By JACK ALLEN, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES AND MARKETING
In the healthcare industry, companies come and go. Billion-dollar businesses have become dominant forces, while small businesses often struggle to achieve longevity in the space.
As we enter 2020, Numed will celebrate our 45th year in business, serving the diagnostic imaging needs of our clients across the country. How have we been able to build the kind of business that lasts? It all comes down to our client relationships.
Simply put, we don’t think of our clients in terms of a business arrangement. Instead, at Numed we think of every engagement as a partnership. And not just a partnership that’s a onetime deal. No matter the actual financial arrangement, every client we work with is built on a foundation for the long-term.
And our clients know it – it’s why we have decades-long partnerships, with clients large and small. In order to maintain any kind of partnership over an extended period of time you have to be able to elevate the relationship while consistently working towards common goals. We manage expectations by anticipating potential problems, risks, unity, division and competition. We distribute credit fairly, by recognizing specific roles of individuals, their contributions, and openly share information. We also work hard to cultivate an environment of mutual respect. We expect our clients - and their patients - to have the most positive experience possible anytime they encounter a Numed employee.
Ultimately, there’s a specific ingredient that leads to these partnerships – that helps Numed become an ingrained part of our client’s facilities or businesses. It comes down to communication, and specifically, listening. Communication is crucial in any partnership – personal or professional. And so much can go wrong when there’s a lack of adequate communication, at various levels throughout any process. In our business, there can be misunderstandings of a client’s needs at the basic level, a miscommunication of various timelines, or a lack of coordination between and among decisionmakers and stakeholders. An opportunity is given the greatest chance of success if the ideas and details are communicated well. As information is exchanged, the accuracy of that information is crucial to decision-making, and that all starts with listening.
At Numed, communication with our partners is a fundamental strength we work hard at every day. And listening – really listening – to our clients and their wants and needs is the most effective way to build strong partnerships. It’s very simple - if you want to communicate more effectively, talk less and listen more. Together, with full alignment, we build partnerships for the future.
Learn more about the secrets to success in the business of diagnostic imaging here.
And find out how we can serve your diagnostic imaging needs, whatever they may be, by clicking here. We’re ready to listen – and start building the next partnership.