What Moves The Needle Forward in Your Business?

On this episode of the EntreMD Podcast, I’ll discuss the ways you can make sure you are moving the needle forward with your business.

Every time you have to do something, every time you’re trying to make a decision, every time you’re in the middle of taking an action, the question should be, “What moves the needle in my business?”

Listener Spotlight of the Week!

EntreMD podcast by baodawa – Aug 26, 2020 ★★★★★

I love this podcast, found Dr. Una on Facebook a few months ago and have been listening to her every day on my drive to work. She has helped me so much to thrive during this pandemic. The information she gives is practical, spot on and very impactful. Keep up the good work Dr. Una. Rumana Barodawalla M.D.

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Links mentioned in this episode:

EntreMD Business School
Join the mailing list here
Podcast Episode: Help! I Hate Selling
Podcast Episode: The Top Five Ways to Market your Private Practice

When you are ready to work with us, here are three ways.

1. EntreMD Business School Accelerator - If you are looking to make a 180 turnaround in your business in 90 days, this is the program for you.
2. EntreMD Business School Grow - This is our year-long program with a track record of producing physician entrepreneurs who are building 6, 7 and 7+ figure businesses. They do this while building their dream lives!
3. EntreMD Business School Scale - This is our high-level mastermind for physicians who have crossed the seven figure milestone and want to build their businesses to be well oiled machines that can run without them.

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Transcript

Dr. Una 0:03  

Hi Docs! Welcome to the EntreMD podcast where it is all about helping amazing physicians just like you embrace entrepreneurship so you can have the freedom to live life and practice medicine on your terms. I'm your host, Dr. Una.

Dr. Una 0:23  

Well hello, hello. Welcome to another episode of The EntreMD podcast. Now listen, this is going to be so, so good. I am in the middle of my vacation and I was thinking about my EntreMD crew. And I was like, this is really so good. I just need to record this and let them know something powerful that I've discovered. You're really going to enjoy this. Okay, so I was at the airport, and I saw this man he was standing in front of me and he had a really cool looking mask on right like you know, like, I mean, we're really getting very extra with these masks and all that. And at the time of this recording right in the middle of a COVID pandemic, and everybody has to wear a mask, okay, that's kind of the way this is working. So he has this fancy mask on, and he has it where he's covering his mouth and it’s covering his moustache, but not covering his nose at all, like really cool mask, but it's useless. Like completely useless, right? And I'm like, dude, if you came in contact with someone who has COVID you have a mask on, but it's not gonna matter. I mean, just a super fancy. Chances are, you know, he was browsing for a mask. He spent time he found this one he really liked. He ordered it. He waited a few days for it to come to his home. And, you know, it looked really cool when he looked at himself in the mirror and he's like, Oh my gosh, you know, you have to wear a mask. I look amazing. But the one thing that the mask is supposed to do one thing, the one thing the mask is supposed to do, it doesn't do why he didn't do the most important thing. He didn't cover his nose, right? And when I looked at that I'm like, so how bad would it be for him to almost comply with what he's supposed to do and come in contact with someone who has COVID and get COVID ended up in the ICU, or God forbid, even die? Right? And I started thinking about how that relates to us, our lives, our businesses, and I came up with a question that we always need to ask: this is a question that would make you most productive, it would make your business most profitable. It would make sure you're experiencing continual growth, it will be a complete game changer. And that question is this: What moves the needle in my business? What moves the needle in my business? Every time you have to do something, every time you're trying to make a decision, every time you're in the middle of acting, right taking an action, the question should be what moves the needle in my business, what would make this matter because like for the guy told you about with a mask, or you know, the mask kind of on, all he did, all the actions he took, like, researching, ordering it, waiting for it to come put it on all of that stuff. It didn't matter, right? Like if he came in contact with somebody who had COVID, it wouldn't matter. Because the one thing that moves the needle, putting the protective thing over your nose, he didn't do it. So in your business what will move the needle? And even beyond business. We're going to talk about business today, but even beyond business in your everyday life. I'm trying to raise a family what moves the needle. I'm trying to make sure I'm in the best shape of my life. What moves the needle, right? For instance, this happens all the time. So I'm a pediatrician by training. And I'm like, we have to get you more active and all this stuff. This is what I always hear. Oh, Mom, so you have to get me the Wi. Right? Or Yes, I need to go get that, you know, that outfit I've always wanted to work out at. And I don't mind No, no, no, no, no. Why? Because none of those things move the needle. You need to get out of your house. And I want you to take a 30 minute brisk walk today. That's what I want you to do. Okay, you can get the, you know, the gear and you can get the fancy Apple Watch, and you can get the Fitbit and you can do all of that. They don't move the needle, we need to always keep the main thing, the main thing. So doesn't mean you don't do other things you do, but don't do other things or not do the main thing. Right. So let's look at some of those things practically speaking our businesses What does that mean? So let's say I said, You know what, I want to put my business on the map. So I'm going to start doing videos. Just great. You guys know, I love videos, right? Let's start doing videos, whether those are Facebook Live or pre recorded videos are starting a new YouTube channel, whichever. But you're like, I am going to start doing videos when you do videos. How does that move the needle? What do you do in a video for that to move the needle? Now the goal of a video, and this could be you talking on stage or this could be a podcast is the same principle. The goal of the video is not for people to say, Oh my God, he's an amazing speaker. That would be nice. But that doesn't move the needle. It's not fair if you're standing in front of a physical stage for people to give you a standing ovation. That's wonderful. But that doesn't move the needle. What moves the needle? Right? When you do a video or you do a talk or you do a podcast interview there are two things that should happen. One is that the audience should feel served, what that means is you gave them valuable content that is designed to give them transformation, right? Like, they were inspired. And they got practical tips things they can apply right away and make a change in their in their lives or, you know, whatever it is that you help them do. So you served the people. Okay? But another thing you're going to do is that your video, or your talk, or your podcast episode, needs to have a call to action. It needs to have a call to action. You need to give people to tell them how they can find you how they can work with you. You should tell them they should work with you. Right? And you might call that but I don't want to bother people. If they truly get value from what I do. Then they'll just come to me. And there's nowhere in the universe where that's the way that works right? If you think Think about it a company with such a loyal following as Apple, they still spend billions of dollars on advertising. Why? Because people need you to tell them come and buy my stuff. Okay, so let's look at it this way. Right? Say I was a personal trainer. And I came and I gave a did a 45 minute keynote. Amazing. I was I was amazing. I was engaging I gave you, you know, I got rid of some mindset blocks that stopped you from working out or eating right? I gave you some simple strategies that you could use starting right away, and you're like, Oh my gosh, I have never been so inspired. I've never been so hopeful about the future. Finally, I'm going to be able to get those 20 pounds off. Okay, now you and I know that there's no 45 minute talk that's going to change everything permanently. You could jumpstart stuff, it could open my eyes to what is possible, but at the end of the day, I'm really going to need more time with you. Right? So as a personal trainer after doing that fantastic talk, what is the best way I can serve you? The best way I can serve you is by saying, hey, and if you found this helpful at all, this is what I do. I'm all about helping you transform your health. I know you have the work ethic to do it. You just need somebody to walk alongside you, give you the accountability you need, give you the coaching you need, give you the community you need. And I do that. So I have an eight week boot camp that's going to be starting off in the next week. And I want you to come join us there. If you join us. These are the kinds of results that you can get. And maybe finally you'll be able to fit in those skinny jeans again. Maybe finally you get back to that energy level where you can chase after your grandkids. Maybe Finally, you look in the mirror and love what you see. Try What have I done? I've given them an opportunity to work with me. And if I do that, there are two things that happen again. One is they get much better results, much better results, right. And the second thing that happens is, my business does what it's supposed to do, which is to serve and to earn, right. That's what a business does. So what moves the needle is giving calls to actions making offers is telling people come work with me. So when you do a video, now, it doesn't mean every single video will say come work with me, but that should be seated in it right? But what moves your business forward is making offers. So don't produce so much content and then not give people an opportunity to get even bigger results by working with you and moving your business forward by working with you. Okay, so the question is what moves the needle my business, I'll give you another example. Say you go to network, okay, you go to network, you go to an event, and you get to meet somebody. And this is somebody who is further along in their journey than you are. And you maybe you've always admired them from a distance or you've read their books or something like that. Somebody that could be a mentor, somebody that could be a resource, and you're like, Oh, my gosh, I'm talking with them. Right? Now, you know, that I teach that people are constantly thinking about themselves, right? They're tuned into a radio station called WIIFM. What's in it for me? That's their radio station, and they're there all the time. Right? So when you go to network, of course, you don't go blabbing off about yourself. So you don't lead with that. Right? You lead with talking to them about them. Hey, nice to meet you. Where did you come to this event from? Are you local? What's your business about what projects are you working on? What would be a good referral for you? If I met somebody who was here, I was ideal, your ideal client who is that? Right? which is wonderful, because that's how you connect. But what moves the needle forward? You have to figure out a way to keep in contact with them.

Dr. Una 11:15  

Right? Because you, you're like this could be a mentor, this could be a resource, this, you know, whatever that is. So it is a very simple theme. It was so amazing. talking with you today. Is there any chance we could do lunch tomorrow? Because what happens then it sets you up where you could take that relationship deeper. You never know where it leads to, you know that I always say that the quote that says your network is your net worth is absolutely true. So you never know. Right? Or you say hey, this is a really interesting conversation. I really wish we have more time to talk about it. Is there any way we can you know, hop on a quick call later in the week, say Thursday by 1pm does that work with you and exchange information. Now, this will probably be the most uncomfortable part of the conversation. But this is the part of the conversation that moves the needle forward. Okay, so if you just have an interesting conversation with the person and walk away, you're kind of like my friend at the airport, who had the mask on really cute mask, but didn't cover his nose, like, come on. Right? So what moves the needle forward? Say you were working on your messaging when people ask you, what do you do, right? You're working on that? What do you do? And this is something huge that we work on big time in the EntreMD Business School because the clearer your message is, the faster you can find your ideal clients and the faster they'll see. Yes. A confused mind never buys. Never. Okay, so the clearer your talk is, the clearer what you can argue articulate what you do. The faster people say yes. Okay. No. Insane. You're messaging, right? People come up with all kinds of things, you know, and it is really long. It's really confusing. It's really vague. Like I help you live your best life. What does that mean though? Right best life could mean, Well, I'm a stay at home mom, or best life could mean I build multiple seven figure business, or best life could be them in the best physical shape of my life. Best life could be I retire my mom. But I mean, it could be anything. Right? So what does it mean? It doesn't mean you're not right. It's just that your person can't find themselves in that. Because what does it mean? Okay? No, the clear this is, the faster people say yes. And the clarity, again, comes from this. People are thinking about themselves almost 100% Settle the time. All right. So they're tuned in as the station wi I FM, and what they think about are a lot of their problems. So I have a Doc in the EntreMD Business School, Dr. Ayer. He's an amazing psychiatrist. And he says, I help people quit drugs and alcohol so they can get their lives back. Oh my goodness. Right. So somebody who is an alcoholic, right, what are they thinking about? I just want to quit this. Right? And maybe someone that's, you know, has a drug addiction? What do they think, I wish I could just stop. I wish I could get rid of this. I wish I never started. Right. And in the process of the addiction, so many things could have lost jobs, they could have lost family members, family relationships. They could have lost a lot of money and all that stuff. And I want my life back. I want my life back. Right. So if you listen to that, it's not fancy? And it's like, I don't want to say that because it sounds like everybody else, right? I don't want to say that. But what moves the needle forward when you're working on your messaging is being clear on what your ideal clients pain point is. And articulating that. Okay, so this is not super fancy, but he's super clear. And in the messaging world is always clear over cute. Always because clear always wins. Right? So somebody who has an addiction, here's this and Okay, wait, where is he? Right? Because that's their language, right? So I help people quit drugs and alcohol so they can get their lives back. What moves the needle forward: clarity. So in all your branding, language and all of that stuff, clarity, okay, I'll give you one more, and I'll let you go. Okay.

Dr. Una 15:54  

Okay. Now, when you create a product or a service you so I see this a lot, I created an online course or, you know, I've started coaching or I started a private practice, or I develop this product and develop the skincare line, or you know, any of those kind of things. What moves the needle forward? What moves it forward is called marketing and sales. Okay, it's marketing and selling this marketing and selling. And the truth of the matter is, this is so important. Okay, this is so important that I recommend that people spend 50% of their business time in product or service development, and 50% of their time in marketing and selling. Right, because what moves the needle forward is not your amazing product. It's not your amazing service is not your amazing coaching service. It's not your amazing private practice because: The biggest problem every new business has is obscurity. People don't know you are there. So even though your product is great, people won't use it because they don't know that it exists. They have no idea. Right? So what moves the needle forward like, I'm working, I'm sweating. I'm creating this product. I'm creating this service. If you will not market it, and you will not sell it. You're literally like my friend at the airport who researched the mask, who brought out his card and paid for the mask, who waited for days for it to come. Who put it on, but didn't cover his nose. Alright, it will set you up where you have a service when nobody's using it I you know, it's amazing. I you know, it will change lives, but nobody's using it. So what we're moving forward sales and marketing You might say I don't know how to do that. It's a learnable skill, you can learn it. Okay, you can learn it. You get a lot from the podcast, right? There's an episode on Help, I hate selling. And I'll link to it in the show notes. And you should check that out. There's an episode on five ways to market your private practice. I'll link to it in the show notes. Check that out the EntreMD Business School, you should check that out. Because what we do there is we help you define what your business is. We help you define your message. Right? So it's crystal clear, so the ideal client can raised their hand and say, Oh, my God, I've been looking for you my whole life. Right? We help you put yourself out there. Right. That's one of the scariest things it's like, I don't want to put myself out there. I don't know how to put myself out there. You're trained to do that. To do that, amongst other things, but you know, you're trained to do that. Why it is what moves the needle forward is what gives you a recession proof business. It is what you use so that your business works in good times and in bad times, because these are principles that cannot be broken. Okay? So I want you to take a moment and ask yourself, I want you to sit down because the clearer you are with this, the better your business will be. What moves the needle in my business, and then I want you to make the commitment that in all the things you do you make sure you're doing those things. So it doesn't mean they're the only things you do. But if you could only do one thing, it would be that thing.

Dr. Una 19:41  

Right? So ask yourself, what moves the needle in my business, and I want you to make a quality commitment to do it. Okay. And if you're listening to me, and you're like, Oh my gosh, like, all these things I have to do, you should check out the EntreMD Business School. You should sign up for it. Okay. The reason for that is this, you get the coaching unit, you get a group of doctors doing this with you. So you're not alone, okay, you get the community and you get the accountability, which means you'll find yourself doing things you wouldn't normally do that you normally find it you know, uncomfortable that you had no skill set at all. But you have, you have the coaching to help you do it. You have the community to encourage you, and you have the community to hold you accountable to get it done. So you should sign up for it. Okay, it will be a total, total 100% game changer for you. Okay, so I hope you enjoyed this episode. And if you would love to share, I would love to hear your story. So you can go to the EntreMD private Facebook group, just search for EntreMD in your Facebook search bar. And I want you to post what you're committing to do based on this. Okay, I want you to post you can post your biggest aha moments in the group and we can continue the conversation from there. All right, thank you so much for joining me. I'm going back to my family. We're doing a tour of Washington DC, with my husband and my four kids. They're absolutely loving it. And I have a lot, a lot of business lessons I've pulled out from this trip, and I can't wait to share them all with you. Okay. All right. I will talk to you later. Go post in the Facebook group, your biggest aha moment for this. See you later. 

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