Dear Dr. Blowoff,
Since you didn’t have the guts to call me yourself after you failed to show up for our scheduled meeting this past week, I have no choice but to call out your behavior in this forum.
First, though, allow me to recap how we got to the point in which I was sitting in your empty waiting room at 7 a.m. being told by your staff, “I’m sure he’s on his way,” as they have been obviously trained to do when you’re late.
In August, a mutual contact offered to get us together to talk about your business plans beyond your medical practice. Tanner Friedman has extensive niche experience in health care business communications, so that certainly made sense. I was asked to provide available dates for a meeting and I provided several of them. Unfortunately, none of them worked for you and your “busy schedule.”
Two months later, I was told you were finally ready to meet and could do so at the time of my choosing, as long as it was 4 p.m. on Friday, the following day, or sometime on Saturday. I told our mutual contact that’s a giant red flag in our book. Someone who can only be available, after two months, on short notice outside of business hours, was not going to be a good client for us. This was clearly not a crisis management project, where we can throw typical schedules out the window. We need access to clients. So, thanks but no thanks.
A few minutes later, though, a call came from your secretary. “The doctor really wants to meet with you,” she said, “But he can only do it at 7 a.m. on Wednesday in his Ferndale office.” “The only time?,” I asked. “Yes,” she said. “Please just meet with him,” our mutual contact had asked. “OK,” I said. I received an Outlook confirmation from your assistant minutes later.
Wednesday morning, I woke up early, answered client emails at 6am and drove 30 minutes completely out of my way to your office to be there at the time you demanded. But you didn’t show up. The staff on-site didn’t bat an eye. One worker did say “I’m sorry” and I said “It’s not your fault, it’s his fault.” She nodded in agreement, as if she had heard that one before.
Several hours later, your assistant called. She claims it was her fault, that I shouldn’t blame you for her “scheduling mixup.” It sounded like she was lying through her teeth. I told her that I couldn’t imagine doing business with someone who treats people this way. She didn’t argue. I explained that we have standards with whom to do business and this doesn’t meet them. That was that.
Doctor, you have a medical degree, meaning at some point in your academic career, you were good at science. It doesn’t make you omnipotent. It doesn’t exempt you from the rules of business etiquette. And it doesn’t require me to kiss your rear end.
Tanner Friedman was built on values and nearly 10 years later, they, not you, dictate how we operate and with whom we work. Chief among them is mutual respect, something you clearly don’t understand.
To paraphrase the business philosopher Taylor Swift, we are never, ever, ever doing business together.
Have A Nice Day,
Matt Friedman