That’s not a trick question. If your patients can’t understand it, it’s not English!

One of the most common mistakes I see my clients make in their marketing is they speak a completely different language than their patients. Their patients speak English, but they speak in technical details that don’t create clarity—they create confusion.

Tony Robbins has a great quote: “Complexity is the enemy of execution.” It could also be retold as “Complexity is the enemy of ACTION!” Because a confused mind doesn’t buy.

The reaction someone has to this confusion is usually indifference. Overly complex messaging confuses people, and when they’re confused, they simply lose interest and don’t act.

But sometimes it gets worse. Often it can be a huge turnoff and become insulting. Through my research and interviews, many patients have said they dislike a practice because they talked down to them to the point of it feeling like they were trying to take advantage of them!

I’ve never had a client who is intentionally trying to confuse and take advantage of someone. But we must remind ourselves: has there ever been a time when we’ve decided to invest in something, especially as substantial as our health, when we didn’t understand it? We must keep this top of mind always.

We’ve all been here before. We’re in a sales environment and encounter someone who is saying something we don’t understand. Our minds start wandering because we’re losing interest. But what happens when someone is talking to us in a haughty tone? It makes us feel stupid; it makes us feel like they’re showing superiority over us; it makes us suspicious of them!

Simplification is the antidote to this. Two of my favorite ways to simplify complex topics and hold a patient’s attention are stories and metaphors…

Stories: Know who you’re talking to and tell them about someone just like them, especially having them imagine the outcome. I call this mirror marketing because you are telling them a story of a patient that mirrors exactly where they are now—like a busy mom worried about facelift recovery who discovers a customized plan that fits her life seamlessly.

Metaphors: I use metaphors all the time because they not only simplify complex topics, they also make them easier to remember—like describing a non-surgical facelift as “hitting the refresh button on your skin, quick and effortless like restarting your phone.”

These two approaches break down technical topics into relatable and understandable terms. You grab and hold attention; people actually care about what you have to say. They also feel like you’re respecting them and have their best interests in mind. We want to empower, not intimidate.

I joke with my clients that I’m their personal translator. I’m the liaison that balances what they know and how their patients speak.