Do your clients know all that you do and have done? Are they proud and honored to have the privilege to work with you? Or are you a run of the mill everyday doctor that treats them in a quick and friendly manner, and then moves on to the next patient, not to be thought of again until their next ailment?

When you share information about what is going on with YOU with your patients, they not only get a chance to know you, they get the opportunity to learn about you and tell their friends.

The truth is people like to brag.

People hire a coach – they brag about it to all their friends. They hire a personal trainer, go on a vacation, meet a movie star, they tell all their friends about it. They brag.

And what happens when they brag?

Not only are they able to start a conversation with their friends, but it is also creating a "want" in the people they are bragging to. These people may share the story with more of their friends. These people may want to see you too.

There are a couple sides to this topic, so let’s take a look at this for a minute.

First and foremost, you need to and should be on a continual quest to learn and grow, not only as a business person but as an individual as well. This statement could mean a variety of things to a variety of people.

A few examples:

Participating in a strong mastermind group

Writing a book

Speaking at conferences

Winning at baseball

Taking karate lessons with your kids

Trying different exercise regimens or vitamin supplements

Being published in the paper or other publication

Having a radio show

Being an expert at something

Interesting hobbies that are a conversation starter

The list can go on and on. Notice most of the ideas I listed involve

something besides doing your day-to-day work. Unless you are an author, writing a book is not something we do on a daily basis. But writing one is something you can share with your patients. Being a published author or speaker is something you can talk to your patients about (you don’t have to be bragging – they can do the bragging for you). This makes them proud to be seeing you, because they see you as an esteemed person.

There is a pediatric practice by my home and one of the pediatricians authored a book with several other doctors. When I am talking with "the mom’s" about which pediatrician we see there is inevitably one or two that see "the one in Louisville that wrote the book". Even though I’ve heard the story several times, someone inevitably asks what the book is about and where their practice is located.

You are helping your patients have things to talk about with their friends, and you are getting your name brought up in the conversation, which leads to referrals.

In order for this to happen you need to be doing something besides doing the day-to-day routine of your work. You need to go the extra mile and do something out of the ordinary.

Be creative, have fun, and most of all help your patients out. Give them something to brag about -- you.

Founder of A Marketing Connection and The Copywriting Institute, Kelly Robbins, MA, is an award winning copywriter and healthcare marketing coach/consultant. She also publishes The Healthcare Marketing Connection, a free e-zine on healthcare marketing tips. Contact Kelly to receive her free report, "5 Critical Mistakes Healthcare Marketers Make that Lose Sales and Plummet Profits" at www.AMarketingConnection.com or 303-460-0285.