A Story of Persistence
In the latest episode of Can I Ask You One Question?, I asked Dr. Jennifer Stewart (co-founder of Performance 20/20) for her thoughts on the most effective approach to marketing a sports vision specialty.
Below are the key points from the interview. Scroll down to see the entire interview.
Dr. Stewart made the leap of starting a stand-alone sports and performance vision training center that was separate from her practice. There were no patients walking in and out that many subspecialty practices initially depend on.
The wish: “We would open the door and people would flood in.”
The reality: “That flat out did not happen.”
According to Dr. Stewart, the key is being patient and spending time to develop your business model and getting into your community to talk about what you’re doing.
There is no shortcut to success!
Her initial efforts at marketing involved a lot of emailing. She got a list of all the hockey coaches in her county and emailed every one letting them know who she was and what she did, then sat back and waited for her inbox to fill with replies.
… She got one reply, but that was all she needed!
“I took that one person and turned it into the highest level of service I could.”
He was a former NHL player. She picked him up from the train station, drove him to her practice, gave him the white glove service, and he became her biggest fan, introducing her to others.
In her marketing efforts, Dr. Stewart learned to get comfortable with not hearing back. Patients are unfamiliar with the service and with you. If you’re passionate about it, then be persistent.
It’s important that you have a passion and belief in what you’re offering, whether that product is myopia management, specialty dry eye treatment, sports vision, or wherever your interest lies.
“If you truly believe that what you have developed is important, and you have passion behind it, it would be very hard for somebody to not feel that they want to be a part of that.”
That passion is part of Dr. Jennifer’s conversations that she has with parents and athletes. The ability to say, “This is what I believe in and what I think will make you more successful” with conviction will convert to more patients buying into your belief.
“Don’t just do it to do it, but do it with a deeper purpose.”
A great lesson from this interview: If you have passion and conviction, the only person who can stop you is… you!
Click HERE to see the entire interview.
Steve
Ps. No time for videos (even short ones)? Subscribe to the podcast: Can I Ask You One Question? Bite-sized content you can immediately apply to your practice. Available on most podcast platforms!
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