appeals to the target group.
In order for the marketing strategy to work appropriately similar

to the discussion of the marketing concept, the patient must be in the
middle of all marketing variables. These variables include typically the
products or services offered to the target group, the place, or the location
where the services are provided, the price for the target group to achieve
these services, and then the manner in which firms promote the services
to gain the interest of the target group (Figure 1.5).
To help explain the illustration and the point of marketing strategy, it
is helpful to always consider that the patient is at the center of everything.
Therefore, even as a doctor ventures to begin or grow his services then
all activities must be centered with the target patient in mind. There are
four variables to marketing strategy that create the attraction and benefit
to the patient.
Product relates to the products and services the doctor will offer to the
target group. This can include, but not limited to, examinations, prescrip-
tions, patient portal access, cardiology examinations, oncology or blood
tests, and so on. Along with products and services are the features and
benefits the patients might touch, taste, feel, hear, and see along with any
branding or images. Physicians should think of product as those physical
aspects most appealing to the patient.
Place is concerned with the decisions in getting the services and prod-
ucts to the right patient. This can include the physical location of the
office to the manner in which patients can actually travel to the office.
In our contemporary society, this might also denote telehealth whereby
patients can reach or communicate to doctors by computer. Additionally,
Product
Promotion Patient Price
Place
Figure 1.5 Marketing mix for medical practices

place is also attributed to the intermediaries the doctor uses for their
services such as laboratories, MRI, and CATSCAN facilities as well as
insurance and other care.
The third variable, promotion, is concerned with telling the target
market or others about the products and services of the physician. Some-
times promotion is concerned with acquiring new patients and other
times it is concerned with retention. Promotion uses several elements,
which we will explore in another chapter, including advertising, promo-
tion, public relations, publicity, speaking, interviews, patient experience,
and many other facets to help draw the target closer to the practice.
Finally, price relates to the overall fees the physician must charge for
his or her services. Price to a certain extent equates at least for our pur-
poses to the patient value.
When we discuss these marketing variables, they do not exist in a
vacuum; they work harmoniously to ensure the patient obtains what they
desire. And, in order to develop and finally implement a proper mar-
keting strategy, all variables must be considered simultaneously for the
final marketing plan to work. Finally, all variables must always ensure the
patient is the focus of all of these variables.
It cannot be stressed enough that the marketing mix and the target
market are inter-related. Both portions of your marketing strategy must
be chosen at the same time. The mission, the vision, the values, and the
people must then all support this strategy to ensure focus, direction, and
intention.
Marketing is not an easy task especially for physicians that are trained
clinically to think very tactically. Yet, marketing is vital to every prac-
tice, clinic, urgent care facility, and yes even a hospital. In order for these
practices to exist, all must work on creating the proper relationships that
develop and implement the marketing strategy. For any physician sim-
ilar to any business, they must think in these terms; if marketing staff
do not get paid, utilities will not function and phones will not ring.
Marketing therefore is as much a fundamental part of society as it is for
any physician-run practice. When physicians better understand market-
ing concepts and become more strategic about marketing intentions,
they will see enhanced patient volume, more satisfied patients, and more
patient referrals. Those that think in terms of strategy, relationships, and

patient value will see more long-term sustainable practices.
Chapter 2 discovers how to become a better marketer by understand-
ing how to better create value and differentiation.
Resources to Help You

What is the target market for your overall marketing strategy?
What is the product or services you are providing to the patient? Define
the services in terms of value and benefit to the patient?
What is the strategy the practice intends on using?
What type of individuals do you intend on hiring to support the practice?
What methods will you develop and implement to help develop the
patient experience?
Reference
[1] Not All Doctors Giving up Private Practice. January 6, 2016.
Modern Healthcare. www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20130917/
BLOG/309179996
CHAPTER 2
Creating Value and

Differentiation
During his prime, rock legend Elton John was constantly castigated for
the type of costumes he wore onstage in the 1970s. In our time, the latest
rock legend Lady Gaga also seems to create level levels of controversy with
her styles of dress. However what is most notable is that both seek to be
contrary to the same ole same ole.
When marketing, you need to do something thats completely dif-
ferent than anybody else. After all what really separates one doctor from
another. There is an MD after their name, there is a name on the door,
and there is a front desk; beyond this, what is really different from one
to another? Marketing is similar to being at a rock concert; its not about
screaming louder, its about looking different so that the singer or star
recognizes you.
Too many doctors today sound just like their competitor. There is no
distinction and nothing that separates them from the competitor. Unless
youre sounding differently or doing something differently, no one will
notice. You need to be like Elton John or Lady Gaga to be noticeable. This
means that you must create promotional activities that enable awareness.
It also requires you to be so noticeably different that others speak about
you. This is the only way that marketing attraction can actually be built.
You might be thinking at this point what any of this has to do with
medicine? What were looking to do is help you to create the relationships
necessary so that people understand the value that you have. What Im
attempting to do here in this particular chapter is help you to stand head
and shoulder or even above the competition so that youre able to conduct
some type of attraction so that people come to you. Its too difficult in
todays world to try to find all of the relationships necessary to help build
your end of the practice. Therefore, my attempt in this particular chapter
is to get people attracted to you so that you make more money and reduce
your labor.
So What Do You Do That Is Different?

Building your practice is not about making money, but about creating
relationships and patients. The conversation with prospects should not
be about features, but rather the value from you and your service. Do
not focus on fees or anything else for that matter. If the discussion is not
about value, then you have surrendered control of the discussion and the
result will not be in your preferred terms. I recall a great quote from a
mentor, Alan Weiss, Language controls discussion, discussion controls
the relationship, and relationship controls the business.
When the conversation focuses on value, the prospect becomes
convinced of the knowledge you provide and desires a relationship with
you. Therefore, all discussions must focus on how working with your
organization produces returns for the patient with investment in time
and money.
At this particular point in time you might be asking yourself what is
this value that I keep talking about. Value is nothing more than what the
patient is going to receive from conducting business with you. One might
call it a benefit or in practical terms, one might say that its the return on
investment from conducting business with you. I have found over my
32-year tenure in consulting that too many people are transactional and
only looking for a quick transaction. Patients do not want us; they want
a trusting relationship with someone they can continually return to. If
you are not returning value then they will not return to you. Therefore
anything you do to help you to separate you from the pack is to always
discuss with the patient how they will benefit from conducting business
with you.
Utilizing this approach also requires that you become more proactive
in your daily activities. In order to market like a rock star and be heard
amongst the noisy competition, you must continually be looking out for
your patient. You should be researching diagnosis, constantly becoming
attuned to current events and news-related information in medicine.
And, you should be presenting medical and contemporary health facts
Creating Value and Differentiation 15
that perhaps your patient isnt aware of. Becoming more consultative
will make you a better asset to the patient and allow you to become a
trusting colleague. As stated earlier, patients want to trust you and build
a relationship with you and moreover continually conduct business with
you. So you might be asking yourself how do I begin a relationship and
what do I need to do apart from what you mentioned to help develop
value?
Marketing Mindset
It is certain that if you are like most doctors you have three big fears:
death, taxes, and public speaking. However, I would like to add one more:
marketing. Most doctors do not think about it, do not like to do it, and
would rather have someone else take care of this crucial responsibility.
Yet, if doctors are not keen to building business then there is no person to
treat. Ah yes the Catch 22. This is like saying which is more important,
the chicken or the egg.
With this in mind, doctors must have a marketing mindset. Yes,
your mind must alter from where you are today and shift toward busi-
ness development. Admittedly this is no easy task but it is imperative to
make the shift so that your practice operates from merely surviving to
thriving.
Think of it this way. Marketing is around you each and every day.
From the moment you awake until the moment you fall asleep, you are
immersed in marketing. You watch the news, open a box of Granola,
brush your teeth, and get dressed. Just that minimal time introduces
you to products and services delivered to you or purchased because
of marketing and its related activities. Marketing is required to bring
valuable products and services to you. After all, marketing is required
to produce the acquisition and retention of patients like you. Further,
marketing helps to provide you the products and services you want as
well as need.
None of these can happen unless you have a marketing mindset. What
is a marketing mindset? Mentioned earlier in the chapter, marketing is an
information exchange meant to establish relationships so that patients
(patients) understand value. Value in the marketing world, especially
for medical professionals, is the relationship and trust built around the
benefits of care and the sacrifice(s) necessary in order for the patient to
receive these benefits. Value is not about quality, priority, or anything
else other than a set of philosophical and psychological inferences that
create practice processes implementing patient satisfaction. And, in order
to establish the set of processes, marketing uses a series of activities to
institutionalize this philosophical attitude into the practice. Therefore,
marketing requires a new mindset or quality, setting expectations, value,
information, communication, feedback, idea exchange, and most impor-
tantly patient service.
A key aspect into the marketing mindset is to build relationships. Real-
istically we can say that you are in the medical profession but pragmati-
cally to grow a thriving practice, you are in the business of relationships.
To help nurture and grow your practice requires a daily involvement with
activities that bring you further into your local community so that your
practice grows. More important than advertising, the key to establishing
a practice based on value is relationship.
Better than average doctors will help to differentiate themselves by
creating relationships so as to build distinction with the prospective
patient. However there is a reason why prospect patients shop in certain
placesrelationship. We can argue that there are some services such as
laser, acupuncture, etc., that aid a practice because of their distinctive
products and services. Patients align products and services with a fee;
therefore, the value they associate is the exchange of the fee for the value
(benefit) received. Coincidentally this is the definition of selling, some-
thing discussed a bit later in this chapter. But suffice to say that the fee
is related to the tangible gain. Therefore these are commodities and they
pay a fee.
The doctor who is into relationships and creates a marketing mindset
is different. The best patients do not associate a relationship and trust with
a fee; it is incalculable. Relationships then are intrinsic and no amount of
money can be placed on the trust and respect, and prospective patients
would not dare place a fee on them. These relationships then become life-
long downplaying barriers of resistance while also creating more aware-
ness and brand for the doctor.
Placing Distinction in Your Marketing Mindset

To help you foster relationships, understand that personality and behav-
ior must also be part of your overall systems. For example I can take two
different doctors and place them into the same medical professionals pro-
gram. They attend the same classes, get the same grades, and even get the
same grade on the exam. However, their relationships with patients are
different based on their innate skills.
There is nothing better for growing a profitable practice then a trust-
ing patient who wants and needs your services. They believe in their heart
you will get them out of immediate pain and mitigate that issue from
returning. This is something not easily achieved by others and this rela-
tionship must be guarded similar to the Hope Diamond or Crown Jewels.
Arguing with patients, treating them poorly, not returning calls, anything
can sour a relationship that has taken years to build. Creating a mindset
is not only worth it, it is the must of your practice. When you develop
mindset of value, of relationship, and of desire, you build a wealth of
opportunities both now and in the future.
The Seven Laws of Building Relationships with a Marketing Mindset.
There are many who will suggest relationship building is based on
personality and behavior. In fact, social scientists for years offer droves
of research on how personality and behavior impact research. However,
there are other areas that affect the manner in which people interact.
More importantly, the following laws are concepts that must be at the top
of the mind as doctors seek to build trusting long-lasting relationships
with their prospective patients.
1. The Law of ValueValue has long been discussed in the market-

ing and business development world. With a wealth of competition,
patients seek value so as to mitigate time and expense in seeking
proper help. Value is the benefit that patients receive from the trust
and respect for service. In todays competitive market, value provides
intrinsic fees for services as well as the differentiation of services.
When doctors build value-based relationships, there is a strong
defense against most competitive pressures.
2. The Law of Constant ContactSocial media and software known as

Patient Relationship Management (PRM) allow a multitude of ways
to constantly remain in contact with present and former patients.
Although trite, out of sight, out of mind. There is too much com-
petition and the Internet makes it too easy to find another doctor
or way to ease back pain or stiffness. When you remain in constant
contact with your patients, you offer differentiation from the doctor
down the street but also remain top of mind when patients require
your services.
3. The Law of Testimonials and Case StudyWhile this chapter is
meant to help you with your business development, there are times
when contrary methods work better than conventional. Many phy-
sicians develop websites, blogs, Facebook pages, and so on. They
tell stories and facts related to medical professionals care. Many of
these are not only ubiquitous in tone but also very prescriptive and
do little for trust. Prospective patients desire to hear more of your
care. With that in mind, it is best to collect and integrate into your
marketing as many testimonials and case studies as possible. The
implications include former patients boasting your former efforts to
new patients who desire to know how you can help them. Addition-
ally, patients actually want to hear from others because the word of
mouth marketing helps to decrease barriers and build higher levels
of trust and respect.
4. The Law of Short-Term TransactionsIf you are like many, your
phone rings incessantly from cold callers who want to sell you goods
that you have little need for. Not only are these calls intrusive but
they are transactional. Each person on the call is only interested in
one thinggetting you to say yes to something before the end of
the call. Physicians cannot perform in this manner. Each interaction
from meeting at a networking event to perhaps the report of findings
builds the trust factor. Each discussion helps to continue discussion,
which develops the relationship to influence the business aspects.
The more doctors think of relationship continuance, the better it is
for long-term practice success.
5. The Law of AvailabilityMedical professionals is a service-based

business and most business in the United States is service. Yet how
many times do you as a patient make calls, leave voice mails, and
send emails, all to be ignored, forgotten, or downplayed by your
vendor. There are too many physicians or their staff who conduct
business similarly. Our mystery shops never cease to surprise our
business in the different ways patients are often ignored. Therefore,
be patient-service savvy. Ensure that all aspects of your practice
engage in this important art to help you retain your most vital asset.
6. The Law of CommunityAs you will note during the Marketing
Acceleration discussion, building community is a large factor for
patient value. When others in the community know you more, they
understand your practice, your methods, and your values and want
to know you better. The only way to ensure that others know of your
value is to get into the world and express it. Some of the best ways to
assist you here will be getting involved in local community activities
such as religious, athletic, and civic. Many of these take very little
time and money and will make you the Vicar of Value because of the
awareness such volunteerism brings. You might make contributions,
sponsor a local event, or even offer to mail envelopes or lick stamps.
No matter your involvement large or small, your stewardship will be
rewarding.
7. The Law of Recommended ResourcesPhysicians need not always
be the dictionary of answers. Being a valuable resource for additional
health and wellness information will make you more valued with
patients. They will honor the information you provide and appre-
ciate your concern for their welfare. This alone will create in you a
valuable asset.
Resources to Assist You

Building Practice Brand and Value
A good brand stands for just a few characteristicsattributes that people

are most likely to identify with.
To determine the attributes of your practice, ask at least four different

people from one of your key target audiences to choose three words that
best describe your organization. You may choose to interview patients,
staff, members, suppliers, or constituents. A partial list of brand attributes
includes:
Our Input on Brand Attributes
Circle those attributes that show up on at least two lists. What kind of
common traits do you see? Any surprises?
Dependable
Experienced
Mature
Innovative
Creative
High Integrity
Trustworthy
Family Oriented
Technically Adept
Politically Adept
Assertive
Team Oriented
Enthusiastic or Energetic
Nurturing
Freshness or Newness
Persuasive
Stable
Attention to Detail
Financially Astute
Environmentally Aware
Leading Edge
Strong Advocacy
Supportive
Reflection
What words can you develop or use when speaking to prospective clients
about your organization? How can these be used to help you develop your
brand?
As mentioned earlier, words drive emotion. Forget the thesaurus; search
the list to find the words that most vividly describe how your patients are
feeling before your service makes a difference in their lives. Next, check
out the second list to express the way your outcome will help them to feel.
Feelings When Your Needs Are Not Satisfied

AFRAID Apprehensive Dread Foreboding
Frightened Mistrustful Panicked Petrified
Scared Suspicious Terrified Wary
Worried ANNOYED Aggravated
Dismayed Disgruntled Displeased Exasperated
Frustrated Impatient Irritated Irked
ANGRY Enraged Furious
Incensed Indignant Irate Livid
Outraged Resentful AVERSION
Animosity Appalled Contempt Disgusted
Dislike Hate Horrified Hostile
Repulsed CONFUSED Ambivalent
Baffled Bewildered Dazed Hesitant
Lost Mystified Perplexed Puzzled
Torn DISCONNECTED Alienated
Aloof Apathetic Bored Cold
Detached Distant Distracted Indifferent
Numb Removed Uninterested Withdrawn
DISQUIET Agitated Alarmed
Discombobulated Disconcerted Disturbed Perturbed
(Continued)
(Continued)
Rattled Restless Shocked Startled
Surprised Troubled Turbulent Turmoil
Uncomfortable Uneasy Unnerved Unsettled
Upset EMBARRASSED Ashamed
Chagrined Flustered Guilty Mortified
Self-conscious FATIGUE Beat
Burnt out Depleted Exhausted Lethargic
Listless Sleepy Tired Weary
Worn out PAIN Agony
Anguished Bereaved Devastated Grief
Heartbroken Hurt Lonely Miserable
Regretful Remorseful
CHAPTER 3
The Importance of Target

Marketing
Brands and, more importantly, your practice cannot be built without
knowing whom to market to. Unfortunately when beginning a practice,
many doctors believe that (a) everyone knows of medical professionals,
(b) everyone needs medical professionals, and (c) everyone can afford
medical professionals. All are untrue. For any of your marketing needs to
be relevant requires a keen view on your perfect patient or rather directly
linking to your target market.
Target marketing is a concept that requires you to develop the prac-
tice with a specific niche. It is much better to go deep before you go
wide. First and most importantly when you develop a target, you hone
in on those that more specifically understand and appreciate your value.
Second, as these patients are treated, they tell others helping your name/
brand to flourish.
In thinking of how to build a target market, it is best to view the
world as one large pizza or dessert pie. One can never eat it in its entirety.
You cut a small piece depending on your hunger. Target marketing works
on similar lines. You want to first view the world in its entirety, and then
make decisions on that portion of the world that will appreciate the value
provided.
There are four methods to dividing the market, what I typically call
three girls and a boy, because three of the methods end with demographic
and one starts with a b. They are:
Geographic segmentationBased on location.

Demographic segmentationBased on measurable statistics,
age, race, sex, religion, and ethnicity.
Psychographic segmentationBased on lifestyle preferences
and their attitudes, interests, desires.
Benefit segmentationBased on values and beliefs as well as

desired benefits.
GeographicTo help you understand how to implement a
geographic segmentation requires you to know where you are
located and how far your patients will travel regionally to find
you. It is important that you know both zip codes or town-
ships and municipalities around you. It is also recommended
that you use services found online from either ZipSkinny.com
or the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Either of these services
provides details by zip code to assist you in formulating the
other areas required for your perfect patient.
Geographic variablesclimate, terrain, city size, popu-
lation density, and urban or rural areasalso influence

consumer product needs. Coincidentally, the U.S. Census
Bureau developed a system to classify metropolitan areas
(any area with a city or urbanized area with a population
of at least 50,000 and a total metropolitan population of at
least 1,00,000).
DemographicThe only method for helping you to define
whom you will market to is by thoroughly researching the
important statistical concepts found in the census data pulled
from your geographic areas. Demographics include statis-
tical information on age, race, religion, income, education,
marital status, family size, religion, gender, profession, etc.
For instance, you might only desire to work with women aged
35 and above who are professional singles with an income of
$85,000. This is the data that will help you hone in on your
proper profile.
Demographic characteristics that marketers commonly use
in segmenting markets include age, gender, race, ethnic-

ity, income, education, occupation, family size, family
life cycle, religion, and social class. Gender is another
demographic variable commonly used to segment markets,
including the markets for clothing, soft drinks, nonpre-
scription medications, toiletries, magazines, and even
cigarettes. Marketers also use race and ethnicity as variables
The Importance of Target Marketing 25
for segmenting markets for such products as food, music,

clothing, and cosmetics, and for services such as banking
and insurance. Marketers also use many other demographic
variables including education level and occupation.
PsychographicPsychographic profiling helps the practice
to identify those areas that are personal to the demographic.
This information places some personality behind those items
that patients value. If age identifies your patient mix, then
psychographics assist with limiting the practice based on those
lifestyle concepts patients most value. For example, you might
only desire to work with individuals that enjoy the benefits of
medical professionals.
Psychographic variables include:
Personality characteristics
MotivesIn other words, patient attributes are divided
according to their reasons for visiting a physician. For
example, personal appearance, affiliation, status, safety,
and health are examples of motives affecting the types
of products purchased and the choice of stores in which
they are bought.
Lifestyle segmentationLifestyle segmentation groups
individuals according to how they spend their time,
importance of things in their surroundings, beliefs about
themselves and broad issues, and some demographic
characteristics.
And finally, one of the more popular programs that stud-
ies lifestyle is conducted by the Stanford Research Insti-
tutes Value and Lifestyle Program (VALS), which classifies
consumers into eight basic groups based on psychological
characteristics that are correlated with purchase behav-
ior and four key demographics: innovators, thinkers,
achievers, experiencers, believers, strivers, makers, and
survivors.
BenefitThis concept allows the doctor to hone in on the
benefits of the service offerings. There are different audiences
for different perceived benefits. For example, many like to use
mouthwash for its cleanliness to the mouth but also because

it tastes good while also providing additional care to the teeth
not found in brushing. In the medical profession, it is not
just about keeping people out of pain, but proper posture,
better mobility, and flexibility as well as possible cures for
allergies. The effectiveness of benefit segmentation depends on
three conditions: (a) the benefits sought must be identifiable;
(b)marketers must be able to divide people into recognizable
segments; and (c) one or more of the resulting segments must
be accessible to the firms marketing efforts.
As physicians begin to view their markets more myopically, they begin

to view the practice from the eyes of the patient. As doctors hone closely
to the perfect patient, marketing becomes easier as there is a more acute
focus on their wants and needs. And, as the focus becomes more targeted,
the attraction, acceleration, advertising, and experience become easier.
Targeting helps the practice become more competitive, different, and
value-oriented.
Finally, depending on how long you want to be in practice, you
need to remember that demographics and interests change. The process
of target marketing is never static but one that requires constant review.
To ensure your success, it is always best to review trends, seek advice,
and listen to the interests of both prospective and current patients. The
longer you keep your ear to the ground, the longer you will be engaged in
markets that are interested in your value.
Patient Behavior
You have moved your business development to an entirely new level
with your focus on a target and on your audible messaging. However,
the work continues because it is critical to have a thorough knowledge
of patient behavior. This is the process of how your patients will make
decisions about choosing and using your services. Your knowledge in
this area will help you to understand what processes influence behavior
so that you can develop messages and tactics that are congruent with
those desires.
Realize that individuals make decisions based on two basic premises:

wants and needs. Not everyone wants a doctor but they might need one.
And not everyone needs a doctor but they might want one. Once we
consider whether the prospect wants or needs our services, we then must
determine the Dominant Acquisition Motivation. The Dominant Acqui-
sition Motivation defines why the patient wants or needs the service.
Although there are thousands of reasons why buyers make a purchase
decision, the most compelling motive ultimately will move the prospec-
tive patient from mere consideration to action. Dominant Acquisition
Motivation is that most compelling reason.
Suggested here is that doing business with the doctor and ultimately
the practice is merely psychological. Yes, all decisions for making service
acquisitions are based on some level of psychology. These include percep-
tion, motivation, beliefs, and attitudes. These factors have been items that
the patient has used over time to interact with the world and help them
formulate opinions on products, services, health, wellness, and doctors.
Unlike other issues that can influence the persons environment, psycho-
logical influences affect prospective patients interactions with the world.
The influences we speak of include items such as family influence,
traditions, beliefs, reference groups, culture, and even social class. The
manner in which you were reared by family and the lifestyle you matured
with impacted your perception about the world around you. Decisions
you make today, like your patients, are made based on the bias of your
surroundings, opinions, and influences of those around you. For exam-
ple, if you grew up in a home that influenced frugal behavior and an
attitude for saving, you might be less influenced by particular brands and
place a higher value on price. Or if your background placed emphasis on
certain foods, you might be more ordained to practicing a vegetarian diet.
Knowing these things will help you to understand what will attract others
to you and what distracts them.
Additionally, there is also some level of psychological need that
accompanies consumer behavior. If you recall when you attended under-
graduate school, you may have been caught studying the social scientist
Abraham Maslow.
One of the best-known theories explaining the actions of people,
their motivations and desire is called Hierarchy of Needs. Dr. Maslow
hypothesized that people are satisfied, based on the attainment of each level
of the lowest order. As the individuals reached another level, their needs are
met, thereby raising the individuals progress to higher-level motivators.
Maslow set up a hierarchical theory of needs. The animal or physical
needs were placed at the bottom, and the human needs at the top. This
hierarchic theory can be seen as a pyramid, with the base occupied by
people who are not focused on values, but just staying alive. A person
who is starving dreams about food, thinks about food, and nothing else.
Each level of the pyramid is somewhat dependent on the previous level
for most people.
Dr. Maslows theory for patient behavior:
1. Physiological needs. Biological needs such as oxygen, food, water,

warmth or coolness, protection from storms, and so forth. These
needs are the strongest because if deprived, the person could or
would die. This is where marketers will illustrate runners that drink
sports drinks for refreshment or ads that illustrate food to satisfy
hunger. Physicians might hone in on water to hydrate the body and
muscles as well as nutricuticals to satisfy protection on the body.
2. Safety needs. Felt by adults during emergencies, periods of disorga-
nization in the social structure (such as widespread rioting). This is a
great place for physicians to illustrate the need to review X-rays and
screen to search for signs of certain bone, tissue, or cancers.
3. Love, affection, and belongingness needs. The needs to escape lone-
liness and alienation and give (and receive) love, affection, and the
sense of belonging. This is where physicians can aid individuals with
posture and wellness programs to aid with not only their overall well-
ness but when patients feel better they are more confident and will
be more accepted by those around them.
4. Esteem needs. Need for a stable, firmly based, high level of self-respect,
and respect from others in order to feel satisfied, self-confident, and
valuable. If these needs are not met, the person feels inferior, weak,
helpless, and worthless. This is where many will appeal to certain
brands because of the value and esteem they represent. Examples
here include Mont Blanc or Mercedes but this can also be used with
certain doctors that carry a stigma because of their therapies and

those they use them, celebrities for instance.
5. Self-actualization needs. Maslow describes self-actualization as an
ongoing process. Self-actualization is something that all want to
reach but many rarely do. It is an ongoing process and many market-
ers need to focus here so that the service brings out the best in every
individual in the practice.
Many patients today are motivated primarily by social, ego, and

self-actualizing needs. Everyone needs to be loved, to be accepted, and to
belong. Individuals join social, religious, fraternal, and educational orga-
nizations to fulfill this psychological need.
As we know, patients strive to reach higher and higher levels of the
pyramid. Physicians need not identify the hot buttons that will create
emotion, and most importantly action to use the doctor. You see psychol-
ogy with all the other factors combined help to create emotion and it is
this behavior that gets patients to act.
Gaining a better understanding of patient behavior will enable the
doctor to hone in on those needs to help make a decision on medical
professional services. When you understand the collective nature of values
and beliefs and how they influence behavior and decisions, you can create
marketing messages congruent with those beliefs so that the prospective
patient will make decisions in less time.
Finally, there are two other factors that are discussed at length later
in this book but create additional assistance on influencing patient deci-
sions. First there is a wonderful resource known as InfluenceThe Laws
of Persuasion by Dr. Robert Cialdini. He discloses seven laws that he
believes helps to influence how individuals make decisions. His laws will
aid you in developing proper messages that influence decision making
and help to discredit any buyers remorse. Second, never discredit the role
of customer service in the patient behavior process. In todays competitive
market, patient-to-patient influences are very strong. Patients seek out
advice from other patients that have used your services. They want to
understand the benefits from the eyes of another patient and not doctoral
propaganda. Third, in addition to customer service, the blogosphere and
the Internet is incredible about passing around good and bad information
on your practice. Fortunately and unfortunately, your practice is as good

or poor as the last Tweet, Facebook comment, or email. All of these influ-
ence decision making and they are critical to ensuring how the patients
will be attracted to your service.
Lets first examine the steps in developing a target marketing solution.
1. Select a market or service for the category.

2. Choose a basis for segmenting the marketthis step requires
some insight, creativity, and market knowledge such as pediatric or
geriatric.
3. Select segmentation descriptors such as age, income, education,
profession, and so on.
4. Profile and analyze the segmentsthese include items such as size,
growth, stagnation, brand, and competitive loyalty such as a certain
hospital or clinic.
5. Select target markets.
6. Design, implement, and maintain appropriate marketing mixes
these are known as the four ps that were discussed in the first chapter.
For additional assistance in understanding the depth of data for a

target market, visit http://geography.about.com/od/obtainpopulation-
data/a/claritas.htm. By visiting the You Are Where You Live site on
the page, you can enter in a zip code and discover the top five clusters for
that area. For example, by typing in the zip code 90210 for Beverly Hills,
California, we discover that the clusters Blue Blood Estates, Bohemian
Mix, Money and Brains, Movers and Shakers, and the aforementioned
Upper Crust are the most common for that zip code.
This will be very helpful to you with understanding the data and
the aggregation of information needed to begin to develop your target
market. When you begin to segment your market and really understand
your potential market opportunities, you will be better able to develop
and send the appropriate messages so that the market hears about your
name and your brand. Therefore, once you have achieved this research,
you will be able to develop the right message and that is what we will
uncover in Chapter 4.
CHAPTER 4
Learning to Articulate Value

with a Proper Message
I work with many doctors and practice managers. When I ask them what
they do, they immediately rush into their title. Each states, I am the
office manager, I am a doctor, etc. If I were a patient and heard this,
Iwould immediately state, So what?
During a recent networking event, the new members were introduced
to the audience. When each spoke, not one person stated what they did or
why members might be interested. Rather each introduced themselves in
the typical stereotype of name, profession, and company name. It is long,
boring, and not valuable.
As I mentioned earlier, you need to think in terms of value and dif-
ferentiation. When you position yourself as different, you heighten your
awareness to the community. The idea here is to begin to think of yourself
as separating from the market so that while there is much competition,
you can rise above it to attract more attention to your practice. Position-
ing is a method of defining for the market how you want them to think
of you and how to communicate a message wherein prospective patients
will pay attention. Positioning is very helpful when competition is very
similar such as medical professionals and you are seeking methods and
messages to illustrate differences. For example, many people think there
are few differences in physicians, similar to how they believe there are
little differences with insurance. But we all know that there are subtle as
well as flagrant differences.
Attempting to determine what prospective patients think is not easy.
More importantly, positioning requires that you think like a patient and
not a doctor. This is vital to success for two reasons: (1) it is necessary
for you to think in terms of benefits and results to the patient, and (2)it
requires you to not be prescriptive, for example, using the therapies to
aid their issue. Lay language is more helpful rather than using words,
mnemonics, and phrases prospective patients are unfamiliar with and
will not stop to understand. Therefore you must think very hard about
the benefits you offer to prospective patients and the way in which they
are offered. The essence of this exercise will enable you to create what
is known as an audible message or value proposition so as to accurately
articulate your message to future and current patients.
So what then is a value proposition or audible message and why is it
important? A value proposition is a pithy statement that promotes the
practice to patients using outcome and results. This brief statement helps
to define the benefit(s) that a patient receives from working with you.
It is outcome-based and focuses all attention on outcomes, not process,
method, or anything further. Most importantly, it removes the stereotype
and titles from introductions, conversations, and marketing messages.
Most practices and their doctors lack a useful value proposition.
Research illustrates that many firms (93 percent) focus on process and
not patient outcomes. In other words, ask any practice what they do and
they explain the prescriptive side and fail to discuss the benefits offered.
Examples include:
We provide flexibility training.

Our assessments assist with obesity identification.
We provide X-rays and screening services.
Our model incorporates supplements and nutritional analysis.
These are not value propositions. While they indicate information

about the practice, they do nothing else but focus on the practice and its
mitigations. The entire purpose of a value proposition is to focus on sole
benefit to the patient.
The reason for having an audible message or value proposition is
because there is way too much noise in the market.
Everywhere we turn, were saturated with advertising messages

trying to get our attention. Walker-Smith (president of the Mar-
keting Firm Yankelovich) says weve gone from being exposed to
about 500 ads a day back in the 1970s to as many as 5,000 a day
today. (Smith n.d.)
Learning to Articulate Value with a Proper Message 33
Think of this example: you attend a music concert and like most indi-
viduals you might shout in jubilation for the star. The same might be said
at any athletic competition. However, you and your peers are screaming
and you hope that your star notices you, but no such luck. That is market-
ing in todays competitive world: loud, obnoxiously inaudible, and non-
distinguishable. Value propositions and audible messages cut through all
this clutter and noise and make prospective patients listen to you.
Be mindful, this is not an elevator speech. The value proposition suc-
cinctly addresses the patients concern. And the value proposition helps to
articulate the brand. A perfect example is FedExabsolutely guaranteed
to be there overnight. It is not only one of the most powerful value prop-
ositions in the world but also one of the best brands.
There are other reasons for writing a value proposition:
Distinguishes you from the competition.

Distinguishes you and the organization in distinctive markets.
Provides a better source of lead generation.
Accomplishes quicker time to market.
Enables you to expediently get in front those needing your
services.
Here is an example to develop a value proposition:
1. A poor value proposition:

We help create a fit individual.
2. A good value proposition:
We have a seven-step program for better abdominals.
3. A great value proposition:
We dramatically accelerate results that match your individual
fitness desires.
The concept for developing a statement is not difficult to achieve yet

takes patience. It is vital to look at practices from the patients eyes. The
best way to begin is to ask yourself some questions such as:
1. What does your practice do that from a benefit and results perspec-
tive stands head and shoulders above any competitive pressure?
2. What results do patients achieve with you?

3. What is the practice extremely passionate for in meeting patients
needs?
4. What are your core values that provide results to patients?
5. How does the practice minimize patient risk and provide a return for
them in time, health, money, and wellness?
These are only a few of the many questions that can be asked to begin
crafting a message. Do not expect to obtain a statement overnight yet do
not belabor it either. However, if you desire better results for your mar-
keting efforts, it is best to begin with asking questions focused on patient
value. If you cannot gain the answers, the best source is your patients!
Testimonials and case studies are great examples. Take their statements
and simply develop them into benefit-based sentences.
It is important to understand that no magic formula exists for the cre-
ation of a value proposition. You might include what you do differently
from your competition. Craft a new message, speak of value and results,
and watch the gap widen.
Consider the following to help craft your audible message.
Answer the following questions specifically but succinctly.
1. What is unique about the brand and your offering? Write this down.
In addition, write down the first thing that comes to mind when others
want to know what you do. However, return to the previous sections to
help develop statements based on patients needs and perceived value.
2. What do you do that is different from competitors? Write it down as
succinctly as possible. Use adjectives and adverbs when possible.
3. What is the best choice for your optimum patient? What is the output or
results to the patient? How is the patients repute improved? Look at the
master list of words in the appendix. What words can you incorporate
into your current value sentence?
Examples include:
Dramatic
Accelerate
Speed to market
Learning to Articulate Value with a Proper Message 35
Expediency
Proficiency
Compliant
Finally, assuming you have correctly identified the target market and then
you have articulated the issues and the possible solutions you provide, place
your best effort in the areas of the small box provided. This will allow you to
formulate a sentence that will create your audible message. I have provided
you the definitions first, another table with a sample, and then a blank table
for you to complete.
Descriptions
Place here your target market in a descriptive form such as I work with
Target audience
men and women aged 40 to 54 that XXX
Issues they face What is it that patients face?
Point of difference
What is the differentiation that you provide?
(Outcome)
Sample
I work with men and women aged 35 to 50 that are professional
Target audience
business individuals
Who suffer like crazy because they work long hours and in
Issues they face
environments that are very stressful.
Point of difference We offer an eight-step process that dramatically refocuses energy so that
(Outcome) they become more mobile and carry less stress in less than 21 days!
Now it is time for you to give it a try!

Target audience
Issues they face
Point of difference
(Outcome)
Target audience
Issues they face
Point of difference
(Outcome)
Resources to Help You

Complete the tables and exercises provided above. Should you desire
some assistance in writing and formulating a more concise statement,
e-mail Dr. Drew at drew@drew-stevens.com. Use the subject header of
Value Statement for Doctors help and allow him 48 hours to respond.
You will have an answer as soon as he is able to provide one for you.
Once you have your message, it will then be time to begin to send
these messages to your target group for the purposes of getting the market
to know you. In Chapter 5, we quickly show you some of the very tools
you can use to help develop your marketing message through a myriad of
marketing channels.
Reference
Smith, J.W. n.d. The Myth of 5,000 Ads|Choice Behavior Insights at Hill
HollidayWe Study How People Make Choices, and How Advertising
Influences the Choices They Make. Hill Holliday, Web. 25 July, 2016.
http://cbi.hhcc.com/writing/the-myth-of-5000-ads/
CHAPTER 5
Integrated Marketing
Conveying the Message
Todays markets are very cluttered and very competitive. Advertising alone
in the United States makes up almost $300 billion in revenues for adver-
tising agencies and periodicals. That means while many physicians believe
that advertising is the de facto standard for promoting the business, it
actually is not available for your interests but to gain the most revenue
possible for magazines, newspapers, television stations, and so on. Fur-
ther, the more your practice advertises, the more your competitors adver-
tise too. This only floods the market and confuses prospective patients.
What is needed today is a multilayered approach to gaining the atten-
tion of those who might be interested in your services. With so many
things in their way such as billboards, placards, magazine ads, television
commercials, radio commercials, text messaging, cell phonesneed I
say morepatients are on overload. Advertising research tends to show
that the average (patient) consumer has an attention span of 7 seconds.
Can you imagine 7 seconds to capture the attention of your prospective
patient? That is not much time.
What all this means to you is that your practice approach must have
its hands in numerous activities so that no matter wherever, whatever,
and however a patient needs to see your servicesthey can! The c oncept
known as Integrated Marketing Communications is nothing more than a
multitier, multilayered approach to communicating your brand. In other
words, you need to ensure your multiple messages create attention-getting
attraction to you. The more you engage in this concept, the more atten-
tion you will capture, ensuring that patients connect with you and not
the other way around. What is more interesting is that the more activities
that are created, there is less labor for the practice, because the marketing
perpetuates the market creating exponential growth.
The immediate fallback position for most doctors, in fact most indi-
viduals, is that marketing is simply advertising. This is far from the truth.
Take for example this phrase, What happens here Now complete the
sentence. You know that I am exemplifying Las Vegas. The reason being
that the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Center (LVCVC) in 2002
took on a new venture to become competitive. In doing so, the LVCVC
used a variety of channels to get this message to you. The Center used
print advertising in major periodicals and journals such as airline maga-
zines. There were television advertisements during prime time and then
there was the development of a website and eventually multiple websites.
Currently with the infusion of social media and attraction of video, the
LVCVC is now engaged in multiple social media channels to help extend
its brand to ensure all 7 billion people in the world can complete the same
sentence.
Integrated marketing communications calls for a big picture
approach to planning, marketing, and promotion programs, and coordi-
nating various communication functions. With an integrated approach,
all the medical practices marketing must project a consistent and unified
image to the marketplace.
At this juncture, you are asking how does this affect a medical practice
and more importantly how can integrated marketing be used to in the
medical field? This is very easy. Simply create a message similar to what
we developed in Chapter 4 and use these words or a combination thereof
in any and all marketing. Think in terms of memorable promotions such
as the Las Vegas slogan What Happens Here Stays Here or similar to
CokeCoke is it! All marketing must be consistent. Once you have the
message, then it is a matter of developing some activities to assist you in
getting your practice known.
I am providing a quick graphic below to help you understand some
of the methods that you might use and then I describe a few of them
(Figure 5.1).
The following list of activities is not mutually exclusively. Sometimes
it is hard to use all instruments simultaneously. That said, choose those
that are congruent with your interests and those that can appeal instantly
to your patients. They are presented here in no chronological order.
Integrated MarketingConveying the Message 39
Sales
Advertise- promotions Videos
Presentations ments Podcasts
to Radio
Presentations prospects
shows
Television
at industry
conference interviews
Radio
Website
interviews
Blog Book
Alliances Booklet
Articles Direct mail
Seminars Email
Newsletters Prospect Assessment
Figure 5.1 Integrated marketing
1. Speaking. One of the best methods to introduce your expertise is

to tell others about what you do. Rotarys, Kiwanis, and Chambers
of Commerce are constantly in need of experts. Contact these prac-
tices or others to discuss content to enlighten their members. Par-
ticipants are attracted by new and interesting content. There is a
reason why Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are chronic keynote speakers
and their brands continually manifest. You might speak at a local
ladies auxiliary or a youth fitness class. Choose avenues where your
patients will be.
2. Writing articles. There are more newspapers in circulation today than
ever before. There is a multitude of newsletters, websites, regional
business magazines, and local newspapers starving for decent mate-
rial. Articles need not be more than 500 to 1,000 words. With good
content and a solid byline, your message can be in the hands of hun-
dreds or thousands. All individuals have something to offer and peri-
odicals are always searching for content. Every practice and doctor is
an expert in his or her respective business.
3. Website. The proliferation of the Internet allows others to discover
your content and determine your value. Fees are inconsequential
and the business world requires a website to denote your sincerity to
patients. With over 300 million websites today, there is a need to be
with the competition and patients expect you to have one. Patients
research you before they call or contact. In fact, research for this area
illustrates that Google searches top over 4.7 billion in any particular
week. The Internet today is yesterdays Yellow Pages.
4. Blogs. Similar to articles, having a blog serves two purposes:
(1) remaining in constant contact with current subscribers
(2)enabling you to reach new patients at relatively no cost. The dif-
ference from articles is immediacy of availability and frequency of
your content. Proctor and Gamble has a blog; its penetration helps
to reach over 1 million people daily, and the feedback has been suc-
cessful in creating new products and services. Blogs allow you to
provide your expertise in a particular area and get your knowledge
out in the market to those that seek it.
5. Lunch and learns. These concise information sessions last no lon-
ger than 30 minutes during a corporate luncheon and feature your
content. Benefits are a live audience, interested attendees, and low
cost of acquisition. The intent is not only delivery but also possible
business from attendees. Many fitness professionals, insurance, and
service practices use these successful ventures. Research companies
around your region that would be interested in gaining some insight
into health, wellness, and other areas of corrective health. Have them
bring a sack lunch and you speak for a short time on some health
topic of interest to them.
6. Booklets. Typically focused on one topic, these small content-rich
pieces feature your advice on one particular topic, that is, nutrition.
Booklets can be used for potential patients as handouts or products
to be sold at special events. Booklets are low-cost and can be pro-
duced at a local printer. These take just a few moments to develop
and provide tremendous free value.
7. Products. When patients become enamored with your content, your
style, and most importantly your results, they want you! Products
such as CDs, DVDs, books, booklets, hooded sweatshirts, and so on,
make great passive income.
8. Networking. Chambers and associations exist for a valid rea-
son. When others become aware of your service and if using your
value proposition, they desire more information. Recall individuals
Integrated MarketingConveying the Message 41
c onducting business with those they know and trust. Local commu-
nities are tremendous ways and build quick relationships.
9. Cause marketing. With the increased focus of ethics and social respon-
sibility, many practices give back to the community while teaming
with nonprofits. Teaming with a practice that seeks similar goals
as yours alleviates marketing costs. One of the best cause marketing
campaigns is the Susan G. Komen practice. Beginning in the early
1990s, this nonprofit collaborated with numerous corporate entities
and became the pre-eminent donor of breast cancer awareness.
10. Trade shows. Trade associations and exhibition are terrific methods
to express brand. Trade shows require effort, focus, and a myriad of
issues if not worked properly. However, these exhibitions are great
methods for meeting new patients, and maintaining contact with
existing ones. However, do not enter a trade show without a proper
game plan and key performance indicators.
11. Pro bono work. What committees can you work on or what asso-
ciations do you know of in need of your passions and talents? This
type of work gets you very involved in your community and creates
the visibility required of potential patients. Other than time, there is
minimal expense to you and much return on investment.
12. Referrals. The sweetest sound any doctor can hear are the encour-
aging words from existing patients who know and appreciate your
value. When requested in multiples, there is never a need to advertise
and promote again since your current base informs the world of your
great results!
13. Newsletters. Printed monthly or quarterly and sent to existing and
possibly prospective patients, this information-packed value must be
easy to read and full of great tactics patients can instantly use. Pro-
vide good intellectual property so that people become interested in
waiting for the next edition.
14. Teaching. Education is everywhere. From online to community cen-
ters association and universities, all are constantly seeking subject
matter experts to present data to students. Teaching allows you to
manifest your brand, to put you in front of an audience of poten-
tial patients, and the opportunity to research information for future
hourly presentations.
15. Alliances. There are many people that honor and believe in medical
professionals but you may not have met them. This includes anyone
from medical practitioners to physical therapists, coaches, and beau-
ticians, even attorneys that handle personal injury. Take the time to
meet as many as possible to help grow your brand above and beyond
your own capabilities.
16. Sponsorships. Different from advertising and passive listings such as
directories and Yellow Pages, sponsorships get your brand in front
of very targeted audiences such as runners, bikers, cancer survivors,
and so on. Find organizations that can appreciate and help you get
your name in front of those who need it.
The market today requires you to be visible; that is how people know
of you and use your services. When you are invisible, you are ghostly and
hidden. When you use the power of integrated marketing communica-
tions, you create duplicity of channels to manifest your brand. Exploit as
many channels as possible to grow your brand, create noise, and attract
future markets to you.
Just like any athlete who wants to see the signs of their success, they
must get out of the stands and get into the field of play. Marketing requires
a consistent stream of activities that allows your practice to remain top of
mind. When your actions speak for themselves, your brand proliferates
and creates better opportunity for others to know about you.
What many doctors fail to do from time to time is organize the day
and set priorities to ensure that all work is monitored. What is important
is what gets measured gets repeated, so there needs to be assurance that
you are monitoring activities to ensure your success. What follows is a
quick table for you to fill in the areas for each activity you intend to con-
duct weekly and the day you intend on doing it. This will allow you to
understand where your leads are coming into the pipeline and where your
new patients are coming from.
CHAPTER 6
Patient Loyalty for Referrals

One of the key influencers for any practice is the number of referrals
obtained from patients. Referrals are the hallmark to every successful
practice because they provide testimonials from happy patients. Patients
referring you to their friends, colleagues, and peers is the ultimate sign of
trust and respect; the biggest compliment that any one patient can pro-
vide to a practice is a referral.
The chief concern about referrals is how well you build patient relation-
ships. Practice development today is achieved with a considerable focus
on value and patient deliverables. In our competitive society, patient-to-
patient influences are exceedingly strong. Patients today demand relation-
ships. They consider an investment in practices more important than the
service. What needs to be understood is that we are in a service-based
economy. With that in mind, it is imperative that considerable focus be
placed on patient relationships. This is consistent with many of the theo-
ries of this book. As mentioned previously, the purpose of any practice is
to acquire and retain patients. When retention rates are high, patients are
more apt to tell others of the value they receive from your practice.
Referrals are linked to patient loyalty. And patients are inextricably
linked to practice value. As loyalty grows among your patient base, so
does the number of referrals. Referrals assist with numerous economic
conditions at practices. First, revenues and market share always grow
when great patients are continually swept into existing practices. This
helps repeat sales and increases the number of referrals a practice obtains.
Second, it has been well researched that continuous referrals and patient
influences positively affect marketing expenses. As enamored and
referred patients increase, marketing costs decrease. And finally, patient-
to-patient influences help with employee morale and job satisfaction.
As practices continue to create patient culture, staff feels better about
servicing them.
Case Study
Charlie had been in practice for five years and was concerned about mar-
keting and advertising costs. After reading a periodical article on refer-
rals, he decided to begin the process. Having followed the example of a
copier representative from years before, he was able to build a significant
income in just a few short months. Rather than solicit one referral from
a patient, Charlie thought it best to ask for multiples. He asked each of
his 120 patients for four referrals. He asked for 10 months and had well
over 3,200 referrals before year-end. Even if he had closed 2 percent of his
practice, he still had more opportunities than he would have had if he had
chosen traditional marketing routes.
Why Are Referrals So Vital?

Many practices dismiss referrals. Because doctors and other practice pro-
fessionals are so busy, they often forget to ask for them. However, referrals
decrease marketing costs while increasing lead generation possibilities. As
noted in the case study above, it is easy to obtain names of individu-
als who might need your value based upon the admiration of current
patients.
Current patients understand value. They see how your practice is able
to meet objectives and align with their values. Patients are able to measure
the return on investment from having done business with you. While
marketing propaganda is typically useful in producing case studies and
analysis, nothing is more influential than a current or former patient who
speaks highly of your products and services.
We currently live in a world where patient-to-patient influences are
extremely vital. It was only 10 to 15 years ago when patients needing
products or services researched using the Yellow Pages. Today, patients
typically use the Internet and search engines such as Google to find infor-
mation about required products and services. They typically seek counsel
from friends, colleagues, and peers who have done business with needed
vendors. The rationale here is that patients want to immediately trust
those whom you trust. For example, if your parent or immediate family
Patient Loyalty for Referrals 45
member were ill, would it be more useful to look up a physician in the

Yellow Pages, conduct an Internet search, or simply call someone you
trust? In addition, with the increased use of social networks, patients are
speaking positively and negatively about vendors they have done practice
with in a way that reaches a large audience quickly.
Dispelling the Myths of Referrals

Many doctors believe that they do not have enough time to obtain refer-
rals. This could not be further from the truth. If patients are happy doing
business with you, they are more apt to give you a referral. All you must
do is ask. Later in this chapter, I will provide you with the tools necessary
to help you ask for those referrals. For now, just remember that if you
want a referral, you need to ask.
Second, there are those who believe that, if you do a good job, a
patient is more than likely to provide you with referrals. This is not so.
If you want a referral, you need to ask. Never make an assumption in
practice for which you truly do not know the answer. The only way for a
patient to provide you with a referral is for them to see the value and for
you to ask for it.
Third, there are some individuals who believe that referrals lead to the
abyss. In other words, there is no correlation to future practice success
from referrals. That may or may not be true. If you do not get a referral, it
might simply mean that the patient does not see your value.
Fourth, many individuals believe that getting referrals is easy. This
also is false. Referrals are obtained only when a present or former patient
truly understands the value that you provide and promotes that to others.
Referrals are not an easy practice; they are merely a gateway to newer
opportunities. Using referrals circumvents your need to spend obscene
amounts of money on marketing and advertising to obtain leads.
Finally, there are some individuals who believe that, in order to obtain
many referrals, they need to spend all of their time generating them. The
concepts promoted in this book are meant to decrease labor, not increase
it. With that in mind, there are many ways to increase the number of
referrals obtained without increasing labor.
When to Ask for a Referral

One of the biggest mistakes when trying to obtain a referral is deciding
on when. Most doctors typically wait for the conclusion of appointments
before even asking the prospect. Its as if the doctor were skeptical about
receiving one. Or, that the doctor does not want to intrude. There is a
simple fact: if you want revenue for the practice, you need to ask for it.
Those who are passive do not get what they seek. Those who are more
proactive will get what they want every time.
Proactivity means asking the patient for a referral at the moment of
value impact. Value impact is that moment when the patient understands
the value that you provide and is ready and willing to promote your
practice. Understand whether the patient sees the return on investment
from your value. Waiting until after contract signature, invoicing, or any
other time provides too much cognitive dissonance. This is the time when
patients think negatively about the practice and might want to change
their mind. The best time to ask is precisely when the patient feels their
best about you and your practice.
Networking for Lead Generation

There are two methodologies for developing referrals: (1) asking current
patients; and (2) networking to achieve a larger patient base. Every doctor
must spend significant time acquiring leads through networking. Net-
working is simply another marketing technique that assists you with the
acquisition of new individuals. It is less costly, less labor intensive, and
easier to obtain from those who know the value you provide. However,
networking is not to be taken lightly; it is a proactive activity.
For example, I am almost certain that you have attended a recent
networking activity. Picture this: 40 or 50 people in a very large hotel
meeting room or other facility. As you look through the crowd, you see
microcosms of groups of 3 to 6 people. As you scan the room, you see
4 to 10 individuals either sitting alone at a table or against the wall with
their drink. The latter are known as wallflowers. The latter are those who
constantly react. The latter are those who subsist in their offices, beg-
ging for business. These individuals will never get referrals by sitting with
themselves. That is why I suggest that networking is proactive.
Networking requires individuals to remove themselves from their

comfort zone and visit community and regional events to meet those that
require the value your practice provides. The more people you meet, the
more possibilities you have to extend your circle of influence. I recently
read What Would Google Do? by Jeff Jarvis. Google created community
with its search engine prowess. We see much of this with the proliferation
of social media. As more people get connected on the Internet, there are
more opportunities to create community. Networking is all about cre-
ating community. The more individuals you meet, the larger your com-
munity, the larger your circle of influence, and the greater possibilities of
getting referrals.
A typical concern for you might be where to find the best places to
network. I often suggest looking first within your local community. Some
of the best places are chambers of commerce, Rotary clubs, civic practices,
fraternal organizations, and houses of worship. There are many different
functions that one might attend so that those in the immediate commu-
nity can understand the value you provide.
In addition to those in your immediate location are regional associ-
ation meetings. Today, the best place to seek out these practices would
be the Internet. Conduct a quick search using keywords for your indus-
try, your competition, or even your company. You might also ask your
patients and peer group for their suggestions.
Networking and referral building are key components of your prac-
tice. However, much like there are wallflowers, there are professional net-
workers. I suggest attending only one to two events per month so that
your practice is not seriously affected. Networking is great for education
in addition to other benefits. Yet it is time consuming, and you must be
cognizant of both travel and meeting time to leverage the best possibilities
for your practice.
What to Say After Hello

Earlier in the chapter, I mentioned that you should discover the right
words to say when presented with a referral opportunity. I suggest using
the following wording verbatim, or practicing a similar vocabulary until
you feel comfortable enough with a patient. It is best to be comfortable
yet confident so that you get the desired reward.
Dear Mr./Mrs. _________________________,

Todays competitive economy presents a myriad of challenges to
practice growth. However, as you know, the bedrock of every practice is
the admiration and support from patients like you. Our practice is built
on the foundation of patients who appreciate the value that we provide.
Iwould like to ask you for the names of three to five friends, colleagues, or
peers who might need someone to assist them with health and wellness.
I would like the opportunity to call you in the next few days to obtain
these names so that I can continue to build my practice and foster new
relationships similar to ours.
I thank you so much in advance and look forward to speaking with
you.
This model illustrates three vital components:
1. the value of your existing relationship,

2. the importance of the continued relationship, and
3. the appreciation of your value and how it can be perceived by others.
Patients who feel so strongly about the relationship and value will be
more than happy to provide you with the names of others who can extend
the loyalty and admiration. Remember, you must be confident and articu-
late clearly yet succinctly what you seek. I also suggest not beating around
the bush. Make the statement, pause, and then listen intently. Allow your
patient time to process the request to consider how to assist you.
One final point. Do not end the conversation without having received
what you seek. Allowing too much time between the initial request and
its conclusion will create dissonance. And in todays busy world, you may
not get another opportunity to ask a similar request.
The 25 30 50 Rules
I often suggest the 25 30 50 method. This simple concept assures
that you remain in constant contact with your most important patients.
The increased communication with your top-tier patients generates more
frequent referral opportunities. The crux is to remain in constant com-
munication with your top patients once every 30 days. Available resources
include e-mails, newsletters, tip sheets, telephone calls, and even a direct
visit. The importance here is to communicate once every 30 days. As the
saying goes, Out of sight is out of mind. The world is too competitive
today to not communicate.
Depending on the communication mode, you might invest no more
than $50 per patient. When a patient provides you with referral opportu-
nities, you might provide gift cards, a meal, or even a nice bottle of wine.
The point here is to be grateful. Thankfulness is proper for receipt of a
new prospect.
Patient Service: The Referral Finder

Referral building depends on value, and the best evidence of this is
through patient service. Research illustrates that between 45 and 60 per-
cent of every patient interaction involves patient service. The key differ-
entiator in a competitive environment is the quality of service patients
receive when doing business with your practice. This is especially true
in todays service-based economy. With so many choices at the patients
fingertips, your firms patient service must be unparalleled.
Today, many executives believe that profitability is the most important
factor in a practices survival. While this is a valid approach, even in 1954,
Peter Drucker realized that the purpose of every practice is to acquire
and retain patients. Patient service correlates to profitability. It is widely
known that patients are 18 percent more likely to remain with practices
that treat them well. Patient service clearly reduces expenses when current
patients remain with the firm due to loyalty. Most important, patients
help to acquire new patients by becoming marketing avatars. Loyalty has
a lot to do with how well companies deliver on their basic promises. As
long as companies have a singular focus on patient output, profits are not
hindered.
When patients believe that they are treated fairly and have a mar-
ginal equity in the practice, they become loyalists. Loyalty and value are
directly correlated to patient referrals. Please note that I am not merely
speaking of the customary patient referral programs, but the true level of
appreciation of patients that have been doing practice with you. When
patients believe in you, they will refer the patients. For example, if your
local barber or pharmacist did something for you during each visit that
saves you time and money, you might be more tempted to tell all of your
friends about a fabulous experience. Or you might even bring some of
your friends with you on your next visit.
This clever form of patient acquisition is known as a referral pro-
gram. While many practices use a formal referral program, such as punch
cards or stamps, nothing is better for increased practice than a loyal
patient telling others. According to a study in the Journal of Marketing,
patient referral programs are indeed a financially attractive way for firms
to acquire new patients. These value-based programs illustrate that good
referrals from existing patients generate higher margins than any other
patient program. Patient referral programs stemming from a culture of
patient service have even higher gains than any other practice. Simply
put, loyal patients generate more revenue at a lower cost to the firm than
any traditional marketing approach. It is therefore imperative that prac-
tices become more proficient and embed patient service in their culture;
this lowers expenses and produces more profits while lowering acquisition
costs.
Activities to Help Gain Additional Referrals

Several traditional and nontraditional resources for creating a referral net-
work are available. Some traditional resources are sending gift cards or
writing letters to patients. Many individuals still send handwritten notes
and greeting cards to their patients. Keep track of anniversaries, birth-
days, or other noteworthy announcements. Patient relationship manage-
ment software facilitates this process. Electronic delivery does not require
constant use of electronics.
However, if lack of time affects the ability to remain in constant con-
tact, other resources are available. Practice professionals can use a wealth
of electronic sources to assist them. Some of these include e-mail market-
ing campaigns, electronic newsletters, electronic tip sheets, and even elec-
tronic greeting cards. Send Out Cards is a relatively new service. Simply
upload your database into their Internet software and choose a greeting
card of your choice. This service then uses your electronic signature and
manually mails the card to your patient. This is a great service if you lack
the time and energy to sign and mail an important announcement. No

matter what you do, remain focused on your patient. Most important, it is
imperative that your patients appreciate your value and can articulate it to
prospective patients. Remember, Out of sight is out of mind. To build
up your referral network, you must remain in harmony with patients.
Best Practices for Referrals

Make it EasyAllow others to know your value. It is benefi-
cial for you to develop a value proposition so that others can
repeat your value to others within their community. For more
information on creating a value proposition, see the market-
ing chapter in this book.
Give Something of ValueIf you want something of value,
you have to give something back. Provide something to a
current patient that allows them to share it with others in
their community. This may be a book or a free product.
Remain in ContactI mentioned earlier that, in order to
get referrals, you must remain in constant contact with your
patient base. If you do not, your competitor will get in con-
tact with them instead.
Communicate OftenEnsure youre communicating with
your patients at least once per month. More is fine as long as
it is not overdone.
Network AggressivelyIt is necessary to meet others fre-
quently. Attend regional and national events to be known
within your local community.
Be a Thought LeaderYour patients seek consultation with
your brand. Become confident when dealing with them by
understanding and illustrating competitive and industry
issues. Provide them the added confidence your practice can
bring to your patients competitive position.
Be a Good ListenerA company that does not listen first to
patient needs is not a good one.
The Nordstrom WayNordstrom used to have a policy
that, if merchandise was not stocked, their salespeople would
recommend other possibilities. Become the consultant to your

patient so that you offer the value necessary for them to be
competitive.
Thanks and PraiseCourtesy counts in the referral practice.
Offer something of equal or better value that illustrates a
fondness for your patients.
Summary
Referrals are linked to loyal patients; ensure they remain loyal
by remaining in contact.
Use the 25 30 50 method to remain in touch with
patients every month.
Always ask for more than one referral; it builds up your future
base quickly.
Ask for referrals at the peak of the sale, not at the end. Do not
leave time for dissonance.
Referrals nurture value. Ensure patients understand your
provided value.
Use traditional and nontraditional methods to remain in
contact with patients.
Build community or join one so that others understand and
can articulate your intended value.
Create a value proposition so that patients become marketing
avatars.
Never stop asking for referrals; it is an endless process.
CHAPTER 7
Patient Review Sites and

the Benefits of Reputation
Management
If you are like me, as a child you grew up under the premise of sticks
and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me. The
expression noted that no matter what you said youre not going to harm
me with name-calling. However, doctors are similar to any product or
service. Doctors, their staff, and their practices have a brand, and like all
products or services that brand must be protected.
The value of a brand is that patients invest for the brands own sake
and not with the usual amount of analysis, cynicism, or caution. A brand
creates a response among the public. Think of brands that you use and
that create eponymous communication. Branding is about the perception
of excellence than about the perception of a good deal. This holds true for
services just like doctors. Negative press can instantly and immeasurably
harm brands. Doctors must be involved with a new process known as
reputation management to aid in protecting their brand.
Here are some simple facts to explain why the patient (customer)
experience is so important. Poor patient (customer) experiences result in
an estimated $83 billion loss by U.S. enterprises each year because of
defections and abandoned purchases (Source: Parature Customer Service
Blog) and 89 percent of consumers began doing business with a compet-
itor following a poor customer experience (Source: RightNow Customer
Experience Impact Report 2011).
What Is Reputation Management?

The use of the Internet is outstanding with over 670 million webpages
and over 33 percent of the worlds population now engaged online.
Prospective patients are now utilizing search engines to find new doctors
while conducting a tremendous amount of research to determine if that
doctors brand matches with the patients value. In addition to the myriad
of websites, there exists numerous places such as forums, Twitter, and
Facebook where comments about you reside. True, false, or indifferent,
these digital footprints will cast a blanket on your practice.
Is Reputation Management Worth It?

A proactive approach requires doctors and staff to monitor the web on
a regular basis. With well over 2,000 patients seen per year and many of
those calling the front desk but not making appointments, there are sim-
ply too many entry points that create bad press. The World Wide Web has
also created a revolution of individuals that dispense negative information
online that would never be said to you personally. And with over 1 billion
searches per day, these negative ratings, comments, or even thoughts can
harm your brand.
For example, I am certain that you have made use of Amazon to some
degree. Amazon as many know is a broker of goods and services. Many
products are sold on Amazon such as books, music, and even movies.
With each product available on Amazon, there is a comment area so
that readers or listeners can allow others to understand whether theyve
enjoyed a particular product or service or not. Herein lies the question,
how many products have you refrained from because of another reviewers
comments and whether they were truthful or not? This then is similar in
your world.
How Do I Begin?
So what are some methods to get started and how can you develop a sys-
tem to ensure that your patients speak well about your practice to ensure
you obtain a steady stream of new patients? Here are some simple tips to
aid you.
You need to be good, offline and online. Today, what you

say or what your staff says to patients is alive for the world to
Benefits of Reputation Management 55
hear. Ensure that you and your staff create an experience from
the entry point to departure, be polite and inviting upon
entry, present a solution for the patient to take home today,
listen for and resolve any issues or concerns, and always end
with a fond farewell and an invitation to return.
What you and your staff say is alive on Facebook, websites,
blogs, YouTube, and so on. You will be surprised to learn that
anything you say today is documented electronically for the
world to see. When the patients have a wonderful experience,
they will tell the world about it. When the patients have a bad
experience, they will tell the world about it. Prospective and
existing patients continually document the good, the bad, and
the ugly on a daily basis on the Internet. What gets men-
tioned gets placed on the global Internet for over 4.5 billion
individuals to see. You need to begin to scrutinize what you
and your staff say to others. Similar to the manner in which
he might look for a restaurant, new patients are looking
foryou.
Proactively conduct an Internet search on your name and
your practice weekly. If you do not have the ability to do this,
then utilize your staff to do it for you. You want to ensure that
you are using the following methods to aid in understanding
your digital reputation. These include but are not limited to
the following:
Search engine results. Use a variety of keywords such as your
name or your practice name, or even your last name and the
city and state in which you live. Tools are available with a simple
Google word search by simply searching for free keyword tool.
This will help you to discover the sites that will help you to find
the proper keywords to use to uncover what is being said on
the Internet. And, since each search site is different, you need
to consider utilizing all search sites such as Google, Bing, AOL,
Yahoo, and so on.
Local directory listings. Using sites such as Google, you and
your staff can determine if your practice can be found by loca-
tion. Similar to the manner in which the Yellow Pages are used,
your practice needs to be listed in a similar manner. To help you

get adjusted, you may want to review the website http://blog.
signpost.com/free-online-directories-local-business-listings/
Social media. Register for all of the social media sites that you
know that your patients access. These include but are not lim-
ited to Facebook, twitter, SnapChat, Instagram, Digg, and so
on. It is helpful to constantly review the likes, the retweets, and
even the comments on any of these sites to understand what
your patients are saying.
Physician rating and review sites. There are a plethora of review
sites today that include yelp.com, healthgrades.com, ZocDoc.

com, and literally 5,000 other sites that people can visit to cre-
ate both a positive and negative review about your practice. In
order to help you, it is necessary for you to visit the sites on
a weekly basis to get a better indication of what patients are
saying.
Reputation management consultants. Should you get stuck and
are uncertain where and how to begin, there are numerous repu-
tation management companies that can assist you by providing
consultative services in monitoring your reputation. One of the
most widely known out there is called reputation.com.
Google alerts. If you or your staff happens to have a Google
account, one of the easiest ways to establish some mechanism
for controlling the reputation is to establish a Google alert. Sim-
ply utilize keywords that you are known for, such as your name
or your practice name. Google has a mechanism that will troll
the Internet helping to monitor when individuals write some-
thing about your organization or say something about you and
your practice. This will provide you with a proactive mechanism
of understanding what is said about you.
Correct and improve information on external sites. As you
continually monitor the web, ensure that your name, address
other pertinent data are correct. When not, request that
changes be made so that the correct information is listed.
Dont argue online. Never get into arguments with any
prospective, existing, or previous patients online. What you
Benefits of Reputation Management 57
say will live in perpetuity and you will live to regret it. Simply
take the heat and move on. It wont be easy but its the best
advice offered.
Become a content expert. Providing thought, leadership,
and expert advice related to medicine in health care will be
specifically appealing to prospective patients and it will also
benefit your existing patients. By becoming a thought expert
in content provider, these items will help your Internet search
and social media rankings.
Be cautious about your personal activities, both past and pres-
ent. Vacations and conferences are fun until the world knows
about. It is always best to err on the side of caution.
Immediately respond to unhappy customers on social media.
Be thoughtful about your responses and dont be antagonistic.
Simply resolve the problem and move on.
If someone mentions something positive about your practice,
provide some reward or recognition. Think in terms of how
to win friends and influence people. Reward those who have
been kind to you.
Focus. The most important thing about reputation manage-
ment is maintaining a focus. Reputation Management must
be constantly in your mind so that you can proactively moni-
tor both the good and the bad issues.
Tools that will help you with monitoring:
Brand Yourself will help monitor online reputation, Bran-

dyourself.com.
ReviewPush (www.reviewpush.com), Sendible (www.sensible.
com), and Trackur (www.trackur.com) will monitor your
online reviews.
The Google My Business (www.Google.com/business) priv-
ides visualizations of your reviews.
Social Searcher (www.social-searcher.com) and Social Men-
tion (www.socialmention.com) are useful for monitoring your
reputation in social media.
NameChk (www.namechk.com) and KnowEm (www.

knowem.com/) create online profiles across social networks
for your business to help outrank negative content.
IFTTT (www.ifttt.com) lets you set up customized processes
and automatic alerts in addition to Google Alerts.
What many doctors fail to realize is that their name and their prac-
tice is a brand. Based upon services offered, patient service, and other
nuances, there is value placed in the patients mind. It is this positioning
that creates an emotional appeal whereby patients book appointments for
brand sake.
Reputation management, when handled appropriately, could poten-
tially increase pipeline flow, decrease obstacles to prospective patient
entry, and increase your revenue. Similar to planting a tree and ensuring
that it has tremendous root structure, reputation management is analo-
gous to that. It will aid your reputation and root your future revenue flow.
CHAPTER 8
Websites and Social Media

for Doctors and Staff
Source: www.drew-stevens.com
Given the current state of technology and the Internet, it has become
increasingly important for any doctor to become more in tune with the
Internet today than ever. If this were written 10 to 15 years ago, it could
be said that the Internet is nothing more than a static electronic brochure.
However today, it is a credible source for prospective patients to discover
more about you and actually engage with you. Periodically, Iobtain e-mails
and blog comments from people that are interested in the services that I pro-
vide and so can you. So what can you do to make your site more interactive?
In order to justify the purpose of creating a site, it is best to create a
strategy similar in design to your overall marketing strategy. There must
be a purpose for the website as well as creating the proper messages to
appeal to the demographics that you are attempting to create attention
for. With over 300 million websites, there are simply too many today
that are competing for similar space, audiences, and attention. Therefore,
you want to think as acutely as possible to appeal to those that would be
interested in your services.
The first operation for your site would be to choose the type of pages
that you want to have and the messages for each of the pages. For physi-
cians just beginning this process, I typically suggest the following: Home
Page, About Us, Services Offered, Case Studies, Products, and Contact
Us. Candidly, this is all you need. You should believe in the KISS method.
Keep it simple, keep it succinct, and keep it scintillating so that it creates
the actions you desire from prospects.
With this in mind, there are some rules to developing a purposeful
website so that you gain the levels of success you desire.
1. Research the most popular keywords possible to understand those

words used to view your site. For instance, you might have people
searching for Missouri Doctor, Logan Student, or even Brooklyn
New York Back Care. A great resource for reviewing this data is
available for free on the Internet and it is called Google Keyword
Tool.
2. Every page must be not only short but also purposeful. Each page
must have the following formula attached to it: (a) your value prop-
osition, (b) lots of white space so that it is not cluttered, (c) some
pictures that are clear but nothing over the top, (d) good fonts so
that information is easy to read, (d) using the formula of placing the
most important information above the fold so that prospects do
not have to scroll to find it, and (e) an action step. Every page must
Websites and Social Media for Doctors and Staff 61
have a purpose and you must tell your reader what you want them
to do, to get them to do something. Unfortunately, most individuals
remain on a page for less than seven seconds, so you need enough
information to keep them there and get them to do something.
3. Create some type of free-marketing magnet so that individuals might
leave you a name and e-mail. This will allow you to create a lead gener-
ation system without having to pay for lists and use many of the other
marketing activities mentioned above. By the way, a marketing mag-
net is a free gift such as a white paper, audio, vitamin, analysis, mas-
sage, anything that you can provide that has value that someone wants.
4. Know what the issues are and why people come to see your page.
Can you identify the struggles they face? When you identify their
issues, you can speak more articulately to them so that your page
actually has a conversation with the person. It is as if you are speak-
ing with them electronically.
5. One idea to gain about building your website concerns the entire
essence of this book and that is building a customer-centered rela-
tionship. So when you design and develop this site, you must design
it so that it can be read, you must have professional tone and ver-
biage, and you need to be able to prove how you provide value to the
intended audience.
6. When building your Home Page, create something with the follow-
ing outlines so that it focuses on output and returns to the patient.
For example:
a.ProblemTell them what is not working. Provide a paragraph or
two and let them know what is at issue right now.
b.SolutionTell them how it could be. Provide a paragraph or two
to let them know what utopia might look like when the problem
is resolved.
c.How come?Provide a question as to why they have already
resolve this. You might provide a paragraph or two that provokes
a prospective patient or agitates them enough to question why
they havent taken care of the situation.
d.What you need to do?Provide an approach thats proven to
work. Now in a short paragraph, give them a general solution
thats proven to work without giving too much prescriptive
information. You might provide a deep understanding of meth-

odologies or business practices that allows individuals to under-
stand how you and your organization can assist them.
e.Call to actionProve that you can help them. Write an excep-
tionally strong statement that includes your core marketing
message or your unique selling proposition or even your value
proposition that stipulates to the prospective client how you and
your organization are the only one that can help resolve the issue
that the client is currently undertaking.
7. Your About Us page should be personal, conversational, and simi-
lar to the way you speak. Provide some flair and some pictures so
that patients can find out why you got into the medical profession.
Answer what you can do to help them and then tell them about your
family and your practice.
8. When you provide information about Services Offered, stay away
from using technical, scientific, and medical information. Not many
understand or ask about terms such as subluxation, motion points,
and so on. And many will not ask. More important is that every
visiting person is concerned about one thing and that is how you
can help him. The best practice is to write in laymans terms with the
patient in mind without sounding completely like a doctor and more
like a trusted individual.
9. Think in terms of conversion not in terms of website hits. While hits
are important, the fact is that what really counts is the number of
individuals that actually convert into a prospect. That said, there are
reasons why people will not convert with you; these include: (a)your
niche is not clear, (b) your results are not specific, (c) there is a lack
of clarity of your systems and processes. When you create a link
between the issue, the solutions, and the demographic, you more
accurately convert individuals more successfully.
Last but not least, a website is a work in progress and need not be
perfect. What you need to think of is that the website is the adjunct to the
practice not the purpose of it. Therefore, take your time to strategize well
but once you are ready, implement. Do not sit on the sidelines constantly
judging and ridiculing because you will create paralysis with the analysis.
Websites and Social Media for Doctors and Staff 63
Then as you begin to formulate analytics around your systems, you can
make any needed alterations.
Social Media
Source: http://p.motionelements.com/stock-video/business/me1716292-social-media-confetti-
explosion-hd-a0030.jpg
Last year, 68% of Americans using social networks said that none
of those networks had an influence on their buying decisions. This
year, only 36% said that there was no influence. Now, 47% say
Facebook has the greatest impact on purchase behavior (up from
24% in 2011). Incidentally, Twitter dramatically underperforms
in this category at 5%. (Qualman 2012)
Social media today has taken over many of the nuances of the Internet,
allowing others to communicate without barriers of any kind.
As social media develops, we see the growing fascination as well as
the preponderance of evidence of increased noise. While there is merit on
some use of social media, much of it is personal and seems to continually
clutter important information on the Internet. Yet, for physicians, the
influence and the reach of social media is not something to be ignored.
With over 900 million people on Facebook and over 150 million on
Linkedin and over one billion Tweets per day, there are too many indi-
viduals using social media to ignore its use. Yet like websites, there are
some things to recognize.
1. Social media does assist in creating community, as it allows an elec-

tronic flow of communication from one to many individuals seeking
services such as yours.
2. Social media does require some degree of focus. While there may
be limited control, there is no reason to build pages on Twitter,
Facebook, or any media where your patients are not located. If you
realize that marketing requires your use of geography to lock into
your target market, social media requires similar. I know of many
who have wasted time and energy building pages and sites with very
low interest and volume. Make certain your efforts are well worth it.
3. Remember that social media, unlike websites, contains very limited
control. That said, you may receive unsolicited feedback on services,
treatments, blog posts, and so on. Ignore those that make little
impact on your life.
4. Finally, follow the trends. Determine what is interesting for your
readers and community and what isnt. Do not get caught up in too
much social media that takes you away from the most important
focus of your practicebuilding it.
Many years ago Albert Einstein stated, Insanity: doing the same
thing over and over again and expecting different results. If your practice
is not growing and you continually do the same thing and do not get
results, why bother? Physicians invest too much time into their craft and
deserve better rewards. Those seeking to gain maximum efforts for better
results simply need to convert from the medical professionals business to
the marketing and relationship business.
The only thing holding back your practice is the resources and the
implementation. Implementation is difficult, as it requires change from
the comfort zone. It is a whole new world with more limitations then
everthe worse being time. Take the time to discover new methods to
grow your practice. Take the time to implement something new. Take the
time to minimize your labor so that you might reduce your costs.
Reference
Qualman, E. 2012. 10 New 2012 Social Media Stats = WOW! In Socialnomics.
Web. 25 July, 2016. http://socialnomics.net/2012/06/06/10-new-2012-
social-media-stats-wow/
CHAPTER 9
Using Staff as Marketing

Avatars
Throughout most of this book, the onus of marketing, creating commu-
nity, and developing the practice is on the doctor. It is important for me
to stress the need to continually market your practice each day. Think of
your office or practice as a pipeline. At one end of the pipe, a potential
patient and the other end dollars or revenue. During the course of this
book, it is required that you think about two fundamental items: attract-
ing enough individuals with a plethora of activities into the pipeline and
bring them out the other end by investing money into your practice. Yet,
unless you are either a concierge physician or a solo practitioner, it is most
difficult to diagnose patients and also market. Therefore, a crux of the
effort falls upon your staff.
Staff is exceedingly important in your operation because they are the
first people seen and the last before a patient departs. While it may appear
that some of this aligns with customer service, the truth is that staff has
two-pronged efforts with patients. First and foremost, staff must provide
unbending customer service and second, they must be active in helping to
market the practice. Here are some thoughts to help you.
Service
During my collegiate business studies, I discovered a quote that per-
sonifies the achievement of every business. Peter Drucker stated, Every
practice is in business for one reasonthe customer (patient). All activ-
ities and internal functions rely on acquiring and retaining patients. This
imperative concept is needed to ensure that health care practitioners focus
on the area of acquiring patients. Simply put, health care practitioners
require a laser-like focus on marketing and service. It also presupposes
that those hired will also focus on these business attributes.
Doctors become involved in a myriad of tactical issues that can alter

focus and create stress. They therefore need to be confident about their
achievements. And, they must continually maintain confidence with staff
even during volatile times. This also includes operating the practice using
prudent risk. Removal from the comfort zone is always difficult for habit-
ual practice owners.
People
Patient service simply comes down to proper communication and impli-
cation to patients. When doctors and staff poorly communicate, service
fails. While conducting research for chiropractic practices, three func-
tional areas help and hinder doctors.
PeopleThere is nothing more prevalent to practice than internal
employees; they are the frontline to the organization. Failure to exem-
plify a patient culture only diminishes a firms ability to communicate
and collaborate with prospects. Working for a chiropractor many years
ago, Iwas greeted by a receptionist that could have passed for an under-
taker. Ido not suggest that receptionist require effervescence; however,
empathy works better for customer care. Service culture needs to run
throughout the practice and not just reception. Everyone from the
Nurse Practitioner to the Receptionist needs to be empathetic to patient
needs.
More importantly, people know people. Doctors need to take full
advantage of referrals and testimonials. Patients are always enamored on
hearing of other patients cures. Such stories become more beneficial than
any four-color brochure.
Finally, ensure you spend time and get to know your patients and
their families. Patients only conduct business with those they trust and
respect. When health care practitioners are rushing from one treatment
room to another, this illustrates inward focus.
ProcessesPatients and prospects are enamored by increased com-
munication. The more you tell them, the more comfortable they become
with information. Remember they are investing in your sage advice on
health. Communicate the rationale for paperwork, procedural issues, sig-
natures, and so on. Ensure the phones are answered promptly and with
Using Staff as Marketing Avatars 67
rapt professionalism. Finally, when patients are serviced appropriately,

they inform others of their positive experience. Such feedback assists with
decreasing marketing and advertising costs while also retaining current
patients.
PropertyIndividuals always judge books by their covers and patients
are no different. On a recent appointment with a supplier, I could not
find a spot to park my car. All employees were in visitor spots. On another
visit, I entered the main lobby of a potential client to what seemed like
a hurricane. These images leave a certain perception of company opera-
tions. Simply put, pictures say a thousand words. The reception area must
be tidy, organized, and exemplary of the services you provide. Staff should
dress professionally and preferably have nametags. It took five trips to my
current chiropractor (Yes, I do use one) before I even knew the name of
his receptionist!
Service suggestions:
Patients are the most important people.
Patients are not dependent on us.
Patients are not an interruption of our practice.
Differentiation
The deterrent to practice growth is a lack of focus on simple things. While
working with health care practitioners, I typically ask them to identify
their value proposition. I also inquire if patients can repeat it. The ratio-
nale is if patients understand the value provided, they repeat it, thus
becoming marketing avatars. The largest compliment received by a doctor
is the referral and testimony of current patients informing others. How-
ever, patient service must be part of everyday living stemming from hold-
ing doors during shopping excursions, smiling when meeting others in
public, and general posture and attitude. Introversion is no excuse; health
care practitioners are part of communities. Empathy and excitement must
be in everything you do. I know of one chiropractic associate who is so
shy that some take him as being aloof. Hence, their portion of the practice
produces negative results. Ensure inclusion in everything you do.
Marketing Extension
With the knowledge that service is important, staff is also an extension of
your practice. Your staff is active in communities they live. They attend
religious services, visit libraries and grocery stores, befriend neighbors,
and even associate with other parents because of children. If you see N
patients per day, so does your staff. If you have a circle of influence, so
does your staff. It is as simple as using the multiplier of three. What is
the multiplier of three? Simple, take all of your staff and then have them
write down three people they associate with and then connect those three
individuals with three others they know and continue.
In 2000, Malcolm Gladwell wrote a wonderful book titled the
Tipping Point. The books underlying premise is to introduce readers
to the notion that simple items help to make some terrific movements
in business and life. In Chapter 2, Gladwell introduces the reader to the
concept of connectors. Using the famous six-degrees of separation,
Gladwell suggests that we dont seek out friends we associate with the
people who occupy the same small physical spaces that we do (Gladwell
2000). Therefore, we want your staff to connect with as many individuals
as possible so that they can reach out and let others in their communities
understand the values and services you provide.
Additionally, in as much as Gladwell and I also believe in the p
rinciple
of connection, your staff is also required to sell. Salesmen are people
whose unusual charisma allows them to be extremely persuasive in induc-
ing others buying decisions and behaviors. Yes, your staff must be selling
you and your services each day. Any time and every time they meet some-
one who might be a potential prospect, they should be speaking (singing)
your praises and getting their name and telephone number for follow-up.
What is required of them are some simple yet crucial elements to aid in
this endeavor.
The sales and connection process must be a relentless and

consistent effort. The effort cannot be turned on and off like
a rheostat. It is vital that marketing and selling are a 24 7
process.
Staff must believe in you and your value.
Using Staff as Marketing Avatars 69
Staff must be passionate about your methods and this passion

must be visible in body language, tone, and expression.
Staff must be committed. This requires you to be careful of
whom you hire. Your role is to hire the proper talent.
Staff must be an extension of you; so, they must think as you
and constantly act professionally.
Your staff must be committed to uncompromised customer
service. The patient is king and is not an interruption of the
practice.
Recall what I mentioned earlier, the patient will see your staff from
the moment they enter until the moment they depart. You need staff that
extends value, exemplifies your brand, and is not afraid to sell you. When
your staff works in conjunction with your desires, your waiting room
will be full, your telephone will continually ring, your debts will be paid,
and you will have money and investments. Your practice will thrive and
most importantly you will be the talk of the town. When you develop
this strength, not only will your staff be your avatars but also will your
patients. Now that is the practice any doctor wants to have.
Reference
Gladwell, M. 2000. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big
Difference. Boston: Little, Brown.
CHAPTER 10
Thoughts on Portals
In the age of technology, everyone including patients is seeking faster
alternatives to communicate. With a wealth of social media, blogs, web-
site, and video, there is a barrage of information. To that end, patients seek
easier means to communicate with physicians and their staff. It appears
with doctors offices becoming busier and patient waiting gaps becoming
longer, patients desire easier ways to connect with doctors about their
healthenter the patient portal.
For those not aware, a patient portal is an internal website that enables
a patient and a physicians office to communicate more easily than using
e-mail or multiple forms of social media. With the use of a dedicated server
and a third party software, patient portals (depending on the options doc-
tors desire to make available) enable patients to schedule appointments
online, e-mail doctors about prescriptions or issues in health, gain valu-
able information in the form of a newsletter, make information available
on patients vitals, availability of prescription information on the portal,
and many other options. The notion behind a patient portal is simply the
patient engagement.
Many write about patient engagement without disclosing its impor-
tance and understanding to the physician practice. There are a variety of
definitions and suffice to say that it has become a buzz phrase, but patient
engagement is defined as the communication, collaboration, and coordi-
nation provided by health care providers to ensure a positive patient out-
come with limited obstacles. To a certain extent, one might align patient
engagement with customer service. To that end, all hospitals and health
care providers ensure a successful engagement from the time a phone is
answered or a patient visits a waiting room until the time a patient con-
cludes conversations with office staff.
Additionally, patient engagement is also aligned with providing the
patient a means of self-managed care. According to research from Athena
Health, 35% of U.S. adults have gone online to figure out a medical
condition; of these, half followed up with a visit to a medical profes-
sional. The proliferation of the Internet has created a dearth of searches
in health care from disease and wound care to physician reviews. The
same report from Athena Health indicates,
63% of adult cell phone owners now use their phones to go

online, a figure that has doubled since 2009. In addition, 34%
of these cell internet users say that most of their online use is via
cell phone. That means 21% of all adult cell phone owners
about 1in 5now do the majority of their online browsing via
mobile phone, not another device such as a desktop or laptop
computer.
With this type of usage, more patients will review if health statistics
such as vitals, weight, medication, exercise, or even symptoms are avail-
able. These searches will then lead to some form of communication with
a physicians office.
Coincidentally, not only are portals effective for the patient but
they are increasingly productive to physicians. For example, prior to
e-mail and the Internet, lab results, appointment scheduling, and even
prescription follow-up meant multiple calls due to failure attempt or
even voice jail. The patient portal would place much of this complex
data online. Call volumes might also decrease with the plethora of data
instantly available on the portal. To that end, many patients can have
meaningful, secure, and private conversations with doctors and their
staff about symptoms. Yet, it is the availability to communicate with
the doctor wherever and however. Further, these new electronic means
actually diminish workflow, paper, time lags, and patient communica-
tion, allowing both the doctor and staff to attend to other important
means.
As conducive as portals are, there can be some limitations such as
patients or doctors being non-participative or many patients not using
the portal due to technology issues. Change in an increasing technolog-
ical world is about adaptation and adoption; it is also about leadership
communication. If the doctor throws full support, explains the benefits,
Thoughts on Portals 73
and uses the technology as a means of better efficiency then all will
quickly adoptincluding staff. The use of a portal includes efficiency,
provides better communication, eases workflow, and enables doctors to
diagnose, diminish symptoms, and return the patient to health. Discover
today what a portal might do for your practice.
Index
Alliances, in integrated marketing, 42 Marketing
AMA. See American Marketing AMA definition, 2
Association patient value and, 47
American Marketing Association rationale for, 1
(AMA), 12 relationships, 34
resources, 11
Blogs, in integrated marketing, 40 Marketing Acceleration, 19
Booklets, in integrated marketing, 40 Marketing avatars
Brand attributes, 2021 differentiation, 67
Brand practice, 1920 people, 6667
service, 6566
Cause marketing, 41 Marketing extension, 6869
Marketing mindset
Differentiation description, 1516
brand and value practices, 1920 relationship building, 1719
brand attributes, 2021 Marketing strategy
as marketing avatar, 67 components, 8
marketing mindset, 1519 definitions and interpretations,
reflection, 2122 78
value of services, 5 mix for medical practices, 910
working process for, 1415 organizational virtues, 8
Maslows theory for patient behavior
Esteem needs, patient behavior, esteem needs, 2829
2829 love, affection, and belongingness
needs, 28
physiological needs, 28
Integrated marketing, 3742
safety needs, 28
self-actualization needs, 29
Launch and learns, in integrated
marketing, 40
Law of Availability, 19 Networking
Law of Community, 19 in integrated marketing, 4041
Law of Constant Contact, 18 for lead generation, 4647
Law of Recommended Resources, 19 Newsletters, in integrated marketing,
Law of Short-Term Transactions, 18 41
Law of Testimonials and Case Study,
18 Patient engagement, 7172
Law of Value, 17 Patient portals, 7173
Lay language, 32 Patient Relationship Management
Love, affection, and belongingness (PRM), 18
needs, 28 Patient satisfaction pathway, 67
76 Index
Patient value, marketing and, 47 Social media

Physiological needs, patient behavior, description, 63
28 recognizing, 64
Place, in marketing mix, 910 reputation management, 56
Positioning, 3132 Speaking, in integrated marketing, 39
Price, in marketing mix, 10 Sponsorships, in integrated
PRM. See Patient Relationship marketing, 42
Management
Proactivity, 46 Target marketing
Pro bono work, 41 benefit segmentation, 2526
Products demographic segmentation, 2425
in integrated marketing, 40 developing solutions, 30
in marketing mix, 9 geographic segmentation, 24
Promotion, in marketing mix, 10 patient behavior, 2630
psychographic profiling, 25
Referral programs, 50 strategy, 8
Referrals Teaching, in integrated marketing, 41
activities for additional, 5051 Trade shows, in integrated marketing,
best practices for, 5152 41
case study, 44
importance of, 4445 Value impact, 46
in integrated marketing, 41 Value in differentiation, 5
myths of, 45 Value practice, 1920
networking for lead generation, Value proposition
4647 examples, 32
patient service, 4950 lay language, 32
vital components, 48 positioning, 3132
when to ask, 46 purpose of, 32
25 30 50 method, 4849 questions for, 3335
Reflection, 2122 reasons for writing, 33
Relationship building, 1719 resources, 36
Reputation management
beginning of, 5457 Websites
description, 5354 description, 5960
monitoring tools, 5758 in integrated marketing, 3940
worth of, 54 patient portal, 7173
purpose for, 60
Safety needs, patient behavior, 28 rules to developing, 6062
Self-actualization needs, patient Writing articles, in integrated
behavior, 29 marketing, 39
TITLES FROM OUR PRACTICE MANAGEMENT COLLECTION
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EBOOKS Little Book of Healthcare Marketing

Create your own Medical marketing is something not often thought of by p

Little Book of Healthcare Marketing

Drew Stevens, PhD

MOMENTUM PRESS, LLC, NEW YORK

Copyright Momentum Press, LLC, 2016.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,

First published in 2016 by

ISBN-13: 978-1-60650-939-5 (paperback)

Momentum Press Practice Management Collection

Cover and interior design by Exeter Premedia Services Private Ltd.,

First edition: 2016

Printed in the United States of America.

I want to thank my best friends and grandparents who told me

God bless you all!

Medical practices are very complex and different from general

Chapter 1 Marketing FoundationsRelationship..............................1

candle to my dysfunctional pastall of you have illuminated my way and

Push or pull method of communication

Networking Existing Review

Figure 1.1 The marketing pipeline and the communication required

Marketing for a doctor is not different than it is for organizations

Figure 1.2 Marketing relationships

One ideology that is imperative to the overall marketing concept is

Marketing Concept and Patient Value

Figure 1.3 The value criteria

In addition to perception there is a real value. The patient can see

Developing relationships with patients is smart business. Why? It

Figure 1.4 The patient satisfaction pathway

However, most practices tend to work on the little things that do

1. Target marketthis relates to the group or groups of individuals

In order for the marketing strategy to work appropriately similar

Promotion Patient Price

Figure 1.5 Marketing mix for medical practices

patient referrals. Those that think in terms of strategy, relationships, and

Resources to Help You

Creating Value and

So What Do You Do That Is Different?

Placing Distinction in Your Marketing Mindset

1. The Law of ValueValue has long been discussed in the market-

2. The Law of Constant ContactSocial media and software known as

5. The Law of AvailabilityMedical professionals is a service-based

Resources to Assist You

A good brand stands for just a few characteristicsattributes that people

To determine the attributes of your practice, ask at least four different

Our Input on Brand Attributes

Feelings When Your Needs Are Not Satisfied

The Importance of Target

Geographic segmentationBased on location.

Benefit segmentationBased on values and beliefs as well as

lation density, and urban or rural areasalso influence

in segmenting markets include age, gender, race, ethnic-

for segmenting markets for such products as food, music,

mouthwash for its cleanliness to the mouth but also because

As physicians begin to view their markets more myopically, they begin

Realize that individuals make decisions based on two basic premises:

Dr. Maslows theory for patient behavior:

1. Physiological needs. Biological needs such as oxygen, food, water,

certain doctors that carry a stigma because of their therapies and

Many patients today are motivated primarily by social, ego, and

on your practice. Fortunately and unfortunately, your practice is as good

1. Select a market or service for the category.

For additional assistance in understanding the depth of data for a