Marketing Mondays_Dr Mansi Shah: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.
Andreea Borcea:
Welcome to the Marketing Mondays podcast, where we explore how we can make your offerings stand out in the health and wellness space. Through conversations with thought leaders and innovators in health and wellness marketing, we’ll discuss marketing best practices, case studies, and innovative ideas to help scale your business and grow revenues with impact. I’m excited to be your host. My name is Andreea Borcea. I’m a fractional CMO and owner of the Dia Creative Marketing Agency.
Andreea Borcea:
Hey there, everyone. I am back. This is Andreea Borcea, CMO at Dia Creative with another episode of Marketing Mondays, and I am super excited to bring to you Dr. Mansi Shah, who is a gut health guru and business systems coach. So, Mansi, tell me a little bit about what that means, with the medical background and the business systems, like that’s a lot kind of going on.
Mansi Shah:
Yeah, I totally agree and I feel that a lot of doctors are creative, but then all their creative juices start flowing when they get into this boxed-up medicine world where there are so many laws to follow, so many protocols to follow. They’re always worried about like, am I doing the right thing for the patient? What if I mess up? What if I get sued? What if I get terminated, right? So everything that we have as a creative person gets really kind of washed down, you know, like starting from when we go into pre-med to med or undergrad for pharmacy, then doctorate, so that’s what I’ve done. And what I realize is that I wanted to practice with freedom and I really wanted to see people healthy, so I just created my own system and my whole gut health protocol, which is a five-step approach. Then I was like, okay, now I have this whole approach, I’m the best-kept secret in town, so what do I do? So then I created a whole blueprint for marketing systems, specifically for doctors and practitioners, then I became a coach for that because as soon as my private practice took off, a lot of peers and colleagues wanted me to teach them how that happened. So gut health picked me and then coaching picked me, so that’s why I’m a product, I’m product of all the things that came to me.
Andreea Borcea:
I love that you’re just a problem solver. You’re like, okay, now I have this thing, now what do I do?
Mansi Shah:
Right.
Andreea Borcea:
Are you finding that a lot of doctors are starting their own systems, or are they struggling with maybe getting people into their private practice? What kind of doctors are you mostly working with?
Mansi Shah:
I work with a very wide variety of doctors. Some of them are PharmDs Some of them are MDs, some of them are DOs, some of them are Oriental medicine doctors, some of them are chiropractors, it just depends. And I think, honestly, from what I’ve seen, there is a lot of struggle out there, but foot traffic, so it’s, struggle is real. Everyone’s getting really kind of bogged down with a lot of like paid ads and competition, and I feel like paid ads are exhausting because at some point, like, you could literally drain out your entire account and not have any returns. So instead of that, it wouldn’t be nice to create a unique system because you’re already a doctor and you’ve gone through schooling extensively. So we just have to figure out what is your niche and then really become an authority, then people will come to you. So I really, like my whole system is based on attraction marketing.
Andreea Borcea:
Nice, I love that. Are you finding any unique challenges when you’re going through messaging for a lot of these doctors? Because you’re in the health and wellness space, people are, first of all, trust, right? Like, how do I know you’re not just some fly-by-night guru, and you’re like a real doctor? And then I’m sure you get a lot of people that are like, well, there’s five chiropractors all attacking me with ads at the same time. How do I know which one to pick? So like, how do you uniquely solve the healthcare advertising problem?
Mansi Shah:
Honestly, I focus on how to stand out in the marketplace. So when you are a commodity that is just available to everyone, you are not seen as an authority at that time because you are just like, let’s think about it. Like, I’m not trying to put down the profession, but let’s say real estate agents or life insurance agents, there is, you know, millions out there, and the one that will stand out is someone doing a policy that has living benefits to it and then an investment portfolio that you can attach to your life and something like that, right? So this is what I always ask, like what is unique to you? Every person is born with a unique talent and they have to figure out their Ikigai. So we do like all, for messaging, we have a workbook, we have an Ikigai workbook, and then we have like brand vision and what we want to create. So your private brand, along with what you have to offer, creates your, I would say, unique identity, but also your practice identity. So let’s focus on you because people trust people, they don’t trust brands. So that’s what I really focus on is, who are you? People like me, and then everything that I do becomes profitable automatically, right?
Andreea Borcea:
Because they’ve bought into you, they built that trust with you, yeah, I can see that. Do you ever have resistance from doctors? I feel like a lot of the doctors that I’ve worked with are very like, that’s marketing fluff, I don’t know how to talk about myself, just let me go in and do my surgery, or let me just go to appointments.
Mansi Shah:
Yeah, that comes up a lot and it’s hard. Sometimes we have to be really patient and let them kind of do their own thing. Still with our team, even though we don’t approve, and then we show them that, look, it’s not working. Are you open now to working our way? It’s really hard. We want to not hurt their ego and still be respectful, so it happens all the time.
Andreea Borcea:
I bet. Tell me about a really cool marketing effort that you did, or initiative for a particular client, or something you did for yourself that you’re just like, wow, this worked really well.
Mansi Shah:
Honestly, for me personally, I love doing polls, and polls are literally solid leads, people telling that come to me and pitch it to me because depending on what you are doing, the questionnaire on, they will tell you exactly what they believe in or not, or what they are looking for in their life, and I definitely on board a few patients a month from that.
Andreea Borcea:
I love that. That makes a lot of sense too, because I think when they’re looking for something, it’s a way to get to, they feel like you’re getting to know them without them actually talking to you yet, and you already get to know them a little bit. I love that. It’s a really great … option.
Mansi Shah:
Yeah, absolutely, I love it.
Andreea Borcea:
Nice, do you struggle at all with people feeling skeptical once they fill that out, or like when they talk to you, and you need to reinforce that somehow? Like, do you have email marketing that just kind of walks them through a little bit more of what it is to work with you and what that means?
Mansi Shah:
I don’t really do that kind of email marketing. My email marketing is more geared towards getting on my webinars, and I’m more of like a magic-on-video kind of person, so I have to get them on that video call with me to get that client on board, be the patient or for marketing systems, so, and then a lot of people honestly just have been following me for a couple of years now and they just say that, oh, I’m ready now to hire you. So the funnel is always building like in 90 days in advance.
Andreea Borcea:
That makes a lot of sense. I love that you’re doing webinars. How do you figure out what your webinar topics should be? Like, how do you know what people are interested in?
Mansi Shah:
I go with what my expertise is. I don’t care what they want because whoever wants what I have will actually come to me. So that’s, like, I guess everything I do is reversed, and a lot of people will get on. So it just depends on different topics that I build that I can offer. So I, from my Rolodex of things I can offer, I will figure out what all I can really come up with the title for, and then depending on the title, the client will know. Like, here’s the thing, when I’m talking to a specific audience, that title will exactly tell my audience that I’m talking to them. So I just have to be in front of them and they will come to me for the webinars and that’s how we, I have an email list of 2-3000 now and I’m building it. I would love it to be 20,000-30,000, eventually.
Andreea Borcea:
Sure, and I like that. If you’re very literal, then people know what to expect. Like, no, don’t make it too fancy with marketing language, just, this is what we’re talking about.
Mansi Shah:
No fluff!
Andreea Borcea:
Yeah, no fluff.
Mansi Shah:
I don’t believe in fluff because I’m straight to the point, I’m a Sagittarius, so straight to the point, cut the chase, tell me what it is, how much is going to cost, and are we doing this or not? And then I don’t even have much follow-up. Honestly like, my marketing is solid, so people see me on their feed a couple of times a day. So I don’t want to follow up anymore. I just say, hey, you know I’m here and if you don’t think of me, then I guess I need to do a better job when you don’t think of me, when you specifically need something that I’m offering.
Andreea Borcea:
Nice, nice, that’s awesome. Are you seeing that gut health is becoming more and more popular? I feel like it’s something.
Mansi Shah:
Finally.
Andreea Borcea:
… woken up about all of a sudden.
Mansi Shah:
Yeah, I’ve been trying to speak, like, literally yelling for years, and now finally it’s taking off. So onboarding clients have, has been much more easier than past.
Andreea Borcea:
Wonderful, yeah. You finally hit the right time, that’s fantastic.
Mansi Shah:
It’s been a challenge.
Andreea Borcea:
I bet. So where do you see marketing going for health and wellness in moving forward? Do you think that the market is changing at all or do you think …?
Mansi Shah:
Absolutely. The market is changing drastically. I just read an article last week where they are saying that 58% of people don’t believe in pharmaceuticals anymore. And that is huge for our country because we went from 85% believing in it to 58 in just a matter of next couple more years with even less and less so, we’re going to be like a country that is more holistic, nature, like natural treatment based, you know, like nature is going to be our haven, and those things are going to change drastically. Like five years from now, a lot of doctors who are not practicing wellness, let’s take medicine and nutrition, will be completely out of business.
Andreea Borcea:
Wow, that’s a really strong statement. Do you think that a lot of doctors know how to adapt into that world or no?
Mansi Shah:
They’re not, they try, but it’s so hard for them. I was working with a gastroenterologist on the same and he was my client for almost like eight, nine months, and I tried so hard to make him understand, like nutrition, gut health, a gastroenterologist, right? And every time I talk to him, we’re on so many different pages, like we were like books apart because all he talks about is procedures, codes, ICD-10 codes, what extra can you do during the same procedure to get more money, and then how his reimbursements have gone down, numbers, like he’s like, oh, I need to see 40 patients at my practice, and then he’s going on all these rounds at the hospital and then constantly working 60-70 hours a week. And then these doctors have a very big lifestyle like they have fancy cars, big homes, their kids go to private school, so they have a lot of bills to pay and then.
Andreea Borcea:
And they’re just not focusing on the right thing.
Mansi Shah:
Yeah, yeah.
Andreea Borcea:
That’s such a shame because I feel like they’re not focusing on the right thing then and that only breeds more mistrust from people that want to trust doctors and then that causes even more problems, and so it really is like we need to, it’s a challenge for you and I who are trying to market to healthcare customers like we are actually trying to make you feel better. But maybe because you talk about this holistic, they’re like, all right, all right, I like her. She knows what she’s talking about, and they can go to the webinar to learn for free.
Mansi Shah:
Right, and then they’re like, oh okay, I guess we’ll work with a pretty face for a few months. And that’s what happens a lot of times. It’s just, it’s challenging, but sometimes I just drop clients because they’re not meant for wellness and holistic medicine. So I let them do their own thing and I go work with people who are more aligned and will, because for me, bringing the greatest results for my clients is what I want, right? Just like my patients. And that’s how hard-centered, passionate person I am. So I just want to work with people who are really into like what they want to do.
Andreea Borcea:
Yeah, I love, I have a very similar mentality. When I first started working in marketing, you just kind of work with whoever because you’re just getting started and you’re like, yeah, I’ll take any clients I can get.
Mansi Shah:
Yeah, I mean, in the beginning.
Andreea Borcea:
You have to, right?
Mansi Shah:
You were literally my first client ever. I wasn’t going to drop it, right?
Andreea Borcea:
Exactly. You’re like, I guess I’ll just put up with this. But after a certain point, I’m just like, you know what? I don’t like working with you. You make me really miserable and you’re making my team scared, and I don’t like this. So I just don’t think this is going to be a good fit anymore, and I like that I’m at that age where I can say that, so important.
Mansi Shah:
I think the toughest thing, so I always say, hey, let’s do some calls and figure out if we are a good fit, because, you know, we have big teams. Like I have a massive team now, about ten of them, and there’s three or four in the higher position. So they are the ones dealing with these clients that I bring all the time, it’s not always me. I have a creative director, I have a marketing systems coach and then, like integration coach, and then the website team, there’s so much going on.
Andreea Borcea:
Yeah, and you don’t want to lose them. That’s the other problem. You bring on clients they hate, they leave.
Mansi Shah:
No, my team, I’ll never, like I’ll let go clients, never my team, because I’m that corporation who stands by their employees full-time.
Andreea Borcea:
100%, 100%, it is very it is way harder to find good people for your team than it is to find clients, so keep the team.
Mansi Shah:
Yes, absolutely, you get it, the struggle is real.
Andreea Borcea:
The struggle is so real.
Mansi Shah:
But I love it, I love what I do, and definitely, I’m just going to keep expanding. And I feel that the sole client that we’re looking for that is going to give us that the satisfaction, unlimited satisfaction, they’re out there, we just have to be more visible.
Andreea Borcea:
Yeah, I love that. Did you do a whole persona analysis? Like, who is your ideal customer or your ideal client?
Mansi Shah:
Yeah, I mean, my ideal client is someone who is hot-set, heart-centered, wants to really heal the patients, they really believe in holistic medicine, and are not stingy.
Andreea Borcea:
Yeah, that’s a big one too.
Mansi Shah:
This is it, like, and I do have a few selective, really good clients that are on retainer for a long time now. So those really help with staying in profit, and then you add more, and then some leave and some stay, just part of the process, I think.
Andreea Borcea:
Nice, nice. So where, what’s the future for the business? Where are you headed?
Mansi Shah:
Oh, my God, the future is magnificent and I love what this post-COVID era is. We’re definitely getting into recession, but then on the other side, there is an awakening that has happened. So if you’re positioned well to help people and really genuinely get the results that they want, and be it anything in marketing systems or making them an authority or healing the patients to optimize health issues, you’re going to really grow because the universe is going to reward you for being true to planet Earth.
Andreea Borcea:
I love that, that’s a great way to close out. So what, where should they go to learn more about you? How do they sign up for webinars?
Mansi Shah:
Yeah, so it’s FunctionalWellnessNetwork.com or FWnetwork.org. They can find all the things we are doing, and also a whole network of people that we’ve helped. And then for my gut health, it’s YourGutDr.com to find out about my you know, there is a free guide on leaky gut and then also my five-step protocol that I help my patients with.
Andreea Borcea:
Wonderful, well, everyone, this was Dr. Mansi Shah again, and please make sure to check her out. Thanks so much for being on the show.
Mansi Shah:
Awesome, thank you so much for having me. This has been such a fun conversation, Andreea.
Andreea Borcea:
Thanks again for listening to Marketing Mondays. If you have any marketing questions at all, feel free to reach out to me directly at DiaCreative.com. That’s D I A Creative.com.
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