We’re talking about a dirty 4-letter word on today’s show. Or at least… a word that a lot of people *think* is dirty.
That word – S-E-L-L – Sell.
A lot of folks, particularly in Medicine, find the idea of selling offensive. Of course, you should get money for what you do, but when I talk about selling, I mean as it relates to being a salesperson.
Should you be selling your services? Should the idea of selling even be part of the conversation in your practice? Let’s discuss!
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Transcript
Let’s talk about my favorite four-letter word.
Hello, my friend. It’s your boy, Troy. Welcome to a fresh episode of The Practice Growth Machine Podcast where we teach you the persuasion tips and strategies you can use to command higher prices for your premium procedures and fill your surgery schedule.
We are talking about a dirty little four-letter word today, or at least a word that a lot of people think is dirty. That word S-E-L-L. Sell.
A lot of folks, particularly in medicine, find the idea of selling to be offensive. And of course you should get money for what you do, that’s not what I’m talking about. When I’m talking about selling I mean as it relates to being a salesperson.
Should you be selling your services like a salesperson might sell a product? Are you a car lot? Should the idea of selling even be part of the conversation in your practice?
Let’s discuss.
First of, it’s important to remember that everyone is always selling all the time. “Troy, I’ve never had a sales job in my life. You’re crazy.” Maybe you’d never had a business card that said sales on it, but here’s a question.
Have you ever talked to your spouse about a new car that you wanted to buy, or maybe you’ve talked to your child about why to eat their vegetables, then you’re selling.
You’re selling ideas. That’s not much different than what you’re doing every day in your practice. You sell your team on why your practice is the best because you believe that, and you want them to believe it too.
You sell your patients on why vision correction, or a facelift, or dental implants, are the right decision for them because you believe that it is. And you sell yourself on buying that new piece of equipment that will help you get better results for your patients.
Yeah, it’s expensive, yeah, it’s going to be an investment, but you believe it is going to help, and so you do it. So what’s the common theme among all these examples I just listed? They’re all things you believe in, and that’s a key operative term.
Our beliefs and our convictions drive what we’re selling and who we’re selling to. Ultimately, selling is about persuading. That’s why we talk a lot about persuasion here on the show.
Here’s something I know about you, you aren’t going to persuade someone to take action that’s not in their best interest. If a patient is not a good candidate for a procedure you won’t persuade them to have the procedure. In fact, you just aren’t going to do the procedure.
It’s obvious, but it’s a beneficial reminder for you, and for your team as well. Your team can be confident in your recommendations because you come from a place of true belief that what you’re recommending is in the best interest of the patient.
Let’s say you have a patient who is a good candidate for a procedure. You know it will improve their life, improve their self-confidence. Is it okay to assertively sell to that person? Let’s dig a little deeper.
Jay Abraham is one of the most widely respected marketers and speakers of our generation creating billions of dollars in profit for giant brands all over the world. Look him up. Jay Abraham. Jay is well known for his strategy of preeminence, which I want to share with you today.
This is a focus on serving your patients and helping them make the right decision for them. It is very patient-focused. It’s not us, we, look how awesome we are. It’s 100% focused on the patient and how we can serve them.
Jay talks about those who practice preeminence coming from a place of here’s what you should do, here’s how you should do it, and here’s why you should do it. That sounds pretty bold, right?
But if you truly believe, and there’s that word again, believe, that your procedure can help someone have a better life, listen, it’s your moral obligation to do everything you can to help that person choose your solution.
Let’s say you’re a cancer doctor, and you’re sitting there with a stage four cancer patient. Are you going to say, “Well, here’s a few options that would work for you. Just let us know what you want to do. Give us a call if you have any questions.”
Of course, you’re not going to approach the situation in that way. You’re going to say, “Here’s the treatment you need, here’s when you need to start, here’s what you need to do, and here’s why this is the recommendation that gives you the best chance of beating this thing and getting your life back.”
Maybe the procedures that you perform aren’t as life and death as dealing with cancer patients, but that doesn’t matter. If you can truly help someone you need to be bold, be clear, and do whatever you can to help them make the right decision.
Is that selling? Definitely. But is it bad? Is it wrong? Is it icky? I don’t think so. I think that’s exactly why you spent decades of your life in medical school building a practice focusing your entire life around your medical specialty because deep down you feel that moral obligation.
Let’s recap.
Selling is something you do all day every day whether you know it or not. You sell what you believe in, so take comfort in that. And if you believe you are the best surgeon, or doctor, or dentist in town and you believe your offering can help someone, you have a moral obligation to do everything in your power to help them choose your solution.
That doesn’t mean be a scummy used car salesman. It doesn’t mean trick people into taking action. But it does mean being clear, bold, and decisive in your communication with your patients, and this goes for your team as well.
So get out there and sell the thing that you do that’s making the world a better place. We’ll see you on the next show.
For more persuasion tools and scripts visit the free resources tab at TroyCole.com.