You Can't Overcommunicate

One of our practice owners in Perth recently told me something I hear often:

I’m a new practice owner and I’m inexperienced. So, I decided to join Red Pill to learn from experts and be coached. I know that in business if you have a coach then you often do better than people who try to fumble around.

That got me thinking about one of the things we spend a lot of time coaching people in - countermand one of their instincts. Specifically, limiting patient communication. 

Many GPs worry about annoying people with too many messages in too short a time.

But here’s the reality:

If people aren’t annoyed at you, you’re not doing it enough.

You cannot overcommunicate with your audience if you have the right rhythm.

Think of it this way.

If you send messages to patients periodically, they need to follow a structure that provides value. So, the rhythm of your messages should go like this: gift, gift, ask. That’s at least two gifts for every request that you make from your patients.

In other words, for everything you ask, you need to have already given something in return.

The bottom line is, most of your patients are already saturated with messages from multiple sources. There is so much noise to cut through, so being conservative will get you nowhere.

You need to communicate regularly and on a rhythm.

In particular, you need to inform, educate, and update patients.

You might want to inform them about relevant health issues in your area, for example. Something they would find valuable. 

Educate them about things like chronic diseases, signs of health problems, or mental health issues.

And update them about your practice and any improvements in the way you’re serving them.

The key is to put together messages that your audience will view as valuable.

Only when you have created value can you start making requests. 

And remember, you can’t over communicate if you have the right rhythm.