moore-doctor-method git:20261002.46ac0a1A

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---
name: moore-doctor-method
description: "Guide buyer focused sales content, conversations, diagnosis, recommendations, and follow-up using Richard Moore's public Doctor Method; use for consultative sales or LinkedIn conversion tasks."
---

# The Doctor Method

Based on Richard Moore's public method. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Richard Moore.

## When to use

Use this skill when an agent must draft or review a sales post, outreach message, discovery call plan, recommendation, objection response, or follow-up for a coach, consultant, or other service seller. The method is especially relevant when a buyer needs help understanding a complex problem and choosing a service, or when content earns attention but does not lead to conversations or clients. Apply only the parts that match the actual task. A single post needs a relevant next step; a live sales call needs diagnosis before a recommendation. [S1][S2]

## Operational procedure

### 1. Establish the buyer and the outcome

1. Identify the intended buyer, the situation they are in, the symptoms they would describe in their own words, and the result they want. If the brief supplies only a product or a broad audience, ask for the missing buyer facts or mark them as assumptions before writing a pitch. Moore warns that content aimed at fellow experts can win applause while missing the people who purchase. [S3]

2. Translate each feature into a buyer outcome before using it in copy or a call. Ask what a saved hour, new process, or service component changes in the buyer's work or life. Use only an outcome the offer can reasonably support; if evidence is missing, frame the result as a goal rather than a promise. Moore's emphasis is on the transformation the buyer seeks, not a list of specifications. [S6]

3. Define the next meaningful action for this buyer, such as a reply, a short conversation, a consultation, or a decision on a recommendation. Judge content by qualified conversations and clients, not views or comments alone. A post with no clear next step leaves a buyer interested but unsure how to proceed. [S2][S3]

### 2. Build authority before asking for a decision

4. Show that the seller recognizes the buyer's specific symptoms and can explain a plausible cause. Use one relevant example, result, case study, or piece of reasoning when available. Do not substitute confident language for evidence, invent testimonials, or lead with a résumé that never addresses the buyer's situation. Moore treats credibility as the condition that makes a later prescription useful. [S1][S9]

5. For content, start with a problem the buyer already notices, in language the buyer would use. Explain a helpful insight or possible path, then point to a clear next step that fits the post. Avoid both an isolated lesson with no invitation and a post that reads only as a sales pitch. This is Moore's middle path for content that helps and converts. [S2][S3]

6. For outreach, use a real context signal, such as something the person shared or an expressed interest, and open with curiosity about it. Do not open a new connection with an offer or a demand for a call. Treat a like or profile view as a possible reason to start a polite conversation, not proof that the person wants to buy. [S4][S5]

7. Move a text exchange toward a short call when the buyer is engaged and the issue needs more depth than messages allow. Keep the invitation easy to accept or decline. For a high value, relationship driven service, help arrange the call personally if a booking link creates friction; for a low cost offer, a direct purchase path can be appropriate. Match the buying path to the buyer and deal, not the seller's preferred automation. [S5][S8]

### 3. Diagnose before prescribing

8. Begin the consultation by asking the buyer to describe what is happening, what they have tried, what is blocked, and what outcome matters. Listen and probe before describing the offer. Distinguish the symptom they first named from a possible underlying cause. Moore identifies rushed diagnosis as a trust failure because the recommendation then feels generic. [S1]

9. Reflect the buyer's situation back in plain language and invite correction. Record the current state, desired result, constraints, timing, and any evidence for the proposed cause. If the buyer disagrees with the diagnosis or key facts remain unknown, ask another question instead of moving to a recommendation. The point is to make the buyer feel accurately understood, not merely to collect answers for a prepared pitch. [S1][S9]

10. Check whether this seller can credibly help with the actual problem. If the offer addresses only a surface symptom, the buyer lacks the necessary conditions, or the cause remains unclear, say what is uncertain and propose a smaller diagnostic step or another route. A prescription has authority only when it follows an honest assessment of fit. This is an application of Moore's sequence of diagnosis before recommendation. [S1]

### 4. Prescribe one clear course

11. State a primary recommendation that fits the diagnosed cause and desired outcome. Explain why this course, what it includes, what the buyer would do first, and what result it is intended to produce. Lead with the outcome and supporting evidence, then include the relevant service details. Avoid presenting a menu of loosely related options and asking the buyer to diagnose themselves. [S1][S6]

12. Make the path to a decision explicit. Say what the next step is, who takes it, and what information the buyer needs to decide. If there are genuine alternatives, explain the condition that would make each appropriate and still give a recommendation for the facts known now. Do not manufacture urgency or pressure. Moore's doctor analogy relies on useful guidance, not on leaving the buyer with an unexplained choice. [S1][S2]

13. If the buyer hesitates, ask what feels unresolved and listen through the full answer. Treat an objection as information about understanding, trust, fit, or perceived value before responding. Clarify the concern, revisit the relevant evidence or diagnosis, and accept a real no. Do not automatically discount: Moore describes price cuts as ineffective when the buyer has not gained confidence in the seller or plan. [S7][S9]

### 5. Follow through and learn

14. After agreement, check whether the prescribed work is producing the intended result, what concerns have appeared, and whether the original diagnosis still holds. Adjust the plan when new evidence warrants it. Moore includes follow-up in the doctor analogy because the relationship continues after the initial recommendation. [S1]

15. Review the path from relevant attention to conversations, recommendations, and signed work. If engagement is high but buyer conversations are low, inspect audience and next step; if calls occur but decisions stall, inspect diagnosis, trust, and the clarity of the prescription. Do not claim the method succeeded based on impressions, followers, or compliments alone. [S2][S3][S9]

## Failure checks

- **Peer applause:** The draft uses specialist jargon, boasts, or material peers enjoy, but an intended buyer would not recognize their own problem. Rewrite the opening around the buyer's symptoms and desired outcome. [S3]
- **Premature pitch:** A first message asks for a call or describes the offer before the person has shown interest. Replace it with a contextual observation and a genuine question. [S4][S5]
- **Thin diagnosis:** The proposed solution could be sent to any buyer because it does not refer to their constraints, previous attempts, or cause. Return to discovery and label any remaining uncertainty. [S1]
- **Choice overload:** The seller lists packages without stating which one fits and why. Give a primary recommendation with a reason and an easy next step. [S1]
- **Defensive objection handling:** The response argues, adds bonuses, or reduces the fee before learning what the buyer doubts. Listen, clarify, and answer the actual concern. [S7][S9]
- **Automation friction:** A buyer considering a substantial service is sent through a page or booking flow when a direct conversation would be easier. Offer personal help arranging the next conversation. [S8]

## Finished output

For a sales asset or plan, deliver a brief buyer picture, their stated or assumed symptoms, the desired outcome, the likely cause with uncertainty marked, and the evidence that makes the seller credible. Include the actual post, message, call questions, or recommendation requested, plus one clear next step. For a recommendation, state the proposed course, why it fits, what happens first, and how results will be checked. Separate known buyer facts from assumptions, and leave out invented proof or unsupported guarantees. [S1][S2][S6]

## Worked example, illustration

An invented consultant sells onboarding improvement to small software companies. A founder says new users sign up but few reach their first useful result. The consultant's draft post begins with that observable symptom, explains that a confusing first session might be one cause, and invites founders with this pattern to discuss where users stop. This speaks to a buyer's lived problem and gives an appropriate next step. [S2][S3]

In the conversation, the agent asks where signups come from, what counts as a first useful result, where users drop out, and what fixes have already been tried. It summarizes the answers for correction. If the data points to unclear setup steps, the recommendation is one onboarding audit followed by a targeted rewrite of those steps, with a review of activation after launch. If the data instead points to poor fit traffic, the agent does not prescribe onboarding work without more evidence. [S1][S6]

If the founder says the fee feels high, the agent asks what comparison or result makes the cost hard to justify, then explains the proposed scope and evidence without an immediate discount. After the work, it checks activation against the agreed baseline and revises the diagnosis if the result is weak. [S7][S9][S1]

## Sources

1. [S1] Richard Moore, "The Doctor Method: A New Approach to Sales". https://www.therichardmoore.com/blog/the-doctor-method-a-new-approach-to-sales
2. [S2] Richard Moore, "Choosing the Third Way: The Doctor Method for LinkedIn Success". https://www.therichardmoore.com/blog/choosing-the-third-way-the-doctor-method-for-linkedin-success
3. [S3] Richard Moore, "How to Write Content That Attracts Buyers, Not Just Peers". https://www.therichardmoore.com/blog/how-to-write-content-that-attracts-buyers-not-just-peers
4. [S4] Richard Moore, "Revolutionizing Sales with a Human-Centric Approach for Better Results". https://www.therichardmoore.com/blog/revolutionizing-sales-with-a-human-centric-approach-for-better-results
5. [S5] Richard Moore, "How to Convert LinkedIn Connections into Meaningful Interactions (Without Being Salesy)". https://www.therichardmoore.com/blog/how-to-convert-linkedin-connections-into-meaningful-interactions-without-being-salesy
6. [S6] Richard Moore, "Selling Outcomes, Not Products: The Secret to Sales That Convert". https://www.therichardmoore.com/blog/selling-outcomes-not-products-the-secret-to-sales-that-convert
7. [S7] Richard Moore, "Reframing Objections in Sales: A New Perspective". https://www.therichardmoore.com/blog/reframing-objections-in-sales-a-new-perspective
8. [S8] Richard Moore, "Why Automation Might Be Killing Your High-Ticket Sales". https://www.therichardmoore.com/blog/why-automation-might-be-killing-your-high-ticket-sales
9. [S9] Richard Moore, "Why Your Clients Aren't Buying and Why It's Not About Price". https://www.therichardmoore.com/blog/why-your-clients-arent-buying--and-why-its-not-about-price