Today on the Book More Show, we're talking with Paul Ross, Founder & CEO of The Podiatry Center, with clinics in Maryland and Virginia, about his latest book 'My Damn Toe Hurts,' and how it's helping him dominate another niche within their business.
It's a great conversation about the obvious and surprising benefits of having a book that reinforces you as the expert in your chosen business. Paul's passionate caring for his clients and the professionalism his practice brings to people, and his book is the latest way he's added to this expertise.
He also shares some valuable insights on narrowing down your focus when creating a book that builds your business, making it more manageable for you and beneficial for the reader.
It's great to hear his story of people's reactions to the book and how much value it's creating.
SUMMARY
- Benefits of creating a niche in foot care practice and the importance of identifying strengths and enjoying them, which impacts the patient experience
- Creating a plan for patients so they know what to expect and have their questions answered
- Narrowing down focus when creating a book to make it more manageable for the writer and beneficial for the reader
- Creating a book that communicates complex topics in a concise and accessible way
- Asking questions from an outsider's point of view to keep the framework simple and straightforward for readers
- Avoiding overwhelming readers with too much technical information and providing a clear call to action
- Using a book as part of one's marketing strategy and its value in helping people overcome their problems
- Understanding the psychology of why people refer and how having a book can be a source of pride for patients
- Keeping the content of the book simple and accessible, enabling readers to trust the author's expertise
- Using the book to enhance patient experience and reaffirm their decision to seek treatment
LINKS
Paul Ross
The Podiatry Center
Show notes & video: 90minutebooks.com/podcast/138
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Extra Credit Listening: MoreCheeseLessWhiskers.com
TRANSCRIPT
(AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors)
Stuart: Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Book More show. It's Stuart Bell here, and today I'm joined by Paul Ross. Paul, thanks for making time. Great to have you here.
Paul: Pleasure to be here. It's great to see you again.
Stuart: Yeah, it's great. We just had a strategy call earlier this morning when we went through some things, so it's good to have this as a follow-up. Why don't we start by sharing a little bit more about what you guys do with the audience? Tell us a little bit about their practice and your story.
Paul: Yeah, sure I may put Iodress. I've been in practice a little over 40 years with two offices, one in Maryland and one in Virginia, and we have done the whole gamut of all-foot care that we see We've created a little niche on the things that we'd like to do and, as a result, we've been doing a lot of marketing with regard to those things, which has been able to expand those areas in our office. So myself and my associate have been utilizing multiple areas of marketing to take care of that stuff. So now we're trying to expand our resources at the same time.
Stuart: It's such a great opportunity, once you've been in business for any period of time, to know what it is that you enjoy doing, what you've got some unique capabilities for what customers resonate with, rather than early days kind of taking on all-comers. So has that been a real focus of the last few years, to really doubling down on what you guys do well?
Paul: Yeah, I mean, you hit the nail right on the head.
Certainly, when you start you want to do everything because you know how to do everything and then after a while you find there's some special little areas that are just wildly enjoyable, that you get really good at and you just want to do more of that, knowing that there aren't that many people who take on those tiny little niches with the passion that we do. We've understood all that, we've embraced it, we've created protocols in our office so even if we have another doctor that would come in, they're not starting anew with learning how to treat these pathologies. We just have the protocols nailed so we get to the source immediately. My partner and I just love being able to create those things because we know that if we have proper protocols in place, good diagnosis, then we have a home run with the results, with what we do.
Stuart: Right and just as you said at the end there, it makes a lot too different for the patients because for them, the fact that you could do 50 other things, they don't care about that. They've got the one issue that they're trying to resolve. So to have an end to an experience that really gives them the outcomes that they're looking for, but also the process going through it. It's a smooth, seamless experience, such a better pair for the patient.
Paul: Yeah, maybe we like to create a plan. So when you walk in, you're going to get a full evaluation diagnosis, with all the modalities that we need to get the proper diagnosis. We then have a plan in place. We don't just wing it. We just certain things that work, certain things that don't work. We're not going to waste your time because you're in pain when you come here. So we don't want you to be in pain for very long. We want to get rid of that and heal you and have you go on with your active lifestyle. So, as a result, again, people know when they come in here, they're going to leave here knowing full well what we're trying to do. They're an active role in the process and there are no questions that they have when they leave because, basically, they know and understand what we're trying to do.
Stuart: Right, it's not your first rodeo. You've been through this before and know the types of questions that they would have on their mind, I guess, even if they don't necessarily know or know how to articulate them. So that ability to make people feel at ease, clearly articulate what the next step is again just makes for a better end to an experience. And, as you said, as you bring on new staff, I guess, whether that's doctors or the admin staff that are there as well it's just so much easier to plug them into the process to make sure that it's operating as you want it to operate.
Paul: Yeah, my favorite moment is right when we're finished with the appointment. I'll always say do you have any more questions for me? And then there aren't no more questions because we covered everything. Especially those people who come in with a list that they've written down of all their questions and they go over them again. They go no, no, I got it all. Very important moment that we can have, knowing that we've covered that all for them.
Stuart: Right and putting them at ease and knowing that you're doing a good job for them. It kind of ties across into the book subject. So what I really love about your book is the niche nature of it. We often talk to people. One of the early decision they need to make is picking this single target market, and if you can narrow it down, it's more easy to create the book. It's more easy to create the follow on protocols around the book and how you're going to use it. It's easy for the readers to identify that they want the answer to this problem and then the call to action, the next step, is much more obvious. So do you want to talk a little bit about the niche that you picked and what was it that led to picking this book as the one to do now?
Paul: Sure, I mean we've done a couple of books, but this particular one, as the title says this my damn toes hurt, and what does that mean?
So in our office we've created, and I've done, a lot of experience with utilizing minimally invasive surgical procedures to correct a lot of the deformities that we see in the toes that don't require one to go to the hospital, that don't require extensive reconstructive surgery, that we can do in the office under local anesthesia. And, having taken that knowledge and information that I know that I'm one of the very few that do these procedures, but knowing that not everybody needs surgery, so there was a mindset of let's inform our patients, or people who are prospective patients, or people who may never be patients but are living somewhere else, who have this problem, that they now have a resource to understand in simple terms of what the problem is. Here are the diagnostic steps to figure out what's going on and here are the things that can be done, from the most simple techniques to something that we can then basically surgically fix so that it's a permanent solution.
Stuart: That idea of understanding that there's lots of different options and your customers clients, patients ultimately live within that group. But by delivering them the valuable information, you're also able to deliver it to other people who either will never be customers because they just don't need it, or might not be today, but they might be in a year's time. That really opens up the opportunities to deliver that value and create something that leads people on a journey from my damn toes to on the outside and identifying the problem through to some steps that they can take themselves to. Okay, now the next step is you need to come in. Was it difficult to identify which bits to include in the book and which bits not to include? Or, from the experience, was that pretty straightforward?
Paul: Well, I think, from my knowledge of what we were trying to get across and my experience with treating this particular problem, that I had an idea of what I wanted to say. But obviously, with 90 minute book personnel the fabulous people that you have there together we were able to collaborate and figure out a way to put it all into a concise order that we can then just go through the process of getting it out there. So, putting it down myself I certainly had it out there as an outline, but actually putting the words to paper, putting it into a readable format that's where you know the 90 minute book people came in were immensely helpful making that happen.
Stuart: Appreciate it. It's almost like there's a benefit of not being domain experts, because we can come into it knowing the framework, knowing what we want to create as a scaffold, as a structure, but not get caught up on the details of the actual words or needing to know what comes first A, b or C. We can ask the questions from an outsider point of view, from a kind of an uninformed point of view in a way, but that allows you to answer the questions which are a little bit more straightforward and basic, but that allows you to structure it in a way that is, in a way that moves the conversation forward from this idea of the title through to the call to action. I know from my own perspective, even writing the books that I've written as the kind of insider and owning the company, I still get wrapped around my own head in terms of which words go where, because you've got all of this assumed knowledge or subconscious knowledge that it's sometimes difficult to separate out. So, even going through the process myself, I still use the guys to go through that process and make sure that it adheres to the scaffold, which means that it gets done, as opposed to it being an idea there for years and years but never actually making it onto paper.
Some people have a concern that it's too. They don't want to be too basic and they're worried or get hung up that they want to include more and more or go in at a higher level and more detailed level, as if they're writing for kind of academic peers rather than customers. Was that something that was easy to get past as well? You had a been in business for 40 years. You know the customer conversations that are going on, so was it easier to keep that framework in mind?
Paul: Very much so, because my history with dealing with people every day is as much as there is a small segment of the population that want to know all the minutiae and all the details they really care about is just fix the thing. I'm happy if you want to tell me all the information, but I don't need all the information. So what I realized is that those who want all the information, we share it. We go through detail in the office, we go through all the X-rays and everything that we do, but I realized that I don't need to get that detail out there because there are definitely other places where people can get it, but I wanted them to hear it from me and how I am going to deliver it. So my feeling was if you could just keep it as simple as possible yes, you have, you might have this problem now.
If you don't, you may know somebody who does. If you don't, at some point in your life you and or somebody you know may have this problem. So let's keep it really simple. It's as if saying all right, I have this problem. Gee, this guy is an expert in the area. I'm going to call him and then I want to see what he has to say about my potential, he has to say about my particular problem, and then we get the details when we make the evaluation and the examination. I don't have to put that all in a book. I think at that point I'd be losing more people than I'd be informing.
Stuart: Right. It's such a great point, like in. It's a drive and I learned to drive in the UK. Everyone drive, stick shift across there. It's almost like looking for a driving instructor and everyone providing information on how the clutch works in a car. It's very relevant. It's far too detailed and down the track. There's a time and a place for that. But the job of work of these books is to start a conversation and that conversation naturally goes elsewhere. The job of work isn't to be the academic novel or academic piece on this particular discipline. It's not to be a novel. We're not trying to. People aren't getting a copy of the book to be entertained. They want the answer, the outcome, and it's almost the confidence and certainty that you're bringing by putting your perspective, keeping it straightforward and simple and friendly and accessible for people. It's that good feeling that you're instilling and giving people a clear call to action. That's the thing that moves the conversation forwards, not trying to overwhelm people with numbers or knowledge or medical background.
Paul: Yeah, I mean I think you've had a great analogy with that. You know, sandra should vehicle is that there's a time and a place for that Getting somebody in the door knowing that they have a problem. Sometimes you'll scare somebody away with too much technical information and all they really need to know is I found the place to go. I'm happy that there's some information out there. I understand what Dr Ross's thought process might be. When I get there, based on what I'm reading in the book and I'm happy to go in, I trust that I'll get great care. So that's actually the only one to get across that. Where do I turn? Where I as a patient turn to get the care for a particular problem, but I don't know where to go Right, but I think, more so with the medical field.
Stuart: there may be any other A lot of fields, like lawyers and teachers. There's a stress associated with those businesses that the people feel because they want the outcome of their case or they want their kid to be taught well. But with the medical field having such a visceral, painful problem, as well as something that you need sorting out, it just adds an extra level of emotion to people's decisions as well as the actual resolving the problem in the first place. You said something when you were talking there about when people read it. They get a feel for your perspective and what your approach is.
That's something that doesn't come up that often, but I think it's a very valid point that as people request a copy of the book, they've got some certainty and confidence that you're the person to go to. But when they open the door and step in the office for the first time, you also know that they've read the words and they're coming in with a certain expectation, or coming in with a certain expectation, knowing your take on things. So if there was anything in there that they really disagreed with, they wouldn't walk through the door in the first place. So it must make the. I guess there's an anticipation because we're in early days now, but there's an anticipation that when people do actually open the door and step in, you kind of singing from the same hymn sheet, so you kind of they're on the same page as you are. So that must smooth the journey a little bit as well.
Paul: Well, it does mean, you know the intent isn't to like hide anything, it's just more of an emotion I want them to have. Not only can I trust this guy, can I trust this office. I already have expectations of what's going to happen because I have information from the book so that when they walk in the door they're not surprised. That being is more confirming what they've read in the book and then they know that they're in the right place. And then I know, when someone has comes in, has read the book, that the transition to doing whatever needs to be done, even if it's just minor, conservative care, they know that it's not all about coming in and what we want to do is push surgery. That's not the intent.
The intent is here is a chronic foot problem that we see a lot of all day long. There's so many complications that occur if you ignore it that I'd rather just catch it early, treat it quickly, manage it conservatively if he can, knowing there's some really minor in office procedures that can be done to address the problems. And no matter what is no matter what. The problem is that you're confident that we can take care of it.
Stuart: I often think that it's.
People sometimes know what the right thing to do is, whether it's taking some different physical activity themselves, or whether it's some exercises that they need to do, or whether they know ultimately, that they need some surgery or bigger interaction.
But it's often difficult for them to get to the point of okay, well, I'm actually going to do it now, so that the knowing that it should be done in the doing get two different things. It'll be interesting to see over time as a lot of these things are explained or touched upon in the book. If you've got the opportunity to, when people come in for that meeting and you've got a copy of the book by the side and you can point to it and say, as we said here, remember, this is the thing that we need to do now. It'll be interesting to see whether that's reassured or not. Reassuring what sort of looking for reaffirming, in a way, because now they've read it themselves, they're hearing you say it, now you're pointing back to the thing that they'd already read. I wonder if, psychologically, that will kind of get them to the point quicker of actually taking the action that they need to take, because it's more reinforcing.
Paul: I think the answer to that is yes, but you'll have to realize, sometimes when people come in for any kind of medical something, there's a bit of anxiety and a bit of not hearing everything. That one thing, and that's why, getting back to the book, it's there. They can resource it that. Yeah, this is what we said based on what you read. So it just confirmed that. So you know as much as it's just another mechanism of affirmation that whatever problem that you might have, specifically your, you know, your toe issue, we got it. You know it's very comforting to know that they can go back to this book. See, put the book with a live human being in a face. That you know. Again, I think you hit him down the head. But it's more reaffirming that when they do come in and we do present in an organized fashion what's going on and create the plan, yeah, that confidence is there and it's the transition to doing whatever we need to do is very, very easy.
Stuart: Right. One of the things he said there is putting the face to the words. It's something that we don't have such a personal, not biasism like word. But the credibility and authority pieces of the book puzzle is something that I don't talk about much because I think it's very overtalked about out there. So I probably do a slight disservice by not talking about it enough just as a reaction to what's out there.
But this idea of credibility and authority that comes along with being the author, I know we've done podcasts with people in the past who said not quite that they get stopped in the street or airports, but it certainly happened from time to time.
Where there's I actually get up with the podcast, I'll talk to people and they'll say I've listened to all of the podcasts. I was listening to you talk on such and such a podcast and my immediate reaction is anxiety because I think, oh, what did I say? But so far, 10 years in, I'm pretty consistent on what I say. So I guess that's good. But there is an element of people are looking for that reassurance that they're going to a place that is reputable, that the doctor knows what he's talking about, that there's a good outcome that other people have had, so actually reading the book and then meeting the person that wrote the book, I would imagine there's not a small element that adds to the overall good feeling that people have when they walk through the door and see the person. His face is on the back of the book that they wrote.
Paul: Sure, I mean. I mean it's no different than if I was reading a book about something and I actually got a chance to talk to the author and understand where they're coming from and feel confident that what I was reading wasn't Just secondhand information. That's truly what this person believes and has put a lot of thought into it and has a lot of experience into it. So it puts it out there as being, you know, the authority in this particular entity. So there is that comfort of putting, I think, putting a live human being to the written words, even though there is a photograph on the cover which helps. But you know, once you put that all together, take all the pieces of the puzzle, you can actually touch it, feel it, have some texture to it. It makes it a better outcome in whatever we're doing, because that sense of uncertainty seems to be eliminated when they walk in the door.
Stuart: Right and that, I think, is so much of the puzzle that we're trying to solve.
We know, as business owners have been in business for many years, that we can solve the people if only they get out of their own way and let us do the thing that they need to do Now. Obviously, there's a lot of nuance to that and some more legitimate and less legitimate reasons why people aren't ready to move now. But all of these, when we were talking earlier today on the strategy call that we did, you described as arrows in the quiver. The book is now another arrow in the quiver of ways that you can help people get over that hurdle, to walk through the door and solve their problem. I think that's a great analogy for people to think about, because it's not like this is the be all and end all. Having a book now isn't going to magically solve all of the problems, but it just creates so many more opportunities to allow people to make that decision themselves that this is the right place, this is the right time and this is the right action to take in order to overcome the problem that they've had for a long time.
Paul: No, I agree with that, and you can use that another arrow in the quiver if you'd like. I'll let you use that. I'll credit you for sure. I appreciate that. But they agree, you can't rely on any one thing, any one piece of marketing, to be it.
Say I'm going to spend X number of dollars on this piece of marketing to do X, Y and Z and it doesn't work Well, doesn't mean that doesn't work. Maybe it wasn't the right thing at that moment in time or he didn't do along enough. We didn't do it well, there's so many reasons. So it's an understanding of you know the true marketing scenario of all the mechanisms that are out there to market who you are, what you are, what your services are, what you're trying to do. So you know knowing what we do here and hitting all the areas that we can hit.
This was another mechanism that I just wanted to have that out there, not only to show a sense of understanding what I think patients need to know, but having them to have physically see something that their doctor took the time, energy and effort to put the information out there in a book and not just copying somebody's website or putting information they got from somewhere else. This is my proprietary information that I put out there that makes a difference to them. So this, in conjunction with all the other things that we do, just as I guess, yes, another arrow in the quiver of the many arrows that we have to get the word out.
Stuart: Right, you said an interesting point there about the fact that their doctor has taken the time to put this information together. One of the book blueprint scorecard mindsets that we've got that talks about the kind of eight building blocks to a book. One of them in there is this idea of value-driven content, which is obviously what our framework is built around, and it's this idea of what we don't want is kind of we used to see in the early days not so much now I think we're better at beating out of people, but what we used to see in the early days is people very kind of secretive about their process. They want to give enough information to tease people that there's a solution to the problem, but then the bait and switch at the end of it are you need to jump through this hoop in order for me to give you the rest of the information and this idea.
I think it's as the world has evolved and now there's even more information out there than there was five years ago, certainly 10 years ago, so people are less kind of trying to hold on to it and more understanding that they need to share that information. But back to your point, the idea that it's you that's pulled it together with your framework, with your take on a particular situation, with the love and care that you've got to help people resolve their problem, all packaged together in a book which has its own authority, and there's an element of gift giving. To receiving and giving a book, it really makes a difference above and beyond just the packaging of some words on a piece of paper in its own right. The way that it's bundled together, I think, carries a lot more of the emotion than, like I say, just a blog post or an email would do.
Paul: Well, it's really fascinating in that I have the books displayed in each of the treatment rooms in both of our offices and the few minutes that a patient is waiting before I get into the room, obviously they see it and inevitably it's this proud moment of them of saying see, dr Ross, you wrote that book. That's amazing, I'm so proud. I mean they're proud of that. They're going to a doctor who is now creating to be an authority into a certain niche of what they're coming for. That part is really pretty special. I didn't expect that at all. I looked at it as everybody else, but actually the people who are here, they'll love it. They're very excited to say that my doctor, I'm going to the doctor who wrote a book.
Stuart: Right, there is a again we talked about this briefly before the kind of psychology of why people refer. But there is an element of it's a family and people want to be part of the family that they can be proud of. And you're the fact that you've written something and created it as a book and it's published and it's out there physically in the world. There's a kind of I don't want to say like a reflected light, but there's a certain amount of pride that they can have, that they know and have known for years the person, they knew you before you wrote the book. It kind of builds that sense of family and community and, silly as it seems and there's certainly ways that could be used for bad, but using it for good, it just brings people into the fold and allows them to be part of the biggest success in healing people.
Paul: Yeah, I mean it's and you know it's. You know I joke about it with them. Yeah, I wrote the book. Yeah, I'm going to be going on tour in a week. I'm having a lot of office hours, you know, and they look at me like really, no, not really, but you know, be kind of fun. That's not going to ever happen. But the warmth with which it's being received by the patients are in the office. This is outstanding. So I can only imagine what might be transpiring with anybody else who might see it and has that same sensation. Knowing that, again, I'm going to the doctor who wrote the book on the problem that I'm having a problem with, right.
Stuart: So something that amplifies so I cut you off a little bit there. I was just going to say it is definitely something that amplifies the overall success. So, like you were saying, it's not the only arrow in the quiver of the marketing tools you've got. It's not the only empathy building tool or relationship building tool that you've got in the overall practice. This is a reflection of everything else you do the care that the reception staff have for people, the neat and tidy nature of their practices, the fact that you've got clean equipment, that the office is nice and bright, that you follow up with people to check in to make sure that they're OK after the surgery or after the treatment. It's not a fully rounded, holistic approach to taking care of people.
Paul: Well, it's no different than I think of myself as a patient when I've gone into a doctor's office and, from the moment I have to make an appointment to the moment I leave, what is the entire experience about? What's the phone call Like? What's their website like? How's the person who's answering the phone? How's the person that's greeting me? How's the person that's putting me into the room? How does the room look? What does the office look like? How's the furniture, their pictures or their old magazines? What's the doctor like? Is he driven?
I mean, all of this is the experience Knowing that you can choose to go to any other doctor on the planet. Why do you choose me? And I want you to know that you chose me for the right reason, so that when you leave here you can say that was an amazing experience. I'm going to tell all my friends about that guy and about that office and the way we treat everybody, because that's really where it starts. Not treating a disease or an entity, you're treating a human being and treat them the way you want to be treated, and the foot problem becomes secondary.
Stuart: Right yeah, Treating people like human beings. I think that's something that everyone can do well to remember. It's not non-averse, are certainly not the people that we deal with in the book. Business. Non-averse are in a transactional business. All of us are in the relationship business. It's just their end product is different for all of us, but it's all relationships.
Paul: Oh yeah, I mean. I always say you want to see what an amazing relationship is like is walk into any four seasons, go to Disney World and see how they treat everybody. And that's what I want to be treated like. And I want my patients to have that same experience when they're here, knowing that they choose to come here and not forced to come here. They choose to come, so I want to be sure that they know that they chose properly.
Stuart: Right, I just want to say thanks for your time in coming on the sharing. These podcasts always go so quick. I think I've ended each of the last eight or nine podcasts by saying to someone hey, we'll have to definitely check back in in six months and see how it's going. So thanks again for your time. Before we go, just want to make sure that people have got access to you and know where the practice is if they want to come visit, Obviously if they're in their area or if they just want to check out what you're doing. So what's a good place for people to go to find out more?
Paul: Sure, you can do one of two things. You can certainly give us a call at 301-656-6055. Or you can check us out on our website at your yor podiatrycentercom.
Stuart: Fantastic. Well, I'll make sure we've got a link in the show notes for all of these, so, as people are listening on the podcast player or looking on the website, there'll be links straight across. Well, just thanks again for your time. It's really inspiring to listen to people who have actually pulling the trigger and doing this and using it in a way like you are. And, as I say, if you're up for it, we'll check back in six or seven months and see how it's going.
Paul: Oh, that's my pleasure spending the time with you today and we'd love to have that chat again in six months.
Stuart: Fantastic. Okay, everyone. Thanks for listening. Make sure you check out the show notes and we'll catch you in the next one.