Latest / Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections / Networking Unleashed: An Interview with Dr. Mel Colon and Michael A Forman, Professional Speaker

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Networking Unleashed: An Interview with Dr. Mel Colon and Michael A Forman, Professional Speaker · Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections

• 0:17
  Welcome to Networking Unleashed, Building Profitable
• 0:19
  Connections. I'm your host, Michael Foreman.
• 0:23
  How good do you have to be at what you do for
• 0:26
  people to literally travel miles just to see
• 0:30
  you? Today's guest tackles difficulty foot and
• 0:34
  ankle cases that others often can't help patients
• 0:39
  and avoid major surgery and has created a concierge
• 0:43
  house call. model, a household model, unlike
• 0:48
  anything else in his specialty. But this conversation
• 0:52
  is about much more than medicine. It's about
• 0:55
  trust, reputation, caring, referrals, and what
• 0:59
  happens when you have the courage to do things
• 1:02
  differently. Because the expertise may get people's
• 1:06
  attention, but how you treat people determines
• 1:09
  what they say about you when you're not in the
• 1:12
  room. So put your... So put your best foot forward.
• 1:16
  Yes, I had to say it. So let's get into it. I'd
• 1:20
  like to introduce to the podcast, Dr. Mel Colon,
• 1:23
  and I have to come clean with you guys. I've
• 1:27
  become friends with Dr. Mel, and this is really
• 1:29
  going to be quite an extra... extra experience
• 1:34
  for me because I'm really dying to know what
• 1:38
  he does. And even though he gave me the write
• 1:40
  -up, I'm going to ask him all sorts of questions.
• 1:43
  But anyway, but Dr. Mel, how are you? Welcome
• 1:46
  to the podcast. And let me ask you a question.
• 1:50
  In the cliff notes, because I know this may take
• 1:52
  a long time, but give me the cliff notes of how
• 1:55
  you got where you are today. I drove from Brooklyn
• 2:00
  to here. No, I'm just kidding. I got here. Basically,
• 2:05
  my brother is in the same field. A board certified
• 2:09
  podiatrist, just like myself. He's living now
• 2:12
  in Naples. He moved from Atlanta down there.
• 2:14
  And basically, I decided, I guess maybe because
• 2:17
  his feet were bigger, I decided to follow in
• 2:20
  his footsteps and become a podiatrist. And it's
• 2:25
  great because you remember the comedian, Michael.
• 2:28
  I think you're old enough to remember him. He's
• 2:30
  no longer here, but Rodney Dangerfield. And he's
• 2:34
  no respect. He gets no respect. So the Rodney
• 2:37
  Dangerfield, the foot is the Rodney Dangerfield
• 2:41
  of the human body. It gets no respect. It's a
• 2:44
  very unusual part of the body because let's say
• 2:47
  you have pain in your face or your elbow and
• 2:51
  the doctor takes care of that, but you don't
• 2:53
  walk on your face or your elbow. You walk on
• 2:56
  your feet. So not only do we have to get rid
• 2:59
  of the pain or the problem, but we also have
• 3:02
  to know that it's a weight -bearing part of the
• 3:04
  body. And we have to do everything in our power
• 3:07
  and our creativity to have it not come back.
• 3:12
  Of course, you don't walk on your face unless
• 3:14
  you had a little bit too much to drink. But that's
• 3:16
  a whole different conversation. Okay. You're
• 3:19
  funnier than me. I want a refund. What's that
• 3:21
  all about? Okay. Patients travel significant
• 3:26
  distances to see you. What do you believe makes
• 3:30
  someone trust a professional enough to go past?
• 3:34
  dozens of other choices to reach that one person.
• 3:38
  Because I specialize in difficult, unresolved
• 3:42
  foot, ankle, and lower leg problems that very
• 3:46
  often other physicians can't get done, even though
• 3:49
  they're excellent doctors. They say practicing
• 3:51
  as a physician is a science, but it's also an
• 3:55
  art, creative and innovative. So what I do is
• 3:58
  very creative, very innovative, very gentle.
• 4:01
  I explain everything. And I treat every single
• 4:05
  patient like family, like they were king or queen
• 4:07
  of a country. I can't do it any other way. I
• 4:10
  grew up in Brooklyn, where we say, forget about
• 4:13
  it. Get out of here. What are you, nuts? So I
• 4:16
  really deeply care about every single patient.
• 4:19
  And so it's worth it for them to come. Actually,
• 4:23
  88 % of my patients come from the Atlanta metro
• 4:26
  area. And the other 12 % come from the other
• 4:29
  49 states. And only about two people come in
• 4:32
  from another country. So far, it's about two
• 4:35
  averages, about two people a year will fly in.
• 4:38
  So they're going to get the results. The answer
• 4:40
  to your question is maybe too long. An answer
• 4:43
  is that they're going to get the results and
• 4:46
  not going to be gentle and not going to explain
• 4:48
  everything to them. And I tend to call them after
• 4:50
  they leave. OK, and I want to make sure that
• 4:53
  they actually follow their instructions so that
• 4:55
  they have the very, very best results. I know
• 5:00
  a great many doctors, and I know probably even
• 5:03
  more specialists, and they all have a nice bedside
• 5:08
  manner. They always want you to think you're
• 5:11
  the most important person, but you go the extra
• 5:14
  step. You talk to them before, you talk to them
• 5:18
  after, and then you talk to them way after, just
• 5:22
  to see how they're doing. That, I think, is what's
• 5:25
  missing from the doctors of today. I totally
• 5:28
  agree. I don't talk to them so much before because
• 5:32
  I meet them when they come in the office. But
• 5:35
  since we started the new division where we do
• 5:38
  house calls or we go to their hotel room, I remember
• 5:41
  your question very well. Do I talk to them before?
• 5:44
  I certainly talk to them during and I talk to
• 5:47
  them after, which is unusual, but I like doing
• 5:49
  that. So I talk to them before if they're going
• 5:52
  to have a house call. So that's when I talk to
• 5:55
  them before as well. Okay, you describe what
• 6:01
  you do as a combination of skill and caring.
• 6:05
  In a business and networking, have we become
• 6:09
  so focused on demonstrating competence that we've
• 6:14
  underestimated the competitive advantage of genuinely
• 6:18
  caring? Yeah, really, because I'm very healthy,
• 6:23
  but occasionally I go see a doctor and I can't
• 6:26
  believe how... uncaring some physicians or nurses
• 6:30
  are. And I compliment them like crazy when they
• 6:34
  have a great personality because I love that.
• 6:37
  And I think it's, that's the way it should be.
• 6:39
  It's the way I was raised and that's the way
• 6:41
  I'm wired. You ever find, because I know you
• 6:45
  and I know you in the networking environment.
• 6:48
  And you're very bubbly, very outspoken, very
• 6:51
  humorous and very smiley and everything. Do you
• 6:55
  ever run into those doctors that are so straight
• 6:58
  laced that they just want to just tell you what's
• 7:01
  wrong, tell you how they can fix you and move
• 7:03
  on? Yeah, I can't wait to get out of that office
• 7:06
  when that's happening. I just can't wait to get
• 7:09
  out the door. So when I go see a physician, which
• 7:12
  is not too often because I'm very healthy, but
• 7:15
  I do try to find out. Who do you think I could
• 7:18
  be comfortable with? Who's got a good personality?
• 7:21
  Because I think people don't screen for that,
• 7:24
  but I think you should screen for that. And I
• 7:27
  don't mind if people screen for that with me
• 7:29
  because I pride myself in having that type of
• 7:32
  personality. Good, good. And I agree. I agree
• 7:36
  100%. You often see difficult cases after other
• 7:41
  approaches haven't worked. When someone comes
• 7:44
  to you frustrated or skeptical, How do you rebuild
• 7:48
  trust before you ever begin treating the problem?
• 7:53
  I would rebuild trust by being very complete,
• 7:57
  very comprehensive, very caring, okay, and actually
• 8:01
  doing what I say I'm going to do. So I think
• 8:04
  that trust occurs that way because they're actually
• 8:08
  getting the kind of healthcare that every physician
• 8:12
  should offer. Now, that goes without saying,
• 8:15
  because with your whole concierge house call
• 8:18
  division, they have to first really trust you
• 8:23
  in order to allow you into their home. So it's
• 8:28
  a very interesting concept. And that's one area
• 8:31
  I didn't come up with myself. There's some very
• 8:34
  influential people here in Atlanta that asked
• 8:37
  me to come to their house. And I had never done
• 8:39
  that my whole career. And then it went so well.
• 8:43
  that they sat me down and said, you need to start
• 8:46
  this service. And I really didn't like the idea
• 8:50
  of having to go to someone's house because I'm
• 8:52
  a brutally honest person. So, but now I really
• 8:55
  like it. It's funny. I didn't know that that
• 8:58
  was going to be another iteration of what I do,
• 9:01
  but I'm really glad that they sat me down and
• 9:04
  I'm really glad. It's a much needed service.
• 9:06
  And you have that for dermatology, family medicine,
• 9:09
  internal medicine, and psychiatry. So the five
• 9:12
  specialties are those four plus me. And there
• 9:16
  also are chiropractors. There's a chiropractor
• 9:18
  that I know that goes to people's houses as well.
• 9:22
  Yes, I think I know him also. Your concierge
• 9:25
  house call model is very different from traditional
• 9:28
  health care. What did you have to believe about
• 9:32
  yourself and your patients to have the courage
• 9:35
  to build something when there really wasn't a
• 9:38
  roadmap to follow? Three words. Confidence. And
• 9:45
  maybe if we wanted to add some more, skill and
• 9:48
  determination. Just knowing what to do. I know
• 9:51
  my field. So really, it wasn't difficult at all,
• 9:56
  Michael. It was just a natural progression. With
• 10:00
  your personality and with your confidence level,
• 10:03
  because your confidence level is way above. anybody's
• 10:08
  because whether you know something or don't,
• 10:11
  you know it, right? And you're confident. And
• 10:13
  the other person will never believe that you
• 10:15
  don't know it because you're not so confident
• 10:17
  in what you're talking about. But your confidence
• 10:21
  level and your knowledge is so incredible that
• 10:25
  when you combine that with the confidence and
• 10:28
  the skill, it's a no brainer to have people come
• 10:31
  in, have you come into people's houses and have
• 10:34
  them trust you. It's an incredible thing. It
• 10:37
  really is. Thank you. Healthcare is becoming
• 10:40
  increasingly influenced by technology and AI.
• 10:45
  As medicine becomes more technologically sophisticated,
• 10:49
  could human connection actually become more valuable
• 10:53
  rather than less? I think you're 100 % right.
• 10:57
  I think it's more valuable. I have to admit that
• 11:01
  I'm on AI maybe one to two hours every single
• 11:04
  day. So I love AI, but I think you have to be
• 11:08
  careful with AI. That's not a person. And you
• 11:12
  have to double check everything AI says. So I
• 11:15
  think the human connection and personality and
• 11:18
  charisma and charm and caring are still very
• 11:22
  important human traits. And I think even some
• 11:26
  of the most important people like Bill Gates
• 11:29
  or Elon Musk have said that AI will not totally
• 11:33
  replace a physician because AI can do a lot of
• 11:36
  health care, but they can't do all of it. There's
• 11:38
  certain things that only human could do unless
• 11:42
  that changes 20 years from now. But within the
• 11:44
  next five, 10 years, for sure, you need that
• 11:46
  human connection. I couldn't agree with you more.
• 11:49
  My take on AI. with networking is AI replaces
• 11:55
  a lot. I talk to people all over the world from
• 11:58
  this podcast, and it's incredible, but AI can't
• 12:05
  give me the emotional responses. It takes all
• 12:09
  the emotion out of the answer. It can give me,
• 12:12
  technologically, it can give me the answer, what
• 12:15
  I'm asking. but it removes all the emotion, all
• 12:19
  the tact, all the body language, all everything
• 12:22
  that you need to network. When you and I go on
• 12:26
  Thursday nights and we go to network with people,
• 12:29
  you're networking, you're talking to people and
• 12:32
  you're happy and you're doing this. AI can't
• 12:35
  do that. AI doesn't replace you. It would take
• 12:39
  four computers to replace you because you bring
• 12:44
  so much to the table. There's so much emotional
• 12:48
  constraints, not constraints, but there's so
• 12:52
  much emotion that AI can't possibly replace it.
• 12:57
  And I always say that AI is great because I,
• 13:01
  too, and I am on AI almost two hours a day, but
• 13:07
  it can't replace. me speaking, me going out and
• 13:11
  speaking to an audience, because I need to pick
• 13:14
  up the vibe of the room. I need to pick up the
• 13:17
  vibe of the people. And you can't get that through
• 13:20
  a screen. I so agree. I think that's so spot
• 13:25
  on. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. You say the foot
• 13:29
  is one of the most neglected and misunderstood
• 13:32
  parts of the body. Do you see a parallel in leadership?
• 13:37
  that the problems we ignore because they seem
• 13:40
  small often become, all right, let me start that
• 13:44
  again. Do you see a parallel in leadership that
• 13:48
  the problem we ignore because they seem small
• 13:51
  often become the problems that eventually stop
• 13:55
  us from moving forward? I think if you think
• 13:58
  about it, The foot is kind of a strange, weird
• 14:02
  part of the body for a lot of people. They're
• 14:05
  embarrassed about their foot. The foot's covered
• 14:08
  up by socks and shoes, okay? And I think people
• 14:11
  just, there's no contest. There is another part
• 14:14
  of the body that is more misunderstood, misdiagnosed,
• 14:18
  or mistreated. part of the body. People should
• 14:21
  take care of their feet because think about it.
• 14:23
  If you don't have good feet, how are you going
• 14:26
  to work full -time or even part -time? How are
• 14:28
  you going to do exercise or sports or dance?
• 14:32
  How are you going to have a quality of life?
• 14:35
  So people neglect their feet. It's amazing to
• 14:38
  me, absolutely amazing to me how people can neglect
• 14:41
  their feet. They'll go to the dentist, which
• 14:43
  of course I understand. Everybody sees your smile
• 14:46
  and you need your teeth to chew and eat your
• 14:48
  food. But you really need, and you go to the
• 14:51
  dentist, the dentists are amazing with marketing
• 14:54
  because they tell you to come twice a year or
• 14:56
  at least once a year. But people don't go to
• 14:58
  a foot doctor, to a podiatrist, maybe even their
• 15:02
  whole life. So they should go to a podiatrist
• 15:06
  maybe at least every two years, but they don't.
• 15:10
  That's good to know because I'll have to make
• 15:12
  an appointment because I haven't gone in about
• 15:14
  five years, but that's a different story. Okay.
• 15:18
  Referrals in healthcare carry enormous responsibility
• 15:21
  because someone is essentially putting their
• 15:25
  reputation behind a recommendation. What has
• 15:29
  to happen before you've truly earned someone's
• 15:34
  referral? As far as you mean, how do I need to
• 15:40
  relate to that physician or that person that's
• 15:43
  sending me someone else? Is that what you mean?
• 15:45
  If I referred somebody, now I'm putting my reputation
• 15:50
  behind that referral. So what has to happen before
• 15:55
  you've truly earned? someone's referral how can
• 15:58
  i how can you earn my well expert for i don't
• 16:05
  know if i'm going to answer it properly the way
• 16:06
  you wanted to answer it but for example recently
• 16:09
  i have 55 plus communities people 55 years old
• 16:14
  and above that live in maybe in a community of
• 16:18
  500 homes or whatever And they've been inviting
• 16:22
  me to give a talk. I normally talk for about
• 16:24
  seven minutes because I don't like to have a
• 16:27
  boring talk. What I talk about is very dynamic.
• 16:31
  And then I will have a question and answer period.
• 16:34
  And then if they want me to examine their feet
• 16:36
  and give them some kind of idea what's going
• 16:38
  on, I could do that. So that is one way. of earning
• 16:43
  trust. And there's many other ways, but basically
• 16:46
  I just meet a lot of people. I have 30 ,000 people
• 16:49
  on LinkedIn, 30 ,000. So I practically have lived
• 16:53
  on LinkedIn and I know hundreds and thousands
• 16:56
  of other people. People just hear about it. They
• 16:59
  hear about it. They had a great result. For example,
• 17:02
  I had somebody just sent me a patient, someone
• 17:05
  I think you met at the networking event. He's
• 17:08
  a chiropractor in Buckhead. And he sent me a
• 17:11
  patient with gout. So he had like a really red
• 17:15
  and hot and swollen and very painful big toe
• 17:19
  joint, a bunion joint. And he came to me and
• 17:23
  I administered some nerve blocks, which flushes
• 17:26
  out the urate crystals from that joint and put
• 17:30
  him on some natural supplements as well to help
• 17:32
  keep him from coming back. And he's now, he said
• 17:36
  to me. My mother has a different problem. It
• 17:39
  sounds like she needs the same kind of treatment.
• 17:42
  And could I fly you to Jacksonville? I said,
• 17:45
  yes, you can fly me to Jacksonville. I will go.
• 17:48
  So right now he's in Jacksonville talking to
• 17:50
  his mother and he may be coming back with her.
• 17:53
  So I don't know. I gained trust in many different
• 17:56
  ways. I have everything you just answered. I
• 18:01
  have a hard time believing that you just spoke
• 18:03
  for seven minutes. Because that's the only part.
• 18:06
  Because you don't get around to the subject for
• 18:10
  seven minutes. I'll tell you what. I think you
• 18:13
  met someone on the, I won't mention her name
• 18:16
  publicly, but she's one of the people that comes
• 18:18
  to that networking. And she's so funny. So she's
• 18:23
  in the world of financial advisory. So we are
• 18:25
  going to start. We're going to do an improv.
• 18:29
  off -the -cuff comedy routine, and we're going
• 18:32
  to audition to be in comedy clubs and also networking
• 18:36
  events. That sounds great. You tell me where
• 18:40
  you are, and I will come see you regardless,
• 18:43
  okay? So you'll have my support. Your goal is
• 18:48
  often to prevent major surgery rather than simply
• 18:51
  perform another procedure. What... Has practicing
• 18:56
  medicine taught you about putting someone's best
• 18:59
  interests ahead of what's easiest, most conventional,
• 19:03
  or even potentially more profitable? Since I'm
• 19:07
  a brutally honest person and candid person, I
• 19:11
  will tell you that when I was recruited into
• 19:13
  the clinic that I'm in, Swanee, which is a five
• 19:15
  -star, 7 ,000 -square -foot clinic, the owner
• 19:18
  asked me, she said, Dr. Colon, I know you do
• 19:22
  bone surgery. I know you do all different types
• 19:24
  of sophisticated surgery as a board certified
• 19:27
  foot and leg surgeon. But coming into my clinic,
• 19:30
  if indeed you agreed to come in and close your
• 19:33
  other offices, can you stop doing that surgery?
• 19:37
  And can you change your philosophy to more that
• 19:40
  you can prevent people from having surgery? I
• 19:42
  said, that's beautiful. Let's do it. It was perfect
• 19:45
  timing for my life. It was much closer to where
• 19:47
  I lived. So I saved a long journey to my office.
• 19:51
  And now I do. Exactly. That's a very good question,
• 19:55
  Michael, because I save people from having surgery.
• 19:58
  OK, and I do that by using creative forms of
• 20:03
  treatment like a therapeutic, sympathetic nerve
• 20:08
  block, which I could explain better. when people
• 20:12
  come in. And it basically, it breaks the pain
• 20:15
  cycle, the soreness, the tenderness, the inflammation.
• 20:18
  It increases the blood flow permanently to that
• 20:21
  part of the body, to the foot or ankle or lower
• 20:24
  leg. And it's dramatic. It's absolutely dramatic.
• 20:28
  So that's why, getting back to an earlier question
• 20:31
  you had about why people would travel. Yes, they
• 20:35
  would travel. Because if I saved them from having
• 20:38
  surgery, It's a no -brainer. Why wouldn't you
• 20:41
  want that? And also, why would you want to stay
• 20:42
  with the pain? And why would you want to not
• 20:45
  be able to work or do sports or dance? So that's
• 20:49
  my answer. Absolutely. Absolutely correct. And
• 20:53
  it was so nice to hear that there is somebody
• 20:56
  putting the patient ahead of the prophet. And
• 21:03
  listen, I think you're the only one that I've
• 21:06
  spoke to that actually came out and said it.
• 21:09
  And look, I know you. I know your practice. And
• 21:14
  I know you do it. You don't just talk about it.
• 21:17
  You do it. Everything you say, you do. And that's
• 21:21
  another major factor when it comes to trusting
• 21:24
  the doctor. So that's for you. Thank you. When
• 21:28
  someone becomes known for solving problems other
• 21:31
  professionals can solve, ego can easily enter
• 21:36
  into the picture. How do you maintain confidence
• 21:39
  in your expertise while keeping the humility
• 21:43
  to continue listening and learning? That's an
• 21:47
  excellent question. And here is what I think
• 21:50
  might be an excellent, honest answer. Overconfidence
• 21:55
  or... Being narcissistic or having too big an
• 21:59
  ego or you can't get your hat on your head because
• 22:01
  your head's so big is ugly. That's why it's ugly.
• 22:07
  It's not right. It's not the way we're supposed
• 22:10
  to be. OK, so I'm confident, but not overconfident.
• 22:15
  I'm not an egotist. OK, and I never happened.
• 22:19
  And I it's just I'm just the way I was raised,
• 22:23
  basically. And it goes back to the confidence,
• 22:26
  but not overconfidence. Absolutely. And coming
• 22:31
  from the Bronx, Brooklyn and everything else,
• 22:33
  I'm 30 miles north of New York City. I grew up
• 22:37
  in Rockland County. There's Rockland and Westchester
• 22:40
  counties. And I grew up in Rockland County. So
• 22:45
  I know exactly your feeling, what you've been
• 22:47
  doing. So I want to bring this podcast full circle.
• 22:51
  If we remove the number of patients you've treated,
• 22:55
  the revenue you've generated, and the professional
• 22:58
  recognition you've received, how would you personally
• 23:02
  measure whether you had a successful career?
• 23:07
  Because of the results. And you should, offline,
• 23:12
  when we're not on the podcast, I could bring
• 23:14
  you people that have laws for confidentiality
• 23:17
  for patients, HIPAA laws, okay? But I could bring
• 23:19
  you people who would waive the HIPAA, they could
• 23:22
  sign a form, and they could tell you what I did
• 23:25
  for them. Because those results make me feel
• 23:27
  really good. That is something that, you know,
• 23:31
  it's just amazing. It's an amazing feeling, okay?
• 23:34
  Just like maybe when an artist and my wife...
• 23:38
  is Korean, and she's an artist. She does oil
• 23:42
  painting. So when she does that, and even when
• 23:46
  she sells the painting, it's not so much about
• 23:49
  making that money from the painting. It's about
• 23:51
  creating that work of art. Same thing with me.
• 23:55
  It's the creating a better functionality for
• 23:59
  patients, a better life for patients, remove
• 24:02
  the pain. Or sometimes it's a cosmetic reason
• 24:05
  that they don't like the way their foot looks.
• 24:07
  For example, they have those really thick, ugly
• 24:10
  fungal toenails, okay? I've come up with ways.
• 24:13
  For example, let's jump off fungal toenails for
• 24:17
  a second. Another one with nails is ingrown toenails.
• 24:20
  What I did is I took the procedure that all podiatrists
• 24:24
  in the United States use. We all pretty much
• 24:26
  use the same procedure. And I've used the word
• 24:29
  creativity before. That's not just a science
• 24:32
  word. It's an art. So what I did is I took that
• 24:34
  procedure. I made about five or six modifications
• 24:38
  to the procedure. So instead of 88 to 100 % success
• 24:42
  rate that podiatrists get, for me, it's 100 %
• 24:46
  every single time. Never, ever have I had an
• 24:50
  ingrown nail come back because I modified it.
• 24:53
  So that gives me pleasure. It's accomplishment.
• 24:58
  It makes me feel good. So you're right. It's
• 25:01
  not just money. I think it cannot be you do health
• 25:04
  care just for money. That's not right. That's
• 25:08
  the way it used to be. I don't know if it's so
• 25:11
  much the way it is anymore. But fortunately,
• 25:14
  there are people like you, Dr. Mel, that you're
• 25:17
  still out there doing it for the people instead
• 25:20
  of the profit. Go ahead. If I could correct one
• 25:24
  thing, because I know there may be other people
• 25:26
  watching this as time goes on. I think all the
• 25:29
  podiatrists are great. I don't want anyone watching
• 25:31
  this thinking that I say I'm better than them.
• 25:34
  No, not better. Different, creative, whatever.
• 25:37
  But no, and I don't say physicians do things
• 25:40
  just for money. So I want to make sure that it's
• 25:42
  not an impression that anyone gets, okay? Okay,
• 25:46
  that was from my point of view. Okay, that's
• 25:49
  the difference. Dr. Mel, this was great. You're
• 25:51
  a great guest. Listen, if somebody wanted to
• 25:54
  get hold of you, either because they have a foot
• 25:58
  problem or they just want to say hi, what's the
• 26:00
  best way that they can get hold of you? Okay,
• 26:03
  that is another thing. Most doctors never, ever
• 26:06
  put their mobile number on their business card.
• 26:09
  I do. OK, and I've never seen anyone or all the
• 26:12
  years I've been doing this abuse that nobody
• 26:14
  has no one. So they could call me the best time
• 26:18
  to call me. And I invite you to call me. No problem
• 26:21
  for me. The best time to call me is between 1
• 26:24
  and 8 p .m. Eastern Time, between 1 and 8. And
• 26:28
  that number is 678 -522 - 2 -870 -678 -522 -2870.
• 26:39
  Call me between 1 and 8 p .m. And that's especially
• 26:43
  important when it's a house call. But even if
• 26:46
  they're going to come into the office in 20,
• 26:48
  then they could call me. Fantastic. Here's today's
• 26:52
  takeaway. People don't go the extra mile for
• 26:56
  average. They don't refer people they don't trust.
• 27:01
  When you're treating patients, leading a company,
• 27:05
  or building your network, your reputation is
• 27:08
  being created in every interaction. Be excellent
• 27:12
  in what you do. Care about the person in front
• 27:15
  of you. And remember, the most powerful networking
• 27:17
  often happens when you're not even in the room.
• 27:21
  When someone trusts you enough to put your name
• 27:24
  into the conversation. If you enjoyed today's
• 27:27
  episode, like, follow, and subscribe to Networking
• 27:30
  Unleashed, Building Profitable Connections, and
• 27:32
  share this episode with someone who understands
• 27:35
  that relationships are built from one interaction
• 27:38
  at a time. I'm Michael Foreman. And remember,
• 27:42
  expertise gets you noticed. Caring gets you remembered.
• 27:46
  Trust gets you referred. I'll see you on the
• 27:49
  next episode. Dr. Mel, thank you for coming on
• 27:53
  my podcast. You are a great guest. Thank you
• 27:56
  so much. To wrap folks, a huge thank you to our
• 28:00
  guests for sharing such incredible insights today.
• 28:03
  And of course, a big shout out to you, our amazing
• 28:06
  listeners, for tuning in and spending your time
• 28:09
  with us. If you're interested in my digital courses,
• 28:13
  being coached, or having me come and talk to
• 28:16
  your company, just go to Michael and fill out
• 28:19
  the request form. Remember, networking isn't
• 28:23
  about being perfect. It's about being present.
• 28:26
  So take what you've learned today, get out there,
• 28:28
  and make some meaningful connections. If you've
• 28:31
  enjoyed this episode, please don't forget to
• 28:34
  subscribe, leave us a review, and share it with
• 28:37
  someone who could use a little networking inspiration.
• 28:41
  Let's keep the conversation going. You can find
• 28:44
  me on Apple, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, or my
• 28:48
  website, foreman .com slash podcasts.