My husband, Joe, and I own and manage two medical & chiropractic marketing businesses. One aspect of the business we run in the Dallas/Fort Worth area is answering the phone and assisting patients. Doctors who don’t take work and auto injuries refer to us, then we refer the patient to the type of doctor they want, anywhere in the Metroplex.

For us, the phone can sometimes -how else can I put it? – drive us crazy!! Usually it isn’t the patients who call; it’s simply the incessant ringing (or in our case, vibrating) of our cell phone. That can get on anyone’s nerves. Even though Joe and I alternate days answering, the phone can still be disruptive and stressful.

Yet what can be a potentially annoying aspect of business has become something that Joe and I find incredibly rewarding. While we’ve distinguished ourselves in our business in numerous ways, we find helping these patients – over the telephone – is the single most important and meaningful thing we do.

For one thing, patients have often been on the telephone for hours looking for a doctor who will treat their auto or work injuries. Because we’ve compiled a sizeable list of doctors in several different specialties, we are almost always able to help the patient find a doctor. Many of these doctors don’t pay us, but we still want to do what’s best for the patient. So not only do we find these patients the best doctor to meet their needs, we transfer their call, and we stay on the phone to make sure they were cared for.

In addition, each week we find ourselves going outside of our area of expertise to help people, not because we get paid for it, but because we enjoy helping other people. For instance, we have doctors’ offices who refer medicare patients to us. That isn’t something we specialize in, nor is it something for which we’ve asked for referrals, but we’ll always take the time to help people who are new to this area of the country, or who are simply frustrated in their endless search for a doctor.

Rarely do patients call us angry, but it does occasionally happen. Joe and I take all the time that’s needed to help them understand why their doctor can’t see them, and to assure them that it isn’t the doctor’s fault. It’s endless paperwork, fees for network membership, state board regulations, and other difficulties. While we don’t often hear from angry patients, we do often hear from those who are extremely frustrated, or in a lot of pain. Some burst into tears. Yesterday, one woman said to me, “I’m sorry, I don’t even know why I’m crying.” I know why. It’s because she finally found someone who would lend a sympathetic, listening ear. She had burst into tears of relief.

Two or three weeks later we follow up with all of these patients. Were they well taken care of? Were they satisfied with our referral? How are they feeling? Did the staff treat them kindly, and did the doctor meet their needs?

Looking at our telephone from this perspective changes everything. In a sense, we no longer “hear the ring”; instead, we hear a patient calling who needs our help. Every single day someone tells us, “Thank you so much for your help. You were the only one who took the time to explain everything. You were the only person who helped me.”

Each aspect of your business can be an annoyance or it can be an opportunity to help others, grow as a person, and/or improve an aspect of your world. We’ve found the latter three aspects in the ringing of our telephone. What can you find in yours?

Mary

Some months back I went to an evening conference hosted by two well-known, successful business owners. The statement I loved most was, “Competition doesn’t stress me out. It invigorates me.” He could make that statement because whatever his competition does, he’ll do the same – and more – but he’ll do it a little better. In my own business, I’ve discovered that you don’t have to have a million dollars to compete with someone who does. It’s all in the quality of service you provide your clients.

In our medical and chiropractic marketing business, Joe and I, first and foremost, want our clients – doctors who refer to us – to know that we are simply the very best people to whom they can entrust their patients. We fulfill that in a number of ways. One is that we care deeply about the quality of doctor to whom we refer. Money isn’t what we’re looking for when we admit a doctor into our group. Quality is. Only doctors whom Joe or I know personally, have been treated by, or whom another doctor or patient recommends may become part of the Metro Doctors Group. We follow up with every patient who calls us, and we investigate any complaint. We’re proud that in nearly five years of business, we’ve had no complaints registered to the Better Business Bureau, of which we’re a member. We’re also a “one-call” referral service – our group includes whatever type of doctor the patient needs, in virtually any part of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. That makes it very convenient for both the offices that refer to us, and for the patient.

We also take the time to develop caring relationships with the staff and, when possible, the doctors themselves. If a client is celebrating an event in her life, or if he mentions a particular need, we remember. One nurse’s sister passed away and the next time we stopped by that office, we took a sympathy card. We take cards when someone’s getting married, having a baby, or if any other event takes place in their lives. Not long ago, a client in Frisco told us she’d moved to Arlington and was looking for work in a medical clinic similar to what she was doing in her Frisco office. The next time we made our rounds to doctors’ offices in Arlington, we found out who was hiring and took the information to her. Recently a client spent a few minutes telling us about her trip to Italy, another one showed us pictures of her little girl who’d just won a beauty pageant, and another bustled out from a back office to let us know he’d received a promotion. I’ve always found other peoples’ lives immensely interesting, and it’s nice to have that connection with the people with whom we do business.

These aren’t actions that take extra money. They don’t even take that much extra time. Yet they’ve been an integral part of the success of our business.

This week, take a little time to get to know your clients on a personal basis. Showing sincere interest in another person is an “ad” that won’t cost you a penny, but will add a sparkle to someone’s day – and an interesting twist to your own.

Mary