What’s Your Story?

What’s Your Story? Why did you enter healthcare practice? I’m honestly curious to know…what’s your story? What challenges did you experience along the way? How did you overcome those challenges and get to where you are today? For some, those challenges may have led to frustration, anger, or even a career change. In today’s healthcare environment it can be difficult to keep up with the changing regulations, provide high quality care to your patients, and maintain a positive attitude. For those of you who feel a little lost, I have a simple tip that may help.

Most of all, I want you to think about the journey you took to become the healthcare provider you are today. Where and why did it all begin? I’m not talking about the generic “I wanted to help people” answer. If you’re in healthcare, a desire to help people is assumed. Dig deep and remember the real reasons why you entered your field.

For many healthcare providers, the reason they selected a career in healthcare was a personal experience. Perhaps it was a negative experience and you entered your profession to prove you could do a better job. For others, like myself, the experience was positively life-changing and we couldn’t imagine living our lives any other way.

Now that you’re thinking about why you do what you do…write it down. That’s right. Put pen to paper, or fingers to keys, or whatever works for you. Furthermore, let your story out of your head. Hence, make sure you include the “who-what-where-when-why-and how,” as well as your feelings and emotions so your story’s complete.

Finally, once your story is written, don’t forget to read it and share it. Dr. Ron Boesch, an amazing mentor of mine, used to say “Own your story.” He understood that no matter who you are or what path you’re on there will be challenges. Knowing your story – the reason behind it all – can help you stay focused and passionate in troubled or confusing times.

How did you overcome challenges in your life or career? I invite you to share your story in the comments box below.

For more information on building community connections, I encourage you to read my new book Community Connections! Relationship Marketing for Healthcare Professionals. If you want more valuable information about how to Connect with YOUR Community, you can find FREE healthcare practice marketing content, PowerPoint Presentation Jumpstart Kits, workbooks, blog articles, and my FREE “Practice Marketing Planner” Now!

Healthcare Practice Marketing for Introverts

by Dr. Kelley Mulhern Leave a Comment

Healthcare Practice Marketing for Introverts. Many healthcare professionals are introverts, and that can make healthcare practice marketing and self-promotion challenging. But don’t despair! Here are some tips to help even the most introverted healthcare professional to market their private practice effectively.

First, change your perspective on your activities. Instead of getting overwhelmed at the thought of “marketing,” “networking,” or “promotion,” change your terminology. Are you more comfortable with “connecting,” “helping,” or “sharing?” It sounds silly, but words are powerful.

Second, take a close look at your effective healthcare practice marketing activities. With which ones do you stay relaxed? Which ones cause anxiety or stress? In general, focus more effort on those activities which allow you to stay calm and relaxed. If there’s a marketing activity which yields tremendous results but causes significant anxiety, look for ways to achieve the same results with less stress. For example, perhaps a health talk produces great results but you’re a nervous wreck for a week. Can you take a class on public speaking and become more comfortable? Or perhaps change the format to a panel discussion so you’re not the center of attention.

Third, consider adding marketing techniques and activities you haven’t tried before. Some ideas that may appeal to your introverted nature are: Writing practice-specific brochures for your target demographic, volunteering your time or services for a worthy cause, sponsoring a popular speaker on a topic important to your community, blogging, or joining a community service organization.

Fourth, remember that no matter what word we use, or what activity we employ, all relationships are built one person at a time. The same is true for healthcare marketing and building your private practice – it happens one person at a time. Those face-to-face interactions are oh so important.

Finally, don’t expect every event or activity to generate huge results. While some healthcare practices may develop signature events with extreme return on investment, that’s not the norm. Face-to-face interactions…day after day, month after month, year after year…add up. Take a long term view and realize that consistent effort over time will help you build the private practice – and life – of your dreams!

Are you an introvert in the healthcare field? What marketing ideas and activities have worked for you? Please share your experiences in the comments box below!

The BEST Healthcare Practice Building Advice I Can Give

by Dr. Kelley Mulhern Leave a Comment

Meet Dr. Kelley

I’m going to break a cardinal rule of online content marketing today. What rule is that, you ask? I’m going to share – in my very first blog – the single best piece of small business marketing advice I could give to a healthcare professional. I’m not going to make you pay for it. I’m not even going to make you wait for it. Are you ready? Here it is: The absolute best piece of relationship marketing advice I can give to a healthcare professional looking to grow their practice is to connect with your community. Sound simple enough? Let me explain. Best Practice Blue

Chances are, if you’ve found your way to my website, you’re a healthcare professional who’s looking to build their practice. Perhaps you’re about to graduate or are new in practice. Maybe you’ve been in practice for years but continue to struggle. Or, perhaps you’ve had a successful practice but you’re getting bored with your same old marketing events. No matter which category describes you, connecting with your community can help to ramp up and reinvigorate your practice. But what does connecting with your community mean?

The best way to build a successful private healthcare practice is to become involved in the local community, build genuine relationships, and leverage those relationships to the benefit of all involved. In other words, connect with your community, and allow those community connections to help you build the practice and life of your dreams.

Community building is a key component of success. The health and well-being of your community should be in the forefront every day, which means that you need to connect with them on all levels: physically (through office hours), emotionally (by caring for their needs) and intellectually as they are not just patients but friends too. Connecting with those who support my healthcare practice has been one invaluable resource I’ve used to grow my business!

Dr. Kelley 5k Community Event

When I was new in practice, I had lots of time on my hands. I decided to give back to my community by hosting free health workshops for the local Fire Department. I donated thousands of hours to participate in ride-alongs, to create and deliver the workshops, and to create and sponsor 5 K runs to benefit specific Fire Fighters. The 9 workshops became part of a “curriculum” which all First Responders had to go through and covered physical health, nutrition, and stress management. I created a lasting relationship with this Fire Department focused on their needs. But guess what? Over time, as they got to know and trust me, when they required the services of a chiropractor, many of them turned to me.

Dr. Kelley Pendleton Connecting with her Community

Dr. Kelley Mulhern Connecting with her Community

Connecting with your community doesn’t need to take a lot of time, nor does it need to cost you a lot of money. Find a cause or a population you’re passionate about and figure out a way you can make a meaningful difference for them. Remember – it’s not about you…it’s about your community. But if you take care of them, they’ll take care of you! How can you connect with your community?

You’re Being Watched!

by Dr. Kelley Mulhern Leave a Comment

Before we go off on a conspiracy tangent, let me clarify! While we certainly could have an interesting and compelling discussion about surveillance technology, drones, and Internet monitoring, that’s not the point of this blog. Instead, I wanted to remind you that our actions speak much louder than our words, and people are watching. (If you’re a parent, you probably have a few stories from your child-rearing days where this was embarrassingly obvious.)

How does this apply to a healthcare practice? It’s simple. Every action or inaction on your part is observed and judged by someone. Just as children watch their parent’s actions and learn…patients also watch YOUR actions and learn! Perhaps it’s the server at the local restaurant who notices the cardiologist ordered the fried fish platter. Maybe it’s the cashier at your grocery store who sees the processed junk food in your cart and remembers when you came in to talk to his class about nutrition. Could be the gym owner who realizes you never come in to work out anymore… Or maybe it’s the patient you’ve lectured about living a healthy lifestyle who sees the soft drink or fast food on your desk.

While leadership and making community connections can help provide a solid foundation and growth for your practice, it comes at a price. And that price is that when you’re part of a community…the community is watching. Although people won’t call the exercise or nutrition police on you, they DO take notice when your actions aren’t congruent. The good news is that the community also notices when you sponsor a 5K run, participate in the local PTA, or host an awareness event for a health issue plaguing your community.

Your community is trusting you with their health. Make sure you’re worthy. Lead by example. Strive to make your actions congruent with the messages you send out. No one’s perfect, but we all have areas where we can improve. Do you have an experience to share where someone called you out because your actions didn’t match your words? (Or maybe you called someone else out!) How did you turn it around?

Please share your comments, suggestions, and stories at dr-kelley.com and help me create a larger community of successful healthcare professionals!

Healthcare Practice Marketing Indecision

by Dr. Kelley Mulhern Leave a Comment

Healthcare practice marketing indecision can cripple your practice growth and stability. Wow, that’s a pretty bold statement…but it’s true. Indecision can result from a lack of focus, certainty, information, or confidence. Since most healthcare professionals receive little education in how to successfully conduct healthcare practice marketing, it’s no wonder they struggle to make strategic marketing decisions.

For example, do you have a written description of your ideal patient? If not, this lack of focus can cause you to dilute your practice marketing efforts. Do you track your healthcare practice marketing activities and calculate specific metrics? If not, this lack of information can cause you to continue to conduct low-performing practice marketing events. Do you suffer from decreased confidence in your skills, abilities, or knowledge? If so, this changes the way in which you communicate with patients and prospective patients about your ability to help them.

Sometimes the roots of indecision run deep, and it takes a little soul-searching to dig them out. Here’s a simple exercise that may help you combat indecision or uncertainty:

Step 1: Think about your car. (Wait…what does your car have to do with healthcare practice marketing? Read on and I promise it’ll make sense!) What happens to your car when you step on the pedal to the right? Well, since it’s the gas pedal it’s designed to make your car “go.” What happens to your car when you step on the pedal to the left? As the brake, it’s intended to make your car “stop.” What happens to your car when you step on both pedals at the same time? In that scenario, you’re sending mixed signals as to what you want your car to do. If you drive a standard, you just lurch about until the car stalls. Automatics are a little more forgiving and will respond to the pedal you have more pressure on.

Step 2: Think about your healthcare practice marketing efforts (and your life in general). Where do you need to step on the proverbial gas? On the proverbial brake? Where might your lack of focus, certainty, or information be causing you to step on the gas and the brake? Let’s look at these a little closer…

Healthcare Practice Marketing Indecision

What are some ways in which you might simultaneously accelerate and decelerate your healthcare practice marketing? Consider the language you use to promote your practice. Is it specific and consistent, or do you describe your practice different ways in different settings? While some minor variance is normal, some practices try to please everyone. They might describe themselves as a wellness practice, a personal injury practice, a sports rehab center, and a weight-loss clinic. Tip: Determine who your ideal patients are and how you can best serve them. Let your healthcare practice marketing verbiage flow from those decisions.

Here are a few more ways in which you could be stepping on the gas and the brake at the same time in regards to your healthcare practice marketing:

Accelerating Behaviors	Decelerating Behaviors
Setting written and specific goals	Never reviewing or modifying those goals
Creating a written marketing calendar	Ignoring the marketing calendar – adding and removing events or activities based on how you feel at the moment
Focusing on what you want in your practice – for example, wanting 15 new patients this month	Having conflicting thoughts or energies – for example, wanting new patients, but dreading the paperwork or time involved
Establishing solid marketing processes and procedures	Not following your established marketing processes and procedures

Step on the Brake!

Next, where are some areas you may need to step on the brakes in order to improve your healthcare practice marketing? (These topics are easy to come up with, but maybe a little harder to address.) For example, slow down or stop negative self-talk, procrastination, fear, sloppiness, and disorganization.

Rev Your Engines!

Finally, where are some areas you may need to put your gas “pedal to the metal” in order to ramp up your healthcare practice marketing and take it to the next level? For example, accelerate your accountability and decisiveness, turn your weaknesses into strengths, train your staff, and practice positivity.

Taking the time to figure out what you need to do more (or less) of in terms of your healthcare practice marketing strategy can lead to clarity and certainty. This can produce tremendous results for your practice

What works for you? Do you have a clarity tip to recommend? Please share your comment, quote, or story in the comments section!

Healthcare Marketing Mindset Series: Pace Yourself

by Dr. Kelley Mulhern Leave a Comment

Healthcare Marketing Mindset Series: Pace Yourself

The way in which you think about marketing your healthcare practice – what I call your healthcare marketing mindset – is critical to the success of your business. In my last blog, we explored the difference between looking at your practice marketing as an expense versus as an investment. (To briefly recap, marketing your practice is an investment in the future health and success of your business, and should be viewed as such.) In today’s second installment of the healthcare marketing mindset series, I’d like to consider attitudes about time and pace as they relate to marketing.

When a patient receives your service, treatment, or product, when do they wish or expect to see results? Immediately, right? (One of my professors jokingly used to say “patients want a forever cure, yesterday, in the mail, for free.”) We’ve been conditioned to expect fast results in this fast-paced world. How many times have you had to explain to a patient that results – and healing – take time? It’s common sense: You can’t take one small action and reverse months or years of behaviors and choices.

However, many practice owners are guilty of looking at their practice marketing in much the same way patients look at their health. These practitioners want (and perhaps need) a “quick fix” to generate cash flow, dozens of new patients, office visits, and referrals. My professor might say they want marketing results…yesterday…easily…for free.

In this mindset, practice marketing might be thought of as a sprint, with the practice pushing fast and hard for immediate results. The focus is on the short-term, such as how many marketing activities can be done in a short amount of time to obtain the desired results. There’s a brief flurry of activity, then the event is over and although you’re exhausted it’s time to plan the next activity. Does this sound familiar?

Imagine if – instead of viewing marketing as a sprint – you approached practice marketing as a marathon. You’re in it for the duration. The expectation is not about quick results, but rather a steady pace. Practitioners with this mindset focus on the long-term, and their marketing reflects that attitude. They take the time they need to develop genuine relationships in the community instead of seeing how many business cards they can distribute in 15 minutes. Healthcare practice marketing activities are carefully selected and planned for maximum impact.

In the end, the businesses of the practice marketing sprinter and the practice marketing marathoner may wind up in a similar place, but the sprinter expended much more energy and perhaps burned themselves out mentally and physically. I’d like to hear from you! Do you approach your marketing from a short-term or long-term view? How has your healthcare marketing mentality changed over the years? I invite you to share your story in the comments section, below.