Articles

37 things I’ve learned in 37 years

Aledo, TX
September 23, 2020

Guess who turned older today? Yup, this guy.

And I actually have a gift for you today…

37 life, biz and sales lessons that have stuck with me in my short 37-year ride on this planet.

There’s plenty of business advice floating around out there, some with longer shelf life than others. These are the ones I find myself going back to day after day, year after year.

Shout-outs to several awesome people and mentors who have influenced this list – The guys at Traffic and Funnels, Alan Weiss, Ian Stanley, Ryan Holiday, Ray Dalio, Colin Theriot, Scott Adams, Jack Butcher and of course Jesus.

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” – Col 3:23
I am 100% responsible for every decision I make and everything that happens to me.
Most decisions should probably be made with somewhere around 70% of the information you wish you had. If I wait for 90%, in most cases, I’m probably being slow. Either way, I am good at quickly recognizing and correcting bad decisions.
Begin anywhere. There’s rarely a clearly defined path, especially when innovating. Start anywhere, build it out, test quickly, iterate, improve over time.
Be results-focused, not task-focused. If you’re doing a lot but not getting anywhere, you’re task-focused. Focus on the inputs that get the best result.
Don’t want a thing for other people more than they want it for themselves.
“Busy” is a choice, and I don’t make that choice. Some days I have more work to do than others. But I’m never “busy.”
Time is not connected to impact. Impactful things don’t have to take long. Long things aren’t inherently impactful. Focus on impact, not on “spending time.”
Essentialism – Determine the vital few from the many good.
Protect and limit my inputs. Everything I consume influences me in some way. I don’t think it does, but it does. Most things distract. Accept inputs (content, advice, feedback) only from people who teach + inspire me.
If it’s not a system, it’s not a business. What can I systematize today? How can I improve my systems today? How can I remove myself from a system today?
The One Thing – What’s the one thing I can do now to render other things down the line either easier or obsolete?
Decisive and Lightning Fast – Be decisive. Make a decision. Then be Lightning Fast at executing it. Like a kick returner in the NFL. He decides he’s going to run it back, then he takes off as fast as he can go.
Never believe what anyone says about you, good or bad.
“Become immune from distractions. Pay attention to nothing, except the truth.” – Marcus Aurelius
Build once, sell twice. Systematize your business and knowledge if you want to serve more people and have a bigger impact.
Detach from the results. The results do not matter because they are “lag” indicators – you must focus on the “lead” indicators – the execution system – and the results will handle themselves.
You build your environment, and your environment builds your identity.
Cherish and protect your time, your most valuable resource.
My biggest competition isn’t other consultants, other agencies, other husbands, other dads. I’m competing against my own potential. Am I being my best?
Express gratitude every day. For big things. For little things. Especially for the little things. I’m unbelievably blessed.
Maintaining proper health (diet, exercise, rest, mental fitness) is the greatest ‘life hack’ on the planet.
Keep an active mind, and continue to grow intellectually. I either grow or regress. Nothing stands still. Stay curious. Investigate. Test things.
A clear, persuasive communication skillset is one of the most broadly applicable assets anyone can have. Keep developing it.
Price is only an issue in the absence of value. Any price without a well-executed sales process is “too high.”
Remove all chronically stressful situations, environments and people from my life. There’s a huge opportunity cost to this. One bad client, patient or “friend” detracts from my ability to serve the others.
People treat you how you teach them to treat you.
Outside of yourself, you control nothing… but you can manage anything.
Life is an adventure. Treat it that way.
Situations aren’t important. How you react to them is.
Relative Change – No need to be perfect. Just be better than you were last week. Do that week after week for compounding results.
There is massive opportunity everywhere you go. When you believe that, you start to see it. When you are focused on scarcity, those opportunities don’t even cross your radar.
Security is the lowest form of happiness.
Patience is profitable. Achievement comes from the sum of consistent small efforts, repeated daily.
Risks are unavoidable, so take calculated ones.
If you can articulate and communicate your position better than anyone else, you own your market.
I am a child of the most high God. This is my identity. It’s my ultimate reality.

Hopefully you found at least a couple of concepts to give you extra motivation, excitement or drive to go after your goals.

Before I head to birthday lunch with my family, I want to thank you. For reading my essays, for your feedback, for challenging me.

Iron sharpens iron. We all continue to get better together.

– Troy “Older/Wiser/Grateful-er” Cole

CRSToday Magazine Cover Story – What Ms. Sweet Brown says about social media marketing…

The fine folks at CRSToday Magazine asked me to write a cover story about social media marketing for refractive practices.

When I’m talking to practices about all the different aspects of social media marketing, and how to actually do it right…

It’s not uncommon to hear a response that sounds like it’s from Ms. Sweet Brown herself…

I agree! Which is why I wrote this entire essay on “The Documentation Method” – a strategy for your practice to go gangbusters on social media… without having to create original content.

You do have time to read this article (and if not, send it to your marketing director and tell them to read it and implement asap).

Whether you’re in the refractive game or another elective medical specialty, you’ll find useful nuggets in this piece.

Here’s the link.

Go forth and prosper!

Troy “Fast Track” Cole

Bryson breaks all the “rules” (and you can too)

If you’re a fan of pro golf, then you’re probably aware that Bryson DeChambeau (day-SHAM-bo) won the U.S. Open this weekend.

If you’re not a golf fan (or if you’re not up to speed on the quirks of Bryson), let me tell you a little bit about why and how this muscle-bound dude with the flat cap is disrupting the Gentleman’s Game.

Traditionally, you could say golf is about feel. You head out to the course, the driving range, the putting green. You take thousands of shots, see what the ball does, adjust your swing as necessary, get the feel right, and try to improve your game.

Bryson takes a whole different angle. In fact, he’s known as the “Mad Scientist of Golf.”

He takes a scientific, data-driven approach to developing his golf game. And it’s unconventional to say the least.

A few examples:

He uses a tracking device every time he goes to the range. It shows him his speed, the ball launch angle and other useful data. He’s using that data and adjusting with each rep to hone his shot.
In a traditional set of golf clubs, the irons are each a different length. All of Bryson’s irons are the exact same length (37.5 inches). This allows him to use the same swinging motion and ball positioning on each shot.
On the green, he uses an approach called Vector Putting. Depending on the distance from the cup, and the slope of the green, he calculates the exact angle and speed to hit the ball.
He has a very stiff and awkward putting stance, which he does to minimize the pivot points. Fewer variables = fewer ways to mess up the putt.
He works out every day, without any “rest days.” (Most athletic trainers would recommend against this).
At the end of last season, Bryson determined that to better his game, he needed to hit the ball further. So he gained 35 lbs of mass in the off-season, and he is now has the furthest drive on the PGA tour.

And none of this is a secret obviously. Bryson is a PGA pro. His peers see this. The media sees this. And many of them are critical of it:

“He’s ruining the tradition of the game by playing it like this.”

“You can’t just hit the ball further and hope to win tournaments.”

“No one can be as ‘in their own head’ as he is and keep solid composure through the pressure of a tournament.”

And yet…

The guy is one of the top-ranked golfers in the world, and just won one of the most difficult tournaments of the season by 6 strokes (which is huge in golf).

The question was “Can he win the U.S. Open despite his approach to the game?” And he would say that he won because of his approach to the game. Because he broke all the “rules.”

Why am I telling you all this?

Your takeaway – Sometimes to achieve greatness, you have to break tradition. You have to move away from the way people have always done things.

And even move away from the things that very successful people are doing and have done. Because those tactics may not work for you. Or heck, you may not want them to work for you.

“Well, you need to run big discounts if you want to fill up your treatment schedule.”

“People care about technology, so you need to lead with that in your marketing.”

“If you have discount providers in your market, you have no choice but to lower your prices so you can compete.”

These are are popular ideas in the business of elective medicine.

But that doesn’t mean it’s the way you have to do it.

You can do whatever you want. It’s your business. It’s your world. It’s your reality.

You didn’t come this far, have this huge vision, take all the risks to get to this level…

just to be put in a box of tradition.

And unlike Bryson, who is disrupting a game that has a long-standing history of “how it is played”…

The very nature of your business is innovation. New technologies. New treatment options. New discoveries.

You apply this idea to the procedures you do. Make sure you also apply it to your business growth as well.

Our firm is in the same boat. We take a very different approach when we work with practices on their patient conversion processes.

People will tell you…

“You need to memorize all your sales scripts.”

“You need to answer every question the patient has.”

“Your #1 goal is to book the surgery.”

This is all conventional wisdom. But it doesn’t address the root challenge.

If you want to grow a massively successful, premium practice, it starts with your team.

They must share your passion. They must have the right mindset around patient care and your mission as a practice.

And they must convey that passion and mindset in a way where the patient is the center of the story, not your practice.

Yes, we get into the scripting and word tracks and objection-handling and all those things. But that’s the easy part.

The challenge is getting your key team players on-mission, and getting their mindsets right. Killing limiting beliefs and building new identities.

Sounds a little woo-woo doesn’t it? But that doesn’t mean it’s not true.

I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know and experience every day.

Your passion drives you. Your mission drives you. Your identity drives you. If not, you would have quit by now. But you haven’t.

But you’ve gotta get your team on that level too.

Which takes something different than what everyone’s always done. It’s time for a new approach.

Just ask Bryson…

Troy “Hit It Hard” Cole

”What if a caller asks a question I can’t answer?”

This question comes up often, including on a training call last week. You need to know how to deal with it.

It’s typically from someone on the phone team, usually a newer team member who is still learning the ins and outs of your practice and your treatments.

“What do I do if a caller asks me a question and I have no idea what the answer is?”

Common advice you’ve heard – Tell the person, “That’s a great question, and I’m not sure the answer. Do you mind if I put you on a brief hold and get an answer for you?”

Honesty is a great policy. And this is a much better solution than what I hear phone people do from time to time, which is trying to wing it. Practicing medicine on the phone. Telling patients incorrect information because they don’t want to look ignorant. (awful)

And certainly there are cases when this type of response is appropriate.

But the mindset around “answering questions” is faulty.

Meaning ironically, “What if someone asks a question I don’t know the answer to?” … is the wrong question to ask in the first place.

It’s not the job of your phone team to be human encyclopedias. Nor is it their job to answer every question asked of them.

Quick story –

I went through a call recording with a phone team member. The caller wanted to play 20 questions, and the phone person answered them all flawlessly. Then the person got off the phone, saying they would call back if they want to book.

I asked how she thought the call went. “I think it was good. I was able to answer all their questions.”

And therein lies the problem.

Whether you can answer all the questions or not… is irrelevant. Because the goal of the call is not to answer questions.

The goal of the call is to help the caller take the action that’s right for them.

In 98% of cases, that action is to come in for a consultation.

Your phone team cannot diagnose patients’ conditions over the phone. They can’t recommend a surgery.

But they can book consults. Which is exactly what they should be doing.

And as long as you’re leading the call with the proper language and specific authority framing, the prospect will not be in the position to ask a bunch of questions in the first place.

Once we install this new mindset into your phone team, and they understand it’s not their job to answer every single question, they immediately feel a sense of relief.

That nagging anxiety of “Their next question may be something I don’t know” goes away. The pressure is off.

The result – Calls get shorter. Your phone team gets more efficient. They gain more confidence.

Which all results in more prospects ending up on your consultation schedule.

Remember…

Your phone team is the doorway into the practice. Without them, you have no consults, you have no surgeries, you have no business.

So make sure they are fully equipped with weapons-grade mindset and tactics to turn as many leads into consults as possible.

The E3 Phone Team Intensive, which is a module in our 12-week sales and positioning workshop, breaks this “human encyclopedia” limiting belief. It also destroys and replaces 2 dozen other bad habits and faulty thought patterns that stand in your phone team’s way of growing your practice.

If you’re ready to have a pro-level phone team and start filling those empty consultation slots, apply for a strategy session now.

Stay empowered,

Troy “Encyclopedia-less” Cole

[VIDEO] The Only Price Comparison Your Prospects Should Make

It’s typical for patients to make price comparisons when considering your services.

In fact, the idea of comparing prices (and comparison in general) is hard-wired into us. It’s at the core of any decision-making process, even if many of us don’t realize it.

Unfortunately, the way most people compare prices – your vs. your competitor’s – doesn’t help them make the right decision. But when framed correctly, price comparison can actually work in your favor – to set you apart from your competition and transform your premium priced procedures into no-brainer options for your prospects.

Specifically, there is only one price comparison you should guide your prospects to make. I explain it all in the video…

Questions about how to guide your patients to the *right* comparison? Click here to book your free Strategy Session to deep dive on this very important skillset…

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TRANSCRIPT:

Hey, what’s up, y’all. It is your boy, Troy. And I want to talk to you some more about pricing. And today I want to talk to you about the only price comparison that should be made when you’re talking to your prospects about your treatments, the only price comparison that should be made.

So commonly you’ll have patients or prospects rather who come in or they call you. And they’re trying to find out the price of your treatments, and they’re making comparisons between what you charge versus what somebody else in town charges for a similar type of a treatment. And we’ve talked about in other videos, how that’s not what you want to do. That’s obviously the wrong comparison.

You’ll also have comparisons where you might talk about the price of your procedure or the investment in your procedure versus the cost of what they’re spending on something like glasses and contacts in the world of LASIK, right? And so it’s like, Hey, look, you could save money based on what you’re spending on glasses and contacts if you go ahead and have the treatment.

But I want to zoom out a little bit because that’s under a bigger umbrella. And the umbrella I’m talking about is the, is the only price comparison that you should make in your treatments. And that price comparison is the investment in your treatment compared to the cost of an action, the investment in your treatment compared to the cost of inaction. And yes, part of that is financial, right? If someone’s spending $500 or $1000 a year on glasses and contacts, then there’s certainly a financial component to having a treatment that gets you out of those glasses of contacts for the next decade or two. Right? But there’s so much more than that. There is a quality of life component.

And in many cases, while you can’t put a price tag on quality of life necessarily, the pain associated with that can be so much more than the pain associated with just spending the money that you’re already used to spending on glasses and contacts. What am I talking about here? Well, you might have a patient who comes in and they say, you know, I just, I really want to be able to swim with my kids this summer, but when I don’t have my contacts in, I can’t see them in the pool. It’s literally unsafe for me to try to actually get in the pool and splash around and have fun with them because I can’t see what is happening. I can’t keep an eye on my kids. Well, what is the actual monetary cost of that? I don’t know what it is. I can’t really put a price tag on it.

But in terms of quality of life, I mean, that is huge, right? Could you imagine going through life and not being able to ever fully engage with your kids during the summer when you go swimming and being able to enjoy that time with them. That is horrible, right? Or maybe somebody wants to be able to play sports and they just can’t do it. Or they love to go bike riding, but they wear their glasses and their sweat always dripping down their glasses. So five minutes after they start for the next hour and a half, they’re just miserable.

These kinds of things – while there’s not a price tag on them necessarily – are huge costs to your patients. And really what that comes down to is being able to figure out and find the pain, and reminding the patients of that pain that they are in of the cost of not taking action now with you, because that cost, when you look at the financials and you look at the quality of life and you look at the emotional impact, all of those things added up, really build into a reason to go ahead and pull the trigger and have that treatment now versus delaying another year or another two years or waiting until something else happens.

Because the reality is anyone you’re talking to, they are frustrated enough that they have reached out to you in some way, they are ready to make some kind of a change, right. But any change, especially one that involves some kind of a treatment or a major thing like that in a decent size investment, any big change like that is going to have friction. And people don’t like to change, even if they know it’s good for them, even if they know they’re going to love the result. So we want to build that case around the cost of inaction. And that is where the comparison really comes into play. That is where even your premium price procedures are a drop in the bucket compared to the cost and the pain and the frustration of continuing on the path that they’re on for the next year, five years, 10 years, whatever that looks like.

And this is a big piece of what we take our clients through when they go through our workshop is helping to identify and figure out what is, not only what, what that framework looks like for, for building the quality of life case, right? That cost of inaction, but also how to pull that out of patients, how to really dig down and find the why – why they are calling, why they are sitting in your consultation room and, and really getting down to the root of that. Because at the root, that is where the pain is. And we are, we’re essentially helping patients solve their problems and fix those pains that have been driving them crazy. You know, in many cases for years, and we have to help and guide them through that.

So if you’re having trouble converting patients, you want to convert more of your prospects into patients, into surgeries. You want to charge higher prices for your premium procedures. You want to charge what you are worth and not what other practices who are doing – discounts and bait and switch and all these other weird pricing tactics. They’re commoditizing the market.

If you don’t want to compete with that anymore, and you want to set yourself apart, shoot me a message, comment below this, shoot me an email, whatever it is, man, get in touch with me. Let’s start talking and let’s figure out what it looks like to set your practice apart to be the premium provider in the market, because you’re the one who understands your patient’s pains. And you’re the one who understands what it’s going to take to get them from where they are now -their frustrated dystopia – to the amazing results that you know, you can provide and the amazing life that you can give to your patients.

The only price comparison you should be making is the investment in your treatment compared to the incredibly high and painful cost of inaction on your patient’s part. Talk to you soon. I hope you have an amazing day and we will see you on the next video.