| Hello to all my Million Dollar Peeps! As always, I hope this message finds you all doing well, and business is booming!
What I'm about to share is VERY important because its applicable for everything from liability and risk management related issues to various points of various negotiations, and more.
Inspiration for this message comes from a client-provider who I've been literally working with for 3-years, and because he's continuing to grow and scale, he's continuing to learn.
One of his drivers was recently involved in an incident while loading a patient, and when contacted about the situation, being the "good little eager beaver boy scout" that he is, he fires off a quick response via email that, although well intentioned, was spiced full of verbal diarrhea that, honestly, makes things a bit more "precarious."
When I said "Please tell me you didn't send that email," he confirmed he did. I then went line-by-line itemizing my concerns and new/existing potential issues.
After reading my itemized message, part of his honest response to me included "....I have a lot of learning to do! Nonetheless, I am extremely grateful that I can consult with you. Second, let's say you were not in the picture, then I would have sent this email off assuming it was rock solid and never learning from it. Just naively continuing as a white walker...I am impatient. I've spent a few mornings, while drinking coffee and planning for the day / week, recognizing this fault....The worst part, I knew better! Hopefully I don't have to pay the tuition of learning from this mistake, and it remains a no harm no foul incident.
I absolutely appreciate and agree with his honest assessment because he's actually spot on! He's very impatient, but the good news, as I shared with him, "I'd rather be in the position where I have to pull back the reins versus having to continue to poke and prod you to move forward and take action."
Needless to say, this "issue" with his driver, if not handled correctly could "go sideways" rather quickly, so we need to be very prudent in how we move forward, but again, in using this situation as inspiration, let me know share with you some very, very, very important tips and strategies:
Trust me, I know what I'm about to share can be very difficult when you're a small startup, and you're serving all different roles as the business owner - driver, dispatcher, marketer, account manager, etc. (speaking from firsthand experience), but pay attention to each point.
1.0. As you grow, and you hire a dispatcher/office manager and drivers, YOU, YOU, YOU, the business owner, MUST "insulate" yourself from easy accessibility. That doesn't mean your business isn't accessible! To the contrary, you want to be easily found, people to call for quotes, ask service-related questions, schedule transportation, offer feedback, etc., BUT NOT YOU personally!
Trust me, I know this is MUCH more difficult when you're a small startup, and you're serving all different roles as the business owner - driver, dispatcher, marketer, account manager, etc. (speaking from firsthand experience), but as you hire staff, they need to serve as "barriers of access" to help protect you, your work, and your schedule.
1.1. I know some people will disagree with me and think being personally accessible at the whims of others is ideal, but it's impractical and insane. YOU CANNOT HAVE patients, brokers, facility staff, solicitors, and others readily contacting you, asking you questions, presenting you with issues, situations, and/or requesting/demanding your prompt attention, action or response, etc.
1.2. As I always say, STAY OFF THE PHONE! Make it policy that people need to contact you via email. Very, very few people should have your cell phone number. Otherwise, those who do have your number can contact you at their convenience which may not be convenient for you, and thus, you're distracted from your existing work/focus.
This is literally how I manage and operate everything regarding my personal life/schedule. If I answered the phone and took everyone's call, I'd NEVER, NEVER, NEVER get anything done - NOTHING!
1.3. I know my schedule is all over the place - many of my one-on-one clients find me emailing them at crazy times in the middle of the night and a million times throughout the day, but the good news is that if you require everyone to contact you via email, it gives us both time to read and prepare a CALCULATED AND STRATEGIC RESPONSE!!
Note, the key words there are "Calculated" and "Strategic!" We're not doing anything impulsively, and we certainly are NOT, NOT, NOT going to allow someone else to rush our response, push our timetable, ill-position us because via their "perceived" demands.
1.4. If there is an emergency, as in the police/911 is warranted, then by all means, do what's necessary and call the police/911, but thereafter, ONLY IF YOU ARE AN ACTIVE ONE-ON-ONE client, contact me BEFORE, BEFORE, BEFORE you share ANY information, issue statements, share Incident/Accident Reports, etc. with ANYONE!!
1.5. Ok, here's my disclaimer. I'm not an attorney, I'm not an insurance agent, I'm not an accountant, and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night or play one on TV, but with that being said, I'm good at what I do, and our discussions and "strategic moves" could prove exceptionally beneficial and cost/liability saving.
1.6. Seriously, outside of calling police/911 for an emergency situation, if you are an ACTIVE one-on-one client (and no, being an active UMTPG member is NOT a one-on-one client - please don't play stupid!) BEFORE YOU OFFER ANYTHING TO ANYONE (verbally, in writing, text, video, etc.,) let me see it so we can take all the broken pieces and put the best possible puzzle together to best position you - EVEN BEFORE speaking with your attorney who 99% of the time know nothing about NEMT/home care.
1.7. The same thing holds true with contract/agreement negotiations. As you've heard me say in my videos, "blame your CFO (me)!" Seriously, tell them you have to "Run it past your CFO to get confirmation" so it always positions you as the "good guy" and me as the "bad guy (I LOVE playing the role of the "bad guy!")."
Seriously, we have many clients who create a separate company email for me to use when assisting them with negotiations. I email the Administrator, Director, legal team of the facility, etc., direct though I literally am the CFO of the company. This is another reason why our media team suggests using Google Workspace, so it is even easier to create company email accounts.
In summary, outside of the police (and even that's debatable - different topic, different day!), ANYONE, ANYONE, ANYONE demanding/pressing you to take action or make a decision "right now," 99.99% of the time it's not in your best interest. If "cornered" and pressed to make a decision, always default to "I'm sorry, I will need to speak with my CFO" or "I'll need to run that by our legal team" to get confirmation/clarification."
See you at the Top!
Joel E. Davis |
