People Don’t Buy Products Article originally from April 20th, 2018 FPC Newsletter
Written by Dr. Charles Webb
People Don’t Buy Products or Services…They Buy Outcomes
Generally speaking, most people, especially doctors, don’t like to sell. The fact of the matter is, if you own a business, you are selling something. The discomfort really comes down to asking for the money.
Oh, the pain and fear of rejection. Yep, that’s the real reason we are uncomfortable selling.
Wait, what did you say? You say it’s because it’s unprofessional and the doctor is not supposed to talk about money. Is that what you’ve been taught? I know all about what’s been shoved in your brain because it was shoved in mine as well. When I first heard this I couldn’t quite wrap my head around it. Why on earth would I be unprofessional to expect getting paid for my services? Well, the reason we were taught to keep out of the money conversation is that we want the patient to identify us as the caring doctor. As if by alerting the patient up front of what they can expect in terms of payment suggests I am not caring. What a bunch of crap.
Let’s be clear. The reason doctors are taught not to talk about money, is to keep them dumbed down and remain dependent on insurance. In fact, most doctors buy in to this hook, line and sinker. They follow along with the insurance companies’ remarks on cash based services; if insurance doesn’t cover it, then it must be quackery. This of course trickles down to the patients and the end result is both the insurance conglomerates and Big Pharma maintain their position in directing all the money into their bank accounts.
Outside of Social Services, I can’t think of any other business where the owner(s) feel it’s bad mojo to ask to get paid. Because so many practitioners have difficulty getting over the fear of asking to get paid, they continue to justify delegating this to their staff by referring back to the myth of professionalism.
Here’s the secret to getting comfortable with this. QUIT SELLING!!!
Your job as a physician or health practitioner is to:
In essence, you don’t have to sell them anything. In fact, they’re not interested in purchasing your services or products. What they are willing to do is make an investment into an outcome, one that your help them visualize.
The moment you make your program about your services, you lose.
With this correct approach, you no longer have to feel like a salesperson. You step into the role of the expert and allow the prospect to demonstrate that they are a good candidate, will be compliant and are willing to invest into themselves.
If you truly want to step out of the amateur role and become a professional communicator, I highly suggest you do your preparation and follow up. Prepare prior to stepping into your initial consultations and follow up by reviewing your recorded conversation. Choose not to do this and remain an amateur, your choice. I can promise the reward of doing your work will pay off very well.