David M Frees is from Phoenixville, Pennsylvania and in this episode, he will discuss FORCE MULTIPLIERS, a technique, when used correctly, will make podiatrists more powerful, better communicators and far more influential with their patients.  

Dave Frees has been referred to as the Grandmaster of persuasion and influence by Steve Forbes, Editor-In-Chief of Forbes Magazine and Forbes Media. He's a sought after speaker on leadership, sales and marketing, and has had a close working relationship with podiatrists for many years. 

Dave is a civilian; however, he has worked closely with the military and armed forces in the United States. He has taken what he has learnt from top negotiators, interrogators and special forces operators to devise a unique method for day-to-day business operations.   

Topics discussed:

• Meta-Force Multipliers, Strategic Force Multipliers and Tactical Force Multipliers.
• Stories work when you imbed them within the content you are delivering to your patients. 

Meta-Level

• Ways we can be a more powerful version of who we are.
• How can we think better

Strategic-Level

• Ideas that guide us in the right direction.
• Developing systems for all our tactics makes them easier and easier to do.
• Developing a system for marketing - take the ideas in your head (strategy) to make them a reality (the tactic)
• Training is a strategic force multiplier.
  • Building a system around training.
  • Record the training
  • Use it online
  • Sell to other podiatrists
• Using rules and models (OODA LOOP)
• Get clarity around your purpose, values and mission, and knowing the exact patient you want is strategic. 
  • When you know where your ideal patient is, you'll know where to do your marketing.
  • Use this information to decide on the tactic, such as email. 
• Alignment: What we're about to do, is it in alignment with our purpose, values and mission and is it going to be loved and will it help support our ideal patients

Tactical-Level

• Doing a particular type of marketing to get a specific type of patient.
• It is used to get the right kind of patients.
• Did it work?
  • Yes, then do more of it. This forms part of your strategy.

Meta Level is Mental Level (Mindset)

Learning how to stay strong and recover from damage or a downturn in performance is meta-level thinking. 

With a good mindset, you become way less bothered by problems. 

Difference Between Persuasion & Influence is INTENT

All human communication is manipulative in one way or another. When you tell a joke, you're trying to manipulate the person into laughing. 

When you teach, you're trying to help someone become a more informed person. When you yell, you may be trying to intimidate.

Some people say this is manipulation, but it depends on your intent. Helping someone is not manipulative. 

Build Trust & Influence 

Telling the patient the truth builds trust. If an orthotic is not going to help their problem, be truthful. 

Be aware that patients may be imprecise with their speech, so circle-back with what they said to get more clarity. 

When you repeatedly give the patient the result they are after, you will become influential, and this is where you want to be. Being influential is not being manipulative. 

Also, when a patient trusts you, you can make a mistake, and they will forgive you. 

Deeper Communication

When a patient tells you their concern/problem, ask them, "WHAT ELSE?"

They will dig deeper and give you more information. 

Then say, "AND", and the patient will happily give you more information than you would have initially gotten from them. 

You could also ask:

"I'm curious, is there any other reason that you came here today or are there any other outcomes you would like out of this visit today?"

or

"How would your life be better if…."

This communication tool is at the tactical level, and it may not work every time, but don't give up easily. 

Remind yourself that it didn't work this time; with this patient on this particular issue, it doesn't mean it doesn't work. 

Stimulus & Response

There is usually a stimulus when you get angry, but there will be a small GAP between the stimulus and the response. It would be best if you learned how to put space between the stimulus and the response. 

A cool little trick is to name that emotion when it occurs and recognise it. 

"Ohh, that's anger that I'm feeling". 

Take a deep breath, cultivate the gap and interrupt the response.  

Interrupting the Gap

Confusion often leads to frustration, then anger; however, confusion means you are about to make a breakthrough in your learning. 

So instead of getting frustrated and angry, change the mental narrative to anticipation. Confusion leads to anticipation of new learnings, and this is a better mindset to get the learning you want. 

Optimise What's Working 

Optimise what's working and stop what's not working. It sounds simple, but it's hard for some podiatrists to do. 

Constantly explore what's working in your business and spend some time hypothesising why it works and can you make it better. 

Minor tweaks can make a massive difference in the outcome. 

If you want to learn more from Dave or about his Business Black Ops event, held in Arizona each October, you can email his assistant Lisa at [email protected].

You can also connect with Dave on Facebook at David M Frees or join his non-members Business Black Ops group. 

Dave's Book: The language of Parenting

If you have any questions or want to learn more about how I can help grow your business, please call me on 0408 671 966, send me an email at [email protected]; otherwise, you can go directly to my online calendar and schedule a face-to-face Zoom meeting with me. 

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