Prompt More Patient Referrals ...

The quickest, easiest, most efficient way to get more referrals is to ask for them.

"But, that makes me look like I'm begging for business" you may be thinking to yourself. " And that's not the image I want to portray." It won't if you approach it correctly. In fact, instead of perceiving your request as begging ... your patients will likely see it as a compliment.

How do you accomplish that?**

• First, instead of asking all of your patients to refer someone, you approach only your best patients.
  
  
• Second, you sincerely thank them for their business and express how much you appreciate, and enjoy working with, them.
  
  
• Third, inform them that you would like to add more patients to your practice who are just like them.
  
  
• Fourth, explain that patients tend to refer other patients who are, in fact, quite similar to themselves. (That's generally true.)
  
  
• Finally, ask them.

The way you word your request is important in both patient perception and success.

** If you're looking to add more quality patient referrals to your practice contact me to request more information regarding my Patient Referral Program.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

What Is Word Of Mouth Marketing?

Isn't Word Of Mouth marketing just another name for seeking patient referrals?

Patient referrals represent only one aspect of word-of-mouth marketing. It involves strategy and tactics designed specifically to facilitate and encourage the media, local community people (whether they're patients or not) and influential people in your community to talk positively about you to others.

One example would be providing appropriately valuable information to local professionals via letters, newsletters, recordings, dvds, etc. What would be an example of appropriate info? Keeping local physicians abreast of the most recent mouth/body connection research would fit that "appropriate" definition.

Another example would be setting up speaking engagements with local groups ... and providing media with press releases to announce it.

Sponsoring high profile events and popular local social causes is another, as is developing unique advertising or incorporating a practice feature that causes people to talk to their friends about it ... and, thus, you.

I'll be covering a number of word-of-mouth topics in in the future. If you'd like to read more about it now, a good place to start would be a visit to the WOMMA (Word of Mouth Marketing Association) web site and read Word of Mouth 101. You can also check it out in Wikipedia.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

How To Get More Referrals From Professional Colleagues?

Let's break it down to something simpler. From my experience, here are the key reasons why many dentists don't get more professional referrals.

1. They seldom, if ever, ask for them. (You will seldom get what you don't ask for.)

2. When they do receive a colleague referral, they don't express or show their appreciation. (Just as you should express and show appreciation to patients who refer others, you should do the same with your fellow professionals.)

3. They don't reciprocate with referrals back to their colleague. (If it's possible, you should refer back ... it likely will be expected.)

4. They don't view the process as a strategic relationship-building (marketing) decision in which both parties should benefit.

If you view getting more professional colleague referrals as a part of your overall marketing plan in which you actively attempt to build strategic relationships -- then ask for referrals -- you're likely to get them.

And if you express appreciation and reciprocate with referrals of your own, you'll keep them coming for years to come.

But where should you start? A Word Of Mouth marketing program is a logical starting point.

I'll go into more detail on this subject in the future.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

Your Staff's Place In The Marketing Mix

Do you expect and encourage your staff to take an active role in your practice marketing?

If not, you should consider it.

Every member of your staff should be actively recommending your practice to friends and acquaintances whenever the opportunity presents itself. Who better to know how skilled you are and how patient friendly your practice is. And although it would be nice to think that staff would do this willingly, the likely reality is that few see themselves as a marketing arm of your practice.

How can you encourage and motivate your staff to take more of an active role in the marketing of your practice?

» Whenever you hire a new staff member, be sure to discuss their role in the overall marketing of the practice.

» Explain to the current staff that they can have a direct influence on the success of the practice through their personal word-of-mouth marketing. Encourage them to regularly recommend the practice.

» Make it worth the staff's time and effort. Develop some type of compensation package that remunerates staff members whenever they are responsible for bringing in new patients. It might be a flat dollar amount, a percentage of fees paid by the new patient (up to a given limit and within a certain time period), or any other number of options.

» Devise a system that makes it easy to track which new patients came through which staff member. There are any number of ways this can be accomplished but one of the easier ways is to give all of your staff professional business cards which they hand out to prospects (with instructions to the prospects to bring the card with them to their first appointment).

To make this system even more effective, allow staff members the right to authorize a prospective patient up to a 5% or 10% or 15% discount on any work done during their first year or first procedure or whatever you're comfortable with. The staff member handwrites this discount percentage on the card and tells the prospect to be sure to present that card when s/he gets to the office to be sure to get the discount.

If you're concerned about how much the discount might cost, you can always put a total dollar limit on it ... say 10% discount with a total limit of $500. (Of course, the limit should be mentioned to the prospect by the staff member.)

This is a win-win-win situation. The power to offer discounts (and have a vested financial interest) gives the staff member more incentive and confidence in broaching the subject with people. The new patient gains immediate respect for the staff member as someone with influence in the practice. And because of the special personal discount the prospect is more likely to make an appointment, keep the appointment, and follow through on your recommendations.

I'm not one who often recommends to my clients the use of discounts to attract new patients. That's not the image we're normally trying to promote. BUT, when it comes to motivating referrals -- particularly from staff -- I consider it a valuable marketing tool with little downside (as long as the staff handles it with care and respect).

If you're not actively trying to get your staff involved in the marketing mix, give it some thought. I'm sure you (or your staff) can come up with a plan that will make everyone happy.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson