“Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly.”
– Robert Schuller -
For busy administrators and practice managers, an easy mistake to make is failing to execute a strategy because you are planning something better or, worse yet, something perfect. This is especially applicable for small practices with tight budgets. Healthcare procedures often need to be conducted perfectly. Business procedures are different. Business procedures need to be conducted profitably.
If not now, there was probably a time in recent memory when you had a business procedure planned, and considered delaying it, because you thought you could do it better, later. “Could I potentially do this better if I had more time?” is not the question busy executives can afford to ask themselves when reviewing marketing plans. The correct question is often, “Is this better than nothing.”
Common situations in which administrators and practice managers should be asking themselves “Is this better than nothing?” include:
- You have designed your brochure, flyer, business cards, or website yourself, but you haven’t printed/published your work.
- You’re planning a newsletter, but the mail list is not yet perfect.
- You could launch a new care path specialty now, but you know that your care path will be even better six months later when something else happens.
Sometimes, the answer is legitimately, “Doing nothing would be better than doing this.” If a promotional piece was designed so poorly that it would reflect negatively on your business, then no, it’s not better than nothing. If the strategy in its current state would achieve no effect with your target audience, then no, it’s not better than nothing.
However, if you are looking at a marketing activity that could produce additional referrals for your practice without compromising reputation, it’s usually better than nothing. Don’t choose nothing when you could choose something productive.
The title of this bulletin, “Better than Nothing,” may sound negative. In life, people often shrug their shoulders when saying this – essentially saying they don’t like something. However, when running a small business, one can confidently say, “It’s better than nothing,” in a tone of affirmation. In marketing, “It’s better than nothing” means it will do good.
