Systematic Engagement – Get the word out…literally.

Word of mouth starts with actually speaking.  For word of mouth (referral) marketing to work, an initiation of communication has to occur.  Seems obvious right?  You would think so.  

But time and time again I run into the same problem with dental practices.  The staff is not initiating communication.  They are not getting the word out of their mouths.  You have to get the word out and you have to do it consistently.   Your patient base is your Social Capital.  So capitalize on it.   You are in the people business.

This is from an article by a friend and colleague of mine Michael Graves.  It lays out the importance of systematic engagement or consistently getting the word out.

“Most dentists have the wrong idea about the business they are in.

Let’s face it, you are not in the dental business. You are in the relationship business. Dentistry is what happens when they go back to the ops.

Let me put it this way. 85% of all Fee For Service patients rely on word of mouth when choosing their dentist. 83% of all patients surveyed would refer their dentist because of their experience with the practice.

Their experience with the dentist, the staff, the atmosphere, and everything in between.

That’s a relationship. And that is why a doctor gets referrals. On average, about 9.6% of a dentists active patient base refer new patients. But if 83% WOULD refer new patients why aren’t they?

Lack of Systematic Engagement. The doctor and the staff are not engaging the customer and systematically, yet comfortably, orienting that patient towards a productive conversation. That’s why.

Here is a simple test to prove my point. Now keep in mind 83% of a dentist’s patients like the practice.

Take the amount of new patients from patient referrals you get every month. Not the patients you get from external marketing and multiply that number by 12 (months). Now divide that number by your active patient base.

That will give you your patient referral rate. i.e. 20 X 12 = 240 new patients divided by 2500 active patients = .096 or 9.6%. 9.6% of the patients are referring the doctor..

9.6%? What about the other 73.4%. What gives?

The customer is not being engaged properly by the staff. They are walking out happy and some are having conversations about the doctor, but they are not having PRODUCTIVE conversations about the doctor.

If you are not realizing at least a 20% referral rate from your active patient base, your patients are not being systematically engaged. And no amount of referral cards, $25 off coupons, or Gift Certificates, or nifty slogans, or smiling faces can do the trick all by themselves.

It’s the whole package. It’s the precise systematic combination of several key elements that culminate into a perfect relaxing engagement with the patient. The result of which is a productive conversation in the field and a new patient walking through your door.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Jeff Simms

http://www.dentalreferralmarketing.com

Friendly Power – Referral Marketing

Referral marketing has been and always will be the most powerful form of advertising for the dental and financial management industries.
Did you know that over 80% of all new patients or financial management clients stem from referrals? Over 80%!

With this in mind, the right system for referral marketing could potentially make the difference between 5 new patients (or clients) or 20 per week on a regular       basis.

When someone is on the lookout for a professional in these fields, they normally will consult friends or family – wouldn’t it be beneficial for your practice or office if these people were mentioning your name or handing out cards for you? Even better would be to have a “machine” set up as part of your business or practice that would constantly work to bring new people in while also rewarding patients and staff.

There are a couple of key elements in making this happen. One is having the right referral cardsthat are working a sort of “magic” for you and the other is establishing the “machine”. Here is a helpful article on this subject:

Referral Marketing for Dental Practices:  How to Market Effectively

Jeff Simms

www.dentalreferralmarketing.com