Great Client?
So last week I get a call from a woman in New Jersey who is interested in having my company help her husband’s ophthalmology practice (eye doctor) gain more Hispanic business in urban New Jersey.
I dont usually entertain the thought of working for such a small company because it almost never seems to work out, but as business has been slow I think “what the heck” and I take her call.
How I envision the woman who called me last week
This is what she tells me:
- her clientele is 75% Hispanic
- they have a high no-show rate due to having so many Hispanics who dont care about their (the doctor’s) time
- these people, (poor Hispanics) are all on medicare and medicaid and they don’t pay a dime for their visits as its government welfare programs that pay
- Hispanics are impatient and wont wait in their office, they walk out after 10 minutes of waiting
- Hispanics feel a sense of entitlement when they are in her office, thats why they dont follow the rules
- she cant even hire anyone that does not speak Spanish because its 100% necessary with their clientele
- they are stuck hiring less qualified Hispanic help because they need the Spanish capability
Her problems she explains are these:
- business is slower because a new ophthalmologist opened up nearby
- they (her husband and her) only have 10 years left until they retire from the practice
What she wants us to do:
- drive more Hispanics to their business
Do you see something ironic here? It almost made me laugh from the hilarity of her situation in which she is so dependent upon these people (poor Hispanics) of whom she holds such disdain about their attitudes and behavior. While she went on and on about why her customers are bottom of the barrell I kept thinking, “then maybe you should market to someone else, dont you think!”
What really made me think was that when she told me all about her horrible customers and then her coinciding goals, she never once mentioned that they want to do more work with Hispanics because they like helping the less fortunate. There was no mentions of working with the Hispanic community to better the area. The only interest was on how can I get more of these leaches she despises in and out of her office so that they can retire on time.
I wanted to tell her that perhaps she should seek a new profession as caring for people doesnt seem to be a good fit. Not wanting to be harsh, I simply quoted her a monthly retainer much above what I give to a normal potential client, who actually cares about their Hispanic customer base. As I hung up the phone, I knew I would never hear from her again. But I think life is too short to work with backward people.