If you are starting a new practice, you have your mind on many things: the right personnel, your schedule, contracting arrangements and the like. You may not be thinking about relationship building but now is a good time to start a healthy, long-term habit.

Providers understand that their medical work is based on their relationships with their patients and referral sources. But how do these relationships get started? How do you demonstrate trust and credibility at the onset?

Building a practice is building a brand. Your public persona is always out in front even if you are not within the confines of your practice. Every step you take outside of our office is likely to reflect on you as a physician. If you are coaching your child’s baseball team, community members will appreciate your knowledge of the game and of children, but they will also consider what you might be like as a physician. If you belong to any civic groups or do any community volunteering, you will be building your reputation.

Serving on hospital committees and the informal conversations with ancillary health care workers or the nurses who deliver care in the hospital present opportunities for others to get to know you and for you to understand more about how the hospital’s culture works. This is great exposure to encounter potential referring sources, as well.

The building blocks of any relationship require good, clear communication. If you are new to the community, you may want to contact potential medical referring channels. Introduce yourself, alert them that you are building a practice and ask to get to know them with a lunch or coffee invitation. Being upfront with your request will let others know that you are a straightforward communicator.

Responsiveness sends a caring message. Once you have initiated some contacts, make sure you are responsive and follow-up as you have indicated. Little moments, like returning a phone call within 24 hours or following up on an action as you have indicated help inform others of how you operate and that you are a person who does what you say you will do. These subtle messages build the platform for credibility and set a relationship on the road of mutual trust and respect.

And, one key habit that is useful at all times is listening. Whether with a colleague, a potential patient or a bank teller, listening and not interrupting is a good habit to maintain. Patients often complain that they feel like their physician is so rushed, he/she doesn’t have time to hear what they are saying. Nothing speaks quite so loudly as listening. Having the extra moment to demonstrate you are listening reinforces that you think the other person is important and you care about what they have to tell you.

Time is scarce especially when initiating a new practice. Starting up-front with good relationship building habits will serve you and others for the long-term.