Rick's Business of Audiology Blog

Message Consistency Improves Effectiveness

When your message is consistent it is easier to communicate. And easier messages cost less to deliver.

Newest Technology and Lowest Cost don't go together; they are mutually inconsistent and inherently confusing to the consumer.

We go to Wal-Mart for low priced clothes, not for high fashion. Jaguar or Mercedes won't promote their cars as cheaper than Chevy's. If you see a Rolex for sale for $200 you would assume something isn't quite right.

The same for hearing aids. It is easier for patients to understand and have confidence in your pricing if it matches the image of the product you are selling.

Eukanuba Diet

I was buying a large bag of Eukanuba dog food at Safeway and standing in line at the checkout a woman behind me asked if I had a dog.

On impulse, I told her no, I was starting The Eukanuba Diet again, although I probably shouldn't because I'd ended up in the hospital last time, but that I'd lost 24 pounds before I awakened in an intensive care ward with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IV's in both arms.

Poop and Persistence

Often success comes to the person who has more persistence than another. If everyone has persistence then everyone can often win.

My dog, a little 17 pound Bichon Frise demonstrates a simple and effective lesson about persistence using dog food.

Processing a 50 pound bag of dog food into poop might seem intimidating. If I gave a 13 year old girl a 400 pound pile of food and told her she needed to eat it she might be intimidated. Might say it cannot be done. She might be discouraged at the prospect. She might not even want to try. She might feel overwhelmed.

However the Foo Foo dog is not intimidated. Each day she asks politely, or persistently, to have some deposited in her bowl. She looks forward to crunching up a few of those crunchies each day.

Before long the bag is empty and she has processed the entire bag of food into poop. And she seems happy to have done so.

I am reminded in my life. When it seems like the task is overwhelming to break it into little chunks, and then do them one at a time.

It works for my dog.

Alcohol: Does he want to hear this?

An elderly man is stopped by the police around 1 a.m. and is asked where he is going at this time of night.

The man replies, "I am going to a lecture about alcohol abuse and the effects it has on the human body."

The officer then asks, "Really? Who is giving that lecture at this time of night?"

The man replies, "That would be my wife."

Become Indispensable

Increase sales and profits anytime in any economic climate by becoming indispensable. Conceptually this is an easy concept. In practice it is often hard to do.

Legislative Indispensability:

In the US If I want to get drugs I must go to see a physician. If I want insurance companies to pay for my medical treatment I must go see a physician. In this way physicians have made themselves indispensable. They justify this to the legislative bodies and insurance companies by telling them that they "regulate" the number of visits and keep costs down for the insurance companies.

This is the arena of your professional associations, and is not an individual or local business achievement.

Customer Driven Indispensability:

This is an individual and local business achievement.

If your customers view their hearing instruments as indispensable to their life, and view your business as indispensable for them to use their instruments then your business can grow no matter what anyone or anything else is doing.

This becomes a very valuable key point of differentiation for you and your business.

Advocate for Audiology

I was recently asked if I thought Audigy Group was a good advocate for the profession of Audiology. The question always surprises me as the answer is obvious. No. They cannot be.

Who Owns What?

I don't pretend to know for sure, but this is my most recent compilation of who owns whom:

Aplifion (Italian) owns Sonus and the Sonus Network which they are branding as Audiology. They also own Miracle Ear which they are branding for HIS. I think they are really a marketing and promotion company that doesn't actually build hearing aids on their own but purchases them from other suppliers. http://www.amplifonusa.com/about_Amplifon_USA.asp

Oticon has an ownership interest in AHAA. http://www.ahaanet.com/ http://www.oticonusa.com/

Audibel is owned by Starkey. http://www.audibel.com/ http://www.starkey.com/

General Hearing Instruments (Walmart and Wal-Mart Online) http://www.generalhearing.com/about.cfm http://www.walmart.com/ip/Simply-Soft-Smart-Touch-Digital-Hearing-Aid-Pair.-Free-6-Month-Battery-Supply./11981998

Unitron is owned by Phonak

Lyric is owned by Phonak http://www.phonak.com/

Beltone is owned by Resound http://www.resound.com/

I think Siemens is a manufacturer only.

Another Resume No No

Resume No No: "I am truthful to a fault." Not sure what she is trying to convey, but it doesn't sound right to me.

Resume

After posting about words to leave off I came across this:

"I am a self-starting, dynamic, customer focused energetic people person. I am experienced in all aspects of Audiology. My career objective is to obtain a challenging position in a clinic where I can continue to develop my education and skills."

Do you think I read any further?

I do think it was spelled correctly.

J

Words to leave off of your resume.

I was recently helping a client sort through some resume's and found many candidates have read the same books, or articles, or whatever, and are making the same mistakes.

Think of your one page resume as prime real estate. Not one word or phrase wasted. When I am sorting through a stack of resume's you can assume you have less than 8 seconds to cause me to develop an interest in you. If you interest me then I might read any number of attached pages. If your first page does not fascinate me then your only hope is no one else fascinates me either.

Here are some words that are wasted on me. They take up valuable space while decreasing my interest in you.

Experienced: My truck is experienced and that doesn't make it better. I don't really care if you are experienced. What I want to know is what you can do and why will it help you meet my needs.

Career Objective: Unless your career objective is very specific and perfectly fits the job offered why do you expect me to read this? It seems so selfish and self-centered. If I am hiring I am looking for someone who will help me achieve my objectives. Tell me how you will do that and you have my attention.

People Person: I must admit I don't even know what this means. I want a productive person; unless you tell me otherwise I will assume you are a people. J

Enthusiastic, Energetic, Dynamic, and other …ic words: Unless I am hiring a cheerleader these phrases make me somewhat nervous.

References Available upon Request: I will ask if I want them, if you include them you are indicating to me you have confidence in them. If I am in a hurry I may just check them as I proceed and if they tell me you are outstanding you may leave the other resumes on my desk. I once received a resume with a reference listed that was someone I knew and respected. I dialed them up right then and they told me I would never regret hiring that person. I never looked at any of the other resumes. I never regretted the hire.

Self-Starter: Is that like a fire-starter? I have never understood why this is used or what it really means. What do you plan to start? Why not say "I am really good at making my boss look good?"

When in doubt ask yourself the question: "If I was in the other persons seat, what would I want to see?"

The most important part of your resume is ...

Why do I want to hire you? What makes you special in your ability to meet my needs?

Nothing else, other than your contact information, really matters.

Resume Spelling

I have hired many people with spelling errors on their resume. If I am hiring a writer then spelling is important, and many positions do require writing. But not all do.

Just because I am hiring doesn't mean I can spell myself. Always give it a try. A resume submitted on time telling me why I will never regret hiring you will probably get my attention over one spelled perfectly and written in a textbook manner that doesn't interest me.

Starting a Business Questions for Later

I was recently sent an article, referenced below, listing the questions to ask before starting a business. Thinking this way will make it much harder for you.

1. The author says the first question is the name! If you don't know what your business is going to do, what it purpose is, who it is going to serve, or where or why it exists than the name isn't your worry.

2. Second is the legal form. OK, at some point in time this is significant. But typically it is dictated by what kind of business you are going to have. If you are going to be an Audiologist helping people hear then a quick check with your professional association will confirm the legal form appropriate for your state. Typically an LLC or an PLLC and Legal Zoom can get the paperwork filed in a few days.

3. Gain a general understanding of laws. If you don't know the items in 1 then this question is mute. If you have a mentor or two and develop a relationship with your state association this won't be a big deal.

4. Hire a lawyer, banker, and accountant. Many very successful businesses never hire any of these. Hire them when the need arises. However as you create your plan and define your support team you do want to pencil in specific people and connect with them so when you need them they know you.

5. Consider finding an insurance agent. Yes, you will need to buy insurance, and an agent will be a part of your support team. But this isn't your first worry. When you need to buy insurance there will be someone to sell it to you.

6. Consider drafting a business plan. I love how he says consider! No plan = Failure. Now you don't need to have an SBA type written plan to be successful. You don't need to spend hours and hours worrying about it. If you know what you intend to do then write down one paragraph or one sentence and charge ahead. But you do need to have what you intend to do clear in your mind. Written down is far better. www.thrivermart.com for some business plan basics.

http://www.avvo.com/legal-guides/ugc/initial-questions-to-ask-when-starting-a-new-business

First Questions to Ask

When starting a business there are 3 some questions you ought to ask.

What do you intend to accomplish with your business? I am amazed at how many struggling business owners cannot tell me what they intend to do. A noble intention will conquer many a foe.

How do you intend to accomplish it? This is the path you will take to achieve what you intend to achieve. Your plan: Often it can be written on one sheet of paper.

Am I ready? Have I accumulated the skills I need? If you have never operated a business before often the best thing you can do is to work for the best independent Audiology practice you can find. You moved to another town to go to school. Move to another town for 12-24 months, work hard, and learn. You will experience good and bad days, understand the laws, forms, and what works and what does not. Plus you will acquire an invaluable professional mentor in the business owner.

Business Plan How Long?

How long should your business plan be?

As long as it needs to be.

Include what you intend for the business do to.

How you intend to do it.

One page may be plenty if you have friendly or self-financing and a good understanding of your profession.

Or it may become a small book if you are seeking outside investors and money or entering a field where you have a lot to learn.

Don't make it any longer than absolutely necessary.

Don't let excessive planning become your excuse to avoid getting started!