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Sales was a hot topic at our Nashville mastermind.

Not sales tactics and scripts.

More about having the right mindset when selling your services. The importance of selling with conviction vs. convincing someone to buy a treatment from you. The importance of your purpose vs. going through the motions of your daily tasks and duties.

So much sales training is focused on the tactics and scripts – the outer work.

And scripts or word tracks do play a role. They’re useful. We still incorporate them.

But the inner work has to be dialed in first, if you want to be a high performer. Convictions and the right mindset will always beat a sales script.

This is something that’s been a big shift for me over the last couple of years. Both in my own sales experiences, and in the way we advise/train clients.

Problem is, I don’t see anyone in elective surgery talking about this.

So we’re gonna talk about it. It’s too important to skip.

You know how important a strong mindset is. It got you were you are today.

And you know when you have a team member who believes in what you’re doing, and they come from a position of service, they’re normally a rockstar for you.

On the flip side:

You’ve hired sales people who have strong sales backgrounds. They can recite the scripts. They (on paper) should have knocked it out of the park and loaded up your surgery schedule.

But they didn’t catch your vision. They weren’t in it to serve patients. They didn’t have conviction. They weren’t coachable and willing to grow.

Without these things in place 👆… You’re playing with a severe disadvantage.

Because a script without the right foundational mindset is like a race car without a driver.

Great tool… but there’s no one there to operate it properly.

What’s the best thing you can do for your salespeople?

Teach them how to think.

How to think about your practice. Your prospects. Your process. Your patients.

• Who really are our patients?
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• Why do they come here vs. going somewhere else?
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• Why would they choose us?
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• What do they really want? No, what do they really actually deep down want?
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• How can I serve them? What do they need from me?
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• How can I lead them to make the right decision for them?
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• How can I untether myself from “closing the sale” and objectively serve them?
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• How can I help my patients to think differently about their situations?
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• How can I continue to build my conviction within myself/my purpose, our outcomes, and the benefits we provide patients?
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Everyone in your org – especially your sales people – need to know how to think about these crucial questions. These are your roots.

And big trees need deep roots.

This is actually the first concept of a 2-part implementation.

Part One – Fix your thinking. Build your conviction. Sell from a position of service. This is all internal work.

Part Two – Figure out how to communicate that thinking to your patients, so you can influence their thinking as well. This is the external work.

And you need both working together if you want to fire on all cylinders.

We’ll talk about part 2 tomorrow. Because there’s an aspect of “patient education” that the industry has completely missed, and we need to fix it asap…

Until then,
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Troy

Have you seen the movie Inception?

Great film. Christopher Nolan directed, DiCaprio’s is the lead, Tom Hardy supports. (That should be enough for you to watch it regardless in my humble-but-accurate opinion)

It’s about a team of thieves that travels into people’s dreams to steal their secrets (or in the case of “Inception” – to actually implant a new thought).

Now, going into people’s dreams can be a little tricky. And as they discuss in the movie, one of the big concerns is losing touch with reality.

Am I in the real world? Am I in a dream? Can’t remember…

Yeah, that could be a problem

So they have what they call Totems. These are little trinkets they can use to ‘test’ if they are actually in reality.

For example, DiCaprio’s character carries a toy top as his totem. If he spins the top and it topples over, he’s in reality. If he spins it and it doesn’t stop spinning, he’s in a dream.

Dream-invasion is not part of my consultancy’s offerings. I’m guessing you don’t do much of it yourself.

BUT the idea of a “Totem” came to mind as I was going through my Nashville Notes.​

Because another big takeaway from last week’s Nashville mastermind meetup was the idea of staying grounded and tuned to your clients/patients.

Think about this:​

There’s something that drew you to medicine, right? Something you just loved about it.

I’ve heard the “how I got started” stories from many of my clients, and they’re usually somewhat dramatic:

Having the opportunity to serve patients on a mission trip…

Studying under an incredible surgeon who made a huge impact on patients…

Having a life-changing procedure yourself, and realizing you wanted to help others achieve those same amazing outcomes…

Whether you’re the practice owner, an associate, or a team member…

You have an origin story that brought you to start what you’re doing now.

Then over time, the practice grows (great!).

People are hired (great!).

The org chart gets more levels (which it should).

…and you aren’t doing as many of those initial activities you loved doing, the things that got you going in the first place.

In a lot of ways, that’s good – you don’t want to be doing every little thing in your practice. That’s not how you grow and lead.

But at the same time – if you got joy and energy from activities you are no longer doing… you start to lose touch with the reality of why you started this whole thing in the first place.

This is where the Totem concept comes in.

Take a refractive surgery example:

A surgeon opens a practice, and she’s the only doc in the whole place. Which means she meets with every single patient who comes in for a consultation.

Then her practice grows, and she hires ODs. The amazing ODs do the consultations, and the surgeon does the surgery. So now she’s meeting with fewer patients.

Practice grows a little more, and they hire more MDs. These awesome new MDs start doing more of the surgeries so the founder can focus on business growth of the practice

All of these are good, healthy progressions. And they’re parallel to someone on the phone team taking every call… moving up to manager… and then sales team director.

In these situations, you have someone who went from engaging every patient every day and being on the front lines…

To seeing virtually zero patients and focusing only on the business.

Do you need to be focused on the business side of your practice? Duh, of course you do.

But you also need to stay tuned into your WHY. Don’t be so far removed from the action that you miss the real-world impact your team is making.

Because when you’re removed, it’s easy for patients – actual humans – to be redefined and reduced to “surgery eyes” or “units of BOTOX” or “active orthodontic cases.”

The lady who had surgery this morning is not a “premium cataract upgrade.” She’s Sharon Jenkins, grandmother of 7 beautiful children, active golfer and volunteer poll worker.

This is vital to remember.

So how do you balance “staying in the mix” with the demands of growing your practice?

You need a simple Totem Activity.

In the movie, it only took Leo 10 seconds to spin his top. But that one small activity was vital to reminding him of where he was (and by extension, what he was supposed to be doing).

Pick 1-2 short tasks that remind you of the reason you dedicated your life to this in the first place. Incorporate those tasks into your daily rhythm.

A few possible Totem Activities for physician CEOs, admins and those in managerial positions:

1. Reply to your Google reviews. This only takes a few minutes, and it lets you see first-hand how your team has changed peoples’ lives. Even if you don’t reply to them, at least read them. (I read my clients’ reviews, as one of my Totem Activities to remind me why I do what I do. In a small way, I get to help patients by extension through the practices I serve.)

2. See a handful of patients a week. If you aren’t seeing patients as often anymore, make it a point to do so. Doesn’t mean you have to do a whole consult, but even stopping by and saying hello is a nice gesture.

3. Pop in on patients during their post-ops. Again, doesn’t have to be anything formal. Poke your head in, ask what they’re looking forward to doing now they they’ve had treatment, tell them you appreciate putting trust in you and your practice. Like when the manager or chef pops by your table at a nice restaurant to check on you.

4. Send a thank-you note to a patient for a referral. Takes 60 seconds, and it’s a great exercise of gratitude and reminder of the humanity of your patients.

“Troy, I’m busy and this stuff isn’t realistic.” Maybe it’s not. But figure out what is, and do that.

We can’t get so caught up working toward the dream of building a massive practice…

That we forget the reality of why we started doing what we do in the first place.

Figure out your Totem Activity today.

 

– Totem T-Cole

New week, new weather! The Fall chill has hit North Texas. Little nippy down here!

Flashback to last week – it was warmer, it was sunnier… and I actually wasn’t even in TX.

In fact, I hopped a plane to Nashville for a mastermind / conference / meet-up with other business owners and entrepreneurs from around the world.

I arrived back in Fort Worth 2 days and 27 pages of notes later.

We’re talking a white legal pad scribbled in quick-cursive with insights, ideas, strategies and tactical tips for my business and my clients.

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So in the coming days, I am sharing a few of my biggest takeaways that will help you manage, develop and improve your sales team.

Before we get into the nitty gritty,

I want to talk about the over-arching theme of this gathering, which may seem surprising.

You might guess we would spend a lot of time sharing and discussing tactics – marketing trends, business structure, hiring/firing, etc. And we did touch on those things.

But most of our discussions centered around:

• Nurturing the right mindset for success in business and at home (not easy to do both)
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• The superpowers that come from building consistency in yourself and your actions
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• Breaking limiting beliefs that keep us shackled in the status quo (and building new, strong beliefs in their place)
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• The nuances and benefits of proper energy management
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• Vision, risk and fear – handling these critical aspects of decisions making
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• Conviction vs. Convincing – how to sell with conviction
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Now look, when we start talking about mindset and energy and beliefs and thinking, it can sound a little woo woo…

(at least it does to me, I’ll be the first to admit it)

But shift gears and picture Michael Jordan for a minute.

I don’t have to convince you – a big part of MJ’s success was rooted in his thinking.

Yes, he was a great athlete. Yes, he pushed others to be amazing. Yes, he won all the championships and made all the money.

But WHY? WHY did he put in the work? WHY did he have clarity? WHY was he so next-level?

He had his head right. He knew how to think. He knew how to assess opportunities. He knew how to be consistent in his thoughts, words and deeds.

That built him into the superstar he became.

It’s the story for many professional athletes.

Business leaders too – Steve Jobs. Elon. Bezos. Buffett.

Their success starts with the way they think and manage themselves. The way they see the world and operate in it.

So you already know this “thinking stuff” is vital to success.

You’ve seen countless examples in sports, in business, on the world stage and probably even in your own life if you surround yourself with incredible people.

I guarantee you’ve seen it – for better or for worse – in your sales teams.

(I want to help you have more of the “for better” side. I’m sure you do too…)

In conclusion:

This sets the table for the week ahead and the insights I am going to share with you.

And hey, if you’re not into it…

If all you want is for me to talk about “What are the exact words I should say when a patient asks me X”…

Then you’re in the wrong spot. And I invite you to unsubscribe (click the link at the bottom of this email). No hard feelings here.

Don’t miss what I’m saying – I love a good sales script or word track. There’s definitely a place for those, and we cover them in-depth in our sales mentoring programs.

But here’s the thing to remember:

All the sales scripts in the world can’t compete with a rock-solid mindset foundation.

Gimme someone who has memorized all of the best sales scripts…

and gimme someone who has their head right, knows how to think and has true conviction about what they’re selling…

I’m betting on person #2 every time.

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So how do we and our sales teams “improve our thinking?”

That’s what we’re exploring this week. You and I together.

I don’t have all the answers. But this is part of my journey to find them, apply them, and share them with you.

If you have questions as we go, reply and ask.

And be sure to share these messages with your sales team.

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Until tomorrow,

Troy “Mr. Mindset” Cole

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Great feedback on yesterday’s message about protecting your inputs.

In case you didn’t see it – I talked about staying away from the toxicity that political ads, the “news” and social media create.

This actually hit me in the face yesterday in my Toyota service department waiting room.

​You can read the full piece here in case you missed it.

LogiCole Consulting client and refractive rockstar Dr. Greg Parkhurst replied with a reminder of something important I failed to mention. To paraphrase:

“It’s also a good reminder that we shouldn’t be playing the news and political ad garbage in our waiting rooms either.”

He’s exactly right.

Because it’s not just about protecting YOUR inputs, as I discussed yesterday.

You need to protect your patients’ inputs as well.

How does that play out practically?

For one, take his advice – don’t play the news in your waiting room.

Doesn’t matter that your patients may be older and they like the news. Doesn’t matter that it’s easy.

The reasons should be obvious, but if not:

You want your patients in a good, happy, upbeat mood when they go through their consultation.

It’s why you have a nicely appointed waiting area. Fresh coffee, water and refreshments. A front desk concierge who greets them by name, with a smile.

You do all that to create a great impression and good energy…

But then you supply tragedy, fear and anger from your lobby TV that’s tuned to CNN or Fox News, or even your local news broadcast. And it negates all your efforts to create a warm and friendly environment.

It’s like:

“Welcome to our spa. We want your massage to be a calm, relaxing, positive experience for you. Before we get started, we’d like you to stand barefoot in this fire ant pile for 10 minutes. Thank you.”

Ridiculous right? So is showing the news in your lobby.

Remember this:

Your patients come in with the general anxiety about surgical procedures. You already have to battle that. Don’t make the fight any harder than it has to be.

Turn off the news and turn on the testimonial videos.

Turn on images of happy patients.

Turn on photos of your team’s last birthday celebration.

Turn on slides of useful questions to ask their counselor during the appointment.

Turn on screenshots of Google reviews.

Heck, turn on a video loop of cute puppies playing in the yard.

Just make sure whatever you’re showing is HAPPY or USEFUL or INSPIRING.

And this speaks to a bigger issue to always keep in mind:

Your practice is a respite. An escape. A step outside of reality. A break from the stresses of normal life.

When your patients come see you, you want it to be the highlight of their day. They should look forward to it. They should receive joy and energy from it.

And what plays on your lobby TV is one small (but important) way you can protect your patients’ inputs in the office…

Now, you also want to protect your patient’s inputs outside of the office. It’s a little trickier, but doable.

This email is long enough already. If you want me to share strategies around how to control your patients’ inputs outside the office (which is crucial to your conversions), reply and say so.

I don’t want to share info that’s not useful or interesting to you.

Best,

Troy “No News is Good News” Cole

PS – Please forward this to someone who needs to hear this simple but important reminder. I would appreciate it, and they would too.

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Had to take my truck for a quick service job this morning at the Toyota dealership.

I drop it off and head into their nicely appointed waiting area. The TV is showing the morning news.

I’m checking messages on my phone, half paying attention to the screen.

And then they cut to commercial break. Of non-stop political ads.

Ads for politicians on both sides, talking about how the world is going to hell in a handbasket if their opponent is elected.

“THAT lady is going to take your guns away, eliminate the cops and invite Antifa to your neighborhood…”

“THAT guy is going to take your healthcare away, and leave you and your elderly parents broke, destitute and dying…”

Such pleasant messages to start the week, right?

I could actually feel a little twinge of anger / anxiety / frustration building up as each new commercial started.

After the 3rd one in a row, I did what any normal person would do to protect their sanity:

I evacuated.

I got up, walked outside and waiting for my repair to finish.

This was a good reminder for me (and you) to protect our inputs.

We don’t watch a lot of TV at our house, other than sports from time to time. So I haven’t been smacked across the face with that many political ads. It’s sobering.

The “news” itself is the same way. Biased to one side or the other. Sensationalized. Designed to create fear and anxiety so we’ll stay glued to it.

I used to follow the news, follow a lot of different “news outlets” on social media, try to keep up with everything.

But it’s exhausting. And it’s useless. Because we have almost zero control of anything that’s being reported / shared.

And I’m not saying we should avoid all news and live in a bubble of ignorance.

But you know as well as I do, 98% of the “news” on TV, the web or in social media is garbage. It’s selectively assembled clickbait.

It’s not news. It’s not journalism.

And maybe one side of the political spectrum does this more than the other, but they both do it.

“Fake news” (in the form of broadcasts, political ads or polarizing social media shares) isn’t making us informed or confident. It’s robbing our joy and stealing our attention from the things that really matter…

Our families, our businesses, our teams, the communities where we serve, the patients and people we care for.

Protect your inputs.

Turn off the “news”…

Unfollow useless accounts in social media that aren’t serving you…

Deactivate Twitter/Facebook/Insta/News notifications on your phone…

 

We incur a high opportunity cost when we give away our attention and our energy. Cut that cost as much as you can.

I doubt you eat Twinkies and donuts for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We know it’s detrimental to trash our bodies like that.

We have to protect our minds with the same vigilance.

Protect your inputs.

This is how we create bandwidth to focus on the things that matter, the things we can control.

We create headspace so we can focus on the inputs that encourage us, develop us and our teams, build us up, make us better people.

Easier said than done sometimes, especially as much as we’re bombarded with trash from the media.

So I hope this was a useful reminder to you as it was to me.

Protect your inputs and make it a great week.

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– Troy

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PS – This message started as a personal journal entry (I wrote it immediately after evacuating the dealership to sit outside). But I know I’m not the only one who feels this way about news/political ads, so I decided to share it with you in hopes it would be encouraging.