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The Mountain of Government

The Seven Mountains of Marketing are (1) Government, (2) Education, (3) Media, (4) Economy, (5) Family, (6) Celebration, and (7) Religion. We start our detailed discussion of these seven mountains with the Mountain of Government because it is one of the bookends of society…religion being the other. What holds us in check as the human race is our religion and our government. So, now that the bookends are in place, the topic today is Government and how to scale the mountain’s heights to capture all that can be had.

The Mountain of Government is the mountain of control.  As licensed professionals, we get our opportunity to conduct our business, to serve the public and to earn a living at the pleasure of government. Governments grant us freedom to practice by limiting to only licensed individuals the right to treat patients as we do. Because of this, we must jump through educational and certification hoops, maintain adequate continuing hours to maintain our credentials. Government builds and maintains many of our schools, establishes policy that governs our abilities and activities, from the local to state to national levels. That is the source of their power over us. We must understand and work within the framework of what the power dictates.

Governments can open the faucet and create more doctors, can pass legislation that dilutes the ability of insurance companies to pay for services and can levy fines to keep us “in check”. State Boards of Dentistry can enact laws with which we must comply and State Dental Associations can mandate through the peer review process that we meet certain community standards of excellence in providing care for our patients. All of these examples are mostly good and protect the profession and the public from harm. However, we must be aware of the power of the government to remove us from the equation at almost any time. Being a savvy mountain climber, carrying adequate rope and safety gear is always wise.

The Mountain of Government is increasingly more important to climb because it is gaining more power and control over our lives and the lives of our patients. We do not want to be caught in the avalanche of time when the spring thaw begins and we are buried, beyond hope of survival. No, we must plan now to ascend to the top and master the Mountain of Government. With the red tape and regulations (can you remember when there was no such thing as HIPPA, OSHA, DEA, IRS, ERISA, TSA, or DHS?) on the rise, we must stay abreast and attuned to the law. Uncle Sam is now Simon and we must do what Simon says.

Governmental employees are numerous.  National, State, County, and City employees make up nearly 10% of the American population. That means that government is the largest employment segment of the work force along with its benefit programs. Who can provide services to those employees can be a very important issue to those in highly concentrated governmental areas like military bases, around the nation’s capitol, at Indian reservations, and the Veteran’s Administration. Medicaid and Medicare are hugely impactful and form an entire subset of medical and dental practices. Serving those populations means agreeing to their rules, regulations and fee schedules…even as they are rising and falling, respectively.

Then, there are the unions who employ over 11% of the work force. Many of them are governmental workers, of course, but the remainder are often in “closed shops” that do not allow out-of-network providers to service their members. That in itself is a form of governmental control. When one delegates one’s rights by joining a group, individual control is sometimes lost. The same holds true for many private PPO and HMO insurance contracts to private companies and associations, too. The rules of engagement must be carefully studied and thoroughly understood by both the patient in the plan and the doctor who wishes to treat those who have the plan. For the doctor to make a profit serving certain segments of society when insurance, managed care and governmental mandates are in effect, there must be knowledge and business savvy. What is good for the goose (patients) is not always good for the gander (doctors and their teams). To do well with the Mountain of Government, we must serve well but serve wisely. That is where having a plan comes into play.

Developing Strategies is the first priority in any battle plan.

Establish beachheads means getting a toehold on the important places in government so that we can learn what we need to know, gain access to the important people there and begin to establish a flow of those patients we wish to treat. All three are critical to most practices success: knowledge, access and volume of patients.

Gain trust: One of the best ways of gaining trust is to give before asking or receiving. If you offer a value to a group in the way of educational support in a seminar, book, newsletter, or free screenings, you endear yourself to members of that group. Managers, owners and parents like to have their teams, companies and families fed information that helps their business, union or family grow and prosper. Doing favors for those in a position to impact your life invokes the principle of reciprocity. People like to do business with those they like and who help them.

Capture ground:  Being the source of information to a group is valuable to a professional practice. Being “top-of-mind” and “first-called” in case of need is your goal. When you hold the summit, when you are seen on the top of the hill waving your banner, you have captured valuable ground.

Achieve stature:  Serving well and getting excellent testimonials achieves a position in the eyes of the group, the governmental agency, the union or the business. Once you have shown-up, stood-up, and climbed-up it’s time to rise-up. Elevate yourself and your practice above the masses, the competition, by being more visible, more proactive, more available and seen as the authority in your area of expertise. One caveat:  politicians like to be seen and endorsed by successful people, those who have authority in a local area. Many will call during a close race to get your endorsement.

Become the leader: Leaders take charge and make things happen; they don’t just wait for rain to fall, they become rainmakers. When working on the Mountain of Government, the doctor should be involved in the political process, know who is in charge. They become a part of the process of electing and choosing officials at all levels as is appropriate. They should assemble a team that supports this same focus, i.e. encouraging your dental hygienist to become a leader in the State Dental Hygiene Association.

Dominate the mountain: What does it look like when you dominate the Mountain of Government? Perhaps you are the preferred dentist of the best PPO’s at the best large companies in your area. Maybe you are the doctor to whom all teachers in your town refer friends. Maybe you serve on the nominating committee of the local RNC chapter. I would think that the mayor is a patient in our practice. You see, there are many ways to have influence in the area of government. Just being aware of it, doing what is normal and right will lead you up the path to domination if you set your goals and put in place a strategy. In all things, create a future of choice, not chance. Government generally takes control from us, yet we can gain control if we are operating from within.