She is a lovely woman, a very good physician and terribly shy. She had been in practice for several years. Every day, when she walked across the bridge from the medical office building to the doctors’ parking lot, she smiled back and said hello to many colleagues.

Then she got pregnant. She cut her hair. She got contacts. She rushed home to lie down after a busy day.

After the baby was born, she lost her weight very quickly. Now, being a nursing mother, she was even more distracted when she walked to her car. She barely noticed or spoke to anyone. And no one spoke to her.

Her practice began to slow down. Her referrals were dropping off. She called me.

It seemed that her appearance had changed so much; new hairstyle, no glasses, different weights, that no one recognized her. And her natural shyness was exacerbated by her lack of time.

We decided to have a party to let the doctors who knew her, and those who didn’t, that she was still in practice. I understood that physicians do not usually like to attend social events given by strangers, I included a personal note to the doctors on staff I knew, but she didn’t, saying she was my client, that I would be there and to please stop by because I would love to see them.

Everyone attended the party, if just to say hello. Her practice boomed.

Lesson: Personal contact keeps a practice profitable.