So you have decided to move to Private Practice. How are you going to persuade the public to consult you in preference to your colleagues? At medical school, you were never taught about the economics of medicine or marketing for patients. In fact talking about money in the medical field is abhorred. Having concentrated on working hard to become a specialist, you have never thought of how to survive in private practice. You are unaware of how you are going to market yourself when you move to private practice. When working in the public service, you work in a cocoon where there is always an overflow of patients. In private practice, you will have to compete for your patients. This is a topic often discussed by doctors but rarely penned down. Having worked in the private sector for 25 years, I will try to outline my thoughts on this topic.