Last weekend I had the pleasure of seeing country music star Blake Shelton in concert. The venue was in the center of a horse racing track in Maryland. It was a beautiful night and a fantastic concert. The warm-up band was Chris Young, an accomplished artist in his own right. What I found really interesting was the way each of these seasoned singers presented themselves to the audience.

To me, Chris Young seemed slightly nervous, had an imperfect use of the English language and cursed more than many in the audience were comfortable with. This singer, with several number one songs, chose to present himself this way probably to feel like he could connect with his audience. In my opinion, it did the opposite and turned off many people.

Headliner Blake Shelton proved to be different right from the start. He was refined and took command of the audience immediately. He had a presence that exuded confidence and the audience reacted to this immediately. After the first five minutes he could have done a terrible job, but no one would have cared because he had already won the crowd over.

These two singers were polar opposites in the way they worked the crowd. One was successful and one failed. In our practices, we need to win our patients over in the first minute or we will fight an uphill battle from that point onward. We need to be polite, speak properly, be courteous and be truly interested in our patient. Most importantly, we cannot be distracted or distant. We need to make that person feel like they are the most important person in our life at that time. This takes some concentration and work on our part but it will win over a patient, garnering trust in us and reinforcing the feeling that we are truly concerned about them.

Add to that presence that you bring with you, a clean, neat, well-dressed appearance and you will become the only person that your patient wants to work on them. They do not want someone who uses slang or acts cool to impress them. They want you, the professional who makes them feel comfortable because you are confident in your abilities and you let them know it in a subdued yet sure way.

I learned something from these two performers. I learned what I like and what I do not like. This experience will make me a better performer in my own office. Striving to connect in this manner, one person at a time. Doing this effectively will build a loyal patient base that will stay with you for your entire career. Just like a country music star performing on stage we need to be the star in our own offices. Give it a try.