Doctors Expand Your Practice with a Book
Why would a doctor need a book? Don’t doctors have enough to do seeing patients, diagnosing illnesses, running the front office and dealing with insurance companies? How would a book help patients or a doctor build their practice?
Ask yourself these questions:
- Would you like your patients to have a better understanding of how you can help them?
- Do you want to improve your service to your patients?
- Are your patients confused by medical tests, insurance, or treatments?
- Would you like to increase your practice?
- Do you need to establish your credibility and expertise?
By publishing a book about you and your practice you establish your credibility, cement your expertise in people’s minds, and give better service to your patients. Your book can be aimed specifically to help your patients understand your unique story, your practice, your speciality, and let them know how you will be helping them.
How does a book achieve these goals?
When patients walk into the door of a doctor’s office they are full of fear and questions. They want to be assured that you are competent, that you won’t make their condition worse and that you will give them the answers they need.
These days, they have almost certainly googled their symptoms and formed a conclusion in their minds about their problem and what they want from you. Of course, they are terrified because their mind jumps to the worst possible case – some rare disease that has only affected 10 people on the planet. But the believe in Google and WebMD and all the other sources of information. Worse yet, they may believe in “tabloid medicine”: fad diets, strange so-called cures, and bizarre treatments. Let’s face it, the internet can make a doctors job much more difficult.
Patients don’t know who you are, what you do (especially if you are a specialist) and how you will help them. They don’t understand your terminology, and they are in pain, afraid, and hope you will reassure them. But can they trust you? What differentiates you from all the doctor physicians out there?
You can help your patients by giving them a book about you, your practice and your specialty. Explain your background in simple terms, where you went to school, what you learned, and how that benefits your patients.
Humorous stories about some of your experiences make you appear more human, which will increase the confidence of your patients. Instead of being seen as a remote, unreachable medical something-or-other that they don’t quite understand, you become a person in their minds, albeit a knowledgeable and experienced one. It’s much easier to talk to someone if they are sitting in front of you instead of on top of a high pedestal.
You don’t need to publish a long book – a hundred pages in paperback form is more than enough. Hand them out to your patients, and you will see results immediately. In their minds, you will become more than a doctor or specialist – you took the time to write a book – so you must be special. Authors are always viewed with respect and even awe.
But wait, you say! You don’t have the time or experience to write a book? That’s okay. Hire a ghostwriter. You’ll be interviewed, and the ghostwriter will write your book for you. You are still the author, because the book will be from your head and your heart. The ghostwriter takes your words and creates a relatable, understandable story for your patients about you.
How does this help your practice? A book will improve the bonds between you and your patients. Because you took the time to educate them, they will want to come back to you, and they will refer you to their friends, coworkers and family. You’ll become the doctor that cares, understands and is competent.
Richard is the Owner and Senior Writer for The Writing King, a bestselling author, and ghostwriter. He’s written and published 63 books, ghostwritten 40+ books, as well as hundreds of blog articles.
