🚀 Marketing Tips! Wanna Stand Out? Do What Others Won’t.

By Editor, Concierge Medicine Today on November 28, 2025

I love finding successful parallels from the business marketplace and my work with non-profits and sharing the lessons learned along the way that can help you and your team better serve your patients and grow your concierge medicine practice. One of the most valuable lessons I learned nearly thirty years ago was from a wonderful woman named Lena.

By Editor, Concierge Medicine Today

In my college days, I spent a couple of sweltering southern summers working in the President’s Office of my beloved alma mater in East Tennessee. It was a small university but just big enough for me. Working in the President’s Office at the university was a prestigious gig and it meant you were chosen for a reason. On my first day a wonderful woman named Lena told me that: “Around here, no matter who comes in this office, they are a VIP. Whether they’re a lost student with ripped up jeans or our largest donor, we offer them something to drink and a seat at the table.”

To this day, that moment in time remains engraved in my memory. Her instructions and the mandate were so clear. It framed for me and emphasized the importance of treating everyone with the same respect, dignity and regard, irrespective of their status.

It was a lesson in the Golden Rule that continues to shape my interactions with others to this day. I believe it drives home for anyone who works in healthcare that ‘inclusivity and personal touch save all!’

So whether you work in the front office, the back office or the President’s Offices, everyone matters. When was the last time you and I were at a healthcare facility that interacted with its customers and team members in this way?

This a simple and clever way to rise above the noise. To set yourself apart, you need to think and act differently. This principle applies to your practice as well.

Often, achieving this level of distinction in healthcare requires just a bit more thought and a few extra minutes of intentionality with patients. You won’t be able to do this FOR everyone, but that’s not what counts. What really matters is YOU DID IT FOR THE ONE.

Identify the little extra efforts in healthcare that others won’t do or often dismiss as ‘Sure, that’s a good idea, but we don’t have time for that.’ Take that initiative. This is how you can rise above the crowd.

I will always cherish the lessons I learned from Lena [and her incredible team!], Stephanie, Dr. C and of course Matt and Kevin! (who can forget Kevin!) Even all these years and miles later, they occupy a special place in my heart, soul, and spirit. I am truly grateful for the wisdom they imparted, being able to check my AOL email and feel fortunate to call them friends, despite all the years and distance that have come from the passing of time!

PS. Thank you, Lena for helping me and so many others all those years ago!

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