During the past year, I have been on the fast track learning how to master the art of marketing on the Internet and completing my eBook “Marketing Your Practice Through Different Eyes” A Multi-Media Team Guide – How To Recession Proof Your Practice To Increase Referrals and New Patient Starts.
As you all know…I am releasing my book this month at the AAO meeting in Denver, as a FREE download to all my following. (If you aren’t attending the meeting…no problem… I will forward you the link to download the book, after I get back. If you are going…stop by and introduce yourself to me and my husband Jack, at booth 2036. I have some great new ideas and products to show you.)
On my journey of discovery for the past 12 months, I have worked along side three outstanding coaches and mentors to master all aspects of the latest in digital sales tools and how to implement these ideas into a professional practice. One in particular, Alex Mandossian, always asks his students ”What is your Verb?”
In a blog post he writes about the philosophical statement which is one of the most foundational elements in Western philosophy “Cogito, ergo sum” (”I think, therefore I am”).
According to Wikipedia, the meaning of the phrase is that if someone wonders if he or she exists, that is in and of itself proof of existence.. For instance, Alex’s verb is to “improve”: He “improves” therefore he is. All his students understand that his goal is to improve himself…and in turn…teach others to improve themselves.
One of my other marketing coaches, Eben Pagan, states his verb is: “Evolve.” Based on this principle then, Eben’s personal and professional life is then defined by how much he “evolves.” He takes everything he has learned to date and continues to absorb new information and then finds new ways of implementing them into marketing ideas and strategies…
I asked my 25 year old son… what his verb is and his answer was to – “Play.” “I PLAY, therefore I am,” he answered with his brilliant smile and sheepish grin. At this point in his life… he’s not ready to settle down yet.
We are all defined by what we “do” (our verb), not by who we are (our noun).
As for me, it’s a toss up between two: “create and teach” “I create and teach, therefore I am” is clearly my reason for existence at this point in my life.
My husband Jack knows it. My kids know it. My colleagues know it, as do my mentors. My “verb” may change in the future, but what defines me right now is to “create and teach”. “I create marketing products and systems…and teach orthodontic teams to market smarter, faster and with less effort.”
I created the Marketing in Minutes Contest Kit as an affordable way to save time and effort for busy teams, especially since most do not have a design background to create high impact marketing programs… that create WOW results and increase patient referrals. I wrote my eBook to teach doctors and their teams about marketing basics and how to market their practice, as a team, in the current tech savvy world, with digital technology.
This is just the start for me… and great things to come in the future. I will continue to create marketing products and produce time saving systems…as wells as teach teams how to build their practices as an online marketing coach. This is what I have always done successfully for over 30 years in orthodontics and what I will continue to do now and in the future…
What about you? What’s your Verb?
Click here to download a list of 104 verbs that will stir your mental juices so you can come up with the Verb that’s most fitting for how you define yourself at this moment. Is it: “Build” or “Solve” or “Discover” or “Create” or “Love” or “Listen” or “Grow” or “Explore?”
Whatever your Verb may be, it’s important to think it and feel it daily because your Verb ultimately defines you.
Before your next staff meeting… give everyone a copy of the verb list and ask each member of the team to read the list and determine what their action Verb is. You can forward this blog post to every team member for instructions. Have them complete the exercise… write their Verb down… and share it with the entire team at the meeting.
In my experience…it is a very powerful exercise to improve communication and increase your understanding of each other. Here’s the simple formula: “I <Your Verb>, therefore I am.” Just fill in the blank and live your Verb. See how it can benefit both your personal and professional life.
For those philosophical souls that are interested…R. Buckminster Fuller wrote in his book, I Seem To Be Verb “I live on Earth at present, and I don’t know what I am. I know that I am not a category. I am not a thing — a noun. I seem to be a verb, an evolutionary process — an integral function of the Universe.”
As Alex taught me…”No truer words were ever written. Your life is defined by your Verb.” Change your Verb and your life will change also.” Mine has…
Food for thought…