Closing the Deal

You put a lot of time and effort and money into crafting the image of you and your practice. You believe in your skills, your staff, and the services you offer your patients. But even the most persuasive marketing message can be undone in an instant if you don’t live up to the image that first brought a patient into your office. I've seen this firsthand. 

I had gone to a physician for a follow-up appointment. As the doctor walked me from the exam room back to his front office, he asked me if I was pleased with the services he’d provided to me. As I was answering him, he began fiddling with his cell phone and seemed completely oblivious to my response. I felt I was just wasting my time, so I cut my answer short and turned my attention to his receptionist to make my payment. A few seconds later, the doctor put his cell phone away, told me to take care, and extended his hand. I shook it and he walked into another exam room. 

What should have been a strong and satisfying conclusion to my appointment ended up being a stunning lapse in common courtesy and an undermining of the image of professionalism and genuine interest in his patients that he had tried to cultivate. It felt as if he were trying to seem interested in my patient care experience without actually caring about what I said. I felt as if he’d already made his money off me and so messing with his cell phone was the higher priority. 

Interacting with a patient is a lot like a salesperson closing a deal with a customer. Most salespeople can tell you stories about how they did a great job selling a prospective customer on their product or service only to lose the sale at the last minute due to a minor misstep. 

The same is true with your interaction with your patient. You can have him or her sold on your professionalism and your skill and your genuine interest in his or her care experience only to undo all your hard work with a few seconds of inattention. 

Physicians today have a lot of demands on their time, and often they feel pressured to move from one patient to another; one task to another. But when it comes to interacting with patients, taking a few extra seconds to ask about their experience in your office – and paying attention to the answer – can pay off in maintaining your marketing image...and your patients.