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THIS stops prospective patients dead in their tracks

As a LASIK / Cataract / Elective Surgeon who would like to book more cash-pay, high-ticket, premium procedures, it’s important to first acknowledge one common roadblock that may be standing in your way:

Giving Prospective Patients TOO Many Options.

Why? Because OPTIONS grind the patient journey to a screeching halt. Too many forks in the road, too many ways to possibly make the wrong decision, too many perceived risks.

Or at least that’s how prospective patients see their options. And perception is reality, at least in this case.

And I’m not just talking about options for different procedures. Although that is a big one.

1. Anytime your team is continually answering questions on the phone (which means they are not taking control of the conversation), they’re essentially giving options to the prospective patient.

Rather than leading them to the next step, we’re overloading them with random information out of sequence. They end up even more confused than when they first called, more things to think about, paralyzed from taking the next step.

2. When we don’t take the leadership role during the consult, and fail to show patients we are the CLEAR choice for their procedure… by default we are leaving them with options.

They think we and the chain center down the street are essentially the same. Same procedures, same possible outcomes… And they ask questions like “So why are you guys so much more expensive?” They don’t get the difference. Why should they? We haven’t shown them.

3. And of course, when a patient qualifies for multiple treatments and we give them the option to choose, we put our responsibility as medical professionals on their shoulders. “Here you figure this out.” No wonder they balk at our premium prices!

Options lead to the slow death of so many opportunities for you to help patients.

Prospective patients don’t need options, they need leadership.

Give them leadership, and they will give you their trust and their hard-earned dollars.

The second E in our E3 Conversion System Sales Coaching program is “Exhibit Authority.” It’s all about being the type of leader your patients need in order to make the decision that’s right for them (i.e. the decision to choose YOU for their care).

Increase your leadership = increase your conversions. This goes for everyone on your team.

We teach a simple, straightforward “servant leadership” approach, so every one of your patient-facing team members knows how to exhibit the appropriate leadership for their position.

In fact, we frequently have clients who will begin learning this leadership approach and start using it successfully within hours to book patients.

And in our private coaching ecosystem, we lead your team through this (and many other) coaching workflows for less than the price of one premium cataract eye per month.

First step: we need to talk, see what’s going on with your practice and what you actually need to succeed. If we can help you, we’ll talk about what that will look like.

So if you’d like to have a chat about gaining / maintaining your position as the LEADER in your market, book a call and we can find a time to connect.

– Coach Troy

Swing, Swing, Swing, STOP! (Quick sales reminder)

At batting practice last week, I watched as one of my big hitters on my oldest son’s team struggled to get his bat on the ball.

Specifically, he was “late on the pitch,” which means the ball was getting too far by him before his bat came around. Really no chance of putting a good bat on the ball in that situation.

So I asked him question: “What are you thinking about as that ball is coming in from the pitcher?”

And he told me, “Well, I’m thinking ‘is it a ball or a strike?’” This particular thought process – which sounds reasonable, by the way – was a big source of his challenges.

And that same “ball or strike” mentality can trip us up when we’re talking to prospective patients, trying to get them on our consult / surgery schedules. That said, the solution is a fairly simple fix I’ll share with you in this post.

Let’s first talk about why thinking “ball or strike” puts us at an immediate disadvantage.

Hitting a baseball is one of the hardest things to do in sports. And you have literally a split second (from the time the ball leaves the pitchers hand and crosses the plate) to make something happen.

You don’t have time to straddle a mental line, to sit in neutral, and then decide…

“Is this a ball or strike?”

“Do I swing or not swing?”

“Do I GO or STOP?”

By the time you’ve made up your mind, the ball is already by you. The pitcher won.

So what shifts do we need to make so we have time and mental bandwidth to put our best bat on the ball?

We teach our players and our coaching clients to take this approach – “SWING SWING SWING, STOP.”

As a hitter, that simply means I AM swinging. I am anticipating a strike, and my plan is to rip it.

I’m not waiting to see what the ball looks like out of the pitchers hand… then think long and hard about whether maybe I need to swing or not. No time for that. No need for that.

All I know is I’m swinging at this ball. I’m thinking YES YES YES. GO GO GO. GREEN LIGHT GREEN LIGHT. SWING SWING SWING.

And THEN….

IF it turns out to be a bad pitch… well I simply put on the breaks and stop my swing.

So the only micro-decision I’m making is “STOP,” and that’s only if necessary. Everything else is automatic GO. Less thinking, fewer decisions, less uncertainty = more hits.

“What’s the practical application of this in our practice, Troy?”

One crucial fact we always reiterate to our coaching clients – every single person you talk to has reached out to YOU for help.

You didn’t cold call anyone. You didn’t dial them up from a telemarketing list to interrupt their dinner and try to sell them a procedure.

No, THEY reached out to YOU. For help on a critical problem.

So you’re not gonna sit in the neutral and wonder, “do they want their problem solved… or do they NOT want their problem solved?” Or “Do they want one of our great procedures with our expert surgeon… or maybe they don’t?”

We’re thinking “YES YES YES.” SWING SWING SWING.

Of COURSE your prospects want their problems solved. Of COURSE they want their lives transformed.

We know that in part because why? Because they’ve raised their hands and said, “I need your help!”

And this goes double for people who come see you for a consult. They got dressed, took time off work, drove across town and hung out in your office for a couple hours… because they had nothing better to do?

No! They’re there so you can solve their problem.

(And yes, you’ll get some curveballs – the 74-year-old with cataracts who calls about LASIK. Or the person from Facebook who forgot they filled out your contact form. So just like a hitter at the plate, this is where you STOP, make an adjustment, and your ready to continue with the at-bat.)

You have many at-bats in front of you today. When you step up to the plate – whether that’s on the phone or in a consult – make sure you have a “Yes yes yes” approach…

– Coach Troy

PS – I want to be clear this does not mean you should come across “aggressive” in your approach. It’s more of a subtle certainty behind what you’re doing and the direction you’re leading your prospect.

We’re digging more into the nuances of this “YES YES YES” concept (and practically how to apply it) with the practices enrolled in our E3 Green Room Team Development Program right now

We designed this program for refractive teams who would like to book an extra 10, 15, even 20+ eyes per month without spending more on ads or charging less for your procedures. Give me a shout if you want more info. Our June launch schedule is full. But we have one spot left for a practice to start in July. Ping me and let’s chat to see if you’re a good fit.

Why did I wait so long? (Avoid this mistake)

Last week, one of my boys started private lessons with a new hitting coach.

Previous to that, we hadn’t done any private coaching this season. To be fair, he’s a solid hitter. But he wasn’t performing up to his potential or the high goals he set for himself.

I’ve worked with him on his hitting. I know a thing or two about baseball, after all. But even I found myself getting frustrated (he was too) as I was unable to convey the right movements and processes to help him get the improvements he was after.

So after a frustrating game a couple weeks ago, I went online and booked a lesson with a hitting coach I knew through a friend. I didn’t wanna waste any more at-bats due to challenges that could be solved.

And wouldn’t you know it, in just his first 60-minute lesson, he made more progress than he had with me in the previous 2 months.

He’s doing noticeably better, he’s happier, I’m feeling good about it, the team is benefitting from his improved performance. Wins all around right?

The question is – how did I come to the decision to finally hire him a coach?

Best I can figure, it’s a mix of these:

1. Calm my Ego. There’s part of me that wants to be the one to help my sons get better. Which is understandable, right? But it’s also selfish. I should focus on them, and their results versus selfishly look at myself, and how I can participate in it. Once I was able to dial down my ego, it became a much easier decision.

2. Make the Time. We have a ton going on right now at LogiCole HQ – launching updates to our coaching programs, onboarding clients, traveling and speaking at conferences and masterminds. We’re firing on all cylinders.

And on the personal side, spring is always insanely busy for our family with all the sports and adventures we do. Is it the “perfect time” to add in yet another thing to fit in the schedule and drive to? No. But there is no perfect time, just like a lot of things in life.

It’s as simple as deciding to do it, book it, pay for it and then put it on the calendar. Once it’s there, it’s happening.

3. Consider the ROI – On average, I invest well over 5-figures a year on coaching for me, Susan and my team in our business, as well as coaching for my kids in other sports. I have no issue spending money on private coaching, as long as there is a clear plan for ROI.

In this case, like many, the consideration isn’t a return on monetary investment as much as a return on time investment. We were wasting time, wasting games, wasting opportunities, wasting at-bats, by not addressing this hitting problem.

So you’re telling me I could invest a few bucks to accelerate his learning, avoid frustrations, and create a better experience for everyone involved? It was certainly worth a try.

These are some of the big reasons I’m such a proponent of coaching across the board. Esp #3. You can always make more money, but you cannot create more time.

But you can buy time in a way (and see an ROI much faster), in the form of accelerated learning and being coached in the right way to do things. Whether you’re trying to hit a baseball, get in shape, or book high-ticket cash-pay surgeries (which has money and time ROI attached to it).

In hindsight, I shouldn’t have even waited two weeks, much less two months. I should have gotten the coaching right at the beginning of the season, which would have more quickly improved his performance, his attitude, his confidence, our relationship on the field, and his team. You get the point. Better late than never though.

So when you think about coaching for your sales team, consider the different factors that may lead you to delay getting them coached up. And also the reasons why it makes sense to go ahead and do it now.

You know the most common piece of feedback you get from patients after treatment – “Man, why didn’t I do this sooner?!” It’s the same feeling I had watching my son rip baseballs during his lesson. Don’t make the same mistake I did by delaying the development your team needs.

Every lead, every consult – think of them as at-bats. Your team has dozens of at-bats TODAY, right as you’re reading this. Don’t waste anymore at-bats. Let’s hit some home runs.

– Coach Troy

Hiring Tip from My Favorite Burger Joint

My 6 y/o Charley had her first gymnastics meet last weekend, and she took FIRST PLACE.

Needless to say I am a proud dad. Here she is showing off her gold medal with me and my Aunt Rhonda, who came to town for the meet and half a dozen baseball/softball games.

(I rushed from one of our games to catch the very end of the meet, hence my coaching attire…)

Of course this was cause to celebrate, so we headed to our favorite burger place in DFW – JD’s Hamburgers.

—-

The owner of JD’s is an awesome lady named Gigi, Fort Worth restaurant veteran who opened this hot spot in 2022 and named it after her grandfather.

JD’s has great burgers, excellent cocktails, a nice dessert selection and the best “Okra Fries” on the planet.

But one of the biggest stand-outs at JD’s is their wait staff.

We’ve been there plenty of times, and we’ve never had a bad experience with service. On the contrary – regardless of the day, the time, how busy or not, we always get amazing service.

As we were leaving the restaurant following our satisfying celebratory meal, I turned to Susan and said rhetorically, “Ya know, it’s tough to find good people to work these days. But somehow Gigi recruits great folks who consistently provide awesome service across the board. How does she do that?”

As we were loading the kids in the car, my curiosity got the best of me. “I’m gonna go ask her,” and I headed back to the patio area where we were sitting to find Gigi.

—-

I explained to Gigi that I work with a lot of world-class practices who, like a lot of businesses, have trouble finding great team members.

I complimented her on the consistently amazing service, and I asked her, “What’s your secret for assembling such nice folks?”

And here’s what the DFW restaurant veteran with the bustling burger joint told me:

“Troy, a lot of places like ours go out and try to hire people with restaurant experience. I just look for nice people and hire them. Because I can teach you how to work in a restaurant, but I can’t teach you how to be nice.”

That was her big secret. And it’s obviously working for her.

—-

Interestingly, this is the same guidance we’ve found to work well for elective surgery practices who are looking to fill patient-facing sales roles, like phones or counselors.

You don’t have to hire someone with years of experience in an ophthalmology practice. In fact, you’re often better off NOT doing that because they can come with their own baggage and bad habits (not EVERYONE mind you, but it’s common).

Some of the best LASIK counselors have job histories that include waiting tables, working the Lancôme counter and other customer-facing roles that have nothing to do with medicine.

“You can teach people to do what you do, but you can’t teach people to be nice.” It’s true in the restaurant biz, and it’s true for you.

With our sales coaching programs, we teach teams to convert more leads to consults and consults to surgeries. But it only works if they have good attitudes and positive energy. For practices with toxic team members who don’t want to learn? Forget it. We can’t do anything for them. No one can.

So take a note from Gigi, hire good folks and then teach them what you do. And when it comes to the sales and conversion aspects of the job role, that’s where Susan and I come in.

Our E3 Conversion System and DISC for Doctors coaching programs give growth-focused teams the skills, confidence and clarity they need to put more patients on your surgery schedule. And right now, we have a limited-time offer that grants practices access to both of these private coaching programs, along with ongoing team support and development, for an insanely affordable price. Email me for more info. 💪🏻

– Coach Troy

PS – Check out JD’s Instagram page. Great content, great vibes. Plenty of lessons for you in there too…

Want More High-Ticket Patients? Sell to This

As an elective surgery practice, you deal with a diverse group of patients – different ages, different backgrounds, different needs.

Thinking about how to sell your services to such a diverse group can seem overwhelming at times.

So let’s cut through the noise and talk about one of the most effective (and simple) ways to convert more of your prospects into patients for your high-ticket procedures:

Sell to Your Prospective Patient’s Priority.

Meaning we want to discover their motivations, and use those to guide the patient journey. Which may sound simple on the surface, but it’s easy to overlook.

Many practices we coach tend toward the opposite:

They think they need to sell/promote/market the benefits of the practice.

“We have XYZ amazing technology…”

“Our team is 100% focus on you as a patient…”

“Our surgeon has done a gazillion procedures…”

“We offer convenient appointment times and even virtual appointments to fit your schedule…”

Don’t get me wrong – there IS a place for promoting all these aspects of your practice. Your patients need to know you’re a trusted authority, you care about them and you don’t cut corners.

These are boxes that need to be checked in your prospects’ minds.

But before we’re able to even get to that point, we need to dial in on the prospect’s priority. Why did they reach out to you in the first place?

And most of these priorities can be boiled down to 2 categories. Let’s use Sarah, a vision correction prospect, as an example:

Category 1 – A PAIN to get away from:

Is Sarah dealing with a frustration? Is she tired of the sub-par results she’s getting with her current solution? (Relying on glasses, contacts, readers, etc)

Is there an activity Sarah loves to do – hiking, running, online gaming – she simply can’t do to the fullest extent because of her current situation?

Maybe she’s literally in pain. Sarah’s worn contacts for years, but now by mid-day her eyes are straining/burning/feeling dry staring at the computer monitor at work?

Category 2 – An ASPIRATION to move toward:

Does Sarah aspire to do something? Like take that big anniversary scuba diving trip and actually enjoy it?

Get up and go jogging every morning without having to wear glasses or put her contacts in?

Take on a new career? (Military pilots are a great example. They need good vision to even qualify for the program).

You’ll see some crossover in these examples. For a lot of folks, they’re looking to get away from some aspect of their current situation, and also to move toward a better version of themselves.

As Sarah’s expert advisor, it’s your job to discover these motivations. Then “sell” to those priorities. When booking the appointment, during the consult, when making the procedure recommendation, and when booking the surgery.

There’s a lot of talk about being “patient-focused.” This is one of the most effective ways to actually focus on your patients, their needs and their desires.

And it’s why we deep dive into this one particular area when we’re doing communications coaching with our clients.

We even have specific word tracks and questions that allow you to uncover these motivations quickly. And simple systems to ensure everyone at the practice is clear on Sarah’s motivations as she goes through the patient journey.

When you sell to your prospective patient’s motivations, you set THEM up for success with you. The result: more folks in your surgery suite.

– Coach Troy