A recent article in the Sacramento Bee details the almost random fee structures different hospitals and medical providers for the exact same services. Things like the profit/not-for-profit status of a particular hospital, your own insurance coverage and sometimes just the whims of a billing department can cause some wide swings in fees.
The article talks about how one appendectomy patient is looking at several thousand dollars of out of pocket expenses that could have been entirely avoided if he’d have gone to a different hospital or if the hospital he did go to would have been more ethical in their billing and transferred him to a hospital that was within the patient’s coverage.
The story made me think two things: 1. That poor guy. I know I’d have a hard time coming up with an extra seven grand. 2. Every hospital in Sacramento has people who now think that their billing department is out to get patients, even if they are not.
I encounter service and definition inconsistencies all the time in my field of coaching. Anyone can call themselves a coach, regardless of the training or experience they have. I have been trained by an International Coaches Federation accredited school, and am pursuing certification from them presently. Some coaches are not, yet they call themselves ‘coach’ and proceed to help, or not help, clients, for pay! These inconsistencies are frustrating, but they give us an opening to help potential clients better understand what we do.
Crystal Clear Communication in Business
Here are some ideas on how you can overcome inconsistencies and misunderstandings in your field:
- Be clear about what you do. In person, have a clear 30 second explanation of what you do/why you’re the best at it. On the web, people need a sense for what you do w/in 8 seconds or they are gone! Have employees? They need to be able to articulate this as well as you do.
- Be clear about your training and experience. Tell people EXACTLY what you have done and where you have trained. Tell stories to build a relational bridge that helps build your credibility to people.
- Be clear about what you charge. Make sure people have no doubt as to the cost of the services you provide. Think about how much negative publicity that was received by hospital in the above mentioned story. It could have been 100% prevented if they were clear on their fees.
- If anything is unclear by your client/patient, don’t move forward until it is TOTALLY understood. Of course, emergency treatment of medical patients is different, but apart from that, there shouldn’t be movement forward without clear understanding of what both parties will provide and receive.
The Big Question: What are the inconsistencies that exist the most in your profession? What are your steps to overcoming them?
The mission of Matthew Reed Coaching is “To make the world a more effective and God honoring place, through coaching.” I love to help people genuinely experience the life they have always wanted. I’d be thrilled to be able to share with you the power of coaching.
Twitter: @MattBrianReed
Facebook: MatthewReedCoaching
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