By: Kriss Barlow, RN, MBA | kbarlow@barlowmccarthy.com
We all have them… those recurring concerns that so vividly play out in our minds. Many of them are likely more about family and lifestyle, but some might be work related too! In our work with physician liaisons and their leaders, we see a few themes that are ever-present. See if any of these hit the mark for you and your marketplace. Or, perhaps you have one to add to the list?
Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” -Dale Carnegie
- Fear of not getting in. Field staff increasingly struggle to get past gatekeepers. In a Barlow/McCarthy survey, about 75% of respondents shared some level of challenge in getting past gatekeepers. (30% struggle in more than half of their visits). Oh, we try to justify that office staff are equally important and yet, the tertiary services most are asked to grow are almost always referred by the physician. Gatekeepers wield tremendous power in today’s practices. If they are getting the best of you, go back to the basics. Make sure you have a succinct reason for the request to visit; articulate it in a warm, confident manner. Make sure you are able to provide a WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) for the doctor and the gatekeeper every time. Working with the gatekeeper, differentiate your approach, your visit and your value.
- Fear of not being heard. Not being heard is perhaps the most personal of the 5 Fears. This is a reality for program leaders, with their team and their leaders and also a challenge for liaisons in the practice setting. While there are significant nuances for each audience, being heard always starts when we share something of value for the audience. They decide value, we need to learn what that is before we talk. For important topics, it’s always best to use multiple methods, multiple times. Consider using a visual tool or document to reinforce the message. This is especially true when field teams are your audience. If you feel you are not being heard, analyze why you feel that way, look at your preparation, your timing, your message for the audience and your ability to engage the audience in the conversation. We hear better when it’s our idea!
- Fear of not getting results. Again, this is a shared reality for leaders and field teams. And it is filled with what-ifs. Not every rep is going to hit it out of the park with every single practice or product every time. Field work is effort driven and meaningful conversations about differentiated products provided in a quality way will yield results. Results always start with the right targets, the right field effort and good, consistent and meaningful visits. Many people are able to get ahead of this by forecasting. Substitute tangible goals for fingers crossed. Then, if you miss the mark you will know before it happens, and you will understand why.
- Fear of not being relevant. As markets evolve and employment increases, some are concerned that the liaison role will go the way of the dinosaur. Relevance always means we align our value with the strategic direction of our leaders. Meaningful conversations with the physician are not going away anytime soon. Today’s leaders are very focused on referral growth, tomorrows leaders may want something different. If we have the trust and the ears of the doctors, then we have a role. Continue to be open to change. Offer proactive ideas
- Fear of not having the skills for the next frontier. For some, this is related to analytic skills. Another often-heard topic is attaining personal conversations with millennial doctors. I just read a great book on vulnerability, “Daring Greatly,” by Brene` Brown. Perhaps you’ve read it too. Changing patterns is a personal commitment for professional growth. This one starts inside you!
I suspect for most of us, fears can grow in our own minds. Things may not be as bad as we think, but who wants to find out? For each of these fears there are actions that you can take to regain control or to address it. Do you have other ideas to help conquer the concerns that are keeping you up at night?