How to Get New Patients-from June 19th phone call and more

How to get New Patients-A Few Tips
By
Suzanne Robinson CC

Tip #1:
How active is your local Chamber of Commerce? If your Chamber of Commerce is well respected and puts on many events, join the Chamber. Attend their monthly meetings. Host a "Chamber Mixer". This is where a local chamber member, who is a business, hosts a chamber meeting in their office. It can be a productive fun event if hosted correctly.

Tip #2:
Are you willing to give away to attract new patients? I recently had a dentist from back east email me and asked me if I thought his $200.00 off Zoom is a great offer. I told him I agree it is significant savings but he may consider offering take home whitening trays with one tube of bleach at the fee between $79.00 and $99.00. I know, I know, that seems ridiculous, but it is getting people in the door and it has proven to move people forward when they otherwise would have not. With these difficult economic times we have to find the right bait. Many people want a bright white smile but are not willing to invest heavily in it at this time.

Tip #3:
Consider radio advertisement and offer a compelling discount. I have a local client who ran a radio special at the beginning of the year for: complete exam, x-rays, prophy, and free take home bleaching for $79.00. We ran it for one month. The contract was for 3 and we changed up the ad so we wouldn't get riff raff. We got, 4 new patients from that ad. One was a denture patient the other 3 all needed some comprehensive work. Two were a husband and wife team. The wife wanted the husband to go first. So, he started with two crowns. He is due back for his cleaning soon. He said he will schedule the rest then. His wife will do hers next year. They have already referred two patients who needed crowns and those patients have already done their crowns. So to date: his investment for the ad was $248.00 for that one month, and he has profited at least $3000.00. This is minus lab, staff, sterilization etc... It is probably more around $4500.00 but I am keeping it conservative. Radio works in our small area of the world, and has for years. I write the ad, record it, and have been doing that for clients since 1988. Oh, that husband and wife team, own a successful business in the area. Local radio advertising can work, you need to know what station is being played in most local businesses, that is the one you want to choose, whether or not you like the music. Know how your local community is getting their information about local businesses then choose that resource. Radio does not work in every community.

Tip #4:
If you have a local military hospital in your area start a "Thank You" campaign to our military folks serving us presently and past. There are many ways to go about this. One way is to have thank you cards printed up with your name on the back. Keep it blank on the inside so patients can have plenty of room to express their gratitude. Before you have them printed contact your local printer, tell them you want some thank you cards made up for your patients to write in and if they will give you a significant discount if you let them put their name on the back of the card as well. I have not had a printer say no yet. Then you go to the busy local restaurants and ask them if you can put a box in their place with some cards and envelopes for their patrons to fill out and you will pick them up in about 45 days. No one has said no yet. At that 45 day mark pick them up. Gather yours and the ones from your printer because they need to participate, and then plan a day when you and your staff can go to that local hospital or base and present these cards. Call the local newspaper and let them know what you are doing and will they be willing to write a story and ask them, if they say yes, could you have their photographer take a picture of you passing the cards to the base commander or hospital staff. Get creative here. I suggested this to a client of mine in Florida and they even took 200 cupcakes with them to give to the airmen and women and staff. You will need to fine tune that number for sure. That was their twist on my idea.

Tip#5:
I have a client who went to the local post office and took cupcakes to them and said, "thank you for getting our mail to us so efficiently. This is our thank you from the office of "Dr. XYZ"---It made a huge impression on the postal workers.

Tip #6:
Local beauty salons, if you are willing to do take home bleaching for $79.00 to-$99.00 (keep it under $100.00, people have a higher tendency to move forward).
Then ask those local salons to pass out a promo coupon/brochure whatever you have made and let them know for every new patient you get you will give them XYZ. Some Dr's have given free bleaching to the stylist for 5 new patients that stylist recommends. Or movie tickets, restaurant gift certificates and so on. You and your staff can decide what will motivate their stylist to refer. The patient needs to bring the coupon/brochure with the stylist name, shop and number so you can contact them. Send a thank you card to that stylist after each referral even if they have not reached the magic number 5 yet. Everyone likes to be told job well done, so don't ignore or forget any act of kindness and promotion by any referral source.

Well, there are six tips to get you started moving your practice forward faster. Feel free to contact me at Suzanne@practicewithhonor or call me at: 928-710-0166 if you have any questions on my suggestions or building your practice.

I wish you much success,

Suzanne Robinson CC