Top Banner
20
Welcome message from author
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Page 1: A Dentists Guide to Referrals

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS

Page 2: A Dentists Guide to Referrals

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS © 2014 Jay Geier’s Scheduling Institute. All rights reserved. // 2

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS

10 STRATEGIES YOU SHOULD BE USING TODAY THAT WILL MAKE YOUR PATIENTS WANT TO REFER TO YOU AND CREATE AN UNLIMITED FLOW OF QUALITY NEW PATIENTS INTO YOUR PRACTICE!

By Jay GeierScheduling Institute

Page 3: A Dentists Guide to Referrals

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS © 2014 Jay Geier’s Scheduling Institute. All rights reserved. // 3

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS

Referrals are typically the best kind of patient. They require the least amount of persuasion and often come “presold”. More often than not, in a referrals’ conversations with you and your staff they’ll reveal exactly what they want and their expectations. Then all you have to do is deliver.

COMMON MISTAKES I see a lot of doctors who completely bungle these ideal opportunities. You can avoid bungling by asking the right questions and being a good listener. Ask the prospective patient what it was that your current patient said about you that appealed to them. What qualities do they value in a dentist, the staff and the practice. Listen well, then make sure you deliver on what they value.

Another huge mistake I see dentists making is they are not giving referrals the time and resources they deserve. If you want to generate more patients and referrals are the ideal kind of patient, why not put some time, energy and money into getting more referrals. Every time a patient walks into your office, visualize a line of people standing behind him/her – all their friends and family – and realize that patient probably has some level of influence over all those people. So as a strategy, you should be doing everything within your power to get them to refer three or four of those people. If you’re taking good care of your patients there is no reason why they should not refer at least one of those people. If they don’t, it’s probably because you never asked them to or you didn’t make it worth their time to do it.

Page 4: A Dentists Guide to Referrals

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS © 2014 Jay Geier’s Scheduling Institute. All rights reserved. // 4

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS

MISCONCEPTIONSThere are also a few misconceptions dentists have about getting referrals.

#1 Only long-time patients refer. False!

#2 Patients only refer after they’ve seen tremendous results. False!

#3 If a patient has already referred once; you probably can’t get him/her to refer again. False!

When it comes to asking for referrals, earlier is better. Referrals are more likely to happen early in the relationship rather than late so actively be seeking referrals in the days or first week following the first visit. Don’t wait a year and then expect a lot of referrals. At that point most of the excitement will have faded.

Oftentimes referrals happen many times before there’s been any result whatsoever. In many cases, the thought of a result is more exciting than the actual result.

As for a limit on referrals, as long as you keep your patients happy they’ll keep referring. Drop the ball and you risk losing them and their referrals. Creating a VIP program is a great way to encourage multiple referrals from a patient. I’ll cover VIP programs later in the Guide.

Start by setting a referral goal. Pull your last six to 12-month referral numbers and come up with an average number of referrals you get each month. With these strategies, set a goal to increase your referrals by at least 10 percent.

Now, let’s dive in and look at some specific strategies that will help stimulate your referrals.

Page 5: A Dentists Guide to Referrals

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS © 2014 Jay Geier’s Scheduling Institute. All rights reserved. // 5

1

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS

MAKE YOUR OFFICE REFERABLE

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE The physical appearance of your office has to be appropriate to justify referrals. If your office hasn’t been updated in 10 years it’s probably not a referable office. You should make updates – even if they’re minimal - every three to five years. A first impression greatly impacts a patient’s likelihood to refer to you.

The parking lot should be clean & well maintained. The exterior of the building needs to be in good shape with visible up-to-date signage. There should be someone at the front to greet patients when they walk in the door (not behind a sliding window of glass). The magazines need to be current and you should have beverages in the waiting room. Water is a must, but the more variety the better. One-cup coffee makers (like Keurig) are a great addition and allow you to offer variety that’s convenience and cost-effective. TVs, free Wi-Fi or computers with Internet access is a plus. And of course, make sure your office is ALWAYS clean and tidy.

REFERRAL STRATEGIES

On a scale of 1 to 10, rate how referable your office is based on its physical appearance?1 being not very referable, 10 being very referable

EXERCISE

Page 6: A Dentists Guide to Referrals

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS © 2014 Jay Geier’s Scheduling Institute. All rights reserved. // 6

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS

YOUR STAFF Your staff is a huge part of this. If they are warm, inviting, personable and helpful they’re more likely to make a good impression than if they are cold, grumpy and unhappy with their jobs. You cannot afford to keep unhappy employees in your practice. They are like poison and will affect other employees and your patients. If someone on your team is a loyal employee, hard worker and brings value to the practice, but is not friendly to the patients, give him/her a new role where they don’t have to interact with patients.

Gauge whether office updates are needed or how your patients feel about your team based on comments or compliments. If you don’t get compliments often you probably should consider making some upgrades.

On a scale of 1 to 10, rate how referable your office is based on your staff? 1 being not very referable, 10 being very referable

EXERCISE

Page 7: A Dentists Guide to Referrals

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS © 2014 Jay Geier’s Scheduling Institute. All rights reserved. // 7

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS

2 COMMUNICATE THAT YOU WANT REFERRALSDon’t assume patients know. Make it a point to communicate to your patients that you want their referrals. Many doctors are doing all the right things – they have a referable office and service is supreme, but they’re not letting their patients know that they actually want their referrals. Don’t make it complicated, just ASK!

Here are a few things to keep in mind that should help you get past your fear of asking for referrals.

Most people like to help other people if there is no negative cost to them. When a patient is given the opportunity to refer to you he/she is helping the person they’re referring to you and they’re helping you so it’s a win-win.

The worst thing that could happen to you when you ask is the patient could say “No”. That’s not too terrible, is it?

Make asking for referrals part of your normal routine with a patient. Predetermine when you will bring it up, how you will bring it up and exactly what you will say. Being prepared makes doing things you’re uncomfortable with easier.

Be sincere and direct and always ask for referrals face-to-face. For example, as you leave the room or are walking the patient to the front desk say, “Mrs. Jones, we look forward to working with you as a patient. We would love more patients just like you. Would you reach out and tell two or three of your friends or family members about your experience with us?” If you’ve provided good service that day, your patients will be more than willing to do that for you.

On a scale of 1 to 10, rate how intentional you are about communicat-ing to your patients that you want their referrals.1 being not very intentional, 10 being very intentional

EXERCISE

Page 8: A Dentists Guide to Referrals

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS © 2014 Jay Geier’s Scheduling Institute. All rights reserved. // 8

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS

3 SEND OUT A PATIENT NEWSLETTER REGULARLYIf you’re not already sending out a patient newsletter, start immediately! If creativity isn’t your strong suite, there are many companies that will put a newsletter together for you. The magic of a patient newsletter is it gives you a way to leverage yourself and spread your reach. When you mail out a newsletter to a thousand people with a picture of you and your office on it, you’ll be showing up in front of a thousand people that day, without ever having them enter your office. In every single newsletter you send out there should be several things that ask for referrals and promote your referral program. Newsletters are also a great way to highlight services, run specials or offer discounts and promotions. At minimum do a newsletter every other month.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how often do you send out a newsletter that includes promotions of your referral program?1 being not very often, 10 being very often

EXERCISE

Page 9: A Dentists Guide to Referrals

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS © 2014 Jay Geier’s Scheduling Institute. All rights reserved. // 9

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS

4 MARKET YOUR REFERRAL PROGRAM THROUGHOUT YOUR OFFICEIn addition to asking, one of the easiest ways to stimulate referrals is to show that referrals are greatly appreciated in your practice. Advertise it throughout your office. Put signs in places you know people will see them – the waiting room, on the check-in/check-out counter, by the magazines, in the restroom, on the complimentary beverage table. Take it another step and tie balloons to the signs to draw more attention.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how visible is your referral program around your office?1 being not very visible, 10 being very visible

EXERCISE

Page 10: A Dentists Guide to Referrals

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS © 2014 Jay Geier’s Scheduling Institute. All rights reserved. // 10

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS

RUN REFERRAL CONTESTS WITH YOUR PATIENTS AND YOUR STAFF PATIENT CONTESTYou should always have a referral contest running. This contest can be held over a 30-90 day time period depending on what you prefer. Some of my clients who do one every month and are bringing in 20-40 additional referrals each month. Follow this step-by-step process to run your referral contest.

Prizes can stay the same or rotate, just base the prize on your clientele. For kids, prizes like a bicycle or gaming system are popular. TVs, iPads and laptops work really well for almost everyone.

5

Page 11: A Dentists Guide to Referrals

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS © 2014 Jay Geier’s Scheduling Institute. All rights reserved. // 11

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS

STEP 1: Go buy your prize and put it (or a photo or replica of it) in a prominent location in your office along with nice signage that explains what how to “WIN THIS TV”. Also put something in each treatment room that has a picture of the prize on it that says “Ask Me How to Win This TV!”

STEP 2: Mail a postcard or letter promoting the contest to your current Patient list. If you have their email address send them an email. Include a write-up about it in your Newsletter. Promote the contest to your clients often and always include a visual of the prize.

STEP 3: Make sure your team is promoting the Referral Contest with EVERY Patient that walks through the door.

STEP 4: Choose a Winner. Don’t forget to take pictures of the patient holding the gift with you and your staff gathered around and put the picture in your newsletter and on your website with a write-up promoting the referral program and how they can win the next prize.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how exciting and motivating is your patient referral contest? 1 being not very exciting or non-existent, 10 being very exciting

EXERCISE

Page 12: A Dentists Guide to Referrals

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS © 2014 Jay Geier’s Scheduling Institute. All rights reserved. // 12

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS

STAFF CONTESTStaff referral contests will get your staff fired up and focused on getting referrals. Let’s face it - you’ve got a staff and there’s a lot more of them than you. Your staff can be your best marketing source if they are motivated. The most successful referral programs happen in practices where the staff has taken ownership of driving referrals. Set-up an incentive or contest that your staff will get excited about. You can pay them per successful referral or set a goal and reward them with a prize when they hit the goal. You can also run a contest much like your patient referral contest. The key to incentivizing staff on referrals is to set a goal for the number of referrals they have to get before it kicks in. The goal should be higher than the number of referrals you were getting before the contest. If you set it up like this you shouldn’t have ANY hesitation about paying out the incentive or giving away the prize when they hit the number. It’s a win-win.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how exciting and motivating is your staff referral contest? 1 being not very exciting or non-existent, 10 being very exciting

EXERCISE

Page 13: A Dentists Guide to Referrals

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS © 2014 Jay Geier’s Scheduling Institute. All rights reserved. // 13

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS

GIFT YOUR CURRENT PATIENTSThe Law of Reciprocity says that people try to repay what another person has provided to them. (If you haven’t read Dr. Robert Cialdini’s book titled Influence: Science and Practice pick up a copy today.) Begin a simple gifting process to acknowledge your patient’s existence. This shows you know who they are and appreciate them. The Law of Reciprocity will compel them to repay you. They can easily repay you with referrals.

The gift can be small – a coffee mug, workout bag, hat, etc. Don’t get wrapped up in the item or the cost. Just a small token of appreciation will have a bigger impact than you think. Plan to send a gift two or three times a year. It might be sending them something on a holiday or their birthday or just pick a time for patient appreciation. Whatever gift you give, the patients will give back to you tenfold.

6

On a scale of 1 to 10, how intentional are you about gifting your patients frequently? 1 being not very intentional or non-existent, 10 being very intentional

EXERCISE

Page 14: A Dentists Guide to Referrals

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS © 2014 Jay Geier’s Scheduling Institute. All rights reserved. // 14

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS

PRESENT EVERY NEW PATIENT WITH A WELCOME LETTER & GIFTThe welcome letter & gift is to be handed to the new patient when they physically come in for the first appointment. Don’t hand it over the counter, walk around to the front of the counter or walk it over to them if they are sitting in the waiting room and say, “Mrs. Jones, on behalf of Dr. Smith and our team we want you to know how glad we are that you chose us. Make yourself at home and let me know if you need anything.” The letter inside should say something similar, briefly explain the referral program and ASK for a referral. You can even put a few referral cards in the envelope as well. The letter should actually be signed by the doctor - this will take a few extra minutes but make a huge impression. Again, the gift can be small. It’s not the gift but the act of giving the gift that leaves the creates the wow factor.

7

On a scale of 1 to 10, how intentional are you about officially welcoming your new patients? 1 being not very intentional or non-existent, 10 being very intentional

EXERCISE

Page 15: A Dentists Guide to Referrals

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS © 2014 Jay Geier’s Scheduling Institute. All rights reserved. // 15

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS

8 HOST A PATIENT APPRECIATION DAYWhether you’re referring or the one being referred you need “social proof” to feel comfortable taking action. Studies have shown that knowing someone who uses or endorses a product/ service is more influential on the buyer’s decision than saving money. Hosting this event and encouraging your patients to bring a guest gives social proof that your patients support and endorse your practice.

While hosting the event maximize the opportunity to “woo” new patient referrals. Give out information about your practice, have a contest that awards the patient with the most guests and get your staff involved. This is all about mingling, your patients are excited and talking about you with the guests they brought to your event. You are creating a positive buzz of activity that will win the engagement of your current patients as well as their referrals. Also if you can, be ready to make appointments on the spot, you should always make it as easy as possible for someone to be scheduled.

Our clients host these events in many different ways. You can rent out a movie theater, go bowling, or even host a carnival. No matter how you do it, make sure it’s fun, tell your patients about it early and often and give them an incentive to bring guests.

On a Scale of 1 -10, how intentional are you about creating referral opportunities in your practice? 1 being not very intentional, 10 being very intentional

EXERCISE

Page 16: A Dentists Guide to Referrals

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS © 2014 Jay Geier’s Scheduling Institute. All rights reserved. // 16

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS

9 CULTIVATE RELATIONSHIPS THAT LEVERAGE YOUR PATIENTS SPHERE OF INFLUENCEIn business a lot of opportunity is created by just networking. As a dentist you have all kinds of patients and just by asking questions and leveraging those relationships you can really grow your potential for new patient referrals. You have to think beyond their few family and friends. Every person has a group of people that they can influence. For example, if you have a patient that is a principle at a school, what would it take for you to give out tooth brushes, or give a talk about dental hygiene to a class? At the very least send over some information about your practice to be left in the front office. It should be easy assuming you are leveraging your relationships properly.

Here are a couple tips to get you started:

Know your patients – When you are talking to a new patient ask questions and listen. You can learn a lot about a patient if you just listen and pay attention. Ask them about their work, social activities etc. Pay attention to the answers and take note of those who have large “spheres of influence”. (IE Principles, Hospital staff, Executives, club leaders or members) Anyone with a large network either by work or play should be on your radar.

Seek out opportunities to be the Expert -- Be proactive in finding out opportunities to speak to large groups about dentistry or invite potential new patients into your practice. And be ready to sell yourself to professionals on your exceptional service offerings.

On a scale from 1-10, how often are you (or someone from your office) invited to speak about your practice?1 being often, 10 being never

EXERCISE

Page 17: A Dentists Guide to Referrals

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS © 2014 Jay Geier’s Scheduling Institute. All rights reserved. // 17

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS

10 MAKE IT EASY FOR REFERRAL PATIENTS TO GET AN APPOINTMENTNothing that we have talked about is as important as this strategy. You can do everything we mentioned plus more to get patients to refer new patients to you but if your staff is not trained to know that new patients are priority then you will never reach your referral goals. New patients are the life blood of your practice and referrals that call in are the best kind of new patient. They are the cheapest to get and they are three times more likely to schedule an appointment and show up. So, all calls to your office are not created equally. There are seven types of call that are coming in on any given day.

The most important of these is the new patient call and it’s your staff’s top priority. In most cases, new patients are not the priority. Usually it’s billing, paperwork, checking patients in, checking patients out, etc.

Do this quick test. Go ask your front desk staff what is the most important thing they do. Their answer will reveal what they put the most attention on. If their answer is not “New Patients”, then “New Patients” aren’t a priority in your office. New patients are easy to recognize when they call.

1. New Patients2. Existing Patients3. People Trying to Give You Money4. Vendors5. Administrative6. Sales People7. Family and FriendsIM

PORT

AN

CE

Page 18: A Dentists Guide to Referrals

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS © 2014 Jay Geier’s Scheduling Institute. All rights reserved. // 18

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS

Some new patients will outright say they are a new patient or who referred them. If not, listen for questions. Most new patients ask a lot of questions because they are unfamiliar with your office. But what staff who are not trained on getting patents in the door miss, questions are buying signals.

Even questions about price are buying signals. Just because they ask about price doesn’t mean they object to the price. It actually means they have moved one step closer to making a commitment and scheduling an appointment.

People don’t call just to ask questions. Being courteous and helpful and answering caller’s questions is good, but it’s simply NOT good enough.

It DOES NOT mean that your staff has done their job. In fact, their courtesy mayeven be resulting in lost new patients. And lost new patients mean lost money.It doesn’t matter how pleasant they are if the caller doesn’t schedule an appointment. It doesn’t matter how knowledgeable they are about insurance or treatment options if the caller doesn’t schedule an appointment. Your staff should NOT treat potential new patients calling like they just called to ask questions. During every single new patient call, they should be focused on getting a result, which is getting a new patient scheduled for an appointment.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how focused on scheduling new patients is your staff today?1 being not really, 10 being absolutely always

EXERCISE

Page 19: A Dentists Guide to Referrals

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS © 2014 Jay Geier’s Scheduling Institute. All rights reserved. // 19

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS

Pay close attention to the results these activities generate and make sure your staff is carefully tracking patient referrals. If your referrals increase, keep doing the things that worked. Don’t stop! There are things you can do to significantly increase their eagerness and make them WANT to refer to you. Get serious about referrals, take the time to understand how lucrative they are to your practice and be diligent about adding new referral strategies to your marketing plan on a regular basis.

But don’t ignore my warning in strategy 10. You must be 100% confident your staff is trained to convert referrals into scheduled new patients. You can do all the other strategies we discussed and your staff can completely bungle all the time, effort and resources you put in place to get referrals if they cannot get them in the door. Your staff has to be trained to be focused on the close, not just answering questions.

Of the 100,000 Mystery Calls we made to doctor’s offices last year, only 4% made any attempt at all to close the caller on an appointment. Only 9% asked for the caller’s name and phone number when he/she didn’t schedule an appointment. Instead they answered questions, gave out a bunch of information and let the potential new patient go about their merry way. THEY LOST NEW PATIENTS FOR THE PRACTICE!

Anyone who picks up your phone should be dialed in and completely focused on NEW PATIENTS. They need to be able to prioritize callers and recognize buying signals and they must know how to CLOSE!

Is your staff simply giving out information or are they being “sales people” for your practice focused on getting new patients in the door? If you haven’t tested them in the last 90 days then you really have no idea.

It takes a lot of skill – and an open mind – to scrutinize your practice and your staff in this area. It takes even more skill and a gift for teaching to work with your staff on the fine points of the changes needed to take your practice to the next level. You were trained to be a dentist; you’re not an expert in training staff.

But above all, the most difficult part about this is figuring out if your staff can convert those referrals or new patient calls you worked so hard to get into scheduled new patients.

Is your staff trained and ready to turn referrals and new patient calls into an unlimited flow quality new patients?

YOU’RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT …

Page 20: A Dentists Guide to Referrals

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS © 2014 Jay Geier’s Scheduling Institute. All rights reserved. // 20

A DENTIST’S GUIDE TO REFERRALS

BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR A FEDEX ENVELOPE IN THE

NEXT 7-10 BUSINESS DAYS.

Inside you will find a CD that is a recording of your staff handling a new patient call so you can hear first hand how your staff is handling new patient calls in your office.

Do yourself a favor! When the package arrives, take 10 minuets and give this information the time it deserves. Get away from any distractions and pay close attention. This will be a turning point in your practice.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL (866) 861-3676