There’s no such thing as a free lunch

Doctors are getting all types of free technology. Free webpads for patients to fill out information. Free TVs for their lobby and patient rooms for people to watch free videos touting somebody’s services. Free medicine to dole out as samples.

Free stuff is corrupting. Doctors get so many things free that they start to feel entitled. If you haven’t heard the following, you soon will.

“Why should I pay for medical billing technology when so-and-so will give it to me for free?” they ask you.

Brother, you get what you pay for in life. Nothing’s free, not in the end. Oh, drug sales reps will gladly give you pills so patients can start buying them afterwards. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out those giveaways are a loss leader to real money.

But you have to be prepared to smartly counter why your business cost more than someone willing to give away their product and services. And as much as we’d like to smugly say, “You get what you pay for,” it won’t help gain any business.

Have a prepared response. Explain why your company, your software, your expertise, is worth the money. Say it convincingly and you won’t lose business to those desperate enough to give it away only to disappear or do a bad job.

Doctors won’t have a problem paying for a job well done. You just have to remind them.