Whether you’re in the market for a new liaison or looking to retain the one you have, here are 6 ways to avoid costly liaison turnover.

1. Commit to the program

Practices with successful referral network programs enjoy the benefits of multi-million dollar year over year revenue increases.  Why is that?  (1) Because they have committed the time, energy, training and funds to ensure the success of the program and (2) their leadership teams are unified in full support of the program.  And they are rewarded handsomely for it.

Referral network programs that fail, or fail to get off the ground altogether, almost always suffer from a lack of commitment, organization and leadership.  Successful liaisons will not choose to stay long in this environment and take the experience they gain to your competitor right down the street.

2. Hire the right person

This one is a biggie.  One of the most common mistakes I see is the practice who jumps at the first attractive candidate with a good personality.  But there is so much more to it than that.  What experience, success or qualifications do they have for the role?  Are they self-motivated and disciplined?  Do they play well in the sandbox with others?

Resist the pressure to make a quick hire by spending a significant amount of time with the candidate.  Bring them in for multiple interviews and have several different team members meet with them. 

In my experience, a vacant territory performs better than a territory with the wrong liaison. 

Let me say that a different way…  It’s better to leave the territory empty while you find and hire the right candidate than to quickly fill the position with the wrong person.

You can learn more about hiring a rock star liaison here.  

3. Hire for what can’t be taught and teach the rest

You can teach a product, technology or disease state.  What you can’t teach is drive, positive attitude, ability to bounce back from rejection or work ethic to name a few.  

Of course, everyone is going to say they have these characteristics in an interview. What experience do they have that demonstrates this? 

Some of the personality inventories can also be helpful to identify a potential fit or misfit. I like the Predictive Index and several of my clients have had success using the Strengths Finder Assessment, Enneagram or DISC Assessment.    

4. Competitive and rewarding comp plan

While I don’t recommend over paying for talent, if you’re not paying your people well, the competition will.  

For the physician liaison role, I’m a fan of a base + commission structure.  This is a win/win.  As a practice, you pay less when you see fewer patients and more when you see more patients.  Thus, the program becomes self funding.  All the while, your liaison has the opportunity to positively impact their income with strong performance.  

5. Offer a solid training program

Great sales people seek out opportunities to grow and improve their performance.  Investing in their professional development is a sound return on investment.  

Offer an initial training program to get your liaison ramped up quickly.  Then continue to supply ongoing training to keep skills sharp and redirect apathetic habits that can be easy to slip into.  

I know some of you out there are asking, “But what if I invest in this training and the employee leaves anyway?”  That is always a risk with any employee at any time.  But what is the alternative?  Having an untrained team?

A solid training program will help foster employee loyalty, engagement and confidence, setting your practice apart from the competition.

Find out more about industry leading training programs here.   

6. Communicate, communicate, communicate 

A lot can go on within the practice when a liaison is out in the field during the day.  Decisions get made or processes get updated.  When these don’t get communicated, it can leave a liaison feeling frustrated, confused or isolated.  

Ensure that your liaison team has clear direction and expectations, while keeping them informed of changes or pertinent updates.  This signals that you support their efforts and minimizes the potential for confusion or mixed messages.

As one of the most valuable assets to your practice development, finding and keeping a great liaison is worth it’s weight in gold!