Hi Reader
Dad Joke: My wife asked me to stop singing "Wonderwall" to her. I said, "Maybe..."
Song of the Week: Wonderwall by Oasis
I’m currently out in South Africa teaching a series on cranial adjusting and I have just finished an amazing day in Johannesburg. There’s a definite lack of sunshine…but it’s warm and I am surrounded by family and friends…and that’s what counts!
Whilst travelling I came to an unfortunate realization. It turns out I’m not 24 anymore (shocking I know). This revelation came as I caught a glimpse of myself in an airport mirror and saw a 46-year-old man running around with a backpack. It’s time, backpack has to go, and I had to start carrying my things around like a grown up.
So yesterday Nicky and I went to the mall in search of a grown-up bag for me to carry my life around in. We saw bags in all shapes and sizes: big, small, leather, over the shoulder, ones with wheels…the lot. It turned out that I understood my problem well (I was a ridiculous middle aged gent wearing a backpack) but it turned out that I didn’t know what the solution was.
How many patients does that remind you of…they understand the problem and the effect it is having but what they do not understand is the solution. We as doc’s then end up spending 90% of the time talking about the problem and hardly anytime taking that information and presenting the patient in the form of the solution…
So, I was nowhere closer to solving my carrying needs…that was until, in desperation, we walked into what felt like the last luggage shop in the shopping centre. We were greeted by the assistant who immediately asked if I was looking for a laptop bag. It was probably a shot in the dark, but she nailed it. We said yes…to which she answered “backpack, satchel or briefcase”. I replied that I didn’t know to which she proceeded to ask a stack of questions: what I was going to use it for, what needed to be in it, whether I travelled often, where I lived (and I am guessing she also looked me up and down and decided that my time for backpacks had passed). She repeated everything I had said (probably the best report of findings I have ever heard) and then said “I want to show you this” and then explained why it solved all the problems I just laid out for her.
Was it want I originally had in mind? No. Was it what I wanted to spend? Not really. Did it fix my problem? Absolutely. Did I buy it…yes and just about anything the assistant told me to at that point. After a day of not understanding my solution, I had eventually found someone invested in what I needed to fix my problem. She knew what size which laptop was, what materials were waterproof, and why an over the shoulder strap made more sense in my particular case.
She was always one step ahead of me. To be honest, I would have bought whatever she put in front of me at that point. And not because she was a slick salesperson (which of course she was) but because I had faith that she had my best interest at heart…simple as that. I trusted her because she had given me reason to. People buy from people they trust, again and again and again.
Patients and parents know their pain point, what they need is the solution. The moment you take their needs, plug them into the solution and explain the process of getting to where they want to be they can see you are invested in their wellbeing.
People like people who care.
As we were leaving the store my wife turned to lady and said “You have been incredible, thank you so much for all your help, please tell me your name”
The assistant flashed a cheeky grin and said “Glad to be of help today madam, my name is Perseverance.” Of course it was…
Chat soon,
Mike
Here's a list dates for my upcoming trainings:
- 22 Feb 2025 - Cranial Kinetics, Muizenberg WC, South Africa
- 15 & 16 Mar 2025 - Common Infant Conditions Seminar, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- 26 & 27 April 2025 - Management of the Neonate, Chester, UK
- 24 & 25 May 2025 - Paeds in Motion Part 2 (The Older Child) Emmen, Netherlands
- 7 & 8 June 2025 - Common Infant Conditions, Chester, UK
