Inspired by “How to Invent a Color” by Rivka Galchen in The New Yorker
Scientists recently created a visual experience unlike any humans had ever seen.
Reading about it made me realize something that has shaped my work for the past fifteen years:
Doctors literally see financial advisors differently than everyone else.
One of the joys of reading outside my field is discovering ideas that unexpectedly illuminate my work.
That happened when I read Rivka Galchen’s article, “How to Invent a Color,” in The New Yorker.
The story describes scientists who created a visual experience unlike any people had encountered before. Participants reported seeing a color they had no words to describe. The researchers hadn’t discovered a new wavelength of light. Instead, they stimulated the visual system in an entirely new way, allowing the brain to construct a new experience.
As fascinating as the science was, I came away with a completely different lesson.
This article isn’t really about color.
It’s about perception.
And perception is at the heart of every physician relationship.
Advisors and Doctors Don’t See the Same Meeting
Many advisors assume that physicians evaluate them the same way every other affluent client does.
They don’t.
An advisor looks at a website and sees:
- credentials
- investment philosophy
- retirement planning
- tax expertise
- years of experience
A physician often sees something entirely different.
They’re asking questions like:
- Does this advisor understand physicians?
- Will I spend half our meeting explaining my profession?
- Can I trust this person with decisions that affect my family?
- Does this advisor appreciate the emotional realities of practicing medicine?
- Will this meeting save me time—or waste it?
The advisor believes they’re presenting expertise.
The physician is deciding whether they feel understood.
The Hidden Filter
Every physician carries invisible experiences into your first meeting.
Medical school.
Residency.
Debt.
Long hours.
Burnout.
Malpractice fears.
Administrative frustration.
Identity.
Purpose.
Family sacrifice.
These experiences become filters through which physicians interpret everything you say.
Two advisors can present identical financial recommendations.
One gains a lifelong client.
The other never hears back.
The difference often isn’t the advice.
It’s what the doctor experienced during the conversation.
Doctors Aren’t Difficult
I’ve said this for years:
Doctors aren’t difficult. They’re different.
Their profession shapes how they process information, evaluate expertise, manage uncertainty, and decide whom to trust.
Once advisors understand those differences, everything becomes easier.
Marketing becomes easier.
Conversations become easier.
Introductions become more natural.
Long-term relationships become stronger.
Your Competitive Advantage Isn’t Technical Knowledge
Many advisors ask me:
“How can I compete with larger firms?”
Here’s my answer.
Doctors expect technical competence.
That’s your ticket to the game.
Your competitive advantage comes from making physicians feel understood.
That’s much harder to copy.
Learn to See Through Physicians’ Eyes
The researchers in Galchen’s article didn’t create a new world.
They created a new way of experiencing one.
The same opportunity exists for financial advisors.
Instead of asking:
“How do I convince more doctors?”
Ask:
“What is it like to experience my practice as a physician?”
That question changes everything.
When you begin seeing your marketing, your conversations, your follow-up, and your recommendations through physicians’ eyes, you’ll discover opportunities that were invisible before.
That’s the transformation I help advisors make.
Because becoming the go-to financial advisor for doctors doesn’t begin with changing your marketing.
It begins with changing your perspective.