In the last message, we talked about the “limiting beliefs” around money, and how those show up as roadblocks when booking high-ticket patients.
We’re gonna wrap up talking about projection.
So what is projection anyway?
When I started writing this piece, the first thing that came to mind was…
Talladega Nights. The cinematic masterpiece starring Will Farrell as a NASCAR driver struggling to stay on top.
Specifically, the scene where Ricky’s in the hospital, freaking out with an injury, arguing with his manager, Lucius, who tells him:
“Don’t put that evil on me, Ricky Bobby!”
That’s similar to what we’re talking about today. Except it’s “Don’t put that evil on your patients.”
PROJECTION – Humans tend to see other people’s situations through the lens of our own experiences.
A few examples:
My buddy Zach was recently telling me about his training for an ultra-marathon. I think, “Geez, that sounds hard!”
OK but why? Why do I think that? Because it would be hard to me.
That’s projection.
Zach has a different perspective. Basically – “I love doing this. It’s not like it’s hard or some big sacrifice. It’s just what I do.”
Another:
I’ve talked to people about our strict-ish eating plan – how Susan and I do meal prep, weigh our portions, etc. They say, “Man, that sound so difficult. I could never do it.”
That’s projection.
And I’m thinking, “It’s actually way easier to do this than to not have a plan, try to figure out food at meal time, eat the wrong things and get frustrated with myself.”
The same thing happens with your sales people and your patients.
You have a $5k, $10k, $15k surgery. Yes, that’s a decent chunk of money for most people. Including your sales team.
So picture yourself, 28 years old, making $60,000 a year, sitting across from someone and asking them to give you the equivalent of 2-3 months salary.
Feels kinda difficult, right? And that’s what a lot of your counselors face.
If they’re thinking, “That’s a lot of money to me. So it’s a lot of money, period.” Then that feeling comes across to the patient.
And the conversation will have a vibe that’s like, “Alright, let’s have that uncomfortable conversation about how expensive this is.”
And you definitely don’t want that.
So how do you kill projection?
A few ways:
- Your salespeople need to understand how someone on a $70,000 salary can afford a $12,000 treatment.
So break that down. Talk about it. Talk about the payment options.
Yes, your counselors do that with your patients every day. So this may sound obvious like “Troy, my people already know this stuff.”
Knowing it for someone else and understanding it for yourself are two different things.
2. Reframe your procedures in the minds of your counselors.
If they see your treatments as a luxury, then your treatments will always seem a bit expensive or excessive or both.
Your procedures may be elective, but they aren’t a luxury. Because you’re solving a major problem for your patients.
That problem might be a lifestyle problem. Or a financial problem. Or a self-confidence problem.
Whatever the problem is, it’s big enough for them to take time off work, come into your office, and find out if you could help them. That’s a pretty darn big problem.
Compare it to your car. Doesn’t matter what kind of car you have, it costs thousands of dollars like your treatments do. (Usually a car is much more expensive)
Your car is not a luxury. It’s a need. It solves a problem.
Maybe it’s important to you to take your kids to school or practice. Or to get you to work. Or to take your family on a road trip. Or to go off-roading with your friends.
That car fills a need. Just like your procedures fill a need for the patient.
Get away from the idea of “elective” and “luxury” and reframe your procedures as a vital necessity. This will help your sales team and your patients.
3. Lastly, you gotta have empathy.
I mentioned my wife, Susan, who partners with me at LogiCole Consulting. She’s an awesome sales trainer, and part of her background is that she was a refractive counselor, booking thousands of procedures at 85 – 92% close rate.
Susan has always had 20/20 vision. She doesn’t need LASIK. She doesn’t personally understand the pain and frustration that comes with bad vision.
She said, “Truthfully, I can’t see myself spending $12,000 on my eyes. But I had to fake myself out with empathy.”
A lack of empathy creates a vacuum, and judgement fills the space.
When you don’t empathize individually, you judge categorically.
“Old people usually don’t have the money to spend on these kinds of procedures. Even if they do, they don’t want to spend it.”
“This person isn’t dressed particularly well, so I bet they are poor and can’t afford what we have.”
“This millennial probably isn’t very mature and won’t understand the value of what we offer.”
None of these broad-brush judgements are inherently true of any individual person coming into your office.
This is why empathy is so vital. Because it’s the superpower you use to override judgement.
In summary, here’s how to kill projection in one sentence:
Be patient-centric, not self-centric.
Practically, that means we can’t say, “This is a lot of money to me.”
(Don’t put that evil on your patients, Ricky Bobby!)
We have to say, “Wow, this is a really big problem to them… So how can I serve this patient?”
That’s enough for today. Have an amazing week.
– Troy “Shake n Bake” Cole
PS – Shake n Bake is also from Talladega Nights. In case you didn’t catch that reference in my sign-off…