 I asked my 23-year-old son what he wanted for his birthday. He said, "A girlfriend."
I witnessed the struggles he faced as he tried to figure out HOW to meet and connect with people in this world of physical distancing. After considering buying him a blow-up doll as a gag gift, I thought about how I could help my son get what he really wants. So, for his birthday I offered to hire him a dating coach. I regularly hire coaches to get faster results--with fewer missteps. I sent my son the names of three coaches and suggested he interview them. He called me last night with excitement. He interviewed a coach he REALLY likes. He said, "But there's a catch. She's really expensive!" And he was right! Her fee is $3K a month. My first thought was, "Maybe I chose the wrong profession!" My second thought was, "How does this coach deliver enough value to justify this fee?" I visited her web site and ordered her recent book about finding your soulmate online. This book is an absolute treasure chest of tips for building relationships in this world of physical distancing that have direct applications in your business. Here's a single worthy tip that you can immediately apply. In the book, the dating coach says, "My clients want to know, 'Do you have a little black book of people to whom you could make an introduction?' I tell them, 'I don't, but you do. It's the list of people who are already in your life. In my experience, 35% of my successful clients marry people they knew before they started their soulmate search.' They don't believe me, but I tell the to trust me and just go through the exercise of making lists of people in different parts of their lives. Sure enough, one out of three of my clients will marry someone they already knew, but just never saw as life partner material." What if your next doctor client was referred to you by somebody who already knows, likes and trusts you? Consider launching a campaign to tap into the "family, friends and fans bucket of leads." This is the time of year when many people send out holiday greetings. What if you adopt a spirit of service and say in your holiday card, "You may not know this about me, but I'm committed to serving the doctors who serve the community. With elective cases being cancelled again, many physicians are facing financial uncertainty. Should you know any doctors, please let them know that I have some free educational resources to help them navigate these difficult times." Then you could decide what those resources would be. A great option is a digital copy of my book The 9 Money Mistakes Doctors Make. You can click here to read the book online. Stay tuned for more training about how to build relationships online. This key skill will support your success in 2021. And consider reading a book about online dating to get some great tips for online relationship-building! Maybe I AM a dating coach after all! A BUSINESS dating coach for people who want more doctor clients. I am grateful for your participation in the Targeting Doctors community and your commitment to serving doctors. Thank you!! Wishing you a lovely Thanksgiving. My best, Dr. Vicki Vicki Rackner MD
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 If you’re like most people, hearing NO can take the wind out of your sails.
Responding emotionally to NO’s can take the wind out of your SALES. Consider this: lions catch their prey in only one out of four hunts. Wolves are successful 14% of the time. They don’t give up hunting when the gazelle escapes; they simply look for the next opportunity. Some animals invent or learn new hunting techniques. Orcas have learned to create bubble nets to trap and eat more fish. Intellectually you know that you WILL hear NO from prospects and clients—not to mention loved ones and friends. How do you continue to move forward with enthusiasm and passion? Remember the great line from The Godfather, “It’s not personal, it’s just business… ” When I hear NO I think back to those much loved and sorely missed restaurant meals. I see the waitress coming around with a carafe of coffee, asking patrons if they want a refill. Some say yes, and some say no. The waitress does not get emotional about the people who say no. She knows it’s not about her; it’s about whether someone wants what she’s offering in the moment. She focusses on the people who are delighted with her offer. So can you! Keep putting your offer in front of more prospects who see your value. Be like the orca and learn new ways of doing it. This kind of resilience and grit will help you achieve the business success you seek. You may reproduce this blog with the following by line: © 2020. Vicki Rackner MD is an author, speaker and consultant who offers a bridge between the world of medicine and the world of business. She helps businesses acquire physician clients, and she helps physicians run more successful practices. Contact her at (425) 451-3777.  Yesterday I attended yet another Zoom funeral service for a much-loved man. Leonard left an impressive legacy. Friends described themselves as adopted members of Leonard’s family. He was kind. He expressed a true curiosity about what was happening in the lives of others. He was quick-witted, intelligent and joy-filled. I had to wonder: how many people shared these thoughts with Leonard when he was alive? If you have been part of this community for any amount of time, you will know that I have a favorite marketing activity in November: Launch a Thanks Giving campaign. Each day, compose one to five hand-written notes letting people in your professional circles know why you are grateful they are a part of your life.
If you want to take this to the next level, thank people who have impacted your personal life.
As you go about your days, look at the individuals who cross your path and imagine, “How would my life be different if they did not show up today?”
Approach these people and say, “Thank you for doing what you do. Here’s how you make my life better.” Don’t wait until someone dies to say something nice. Life is short, so let people know how and why they make a difference today! I am grateful for your participation in the Targeting Doctors community. Thank you!! You may reproduce this blog with the following by line: © 2020. Vicki Rackner MD is an author, speaker and consultant who offers a bridge between the world of medicine and the world of business. She helps businesses acquire physician clients, and she helps physicians run more successful practices. Contact her at (425) 451-3777.  My 70-something year old neighbor Jan was up before dawn today, and will not return home until long after sunset. She volunteered to be a local polling place judge.
Jan balanced her own personal risk of contracting COVID —as well as the discomfort of rising many hours before she normally does.—against her conviction that every American has the right to be seen, heard and counted. This has been a difficult year. It’s easy to get sucked into the darkness. Martin Luther King said, “Only in the darkness can you see the stars.” Jan's act of service is the light in a dark election season. Be the person who sees the stars. Notice acts of kindness. Share them with others. And go vote! You may reproduce this blog with the following by line: © 2020. Vicki Rackner MD is an author, speaker and consultant who offers a bridge between the world of medicine and the world of business. She helps businesses acquire physician clients, and she helps physicians run more successful practices. Contact her at (425) 451-3777.  Brenda was a highly successful financial advisor when she decided to avail herself of obvious new business opportunities. A new hospital was being built about 10 miles away. She observed there were many medical and dental offices within walking distance of her own office. She wondered, "Why not work with doctors?"
She put together baskets of baked goods and distributed them to to the physicians and dentists in her neighborhood with a note inviting doctors to meet with her. No responses. Then she delivered more goodies, asking the gatekeeper for two minutes of the doctors' time. Still no luck. She was about to give up when a colleague suggested she call me. Brenda said, "I don't understand. I'm doing exactly what I did when I first got started. Why isn't this working with doctors?" Brenda was making a classic rookie mistake. She was trying to be all things to all doctors. The doctors she approached--the orthodontist, the Lasix ophthalmologists running a cash practice and the orthopedic surgeons--each have very different financial concerns. COVID has impacted them in different ways. Further, delivering brownies is not a great way of saying, "I really understand the financial needs of doctors just like you." Through my decade of experience helping financial advisors accelerate their growth in the medical market, I can tell you that you set yourself up for success --or challenges--at the starting line. The most successful advisors do not try to be all things to all doctors; they become the go-to guy or gal among targeted groups of doctors who network with each other. Here's the single most important question you should be asking if you want to join the high performers in the medical market: "How do I strategically decide which doctors to target?" Join us Friday, October 30th, 2020 at Noon Eastern/ 11 AM Central/ 9 AM Pacific to explore the question, "With what doctors should I work?" You will take away:
This webinar is intended to help both advisors who are new to working with doctors as well as experienced advisors who want to enjoy the next level of success in the medical market. Click here to register. Everyone who registers will get access to the replays. You may reproduce this blog with the following by line: © 2020. Vicki Rackner MD is an author, speaker and consultant who offers a bridge between the world of medicine and the world of business. She helps businesses acquire physician clients, and she helps physicians run more successful practices. Contact her at (425) 451-3777.  This week end I saw a movie Clouds that sent tentacles into the core of my being. This is the story of Zach Sobiech. Zach was diagnosed with a rare childhood cancer called an osteosarcoma at age 14. After many rounds of surgical interventions and chemotherapy, the tumor kept coming back. When Zach was 17, he was told that cure was not an option. It was just a matter of months before the cancer would take his life.
The movie tells the story about how this amazing teenager embraces life in the face of death. He wrote a song Clouds to say goodbye; days after his death the song went to #1 on iTunes. Yes, this is a difficult time for both you and your clients. The best therapeutic offering you can bring may well be hope. Surround yourself with hopeful people and hopeful messages. Watch the movie Clouds to see how it’s done. You may reproduce this blog with the following by line: © 2020. Vicki Rackner MD is an author, speaker and consultant who offers a bridge between the world of medicine and the world of business. She helps businesses acquire physician clients, and she helps physicians run more successful practices. Contact her at (425) 451-3777.  The incoming president of the American College of Surgeons started his keynote address with the words, "I work for hugs."
These four words help explain why so many financial advisors have difficulty engaging doctor prospects. How receptive do you think this physician would be to your message about how you help doctors build wealth? In fact, his wife may manage the money in the family. We all want to be successful. You, as a business-minded person-- or a "Suit"-- ultimately use profitability as the metric by which you measure your professional success. Just imagine sitting at the conference table with your team at the end of the year saying, "2020 was a great year. Profits are up 22%" Physicians and dentists and healthcare professionals--or "White Coats" --use patient outcomes as the metric by which we measure professional success. If you were in the doctor's dining room, you would never hear a physician say, "What a great year! Profits are up 22%." In fact, this physician would come under scrutiny. Your job is to help your clients get more of what they want. Each person ascribes a different value to money and to wealth. These questions can help you tease it out:
If you want to engage more doctors, take time to gain clarity about what's most important to your prospects and clients. Changes are good that they want to make a greater impact. Help them understand how you can help them serve in bigger ways. You may reproduce this blog with the following by line: © 2020. Vicki Rackner MD is an author, speaker and consultant who offers a bridge between the world of medicine and the world of business. She helps businesses acquire physician clients, and she helps physicians run more successful practices. Contact her at (425) 451-3777.  Would you like to work with more doctor clients?
Through my decade of experience helping financial advisors accelerate their growth in the medical market, I can tell you that the most successful advisors do not try to be all things to all doctors; they focus. Successful advisors become the go-to guy or gal among targeted groups of doctors. Here's the single most important question you should be asking if you want to join the high performers in the medical market: "How do I strategically decide which doctors to target?" Join us Tuesday, October 6th, 2020 at Noon Eastern/ 11 AM Central/ 9 AM Pacific to explore the question, "With what doctors should I work?" You will take away:
This webinar is intended to help both advisors who are new to working with doctors as well as experienced advisors who want to enjoy the next level of success in the medical market. Click here to register. Everyone who registers will get access to the replays. You may reproduce this blog with the following by line: © 2020. Vicki Rackner MD is an author, speaker and consultant who offers a bridge between the world of medicine and the world of business. She helps businesses acquire physician clients, and she helps physicians run more successful practices. Contact her at (425) 451-3777.  I was speaking with a frustrated financial advisor who asked, “How can I possibly compete with the national firms who run TV and radio ads? i’m just a small boutique firm.”
I told him that I liked his thinking. It’s important to think about how to beat the competition. However, I disagree about the identity of his—and your— competition. Your competition is not the national brand; it's your prospect’s current wealth-building plan. Every doctor has a financial plan. It may be a well-considered written plan. However, it could also be, “l’ll think about it later.” Or, “I know I’ll be working until I’m 80.” One doctor told me, “One day I’ll buy that winning Lotto ticket.” Please don't be lulled into complacency. The status quo is a formidable foe. Think about the brand of toothpaste you use. Why would need to happen for you to change brands? Here are some insights and tips to help you overcome the momentum of habit:
 I got a call from a dear friend and colleague who retired a few years ago. While I follow her international travels through her Facebook posts, we haven’t seen each other in years. We reminisced about the projects and meals we shared, and then she said, “How about if we get together for lunch? I know a great place with outdoor seating.” We put a date and time on the calendar. I couldn't wait! However, as the day for this get-together grew nearer, I noticed my growing dis-ease. I had just heard from another colleague who told me that he, his wife and young child were all sick with COVID. He has some ideas about how he got infected. His perfectly healthy pastor visited his home on the way back from delivering his daughter to college. They were careful to maintain a 6-foot distance. A few days later the pastor was sick. He also shared an outdoor restaurant meal with a friend who was well at the time who went on to lose his sense of taste. Fortunately, everyone made an uneventful recovery. I flashed to my experience at the grocery store that day. I saw a woman pick up a peach, evaluate it and then put it back. I wondered how many times my hands came in contact with the COVID virus. My friend is a two-time cancer survivor who is at high risk for a bad outcome if she got infected. I called her and said, “As much as I want to see you, I’m unwilling to take the risk of exposing you to my COVID exposures.” We agreed to postpone our lunch plans until we knew it was safer. Unfortunately there is little data about the true risk of getting on an airplane or sharing a restaurant meal or sitting across the conference table from your client. However, you and your prospects and clients and family all have a perception of the risks of any given activity. In general the familiar feels safer. How do you decide whether to get knee-to-knee with prospects and clients to support your business growth? Here are some tips:
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