David M Frees is from Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. In this episode, we discuss FORCE MULTIPLIERS, a technique used to make podiatrists more powerful, better communicators, and far more influential with their patients.
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.
Steve Forbes, Editor-In-Chief of Forbes Magazine and Forbes Media, has referred to Dave Frees as the grandmaster of persuasion and influence. He's a sought-after speaker on leadership, sales, and marketing and has had a close working relationship with podiatrists for many years.
Topics Discussed
- Meta-Force Multipliers, Strategic Force Multipliers and Tactical Force Multipliers and how they can be applied to your podiatry business.
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 are we about to do? Is it in alignment with our purpose, values, and mission? 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 more informed. 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 to what they said to clarify.
When you repeatedly give the patient the result they want, you will become influential, which is what you want to be. Being influential is not 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 you came here today, or are there any other outcomes you would like from 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; just because this patient isn't responding well to treatment on this particular issue doesn't mean it will not work.
Stimulus & Response
When you get angry, there is usually a stimulus, 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 learning, and this is a better mindset for getting 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 time hypothesizing why it works and how to improve it.
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 .
You can 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
Do you have questions about your podiatry business, team, personal goals and career direction?
If you do, I'm here to help in any way I can. I recommend following the link below to my calendar and scheduling a free 30-minute Zoom call. I guarantee that after we talk, you will have far more clarity on what is best for you, your business and your career.
A podiatrist I spoke with recently made an extra $40,000 by following my advice from the 30-minute free Zoom call. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose.
