Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Why selling will make you a happier doctor

Cindy Tsai, MD
Physician
March 3, 2022
6 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

“I love selling,” said no doctor ever.

Doctors often love buying. Expensive cars. Fancy watches. Luxury vacations. Hello, lifestyle upgrade! But very few love selling.

I find it is a common response to look at salespeople with disdain. Pharmaceuticals. Medical devices. EMR systems. Everything. Everyone is always trying to sell us something! Ugh!

I admit that I was one of them. I thought I didn’t need to “sell.” Doctors are in demand, after all! We put in a lot of discipline, hard work, and commitment into honing our craft. We earned the degree with our blood, sweat, and tears.

We are experts in our fields. We know what we’re doing.

Patients come to us needing help. We help them. Thank you, next.

It’s easy to get into autopilot. Zone out.

Before you know it, years have gone by.

But as more health care providers leave medical practice and burnout rates reach an all-time high, we need to consider a new paradigm.

Selling gets a bad rap because we often think of the used car salesman or some bait-and-switch.

But in reality, selling will make you a happier doctor.

Think of selling as a way to deepen your connection with someone.

Selling is the act of communicating how you have something valuable to share and to offer this to someone in need.

Imagine seeing your 53-year-old male patient with a history of Type 2 diabetes, HTN, CAD, and obesity for follow-up, but he is non-compliant with the medications and treatment plan. His HbA1C and lipids keep trending up. He shows up late for most of his appointments. He always has an excuse for why he can’t stop drinking soda or smoking. What do you do?

It’s frustrating, I know. Why doesn’t he get it? Does he need to be hospitalized with a heart attack before something changes?

For many patients, it does take something traumatic to shake things up.

But I want you to know that you can play an active role in preventing such traumas.

When you believe that:

  1. You can help the patient
  2. The patient is capable of change
  3. There is a program/process that will support the patient’s transformation

You have to communicate this and sell this to the patient!

Patients need to feel seen, heard, and understood before deciding to change. We, as humans, need to be validated. This is at the core of motivational interviewing.

Sometimes when patients don’t follow through, it’s easier to blame them than to look within.

Especially when you’re exhausted and burning the candle at both ends. Who has the extra bandwidth?

But you didn’t become a doctor to be grumpy all day. Or to rush through your day so you can finally get to your “real” life.

Because every moment is your real life. Life is happening right now, every second.

The solution?

You have to get out of autopilot and be present.

Pay attention to what’s going on.

Practice mindfulness in your every day.

What you’re thinking. How you’re feeling. Why you’re acting in a certain way. Owning the results you have or don’t have in your life.

The next time you find yourself getting frustrated with a patient, I want you to pause and ask yourself …

Did I believe it was possible for them? Did I give them all the resources and support they needed? Did I set them up for success?

As physicians, we have a great responsibility and a duty to fulfill. We get wary when we see patients “shopping” for physicians. We see it as a red flag.

Patients look to providers for guidance, wisdom, and hope. When patients receive a new chronic disease diagnosis, it can feel terminal to the layperson. Even pre-diabetes is traumatizing to an otherwise healthy adult.

We must not underestimate the power of our words.

Learn to see selling as a key skill to develop. As with other skills, it gets easier the more you do it.

When you have the know-how and enjoy selling, you will have more belief in yourself, your patient, and the treatment/healing process.

You reconnect to your purpose and share the gifts only you have. You live life with ease and joy. You feel better. Patients do better. Everyone wins.

Happy selling!

Cindy Tsai is an internal medicine physician and can be reached on Twitter @cindytsaimd.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

How NFTs, DAOs, Web3 and the metaverse impact health care

March 3, 2022 Kevin 0
…
Next

People over profit: Pfizer and Moderna must share vaccine technology

March 3, 2022 Kevin 1
…

Tagged as: Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
How NFTs, DAOs, Web3 and the metaverse impact health care
Next Post >
People over profit: Pfizer and Moderna must share vaccine technology

More by Cindy Tsai, MD

  • Are these 6 habits making you unhappy?

    Cindy Tsai, MD
  • Don’t make this mistake with gratitude

    Cindy Tsai, MD
  • Perfectionism is a myth: Are you ready to hear the truths about perfectionism?

    Cindy Tsai, MD

Related Posts

  • Osler and the doctor-patient relationship

    Leonard Wang
  • Finding a new doctor is like dating

    R. Lynn Barnett
  • Doctor, how are you, really?

    Deborah Courtney
  • Be a human first and a doctor second

    Sarah Murad
  • Here’s how a glucometer turned this doctor against Medicaid for all

    Seiji Yamada, MD, MPH
  • Becoming a doctor is the epitome of delayed gratification

    Natasha Abadilla

More in Physician

  • The alarming epidemic of physician burnout and how we can combat it

    Tomi Mitchell, MD
  • A retired physician’s battle with moral injury

    Hayward Zwerling, MD
  • Unveiling the secrets to effective resuscitation and overcoming obstacles

    Deepak Gupta, MD
  • A tense family drama unfolds as a young daughter pursues unconventional career path

    Osmund Agbo, MD
  • Decoding the brain’s decision-making: insights for medical professions and strategies for success

    Harvey Castro, MD, MBA
  • Unmasking the truth: the shocking reality of the opioid epidemic and who’s really to blame

    Jay K. Joshi, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • A physician’s typical day, as envisioned by a non-clinician health care MBA: a satire

      Jennifer Lycette, MD | Physician
    • Is chaos in health care leading us towards socialized medicine? How physician burnout is a catalyst.

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • Revealing America’s expansion: the dark truth of Native American suffering and unjustified abuses

      Anonymous | Physician
    • The rising threat of lung cancer in Asian American female nonsmokers

      Alice S. Y. Lee, MD | Conditions
    • From Moscow Mule to the opioid crisis: Unveiling the tragic legacy and urgent solutions

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Meds
    • The tragic story of Mr. G: a painful journey towards understanding suicide

      William Lynes, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • “Is your surgeon really skilled? The hidden threat to public safety in medicine.

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the cycle of racism in health care: a call for anti-racist action

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Policy
    • Unveiling the hidden damage: the secretive world of medical boards

      Alan Lindemann, MD | Physician
    • An inspiring tribute to an exceptional radiologist who made a lasting impact

      Kim Downey, PT | Conditions
    • The hidden factor in physician burnout: How the climate crisis is contributing to the erosion of well-being

      Elizabeth Cerceo, MD | Physician
    • Proactive risk management: a game-changer in preventing physician burnout

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • How modern lifestyle changes are disrupting our immune systems

      Kara Wada, MD | Conditions
    • Empathy and awareness: Unveiling the hidden dangers of food allergies [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The alarming epidemic of physician burnout and how we can combat it

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Physician
    • A retired physician’s battle with moral injury

      Hayward Zwerling, MD | Physician
    • Unveiling the secrets to effective resuscitation and overcoming obstacles

      Deepak Gupta, MD | Physician
    • Georgia’s new law promoting truth and transparency in health care credentials

      Carmen Kavali, MD | Policy

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 1 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • FDA Panel Endorses mAb to Prevent RSV in Infants
  • Novel LAA Closure Device 'Promising'
  • Acute GvHD Risk After Allo-HCT Higher With Some Antibiotics vs Others
  • TTFields Therapy Yields OS Improvement in Second-Line NSCLC
  • Mental Health Provider Disclosed Personal Patient Info in Google Reviews

Meeting Coverage

  • Novel LAA Closure Device 'Promising'
  • TTFields Therapy Yields OS Improvement in Second-Line NSCLC
  • Upper Airway Stimulation Device for OSA Holds Up in Real-World Analysis
  • Morning Naps in Elderly People May Reflect Dementia Risk
  • Extra Follow-Up Confirms Benefit of Nivolumab in Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • A physician’s typical day, as envisioned by a non-clinician health care MBA: a satire

      Jennifer Lycette, MD | Physician
    • Is chaos in health care leading us towards socialized medicine? How physician burnout is a catalyst.

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • Revealing America’s expansion: the dark truth of Native American suffering and unjustified abuses

      Anonymous | Physician
    • The rising threat of lung cancer in Asian American female nonsmokers

      Alice S. Y. Lee, MD | Conditions
    • From Moscow Mule to the opioid crisis: Unveiling the tragic legacy and urgent solutions

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Meds
    • The tragic story of Mr. G: a painful journey towards understanding suicide

      William Lynes, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • “Is your surgeon really skilled? The hidden threat to public safety in medicine.

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the cycle of racism in health care: a call for anti-racist action

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Policy
    • Unveiling the hidden damage: the secretive world of medical boards

      Alan Lindemann, MD | Physician
    • An inspiring tribute to an exceptional radiologist who made a lasting impact

      Kim Downey, PT | Conditions
    • The hidden factor in physician burnout: How the climate crisis is contributing to the erosion of well-being

      Elizabeth Cerceo, MD | Physician
    • Proactive risk management: a game-changer in preventing physician burnout

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • How modern lifestyle changes are disrupting our immune systems

      Kara Wada, MD | Conditions
    • Empathy and awareness: Unveiling the hidden dangers of food allergies [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The alarming epidemic of physician burnout and how we can combat it

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Physician
    • A retired physician’s battle with moral injury

      Hayward Zwerling, MD | Physician
    • Unveiling the secrets to effective resuscitation and overcoming obstacles

      Deepak Gupta, MD | Physician
    • Georgia’s new law promoting truth and transparency in health care credentials

      Carmen Kavali, MD | Policy

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Why selling will make you a happier doctor
1 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...