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These 3 Specific, Easy Actions
Will Increase New Starts From Patient Referrals By July!
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(Or We'll Send You Your Money Back!)
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Referrals from present patients are like gold for an orthodontic practice. They have greater value than other prospective patients because they are pre-qualified, and they are inexpensive to cultivate, unlike prospects from your external marketing (which is also a necessary component of any successful practice marketing campaign).
Unfortunately, systematic marketing efforts to increase patient referrals are frequently a neglected part of the practice marketing plan. Every orthodontic practice that we consult with understands the value of patient referrals and intends to take action to increase the quantity of these referrals. However, the primary enemy of these good intentions is usually "unintentional neglect". Asking for patient referrals is something that "slips through the cracks" in a busy orthodontic practice. Does this sound familiar?
To solve this problem and maximize patient referrals in 2013, we have an easy- to- follow, 3-step action plan for your practice. Follow these easy steps and you're on your way! |
#1 - Create a tangible referral piece that your office can actually HAND to your present patients. Let's face it - your customers are extremely busy. Even if they intend to refer their friends and neighbors to you, once they leave your office, they get busy doing other things, and your practice is easily forgotten until their next visit, which is why they need the tangible referral piece to remind them!
We've seen some practices hand out a business-card size marketing piece. Such an approach is better than no tangible referral piece. However, we prefer a small, educational 3 2/3" x 6" tri-folded brochure that is large enough not to get lost, but small enough to comfortably fit into a woman's purse or a shirt/coat pocket.
Whatever you use to help your customers remember to refer their friends, the piece should include an incentive for the recipient to visit your practice (a free exam and x-rays is a good start), an incentive (where allowed) for your present patient to refer their friends, some brief benefits they'll receive at your practice (think flexible financing, etc.), and a link to some educational information on your practice website (even if you're no different than your competitors, going the extra mile to educate your prospective patients, and helping them make an informed decision, goes a long way to ensure they select your practice).
#2 - Select 2 staff members to introduce your referral piece. One should be your treatment coordinator, the other an engaging staff member at your front desk who is friendly with your patients. Have these employees initial the referral pieces that they distribute and reward them on a quarterly basis for the new starts your practice enjoys due to their efforts.
Give your front desk employee 2 jobs:
* Print out a list of all of your patients presently in treatment. For the first 90 days of the patient referral initiative, have them introduce the referral program with an introduction such as:
"We're always looking to work with more great families, just like yours! And since we receive many of our new patients from referrals, Dr. _______________ has developed a referral program to make sure we properly thank our patients who refer their friends.
Simply fill in your name on this referral brochure and if you give it to a friend, neighbor, or family member, they will receive a free orthodontic exam and x-rays and you will receive a $50 Visa gift card (where allowed) when your referral starts treatment."
Have your employee check off the families from their list after they have presented the referral piece to them. Make sure this staff member reports their progress to you or your office manager on a weekly basis to ensure this important initiative continues for 90 days!
After 90 days, all families presently in treatment should have received one of your referral pieces. Follow-up the introduction of the program by mailing a referral piece to the homes of all of your patients, with a brief note containing the same script as listed above.
(Be certain to mail the brochure AFTER your staff member has introduced the program in person. Repetition of your marketing message is the goal here. If you do the mailing first, your patients will tell your staff member they already received one and interrupt the message.)
#3 - Have your treatment coordinator present the referral brochure (with similar script) to all new starts on the visit they get their bands put on or receive their Invisalign trays. This visit is one of the times your patients are most excited about your practice, and most likely to refer another patient to you (de-banding is another great time, as well).
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If your practice executes these 3 simple steps consistently over the next 6 months, you will experience a noticeable increase in new starts from patient referrals.
To view a sample of one of our GetOrthoCases tri-folded Patient Referral Brochures, click here: CO refer brochure.pdf |
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In addition, our GetOrthoCases Patient Referral Brochures come with a MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE. Distribute the Referral Brochures consistently for 6 months. If you don't AT LEAST TRIPLE YOUR INVESTMENT, we will refund your costs to create and produce the brochure NO QUESTIONS ASKED!
This strategy has worked for 66 other orthodontic practices...all you have to do is implement it! |
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To order the GetOrthoCases Patient Referral Brochure for your practice, click here for an order form:
Referral Brochure Order Form
or call 1.888.657.2762 TODAY. |
Andrew Zuch
GetOrthoCases
-a division of Philadelphia's Finest |
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