As part of his fourth year of medical school, my husband did internships with rural physicians. He received the best piece of advice from a soon-to-retire physician in Idaho. The good doctor told him you only need three things to succeed in private practice. You need to be:
Years later my husband and I still remind each other of these tenets as we grow our businesses. While this advice was given in the context of building a successful medical practice, it has merits for any company. Let’s consider each one of these traits.
Able: You need to know your stuff. Customers want experts. If you are all sales talk and no substance, your customers will figure that out as soon as the engagement or appointment starts. Almost every industry, not just healthcare, requires continuing education to stay at the top of your game. Read, listen, and socially interact with the thought leaders in your field.
Affable: Smile and know when to cut a joke (and when not to). Be nice. Be polite. Listen more than you talk. Lend a startup or new business in town a hand. Most of the time they remember and pay you back tenfold.
Available: Return phone calls promptly. Keep your store open when others are closed. Customers want their needs filled on their timeline (just as patients want care as soon as possible when suffering). It amazes me how often prospects tell me that our competitors don’t call back for a week if they call back at all.
While it seems simplistic to pin business success on three simple traits, I’ve tested this over our healthcare marketing agency‘s 15 years in business, and they have proven true.
The 3 As you need for #business #success: Be Able. Be Affable. Be Available. Share on XLike this post? Get more juicy marketing content by signing up for our monthly e-newsletter.