Outside of the Box (for one client)

I started working with a new client a couple of weeks ago. What did they hire me to do? Get doctors to refer to their Physical Therapy business. I’ve never worked in the medical field before, but thought, this won’t be a challenge. I do KNOW people in the field. People

I’ve met over the years that can help – if approached the correct way.

Yes, I’m still calling on doctors from the names they drop every once in awhile and also by just doing a simple web search. While effective in some ways, maybe not the most efficient.

I’ve been doing something different (that they haven’t been doing): using my network!

Out of the 25 hours I’ve contracted with them each week, yesterday alone took 5 of those hours. And this was done with 2 appointments. Both appointments with those I already have established relationships with.

First Appointment: My daughter’s OB/Gyn. I had stopped in before to see if I could catch this doctor, but it was his surgery day. Rather than waste time in going back and trying to catch him after his patients the next day, I waited until my daughter’s next appointment. What a perfect time to catch someone’s attention, especially after her exam was completed. I brought up that I was working with, gave him some updated materials and the conversation started from there. We spoke for about 20 minutes. Mostly about my client and what great things they did, but at the end of the conversation, he asked about marketing his practice and what I would do. (Emailing him some suggestions later). But what finally happened from the call – he told me he’d like to come down for a swim (in the only heated hydrogen peroxide pools in my client’s wellness center) and wanted more brochures so he can have some for each exam room for his patients. He’ll be referring exclusively to this business from now on. Who would have thought that this could happen with my daughter still sitting on the exam table covered in a blanket from the waist down??!! (Oh, seriously have to tell you about my Chamber Ambassador call I made while standing partially naked in front of my plastic surgeon. Another day)

Second Appointment: Used my Leadership Pikes Peak classmate to get into Evans Hospital on Fort Carson. My client accepts TriCare and where else better to get patients that from the military? John is a PA at the Family Medicine Clinic at the hospital. After chatting back and forth thru Facebook, we set a time to meet. The owner, my client, had time and wanted to attend the meeting with me. I picked up the client down the road from Gate 1 at Fort Carson. After waiting for awhile for John to get back from lunch, he introduced us to numerous people at the hospital. Took our brochures and explained the way they could directly refer to a place. Not only that, we met the nurses and the officers in charge of both the Family Medicine Clinic and the Orthopedic Clinic. Even in the process of setting up a lunch & learn with the docs, PA’s and nurses there.

I’d say they both worked out extremely well. And although the total time came out to about five hours – I probably couldn’t have gotten the level of commitment from running around to 4-5 different doctors’ offices.

I used the Stuff that I had. I worked out of the box.