I’m going to step out of my comfort zone a little with you to explain why knowing your ideal patient is important. I smiled this morning when I realized our house is full of incomplete sentences and unspoken words; let me explain. After 20 years of marriage I feel like we are very much in tune with one another. We are together 24/7 almost 365. We own a business together and are blessed to be able to work from home (that is when I’m, not traveling presenting or teaching and thankfully Brian, my husband, goes whenever possible), we eat together, pray together and share common goals, aspirations and dreams. This morning as I was re-filling my coffee, I started a sentence and didn’t finish it and didn’t have to, because Brian already knew where I was going and following the silence, he answered the question I never asked! I smiled and thought THAT’S AWESOME! It got me to thinking about the number of times throughout the day when that happens. In fact if someone were to listen to our conversations throughout the day I’m sure they would be confused which makes me giggle. You know you are really in sync with one another when without having to say a word, the other person already knows and takes action. Some people would say that is bound to happen with every couple who have been together as much as we have but I believe it is more. I’ve had similar symbiotic relationships with co-workers and it’s even better when that connection is made with customers. Anticipating their needs and fulfilling before they actually need it is an invaluable service! That requires thinking beyond your standard peripheral view. It can’t only be about the service you provide but how this service will this affects their entire process.
A few people have commented over the years, “I don’t know how you do it; my husband and I would drive each other nuts if we had to be around each other all day.” Well, it has had its moment but we are best friends along with husband and wife and we share common goals plus it isn’t just the two of us, we have a 3rd person, the Man Upstairs who looks out for us, leads us, guides us, protects us, settles arguments and makes decisions for us. I understand that some don’t believe or recognize or share the same faith however for the long term benefits, I personally recommend it. =-)
My point is, when you are a team and a united front with common goals, and have identical set priorities and you share a passion there is less confusion. Things move forward rather quickly and with a lot less stress. Having a plan and being involved in the plan is important so everyone is on the same page and has clear direction to the same outcome. We are less likily to take an action that disrupts the process when we are in agreement of a desired result. That’s not to say we haven’t had our struggles or stressful times and that is when having a 3rd person of a higher power to arbitrate and work things out really has made an impact on our lives.
We allow each other to be our own personality but we consider how our actions affect the other person; I refer to it as a ripple effect. As a business owner I want that symbiotic relationship with my team and my clients. I want to fully understand and appreciate how important their role is in our lives. For team members we all need to consider and think about how our actions affect others. To develop a symbiotic relationship with customers I find focusing on one particular area or niche at a time works best. This is why it is so important to get really clear on your customer persona or ideal patient for your practice. You want to be in your patient’s heads, you want the content on your website, blog and social media make the patient feel as though you are speaking directly to their heart to the point where the patient is asking themselves “are they reading my thoughts?” This means you have to understand what keeps them up at night. What are their biggest fears? What do they want most in life? What do they value most? Whose opinion do they respect the most? What do they expect from me? What are their desired outcomes? How will this affect their life? I understand each patient is unique in several ways, however, if you think about it, I bet you would start to see a pattern and similarities with some of your best patients. For any philanthropic or community outreach or if you operate a non-profit organization, then consider who are your ideal contributors and develop a customer persona for them. I have create a PDF of the 4 ways to help you get started on creating an customer persona of YOUR IDEAL Patient for Your Practice. Just click the button below to get your copy.
Get 4 Easy Ways to Help ID YOUR IDEAL clients!
You may find that you have more than one ideal customer/patient to your practice and that’s okay. Remember the better you can identify and relate to your ideal patient the quicker you will make those lasting connections and be able to find others with the same shared beliefs and values. You may not get to the point with every patient that you are finishing each other’s sentences, however imagine having a practice that is overflowing with ideal patients, wouldn’t life get just a little bit sweeter?
