Marketing Secrets for Doctors & Professionals with Dr. Barbara Hales | 011

Welcome to the Profit Connections Podcast. We are here for another fun episode, and I hope that you are ready to hear a lot of wonderful strategies on how to kick your business up more than just a notch. We have an amazing guest today in our podcast, we have Barbara Hales, MD, also known as the medical strategist. She has been on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox News. She's also been cited in Newsweek and more than 50 radio shows. Dr Hales coaches physicians and helps promote their practices with podcasts, content marketing and various other marketing programs. She has online courses, one of which is the physicians playbook and patients on demand. Thank you so much, Dr Barbara Hales for being here today, and I would love it if you would start out by telling us a little bit about you.

Dr. Barbara Hales: Thank you very much for having me on the show. I started out by professional life as a physician in private practice. When I did my training, I went through all of the specialties and the locations, so I saw what practicing medicine was like in emergency rooms, urgent centers, hospitals, big practices. And what I got from that is I wanted to have my own private practice, that way I could spend as much time as I wanted per patient, face to face communication, and really get to know them on a personal level, instead of the way patients are just, you know, streaming through and being rushed out. So that really wasn't me. I really wanted to get to know my patients on a personal level. The thing is, you know, in in medicine, they don't teach you how to have a private practice or a practice all, they don't teach you any business. They only teach you how to take care of patients. After that, you're on your own. But you know what? I thought I would rise to the challenge. So I found a spot that I thought would be perfect for my office, because it was on a busy street, good visibility. It started out its days as a candy store, and my biggest regret is that they did not leave their inventory. So I made it cozy and comfortable, bought all the equipment, signed up for everything legally, and the day came when I was ready to launch. I opened the doors, and it took me less than two minutes to realize I have no patience. And then, if I had joined a practice or I had partners, they would have come with patience. But since I was just starting out from scratch, nothing, nada, no one. Regex. And so I realized very, very early on, like the beginning, that I had to market myself, because if I didn't, then three weeks later, when the bills started streaming in, I would be closing the doors. So unlike most medical practices at that time, I started marketing myself. But the thing is, there were no tricks and strategies on marketing for doctors at that time, and there were no coaches or mentors to show you how to market as a physician. It just didn't exist. So I had to create the systems myself, quite frankly, not all of them succeeded, but enough did, so that over the course of time, I was able to create my own systems. And so I went from no patients to over 10,000 active patients by the time I was done, wow, I don't mind telling you that with the first paying patient that walked in relief washed all over me knowing that I might make it.

Yeah, that first, that first one that's, that's awesome, yeah.

Dr. Barbara Hales: So what I felt was, you know what? When I was finished and noticed that doctors really still were not marketing themselves as many are still not, I felt that, since I have a strategy that, why not help my fellow colleagues out, reach them in through the depths of despair? Because what most people do not realize is that doctors are going bankrupt every day in private practice. They think they have the perception that doctors is doing so well financially, but every day you hear about soaring expenses and reimbursements declining each day. I mean, just recently, Medicare said, you know, even though you are no longer working on a profit margin, we're going to decrease the reimbursement 2% now, 2% when there's practically no room for error, it is a lot. Yeah, what is happening is that which has been happening for a while now, is that doctors are either selling their practice to hospitals and then just working for them for two, three years, or they're saying, You know what, I did not plan on retiring so early, but enough is enough, And turning the key in the lock and walking

away. Wow.

Dr. Barbara Hales: Now my mission is to help doctors in private practice so that 10 to 12 years from now, there still is private practice as an option for patients to go to because I could see the writing on the wall where that might disappear in the landscape of medicine, so that you would only be able to see a doctor in a hospital, a large group like Kaiser Permanente emergency room or urgent center, and that would be it. And if you wanted to see a private practice, unless you went to someone who was concierge where you're paying for it, but the way private practice exists now just would not be an option for you. And if I could thwart the progression of that, you know, I really wanted to give it my law

that is amazing. And so much information that you just shared, I was not fully aware some of it. I was like, oh yeah, this sounds familiar, and this sounds familiar, and I wasn't aware of everything that you shared. So that was really good information. And so for those talk a little bit about marketing for doctors, and if you can expand it a little bit for other professionals that are that struggle with the ability to market like, I don't know if you can speak to financial advisors. They have a lot of like, restrictions on what they can do anybody in the financial sector. You know, whenever you're a veterinarian, that kind of thing, when you come out of school, they don't like you, said, tell you how to run the business. So what do you have to think about when you're thinking about marketing in these more restrictive sort of industries?

Dr. Barbara Hales: There are slight differences between businesses that are just brick and mortar versus ones that are just online and ones that are hybrid. Now, regardless of the business that you're in, every business has certain restrictions or guidelines that they have to work within. For people in the health profession, it is HIPAA. For people who are pharmaceutical or vitamin supplements. It's going to be the FDA for the financial business. It's going they have their own set of restrictions. We will have restrictions that we have to work within. But by the same token, you know, there are certain similarities that overlap we're all dealing with people. Our clients and our customers are all people, and as such, they want to be heard, they want to be seen. They want their fears and their interests to be validated, right? Is good? If you sat down and you thought, Who is it that I'm serving? What is it that they need, what they want, what the problems they are struggling with, and how does your service or products fill that need to provide the solutions to what they need and what they're struggling with. Once you're able to answer that, you know, you get more clarity in how you're going to move forward.

Speak a little bit about people being in their businesses and thinking about their customers from the perspective of the business owner, of the doctor as a you know, here's what I do, and here's what I'm going to from your perspective, as opposed to what perspective should they be looking for and what kinds of questions should they be asking themselves?

Dr. Barbara Hales: Well, the first thing. Which is really a shock, is that even today, in today's day and age, there are doctors that don't have websites you said, you said, like, Oh my god. How could that possibly be? But it is, in fact, the case they rely on their online presence using Yelp or using insurance participation, but you know, they have no control over the content that way, right? And if an insurance company drops them as the you know, as you being a provider overnight your online presence is gone,

yeah, because you don't own it, right, right? So

Dr. Barbara Hales: this is something that you really need to deal with if you are first starting out, whether it's business, whether it's medicine, you know, and you're, you're just trying to promote a product or service, you could, while you're waiting to have your website created, you could have just like a landing page. The landing page simply has what it is you're trying to promote, and the information that you want whoever's interested in it to let you know. So they're going to give you their name, their email and maybe their telephone number, but you don't even need that, just the name and their email, and then you could add it to your email database.

So what you're saying is, even if you don't have a website, or you're not ready to have a website, create a page where you can send people to give you their contact information so then you can follow up with them absolutely.

Dr. Barbara Hales: You know the email database is the most valuable asset that your business is going to have, because telling

me that email is not dead, email

Dr. Barbara Hales: is not dead. It's alive and well and in a very valuable

resource. I think people are used to being on their phones and doing things through social media. And again, like you said before, if you're relying on Yelp, you don't own anything in social media either. So it's really important to have control over the information, and a simple way to do that is a landing page.

Dr. Barbara Hales: Absolutely once you get your website up and running, there are about five pages with tabs that you need, including an about page with a good photograph looking forward, not one with your kids or your dog or looking down. It should be so that when they look at it, they're looking into your eyes, and then you're talking a little bit about yourself. But what I recommend, in addition to having you on the about page, is everyone that works in that office to have their own little section on the about page. So when someone comes to your office that's never been there before, they know, oh, that's Sally from the front desk. I recognize her. There's Richard. He's going to be the billing guy, and I'm going to see him after and talk about billing. So they have some familiarity in a place that they haven't been before. It gives them a little bit more comfort.

Yes, I love that you said that, because what business owners need to do is think about it from the perspective of the client, the patient. They want. You want them to come into the office feeling comfortable and like they belong there. So by knowing the faces and seeing the faces before they walk in the door, it gives an unspoken level of comfort and trust even before you walk in the door, absolutely

Dr. Barbara Hales: what most people don't realize, but they're starting to get the hack the you know. The idea is that studies have shown that eight out of 10 people will go online to check out the, you know, the health professional, or, you know, whatever business it is, prior to going. And if you have no online presence, you know what, you don't exist. Yep, 100%

we are living in an Amazon world. Everyone goes to find it and then goes to look for reviews. And if they cannot find you when they're looking for you, you're absolutely right. You don't exist.

Dr. Barbara Hales: Now I'm glad that you brought up reviews and ranking, because that really was segwaying into the next thing I was going to say, and that is, you really need to be mindful of having reviews and rankings. You know, when I go to a manicurist and I have my nails done, it's less than 10 minutes after I get home that I get a text message saying, you know, like, how was your service? And, like, just color in the number of stars. And, you know. Say something else, if you'd like to and hit submit, it takes, like, well, of like, two minutes, and yet, doctors never do that.

Yeah, in creating that really simple systems of what you're telling me is that the manicurist has a system in place where all they have to do is push a button, and it's already automated that comes out to you, gives them feedback that that they can then use to promote their business. And it is as simple as setting up a system, exactly.

Dr. Barbara Hales: And so, you know, you could have, you know, something as simple as a piece of paper with a QR code at the front desk when they're checking out. And you just say, you know, like, if you were happy with the service, just scan the QR code, 123, and you ask them to do it while they are still in the office, once they leave, it's yes, hallelujah, once they leave the office, even if they say they will, it's a little sketchy as to whether that will actually ever happen, because

life happens. They walk out of the office, and life happens. If you can capture it while they are there, standing in front of you, then you have you look crossed it off their list right away. They don't have to think about it. They had a great visit. They like you. They want other people to know about you. And it's a win, win, win for everyone. Exactly.

Dr. Barbara Hales: Now, if you are unfortunate enough to get a bad review. You know what? That's not so bad. May sound bad, but that's not. It's actually a gift. It is because if there is something so wrong in your office that somebody is leaving unhappy, you know what? They took the time to tell you about it, you should appreciate that, because you know what is saying. This is the problem, and I could change it,

right? And I care enough to tell you, because how many people will walk out of a business with a bad experience and never say anything to you, yet they're going to tell everyone they know so better that they tell you so you can take steps to improve it, to fix the problem, to resolve it, and then whenever you resolve it, then they're going to like you even more. So that absolutely 100% a gift when someone gives you negative feedback, so that you can then take steps to prep

Dr. Barbara Hales: right? You know, I've looked at many reviews, you know, in my time. And the interesting thing is that it's rarely about the professional, him or herself. You know, it's the fact that the front desk person was rude to them, or they had to wait too long, or they thought that the furniture was old and should be changed. You know, a lot of it really has nothing to do with, you know, the professional being a professional. So, you know, it's important for that person to stand back and say, Listen, I'm not going to be I'm not going to be hurt or negate, you know, what is said. I'm going to look at it with an objective eye, with the view of, you know, what? If it's bad, let's take a look at it and correct it. Yeah. And

also, sometimes, whenever somebody gives you a bad review, there's an opportunity to not just fix the situation. Could be fix that relationship you have with your client. We had a client one time who came in. I talked to him on the phone. He came in, he was so he was really happy when he left, and then he left this terrible Yelp review. And so I reached out to him, and I was like, Hey, how can I help you with this? And what he had thought was that he it was a bait and switch situation. I told him one thing on the phone, but when he got there, another thing occurred. Well, it turned out that what he the information he gave me on the phone, was not actually what he needed done. So yes, there was a change, but the change was in communication. So when I explained that to him and said, Well, you brought us this, and that's the price for this, but you act, but I gave you the price for what you asked for on the phone, but what you brought us was not that price, and explained it to him, and then he was like, oh, okay, so it was a communication issue that we've resolved right away. He went back out and fixed that Yelp review. So it just is, so it's so valuable to have that feedback absolutely

Dr. Barbara Hales: and so many times you're right, it just is communication.

Yeah, yeah, 100% so

Dr. Barbara Hales: the thing that I would recommend, though, is going back online, because other people are looking at it, to address it by saying, Thank you for submitting this. After a careful review, we've made some changes to correct the problem. But if anything else were to occur to, you know, and then you could say, you know, if there's anything, any way that I could additionally help you, let me know. But beyond that, take it offline. You do not have to keep the communication online. Take it offline, but put. First thing online so people know that you didn't just ignore it

100% right? Yeah, address it immediately online so everyone can see that you're responding. Because so many times businesses will not respond, and then people will take that non response as affirmation Exactly. Yeah, really important. Awesome. Well, do you have one more sweet nugget for us to kick up our business a notch?

Dr. Barbara Hales: Well, we are we done?

Because I've got several. Well, we have only a few minutes left. Everyone we are at Chada Palooza, and our windows for these conversations are really short, and I want to get as much out of Dr Barbara Hales, MD, as I possibly can, because the medical strategist is here on our stage. So keep going. We got a few more minutes.

Dr. Barbara Hales: Okay. Well, I'll give you two of them. And the first one is that most people say to save yourself time to figure out where your clients or customers are in social media and just spend your time there. Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, I say that's a myth, and the reason why is because every single social media platform allows you to put your profile on their site, so that the purpose of is to drive people from there back to your website, hear what you're saying, so you don't have to spend any time there, but having stellar websites, so when they search a keyword that represents you, you're going to pop up. Yes, and

people are searching social media sites as if they are a Google or a Bing. So that is, actually, that's that I take back my Ding, ding, ding, you are absolutely right. Having at least the information available on all the sites is, is powerful. Yeah. Love that exactly.

Dr. Barbara Hales: And the last thing that I want to talk about, which most people really don't think about at all is bundling or packages? Insurance companies think about bundling, but people don't. Let me give you an example. Let's say you are a florist. Well, how about getting together with limo company and a restaurant and making a package for holidays like Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, so that if they use the three of them together, they get a coupon discount for each one as a triad. Now a lot of a lot of husbands are thinking, you know, I want to do something special for my special someone for the holiday, but I have, like no clue what to do. Well, here's this package, and it is helping to promote all three businesses. So, you know, that's a great thing for medicine. You know, I found that networking with complimentary services helped me throughout my entire professional office life. I practiced OB GYN and I entered into a business relationship with a radiologist. All of my gynecology patients that I found pathology with were going to need a sonogram or an x ray. Why not send them all to him? Nice. On the other hand, if he was doing an x ray or sonogram and he found that someone had a gynecological problem, he would send them to me, so both of us profited.

I love that, and bundling is important, because not only are you sharing the the products, so you're providing more to your clients, you're also sharing your own lists, so you're tripling the amount of people that you can reach, because you're all reaching different people. I love that. I love that idea of bundling. And Dr Barbara, I did neglect to ask before you came on, do you have a gift for our listeners?

Dr. Barbara Hales: I do as a matter of fact,

yay. Can you share that with us?

Dr. Barbara Hales: Yes. For your listeners, they may have a 30 minute free consultation with me and business assessment. All they need to do is go into the medical strategist.com, forward slash contact, pick your day and time and what you're struggling with, and we'll touch bases and discuss your needs. Awesome.

Thank you. That is a very generous gift. So what we're going to do is we're going to take that information in it. You are going to be able to find it in the profitconnectors.club section of our websites. We are going to have all of that, all of our gifts are going to be there. Dr Barbara's is going to be there. Please reach out to her. She has a lot of brilliance, and I really appreciate all of the nuggets that. She shared with us today, because even if you do just one of these, you are going to kick your business up a notch. Thank you so much Barbara for being here, and thank you everyone for listening to the profit connections podcast.