The Yearly Event That Transformed Patients, Staff & Vendors into a Growth Engine
About thirteen years ago, I started working with a world-renowned diabetes and endocrinology specialist in Birmingham, Michigan. Back then, I owned a digital marketing agency, and I helped level up his online presence. We ended up working together for ten years — yes, a full decade. The only reason our work ended was because his daughter opened her own marketing agency. And look… you don’t compete with family. So we wrapped things up about three years ago. Early in the relationship, I asked him if he ever held patient appreciation events. To my surprise, he said yes — every May or June. Mediterranean food catered. All his suppliers and vendors invited. Booths set up. And whether it rained or shined, they had covered parking ready so nothing slowed the momentum. Now… why am I telling you this story? Because this was a brilliant strategy for creating Business Superfans® — the equivalent of die-hard sport-teams superfans (faces painted, team jerseys...) not just from patients, but from staff, suppliers, and vendors at the exact same time. Let me break it down, because I attended these events personally and helped him turn them into growth engines. The patients, the clinic team, and all the suppliers came together in one place.Patients enjoyed a healthy lunch, connected with staff outside the typical office visit, and met the vendors to learn about the products and services that support their care. Vendors got face time with patients and the clinic team — deepening relationships and strengthening trust. And of course, everyone got access to Dr. G in a relaxed, human environment… which made loyalty skyrocket. So how did we leverage this moment for mutual benefit? 1. We captured video testimonials from patients every single year — two to four high-quality stories each time. 2. We captured testimonials from vendors about their experience working with the clinic. 3. And we captured testimonials from the clinic about their vendors — building goodwill and strengthening partnerships.