Some years ago, I had a good friend who was a minister, and
every Sunday he would scan the congregation, checking to
see how many people were there. He took it personally when
people didn't show up, and he was correct in his assumption
that people came to see him and hear him preach. Whatever
else they felt about that church, HE was the church. When
he left, a lot of people stopped attending. Just like
ministers, when you have a professional practice, YOU are
the practice. People associate the practice with you, and
they come in to the practice because of you.
Whether you intend to associate, or to work as an
independent contractor renting space from someone, or to
start your own solo practice, you need to think about how
you will market yourself to people in your community so
they will come to your practice.
It's all about KNOW-LIKE-TRUST. People first have to know
you; they need to feel they know who you are and what you
stand for. Then they have to like you; they have to feel
that there is a connection between you and then through
this "liking-ness" finally, they have to be led to trust
you. Trust only comes by interacting with people over time.
So how will you develop this Know-Like-Trust thing?
First, you have to decide who you are and what makes you
special so people can get to know you. But people won't
know how special you are unless you either tell them or
they figure it out from talking with you. You can
communicate your uniqueness just by talking about your
interests and passions. In communication, when you tell
someone a fact about you, this empowers them to tell you a
fact about them. This exchange of personal information
grows into a conversation and into knowing. You can
also get people to know you through advertising. For
example, include your photo in your ads; tell about
yourself on your website, and include photos of your
family. But "getting to know you" is only the beginning.
Next, you have to get people to like you. This may be
difficult or easy for you, depending upon your personality.
People like people who:
Smile
Look them in the eye
Sincerely listen and respond
Evidence compassion
Say, "I like you"
If you're not now comfortable with the interpersonal thing,
you'll need to work on this. Practice smiling at people
and looking at them for a second or two. (Don't look too
long, or they'll think you're staring.) Learn to listen. A
very wise person once told me, "You learn nothing when you
talk, because you know what you're saying already. You
learn when you listen." And listen actively. Active
listening is the practice of paying close attention to a
speaker and asking questions to ensure full comprehension.
Active listening also helps promote a relationship, because
people like people who care enough to listen.
What about this "I like you" business? Well, the "world's
greatest salesman" (as attested to by none other than the
Guinness Book of World Records) is a guy named Joe Girard.
Joe sold used cars better than anyone else because he
understood the KLT principle, and worked on it every day.
He knew that people like people who say, "I like you." So
he would say this. But the trick, as he knew, is to mean
it. If you're not sincere in saying you like someone,
they'll know immediately and be turned off.
But knowing you and liking you are still not enough. You
must get people to trust you. The only way to gain trust
is over time. And trust is about two things:
professionalism and integrity. Your professionalism must
be evident everywhere in the community. Do you look like
an unshaven bum when you go to the store on a Sunday
morning? If you're the soccer coach, do you show up for
every practice prepared and enthusiastic? If you're on a
Rotary committee, do you pitch in and work hard?
It's also about integrity. The root of the word
"integrity" is "integer." If you remember your math, an
integer is a whole number. So integrity has to do with
wholeness. It means your whole life is unified; it means
what you say and what you do are in congruence. It also
implies completeness. Are you completely honest in your
dealings with clients? With vendors? With other
professionals in the community?
The sooner you get busy creating that personal marketing
plan, by working on the principles of Know-Like-Trust, the
faster you'll be able to gain patients when you start into
practice.
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Copyright 2007 Jean Wilson Murray, MBA, PhD.
Dr. Jean Murray has been advising small business owners
since 1974. As the founder of Planning for Practice
Success, she specializes in assisting health care
professionals with business plan construction and startup
details. She can help you gain the knowledge to act and the
confidence to begin. Learn more at
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