Rick's Business of Audiology Blog

The Power of Presentation

The value is in the presentation:

I can give my daughter a new dress by just hanging it in her closet.  She will eventually find it, more than likely, and she may or may not be very interested in it.  She may not say thank you, or even realize it was me who bought it for her and left it there.

Or, we can create an event; a holiday, Christmas for example.  Decorate for the occasion, including a tree.   Create a tradition of having gifts under the tree that are only opened on Christmas morning.

Now I can take that same dress she asked for and put it in a box, wrap it in pretty paper with a bow, and apply a nice tag with her name on it. I can take that box and put it under the tree a few days before Christmas. My daughter will see her name on the tag. That is her box. She knows it, but what is inside?  

She can imagine what is in the box.  Imagining what she might find.  I call this seasoning; the packages are seasoning as they ripen in the recipients mind prior to unwrapping them to expose the contents.

After some days Christmas morning happens.  We are all there.  She opens her box.   Yes, it is the dress she wanted. She holds it up and says thank you in front of everyone.  She then rushes off to try it on displaying it for everyone.

It is the same dress, for the same girl, but the presentation makes all the difference.

The presentation can pay big dividends for your patients.

When someone makes an appointment they are putting their name on a box under the tree.  This gift is only to be opened at a given day and time.

To the extent you help them enjoy the anticipation you are doing them a big favor.  Then when you help them reveal the value of their appointment you are giving them a priceless gift.

Thanks for reading.

I know this will help some of you, and your patients.

Rick

Valentine KISS

As we celebrate love give yourself and those around you a kiss.

Or more importantly a K.I.S.S. reminder:

Keep It Simple Silly (or stupid depending upon how you talk).

Make a point to simplify someone's life.

Give the K.I.S.S. of simplicity.

How:

Simplify one form in your office, or one procedure.

Simplify one step in your patient journey.

Simplify one person's job.

Simplify ways to say: "Thanks, I appreciate you."

Simplify ???

Ethics: A Quick Test

I was asked this AM if it was ethical for an Audiologist to accept a trip from a vendor. In my opinion it is only ethical if you don't buy from that vendor. Take the trip, and then buy from someone else and I would think you are Ok.

I don't profess to be an Audiologist ethics expert, and below I have posted links to the ethics pages for AAA, ADA, and ASHA. In addition there is anti-kickback language in most third party reimbursement contracts including Medicare and Medicaid that if you participate in these programs impact you.

This isn't an ethics violation on the part of the supplier. They can attempt almost any legal sales technique they think might work.  Many things are legal, that are not ethical.  That is why professional groups have codes of ethics; to limit actions that are legal, but not consistent with the profession.   

It is the Audiologist that wants to tell people they uphold a higher standard, not the vendor. The vendors sell hearing aids to non-Audiologists this way and in other parts of the world this way. Non-Audiologists and people in other countries have different ethical situations.

One supplier told me (on a flight from a conference) that they don't think it is ethical for Audiologists, but it isn't their problem. She indicated in her opinion that the way to get an Audiologist's attention and influence them is to buy them a vacation. Cheap and effective marketing as she saw it.

Just because "everyone" does it doesn't make it right. Would you accept your child's explaining the speeding ticket, while legally drunk, driving your car, as OK because everyone who left the party was doing it?

And then there is the professional reality test:

If you would be comfortable sitting in front of a patient as you are explaining to them what it will cost to purchase their hearing aid and disclosing how you were influenced.

It might sound something like this:

" You might want to know that the supplier I use to acquire these hearing aids paid for a couple of vacations for me to Mexico (Hawaii, Vegas, Bermuda, anywhere that sounds like a vacation spot) and while I was their guest I decided they would be the company I would use. I also expect if I sell enough of their hearing aids I will again be rewarded with another all expense paid vacation. "

Now that test doesn't relate to the written third party contracts or the professional ethics standards, but it might be the most reflective.

Ethics Links:

ASHA http://www.asha.org/docs/html/ET2003-00166.html 

AAA: http://dev.aaa.susqtech.com/publications/documents/ethics/default.htm 

ADA: http://www.audiologist.org/resources/documents/professionals/Code_of_Ethics.pdf 

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking Topics

Creating a Professional Environment for Success

We all talk about being professionally successful. But what does professional success really mean? Get a degree? Get a job? Get a different job? Rick will demonstrate how to aim high and define professional success in a way that makes it understandable and worth achieving. Rick will introduce attendees to the Success Pyramid to provide visual way of understanding the 8 levels of professional success. The Success Pyramid illustrates the reality that getting a job is other people's goal for you; and fulfilling professional success requires you to set higher goals for yourself.

Time permitting Rick will present the real relationship between dreams and wishes, intentions, and goals. With the focus on how to evolve your dreams and wishes into intentions which are the basis for useful goals. Then to make goals more useful to you Rick covers the three characteristics that make goals more useful, and three characteristics that make goals hard to achieve.

"I want attendees to leave with life changing knowledge they will apply, and a smile on their face".

Rick

The Four Phases to Thriving

We all know people who are successful wherever they go. They are Thrivers. We also all know people who are very talented, have great technical skills, and are honest and hard working; yet struggle. They are survivors, or worse.

What makes Thrivers different than survivors? If we are going to mentor the survivors, what would have them do differently? Rick has identified 16 things that Thrivers "get". Sixteen things that Thrivers seem to do, that survivors don't. He has grouped them into 4 Phases, The Four Phases to Thriving; Purpose, Communication, Finances, and Support Team.

Everyone is good at some of these things. What they miss is a constraint to their professional success. This presentation covers all 16 concepts so attendees can understand where they are already doing well, and what they will need to do better to remove their constraints.

"I want attendees to be smiling with realization and understanding."

Rick

Leverage Points

A leverage point is where your relationship with a customer, or potential customer, changes. They move along your customer journey. Just like crossing intersections on a cross country drive. You were on hwy 395, then to 185, then to 85, then to 178, etc.

Examples:

They don't know you exist to they know you exist.

They don't know what you do to they know what you do.

They don't believe they need your services to they know they need your services.

They have never called your office to they have called your office.

They have ….. etc.

Each of your marketing efforts should be designed to move a segment, your target audience, of people across a leverage point.

If not your time, effort, and money is wasted.

This is why most of your marketing money is wasted, and also why most of you don't know which was wasted so you will just waste more in the future.

Rick

Cookies and Cleaning

I like the idea of a cookies and cleaning day, or afternoon.

Have a few cookies in your office and have your patients or others, come into your office for a cookie while you clean their hearing aid.

Simple, easy, and I would think fun.

I hope someone actually does this!

Rick

Promotion Letter Strike Out

Audiologists aren't the only people who send marketing letters that don't achieve their purpose.

Not long ago I received a letter from one of my insurance agents. I have quite a few policies with him; home, auto, boat, etc., it looked just like a statement, so I opened it and immediately felt misled.

It reads:

Dear Richard,

Let's look at your home policy.

Business is slow in my office and I want to sell you additional insurance you may never want or need.

You are invited to have some fun while we learn!

Your Invitation is here!

Learning can be fun, or a chore. Let's make it fun. If you are an Independent Audiologist, or want to be one, then this invitation is for you.

If it is fun, and also FREE, then why not? If it is fun, FREE, and worthwhile, then that is even better. One of my mottos is: "If it isn't going to be fun, then it has better be really really useful." I am so confident you will find this fun, free, and really really useful I am willing to be the person who invites you to the playground to play.

This will give you an opportunity to experientially learn about some financial concepts including things like active vs. passive income. Some team building concepts including the difference between, accidental team members, intentional team members, and detrimental team members.

And perhaps most importantly how you define your purpose and others define their purpose, as you see it played out on your screen.

You will learn how to use online tools, like Facebook, to improve your ability to achieve your personal and professional purposes.

It will give you a forum to meet some other Independent Audiologists in other parts of the country and add them to your support team network.

It will give you the opportunity to pick my brain on topics of interest to you without paying me! (Yes, my purpose is to help you succeed and this is like an invitation into my virtual office.)

It is completely self paced and you can participate or quit at any time.

We will use a Free online business building game called Farmville on Facebook.

Please send me a friend request using Facebook. (In you aren't sure how, and at one time we all weren't sure how, then send me an e-mail or call and I will walk you through the process rick@thrivingaudiology.com or 1-866-737-6243. If you aren't a Facebook user expect it to take about 5-10 minutes.)

Then start the online game Farmville by entering Farmville in the search box on the top of the page and most likely the top search result will be Farmville with a mini green headed duck on the box logo and some 80+ million monthly active users.

I will send you an invitation to a group on Facebook where we can interact and learn about Facebook groups.

All of this for perhaps 10-30 minutes a day, on the days when you can participate.

Rick

If you have any questions please give me a call or send an e-mail.

1-866-737-6243

rick@thrivingaudiology.com

First Right of Refusal: Think before you act.

Friday's post about the business advice from vendors generated some comments. Good.

Several revolved around vendors asking for a first right of refusal on your business. This is a HUGE deal in the business world. It is potentially giving your family wealth to someone else.

Here is how I encourage you to think.

Financial Advice from Vendors - Bad Idea

Here is an article about suppliers providing financial advice.  It is worth a read.

In this short article Meidar points out the "obvious" problem of taking financial advice from the sales groups you are buying from.  Madoff's scheme to separate wealthy people from their money has made this a hot topic today in the popular press.  The idea has been around for as long as there have been people with money who are willing to wish as opposed to reason.

Three Points:

1. A lot of people have been taken this way. Slick sales people offer you a carrot, while stealing your farm. There is a saying a fool and his money are soon parted. This is often a way they part.
2. The people taken are often good at something, but not the finances. Called Marks in the industry. Audiologists as a group are very smart, honest, and trusting. The supplier company management may not be honest or trusting. It makes for an uneven playing field. If you are honest and trusting you are at risk for a smooth sales persons to woo you out of your inheritance and the family wealth you have worked so hard to create.
3. Successful people use fee for service. It removes the obvious conflict of interest.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/06/05/financial-advice-health-opinions-contributors-ubs-madoff.html

When you go to pay cash for a car, do you allow the sales person to examine all of your financial portfolio, business strategies, and take a look at all of your personal financial information before you even look at the car?

Obviously not.

I hope this helps you,

Rick