Never Ask Anything in Return!

Dr. Stephen Farley wants to use the IRaaS approach to find more patients for his clinic. As he goes about his daily appointments, he asks questions of his patients, learning about their work and personal life and some of the frustrations or problems they’ve been having.

The good doctor takes notes as he writes down symptoms and goes through the process of checking his patients’ health. That afternoon, when he has a spare few minutes, he goes to his IRaaS network and asks for help on a few of their problems.

He gets back several possible solutions from his network, which he then reviews. He finds what he thinks is the best solution for each of his patients, and sends each one a short email.

Dear Jerry,
I hope the medication I prescribed is helping your back pain. I wanted to drop you a quick note because you mentioned you were having trouble finding an insurance policy that offers comprehensive health insurance with a fixed cost and $25 co-pays. I’m enclosing the name of an insurance agent who provides a package I’m pretty sure would work for you. I’ve let him know you may be in touch.

*******

Dear Mrs. Baxter,
I thought you might enjoy this article from Business Profiles – it seemed right up your alley. Hope all is well with the family and you’re feeling better soon.

*******

Dear Cameron and Jennifer,
I’m looking forward to your gallery opening immensely, and I was wondering if I could be of some service promoting it. It occurs to me that many of my patients may be interested – would you like to put up a poster or any flyers you may have in the waiting room? I can also include the exhibition in our monthly newsletter if you can give me the info by Friday. Again, I’m delighted to be attending and happy to do anything I can to help make the opening a huge success. Just say the word.

*******

Dear Claire,
Congratulations on the birth of baby Emily Rose! I know the wait was both joyous and anxious for you, and as your OB-GYN I’m relieved both as a doctor and a friend that all your hard work and devotion to your health has paid off. I wish you, your husband, and your beautiful new addition to the family much happiness. I look forward to meeting Emily soon.

*******

Dear Mr. Rosenberg,
I hope you’re feeling better; flu season can be wretched. You mentioned you were having trouble keeping up with the office while you were home sick because you haven’t a cell phone that receives email. I looked around a bit for you and had many people recommend me this phone as both affordable and easy to use. I hope this helps you keep up with everything – but don’t work too hard! You need lots of rest to get over that flu.

Every one of Dr. Farley’s patients just got a personal message from a man who sees dozens of people every week. They know he cares and they know that he is interested in their lives. The next time any one of those patients hears a friend complaining about his doctor, or needing a new one in the area, who do you think they’re going to recommend?

Trust in the law of reciprocity. You don’t need to ask for referrals. Customers who are devoted to you and your business will want to do you favors. They’ll not only be delighted to recommend you; they’ll sing your praises to anyone who will listen. A genuine gesture of selfless friendship is extremely rare. Don’t diminish it.

A Word of Warning: Never Ask Anything in Return

It’s tempting to tack on an extra sentence or two to push for that sale. The good doctor could very easily have added in something like, “Could you recommend my services to anyone who might be interested?” It doesn’t seem like it would do any harm, after all that goodwill. And the customer probably needs a boost to help them recommend me to others.

Don’t be tempted. Asking for the sale will immediately undo all the good work that’s just been accomplished. Instead of feeling cared-for and appreciated, your customer will immediately feel manipulated.

“He doesn’t care about me! He’s just using me to get new clients!”

“The highest form of public relations is human relations. People buy from friends, so it’s crucial to make the human bond before you can make a lasting business bond.  Always Develop The Human Bond Before The Business Bond”. Jay Conrad Levinson