Engaging Physicians and Others The Purely Old Fashioned Way
If there’s one—close-to-perfect and always effective—secret to engaging doctors and others, this is it: Sharing timely, useful and interesting information–directly and personally. This makes an unforgettable and lasting impression that grows relationships with physicians and professional colleagues.
If you prefer, think of this as an old fashioned, personalized and “analog” take on the benefits of social media sharing. But make it personal and direct…one-to-one. Here’s a short backstory:
If there’s one—close-to-perfect and always effective—secret to engaging doctors and others, this is it: Sharing timely, useful and interesting information–directly and personally. This makes an unforgettable and lasting impression that grows relationships with physicians and professional colleagues.
If you prefer, think of this as an old fashioned, personalized and “analog” take on the benefits of social media sharing. But make it personal and direct…one-to-one. Here’s a short backstory:
A feature article in the national news caught was in the news recently about Millennials in the workplace. A colleague sent it along to an associate, tagged with a “thought you might be interested” note.
That was it. But as it turned out, the article gave a vital boost to the work of the associate, which in turn expanded their service business. Remembering to share a bit of information with others was received as a thoughtful and much appreciated consideration with a positive impact.
How to use this technique to engage doctors and others…
The core concept is to be aware of the needs and interests of others, and to directly share content—such as news items, blog posts, surveys, white papers, academic papers, etc.—which will help them. Unexpected favors are a highly effective way to build relationships, and a low-key means to grow new business.
Doctor-to-Doctor: Specialists can provide information that helps general practitioners diagnose and/or refer.
Physician Liaison: Representatives can offer updates about advancements in your practice or in your medical specialty.
Staff-to-Staff: Office relationships are people-dependent, and sharing operational and personnel insights are mutually beneficial.
Non-medical sharing also works: People like to do business with people that they know, like and trust. Sharing information about events, hobbies and personal interests is often welcome among friends.
Enhancing Your Professional Reputation: Being a regular resource for timely and useful content reflects positively on the reputation of the practice (and the individual) as an informed and authoritative information resource. Providing an “informational gift” makes a lasting impression.
Three Secrets of Maximum Effectiveness…
First, recognize the needs and interests of the individual. Take time to absorb what others are talking about and identify those topics that are of concern to them. It’s not about what you have to say…it’s about what they want to know.
Direct beats digital by a mile. Of course email is quick and convenient, but there’s a hundred-fold greater impact when you can personally hand a piece of paper or printed report to the other person. It’s a higher level of personal connection that differentiates and is more memorable.
Casually ask if the information was helpful. You’re not fishing for a thank you here; it’s future fine-tuning. The recipient’s feedback helps you better understand the kind of content that will be useful and appropriate to share later.
For additional reading on this topic, click through to these articles:
- Secrets of Engaging, Contagious and Sharable Content
- 7 Useful Tips: How to Engage and Inspire Action and Social Sharing
Stewart Gandolf, MBA
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