 This week I would like to put on my doctor hat and take on a tough topic: suicide.
What do you do if you run into a prospect or a client or a loved one in despair? As the weeks of sheltering in place turn to months, you might notice that more people are finding it difficult to maintain hope. Depression, addiction and despair are on the rise. So is suicide. You may have read about Dr. Lorna Breen. She was a top ER physician in New Your City who herself was treated for COVID-19. Then she took her own life. In the pre-COVID world, physicians experienced twice the incidence of suicide as the general population. According to a recent Medscape study, one in four physicians contemplated suicide in the past year. Did you know that someone with financial concerns is twice as likely to consider suicide than those without financial worries? Further, lack of human connection increases the risk of suicide. What can YOU do? You can make a positive difference for someone in pain. Here's how. Ask Two Questions If you run into someone in physical, emotional or financial pain, here are two questions you can ask: 1. Where does it hurt? 2. How can I help? Ask Three Follow-Up Questions If you hear despair, here are three follow up questions: 1. Have you thought about hurting yourself? 2. Do you have a plan? 3. Do you have the means to do it? If you think that someone is at risk of suicide, err on the side of conservatism. Advise this person to seek professional help. Don't worry about planting the seed of suicide; it's either there or it's not there. Experience shows that people answer these questions truthfully. Be Kind You never know what has happened in the lives of others. One simple act of kindness could make the difference between life and death for someone who is suffering. We're all in this together. We'll get through it together.
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 Photo by Jal Schrof at PBase.com It was a Fourth of July celebration I will never forget.
I was honored to be invited to a friend’s naturalization ceremony. He came to the US as an adult to live the American dream. I witnessed the long hours he invested learning what he needed to know to become an engaged American citizen. On a warm July Fourth, I joined thousands of people who cheered as their loved ones and friends said the Pledge of Allegiance as US citizens for the first time. Gary Locke congratulated the new Americans and told his story. A hundred years earlier, his grandfather left China on a steamboat to work as a houseboy for an American family in Washington State. His grandfather washed dishes, gardened and swept floors in exchange for English lessons. And a hundred years later, this man's grandson was sworn in as the Governor of the State of Washington. Governor Locke's then home--the Governor’s mansion-- is one mile from the house where his grandfather worked. He noted that it took his family one hundred years to travel one hundred yards. That July 4th I celebrated the American Dream. I understood viscerally that we are blessed to live in this land of opportunity. In my home we have a saying, "For any problem, there is a solution." Sometimes the problems seem daunting. Sometimes the solutions are not easy to find. That's when I call on my belief in the American Dream. On April 1, 2020 a dozen anesthesiology resident physicians from Massachusetts General Hospital kicked off an audacious public challenge to design a ventilator that could address the shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Just three months and more than 200 submissions later, a team of engineering alumnae, staff and faculty from Smith College won the competition. Smith College Engineering Professor Susannah Howe said, “To a person, we came into this not knowing anything about ventilators. In two months we went from knowing nothing to having a functional prototype. That’s just crazy." That's the crazy American Dream. Yes, on July 4th, 2020 we face big challenges. We're all also invited into our greatness so that one day we can declare independence from the things that keep us apart from each other --and from each of our dreams. Have a safe and happy 4th! 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.  Successful businesses solve their clients' problems. Patients want to go to doctors who offer the definitive cure.
But what happens when a cure is not possible? I would argue that simply being there with a caring human connection has strong therapeutic value. If you are a financial advisor, your clients are in financial pain. You cannot fix the market. However, you can say to your clients, "You are not alone in your pain. I'm here with you. We'll get through this together." Ordinary people can deal with extraordinary levels of pain; what's intolerable is to be alone in the pain. This is what leads to suffering. #financialpain 
I could feel the frustration of the financial advisor who asked, "Why is it so hard to engage doctors?"
You might have created your own answers to this question. "They're too busy." "They're too distracted." "They think they have it covered." From my perspective the main reason that financial advisors have such difficulty engaging doctors in conversation is that they fail to understand what doctors value, how doctors think and who influences their choices. If you can use the momentum of doctors' natural behavior, you can engage in "marketing martial arts." Understand the 10 Laws of Physician Engagement. They help you predict doctors' likely reaction to your action. Once you align your actions with the 10 Laws of Physician Engagement, I think you will find you get much different outcomes. Click here to download a pdf with the 10 Laws of Physician Engagement. Here's the first module of the Cracking the Physician Code Master Class that includes the 10 Laws.
How well are you aligning yourself with the 10 Laws?
 How well do you understand what's happening TODAY with your prospects and clients?
As I help financial advisors extend a financial helping hand to physicians and dentists, I see a wide range of recovery in the medical community. An orthopedic surgeon in Boston may be in a much different position than an orthopedic surgeon in Miami. A dermatologist in Seattle may have very different concerns than the pediatrician or the dentist in the same office building. Reach out to your prospects and clients with empathy on a regular basis. Ask, "How are things different for you this month?" Or, "If you had a magic wand and could make one problem disappear, what would that problem be?" Then help them move closer to a solution. #financialhealthfordoctors, #financialhelpinghandfor doctors  The American College of Surgeons' (ACS) Practice Protection Committee continues to provide leadership. Thought you would be interested in the Economic Survival Strategies in the COVID World report released yesterday.
This document paints a stark financial reality for physicians. Why release this report? Even though physicians and dentists have opened their doors to elective medical care, their patient volumes--and revenue--have not rebounded as robustly as hoped. A recent study shows that outpatients visits, while up from April, are still at about 60%. Physicians are fortunate. Unlike many small business that will not survive the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, patients will continue to have the need for healthcare services. There is no question that elective medical/surgical cases will resume; the big question is WHEN. The Practice Protection Committee recommends survival strategies NOW that include: 1. Remaining calm. 2. Reassessing priorities. 3. Seeking the advice of professionals--like YOU! Here are three action steps you can take: 1. Distribute the ACS report to your list of doctor prospects and clients. Identify yourself as a physician-friendly financial advisor committed to serving the doctors who serve the community. 2. Join a watch party to access the webinar update from the American College of Surgeons' Practice Protection Committee Wednesday, June 3rd at 7 PM Central. Click here to register to join a watch party. Space is limited, so register now. 3. Get listed as a physician-friendly financial advisor. I am a Fellow fo the American College of Surgeons. I will be approaching the Practice Protection Committee and informing them that I have groomed a community of financial services professionals committed to serving the needs of physicians. If you have been through the Cracking the Physician Code training and /or you have been my private coaching client, you are eligible to be included in my directory of physician-friendly financial advisors. If you are interested in being listed, please drop us an email at directory@targetingdoctors.com. If you are new to the community, I invite you to enroll in the Cracking the Physician Code Master Class Training so that you, too, can be eligible to be included in the directory. This Master Class is available as a home-study course; however, based on multiple requests, I will be offering a second LIVE session beginning Monday, June 8th, 2020. We WILL get through this together. © 2020. Vicki Rackner MD. All rights reserved. You may reproduce this blog post with the following by-line: 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 financial advisors acquire physician clients, and she helps physicians run more successful practices. Contact her at (425) 451-3777.  This morning I was invited to participate as a witness in an online legal proceeding.
The hearing was conducted virtually, and the participants-- including the judge, the lawyer, the lawyer's assistant, the plaintiff, the witnesses and court stenographer--all joined from their homes. I was struck by the high variation of the level of projected professionalism of the participants. Here are a few tips to help you look and sound your best when video-conferencing. Place your device so the camera lens at eye level. This often means placing your laptop on a stack of books. In this picture, the participant looks down to see the camera. People do not like the sense of being looked down upon. Look directly at the camera instead of at the images of the participants. Pay attention to the lighting. A quick tip is to sit in front of a window, and then place your laptop between you and the window. I use a halo ring light when I cannot rely on natural light. Pay attention to sound quality. The quality of sound impacts the quality of the experience with you when video-conferencing. Don't rely on the internal speakers on your device; instead, I highly recommend that you invest in a digital mic. I use a Blue Snowball mic. Do what you can to avoid background noise. Silence your phone. Make a plan for your kids and pets so they do not make audio appearances. You can even hang a sign over your doorbell "Please do not ring." Pay attention to your surroundings. You want the focus to be on you--and not on what's happening behind you. Is your video-conferencing environment uncluttered and tidy? Pay attention to what you wear. Solid color fabrics work best. I advise that you invest in a consult so you know what colors suit you best. Yes, that includes men! Avoid busy patterns. Keep jewelry simple. You want to maintain the highest professional standards in person and online. © 2020. Vicki Rackner MD. All rights reserved. You may reproduce this blog post with the following by-line: 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 financial advisors acquire physician clients, and she helps physicians run more successful practices. Contact her at (425) 451-3777.  Yesterday Medscape released its annual Physician Compensation Report for 2020. The data collected between October 2019 and February 2020 showed an optimistic picture of revenue growth since 2019.
However, life in the pre-COVID world feels like ancient history. In fact, the Medscape slide deck begins with a more sobering financial reality curated from other organizations, including data from the MGMA. Impacts of COVID-19 include:
What does this mean for you? These challenges represent unprecedented opportunities for you. Physicians want and need your help. If you have a lead generation/ nurture system for successfully engaging physicians, use it! Physicians will be open to your value in a way they have never been before. If you do NOT have a system that gives you reliable, repeatable results, I invite you to enroll in the Cracking the Physician Code Master Course that begins Monday May 18th, 2020. It's designed to help you set up proven systems to accelerate your practice growth by acquiring more doctor clients. Plus you can enjoy the added rewards of knowing that you are helping the physicians and dentists who are risking their lives to serve your community. If you have been on the fence about working with physicians, this is your time. Click here to learn more about the Cracking the Physician Code Master Course and reserve your spot.. How will physicians whose are not delivering "elective medical care" meet their ongoing expenses?
In addition to loans and advance payments through the SBA and CMS, there may be flexibility available through the Internal Revenue Service that could temporarily free operating capital or even offset prior years’ profits with losses caused by COVID-19. Here are some questions you and your doctor clients can explore ( from the American College of Surgeons):
 We're at another inflection point in the COVID pandemic. In many communities, physicians and dentists are gearing up to return to elective cases.
This is a great time to pick up the phone and see how your doctor prospects and clients are doing. Here are some questions you can bring to them: General Questions:
Professional Questions:
Networking Questions:
Listen empathically. Doctors' answers to these questions can guide your marketing efforts over the next few months. Stay safe and strong, Dr. Vicki PS Would you like to acquire more doctor clients? For the past decade we have offered our signature Cracking the Physician Code Course. Participants take away a soup-to-nuts blueprint to accelerate their growth by acquiring more doctor clients. We have completed updated the course content to reflect our current COVID world. We call it the Cracking the Physician Code Master Course. Whether you're a already working with doctor clients or you're just jumping into the medical market, you will take away actionable ideas to take your business to the next level of success. We will begin recording the new content Monday, May 18th, 2020. If you enroll this week, you get a bonus: you can join the daily live sessions and gain access to live coaching. Click here to learn more. © 2020. Vicki Rackner MD. All rights reserved. You may reproduce this blog post with the following by-line: 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 financial advisors acquire physician clients, and she helps physicians run more successful practices. Contact her at (425) 451-3777. |