The joke goes, “Raise your hand if you think you are one of the very worst doctors in your area!” Nobody has ever raised a hand, yet 49.99% of doctors and providers, by definition, in any area, are one of the least good in their area. This begs the question of how patients can differentiate and select one of the best.
The best practices learn early on that on their initial phone call, and certainly by the live visit, it is paramount that a patient concierge explains those key factors in what YT calls the “Stump Speech” but you might refer to as a list of provider accolades or an “elevator pitch.” How do you answer when people ask what makes your practice or medspa different? Why should a patient choose you or your providers? We know this much: if an elective medicine patient wants surgery or a cosmetic procedure, they’re usually going to have it performed. They don’t need to be convinced to have a breast aug, LASIK, or get Botox or a peel, but they do need to know why your practice is the best choice when the time comes.
But, here’s the thing: your staff is, most likely, not educating your patients properly on why you’re the best. They say things that they believe are differentiating, but, in actuality are claims anybody could make. Sure, being “amazing” and having “great bedside manner” may be nice and true, or for a patient to know “I’ve used my doctor, myself” can’t hurt, these claims remain something literally any practice or medspa can make.
Having a skilled Patient Coordinator who can seamlessly (and genuinely) differentiate your practice with a robust, sophisticated stump speech is invaluable. It’s a nuanced practice that we teach in-depth at our Annual YT Training Seminar. Here are a few pearls for our readership to implement right away.
Education
Ask your team at a staff meeting where you (or your providers) graduated from school. We’d guess most don’t know. And why should they? Most likely, no one onboarded or trained them properly, if at all. Some patients value your training more than any other aspect of your background. And, if you went to a school with some level of name recognition (Harvard, Princeton, Yale, etc.), make sure that’s not only mentioned on the phone, but is also featured front and center on your website. If you went to a good school but got great results, teach about that as well and provide your team with “word tracks” to implement. For example, “Dr. Billiam is a graduate of XYZ, which, while little known, was rated as one of the top 20 facial plastic surgery training programs in America” or “Dr. Billiam graduated from ABC, where she scored #1 in her class four years in a row, and was awarded one of 35 prestigious fellowships in the country.”
Specialty Trainings
Your doctor or provider stump speech should include all of your fellowship training, specialty certifications, and board certifications. Your PCC can say something along the lines of:
“Our Doctor is one of the rare triple Board-Certified Facial Plastic Surgeons in the state. He originally started his training in ENT (ear, nose, and throat/otolaryngology), which led him into Facial Plastics.”
Experience: Have you performed 10,000 surgeries or have you performed 1,000 rhinoplasties, a feat which no one else in your area can boast? For example, sharing that “over the last 20 years, Dr. Feelgood & Dr. Alright have performed over 10,000 procedures! On average, they do 10 mommy makeovers a week, and they’re two of the most selected surgeons anywhere for that procedure.”
Real Reviews & Results: 5 Star testimonials from Healthgrades to Google Reviews are valuable at many levels. If you’ve been mentioned in a prestigious publication or have a high quantity of raving reviews, mention it. And don’t forget to mention the volume of before and after photos on your website! We know how hard you work to get those.
Local Connection & Charities: Displaying hometown pride and involvement can go a long way in some communities. Are you on a local charitable board? Do you donate to or volunteer at certain non-profits in your community or elsewhere? Do you perform medical missions to Vietnam? Include this too– it matters to many.
The Personal Stuff: Are you a family man, artist, author, gymnast, or movie buff? Do you love gardening and hiking, or cars and travel? Believe it or not, some patients care more about knowing you’re a real person than your ivy league education. Don’t forget to include these tidbits in your stump speech to make sure there’s a little something for everyone.
So, ask yourself, “Does my staff have a superb list of bullet points to showcase our practice? Does my web presence reflect this as well?” Don’t be “just another plastic surgeon” with the silhouette of a body or face on your opening page, nor another med spa named after an element or the word “beauty” in another language. Get your business stump speech ramped up today.
Here at YellowTelescope, we pride ourselves on staffing and training the top practice teams in the country. And our results speak for themselves: Nearly every practice with which YellowTelescope has worked in a long-term capacity has grown by six figures to over $10 million in the first year. Call us at (305) 455-0720 or email info@yellowtelescope.com to learn more about our unique offerings including the Annual YT Training Seminar, YT Long-Term Consulting, ReceptionScope Webinars, YT Mystery Caller, and more.
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