The Pink Door Mistake That Could Be Costing You Doctor Clients

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An iconic restaurant in Seattle is The Pink Door. It has a great reputation. And it has no sign. The first time I went, I stopped in front of the pink door and wondered.. "Am I in the right place?" When doctors arrive at your website, do they know they're in the right place?

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Transcript

Trying to attract everyone may be the reason you're attracting no doctors.

I know that sounds backward.

Most advisors tell me they don't want to scare away business owners, executives, retirees, or entrepreneurs by talking too much about doctors.

They want a website that appeals to everyone.

A message that appeals to everyone.

A practice that serves everyone.

But that very strategy may be costing them physician clients.

Let me explain.

If we haven't met, I'm Dr. Vicki Rackner.

I'm a retired surgeon, author, and founder of Engaging Doctors. For more than fifteen years, I've helped financial advisors attract, engage, and serve more physician clients.

And today I want to talk about what I call The Pink Door Mistake.

Here in Seattle, one of the most famous restaurants is called The Pink Door.

What's interesting is that The Pink Door doesn't have a sign.

If you've been there, you know what I'm talking about.

There's just a pink door tucked away in Pike Place Market.

No flashing lights.

No giant sign.

No obvious invitation.

The first time I dined at The Pink Door I arrived at the restaurant’s location, stood right in front of the Pink Door and wondered, “Am I at the right spot?” 

Diners find The Pink Door because other people tell them about it.

Seattleites tell their friends.

Visitors hear about it from locals.

Its reputation does the heavy lifting.

The Pink Door breaks every marketing rule I'm about to teach.

And that's exactly the point.

The Pink Door doesn't need a sign because it already has a reputation.

Most advisors don't.

A few years ago, I reviewed the website of an advisor who desperately wanted more physician clients.

He had invested in a beautiful website.

Professional photography.

Professional copy.

Professional design.

He was running ads.

Driving physician traffic.

Spending money to attract doctors.

There was only one problem.

Nothing on the website suggested he worked with physicians.

Nothing.

No mention of doctors.

No mention of medicine.

No mention of physician-specific expertise.

No mention of the unique challenges physicians face.

He had not planted his flag in the medical market and announced, “I serve doctors.” 

I told him:

"You're paying to drive doctors to a door with no sign. When they arrive at your site, they wonder, “Am I in the right place?””

He assumed physicians would browse around and eventually discover that he specialized in working with doctors.

They won't.

Doctors are busy.

They're evaluating dozens—sometimes hundreds—of decisions every day.

When a physician lands on your website, they're not conducting a research project.

They're asking three simple questions:

Am I in the right place?

Does this person understand doctors?

Should I keep reading?

And they're making those decisions in seconds.

Not minutes.

Seconds.

If the answer isn't immediately obvious, they're gone.

This is where many advisors get tripped up.

They think that positioning themselves for doctors means excluding everyone else.

It doesn't.

It simply means helping doctors know they're in the right place.

Think about how physicians choose specialists.

If you had a brain tumor, would you rather be treated by a family doctor or by a neurosurgeon who operates n this kind of tumor every day?

Doctors live in a world of specialization.

They understand that focus often produces better outcomes.

When physicians are looking for a financial advisor, many apply the same logic.

They want someone who understands:

Medical careers.

Practice ownership.

Student loans.

Disability insurance.

Medical liability concerns.

Physician burnout.

The realities of medicine.

Your physicians prospects and clients believe they will get better outcomes if they work with an advisor sees doctors like them every day.

The irony is that many advisors possess that expertise.

They've spent years serving physicians.

They understand doctors.

But they hide it.

Their websites look exactly like every other advisor website.

As a result, physicians can't tell the difference.

When you plant your flag in the medical market, doctors immediately know they’re in the right place. 

Now, some advisors immediately raise an objection.

“Dr. Vicki, I don't want to scare away business owners."

Fair point.

Let's talk about that.

You can approach your web site in one of two ways.

I call them lumpers and splitters.

If you're a lumper, you have one website.

Let’s imagine an advisory firm called Green Financial.

On that website, you have dedicated sections for different audiences.

One section might be for physicians.

Another for business owners.

Another for retirees.

That's fine.

The important thing is that when a doctor lands on your website, they quickly find evidence that you understand physicians.

Splitters take a different approach.

They create a physician-specific brand, website, podcast, or resource center.

Perhaps Green Financial owns a second website specifically for doctors.

Again, either approach can work.

The question isn't whether you're a lumper or a splitter.

The question is whether physicians immediately recognize that they're in the right place.

And here's something interesting.

The advisors who worry about losing business owners often discover the opposite happens.

Business owners see that physicians trust you and think:

"You must be pretty good."

Doctors are viewed as sophisticated professionals.

People assume that if physicians trust you, you've earned that trust for a reason.

In some cases, your physician specialization actually increases your credibility with people outside the niche.

Now let me reveal why I'm spending so much time on this topic.

This is the first mistake in my upcoming book:

Nine Mistakes Financial Advisors Make That Cost Them Doctor Clients—and How to Fix Them.

Mistake Number One:

Failure to Plant Your Flag in the Medical Market.

Many advisors are trying to attract physicians while hiding the very expertise physicians are looking for.

They understand doctors.

They enjoy working with doctors.

They have physician clients.

But nowhere do they clearly communicate it.

They're hoping physicians will figure it out.

Hope is not a marketing strategy.

Plant your flag.

Tell physicians who you serve.

Tell them why you serve them.

Tell them what you understand about their world.

Make it obvious.

Because doctors aren't looking for another financial advisor.

They're looking for someone who understands doctors.

And they need to know they've found that person almost immediately.

Now let's come back to The Pink Door.

One day, you may become The Pink Door.

One day, physicians may tell their colleagues about you.

One day, your reputation may become so strong that doctors seek you out before they ever visit your website.

One day, referrals may do most of the heavy lifting.

But until that day comes, don't make physicians guess.

Hang your sign.

Plant your flag.

Help doctors know they're in the right place.

And if you'd like help evaluating how attractive your marketing is to physicians, I've created a free resource called How to Optimize Your Medical Magnetism and Engage More Physician Prospects and Clients.

Inside you'll discover the dimensions of medical magnetism that attract doctors—and the mistakes that repel them.

You will find a link in the show notes.

I'm Dr. Vicki Rackner.

Thank you for joining me.

And remember:

Trying to attract everyone may be the reason you're attracting no doctors.

The mistake isn't having a bad website.

The mistake is failing to plant your flag in the medical market..

If you like this, I invite you to listen to other podcast epsiodes about  how to attract, engage and serve more doctor clients, I invite you to watch this video.