Take time to connect with your patient

There are many times in patient care when it is important to connect emotionally with your patients. Typically, these times are at the start, the middle, and the end of the appointment. Yes, it seems so obvious but many times practioners are so busy that the emotional connection is ignored in part in all appointments. Talk about missed opportunity! It's one of those things like, "I know I need to do this, I just forgot..." The cool thing is, if you remember to do it, and take your time, it costs you nothing and often leads to a very profitable result!

Just yesterday, I was observing a cosmetic derm practice and the doctor was seeing a new patient. In the initial interview, the new patient stated what she wanted, (brown spots removed from her cheeks and less tired looking eyes), and said, "I would have gone to my dermatologist for this, but he's always so busy." (Alarm bells sounding off in head because patient has told us exactly how to make her happy) The doctor then spent an extra 25 minutes discussing the patients goals and treatment options. The patient described the way her skin made her feel and why she was uncomfortable. She told the doctor about her daughter's upcoming wedding and he wish to look younger in the wedding pictures. When the consultation was done, the patient ended up scheduling for $5500 more treatment that what the initial treatment plan outlined.

Do you think that would have happened if the doctor rushed the consult and didn't connect with patient?

If you want to increase your case size, the likelihood or a referral, and your satisfaction, do the following:

Spend time creating a relationship with the patient. Ask her about her family, her work, or her life in general. If appropriate, disclose a bit about yourself. This establishes trust and trust leads to case acceptance.

Make eye contact and practice active listening. Tell her what you will be doing and answer any questions and ask permission to start treatment.

Speak to the benefits of treatment and the advantages of how you provide the care. Don't be too technical or serious. Just connect emotionally with your patient.

If you start taking more time, your patient satisfaction will go up. Happy patients = referring patients. Get started today!

Photos, Photos, Everywhere.

Have you ever looked through a magazine, seen a picture, and suddenly, you find that you've gotta have it? Maybe you've been walking by a billboard with models and thought, "I wish I looked like that".

That is exactly the experience and response that we want to create with your patients! Pictures are excellent triggers to remind people of what they want out of life, and using them in your practice is a great way to get patients excited about their treatment.

I've been in a physical therapy program for several months recovering from an ACL reconstruction. (I tore it during a bad slip in a dodge ball game, but thankfully, am now back to normalcy and running everyday.) In my physical therapy center, each wall is lined with giant, glossy photos of former patients doing their favorite activities. There are cyclists, ballerinas, lacrosse players, you name it. Each of them is signed by the patient with a nice thank you note to the physical therapists at the center.

When I was first diagnosed, looking at these pictures made me feel pretty grumpy. I was still very injured and had just learned it would be 6 months before I could think about participating in my normal activities. I didn't want to think about the active life I was putting on hold.

A week after my surgery, I was back to looking at the photos and a thought popped into my head - "soon that will be me." I looked at the photos nearly everyday for 6 months, and each time, I felt that I was getting stronger and mirroring the healthy people in the pictures. When I felt bummed about my crutches, I'd think about the picture of the recovered skier ripping it up on the slopes. When my friends went to play basketball and I stayed at home, I'd think of the image of the soccer player racing past an opponent. What I've come to realize is that those pictures gave me the inspiration to work hard everyday at my own recovery. Those strangers on the wall motivated me to follow through with my treatment.

How can you harness the power of photos for your own practice to get your patients excited about working with you?

Pictures of your happy patients should line your walls, your reception area, and clinical operatories. Depending on your practice, before and after photos can be a great way to showcase your best work. In venous disease treatment for example, when people see the difference between a leg covered in varicose veins, and a leg that is smooth and beautiful, they will be much more receptive to treatment options. A nice comparison album makes a great addition to any reception area and makes it much easier to sell your services.

I like to include captions with the photos. In dentistry, you could show a porcelain veneer case with the caption, "Porcelain veneers - done in 2 visits." That would impress almost anyone.

My team can help you create an excellent before and after book that works very well. Call 206-419-5407 and we can get started today!

Cold Calls to Build Strategic Relationships

As a new business owner, I have been making my fair share of cold calls lately. The idea of approaching people that you don’t know and trying to convince them of something is frightening in and of itself. I don’t know anyone who really likes cold calling or finds this comfortable, but I do know people who have learned to do it without breaking into a cold sweat every time.

What I’ve found is that preparation is the one thing that eases my mind takes the edge off these experiences. The more I prepare, the easier I am able to get through each cold call and the better the results. You can do the same as you reach out to businesses in you area to build strategic relationships.

What are the best ways to prepare?

To start, do a little research and find out about your prospects. Think about what kinds of businesses serve your target market. A cosmetic dermatologist might seek to align herself with a high end women's retail store or a make up shop. An oral surgeon may reach out to a driving school because it will be full of potential wisdom teeth patients. If you are a dentist and would like to seek referrals from a local beauty shop, get to know their website or call them for an informational interview. If your prospect is close by, you can request a site visit and spend some face time learning what they do and what solutions you could offer them through a mutually beneficial relationship. The added bonus here is that you can often meet leads just by walking around and talking to people. You’ll want to pay attention to your prospects “hot button.” Find out what really matters to them and craft your message around offering the solution to their problem.

Once you’ve found your prospects needs and know what to say, you are ready to make your move.

Here are 4 things to keep in mind to get your cold calls done the “easy” way:

• Manage your own feelings and expectations. Nobody likes rejection. Get out of your own way and don’t let your fear of rejection hold you back. Send yourself positive messages and remember that the worst that will happen is the dreaded “no.”

• Create a Plan B. Figure out what back up options you have. Never keep all your eggs in one basket. A back up plan is a comforting feeling that you do have other options and alternatives. I always make a list of several targets to increase my odds of success.

• Remember Helping vs. Selling. Focus on being a helper and offering a solution to a problem instead of a salesperson. Think about the needs of the business you are reaching out to. You’ll feel much better about what you are doing if you really believe in it and the benefit your work can bring to others.

• Highlight your competitive advantage. When you finish a cold call, instead of leaving business cards, brochures, or pens, leave a list of the Top Ten Reasons they should do business with your company. List items that are true, memorable, and show why you are the best game in town.

A lot of this may be common sense and simply requires a bit of hard work. Use your industry knowledge to modify your approach and keep track of what works for you. I find that I am most successful with my cold calls after 6pm. At that time, my prospects are most relaxed and willing to talk. For the best response, keep your focus on a few industries and markets so you can spend time customizing your approach. Read trade publications and blogs, and go to events and seminars. Be anywhere your potential clients might be. Stay true to your message, and in no time, you’ll develop relationships in your community to build your practice!

** If you would like my top five ideas for a strategic relationship for your practice email me at sarah@focus-evolve-succeed.com with your practice type in the subject line**

Building your prospect list

Are you looking for new patients?

Many stores and restaurants have a weekly drawing for for a prize in exchange for the business cards that people drop in. Ask a staff member go to these businesses and ask if she can have the cards in exchange for something. You may get the cards for free, or you could offer a certficate for services in exchange for the leads. You could even offer to type up the names (as you will do for your own mailing purposes) and give them to the store for their own database.

Take control of your marketing and get out there and start building your list today!

4 Ways to Make the Most of Your Event Sponsorship

I was out for a coffee yesterday and saw one of those beautiful, artsy posters for an upcoming event in my area. After reading the event details, I was really surprised to find an orthodontic practice that I work with as an event sponsor. I didn't know they were sponsoring this event, and I'm helping with their marketing plan!

To many practices fail to get the most from their sponsorship dollars. Don't just sign the check, send your logo, and walk away. Think like a marketing guerrilla and get every bit of value that you can from your sponsorship! Here are a few ways to make sure you don't get lost in logo soup and go unnoticed.

Show up and get involved

I've been to several fundraisers and events where I know the community partners and sponsors, but representatives from their companies are not present. What a waste if your name is in the program but no one is there to network and chat about your practice. Jump in with both feet! Join the planning committee. Volunteer to be a greeter on-site and connect with potential patients.

Make your name or logo pop!

Review all the event promotional material before production to ensure your company is properly identified and that you stand out.

Create a mailing list

Ask event organizers for a copy of the attendee list with contact information then build yourself a mailing list. Follow up with a promotion - a newsletter, an e-zine, or a special offer.

Promote the sponsorship

Send out a press release announcing your sponsorship. Include your sponsorship activities on your website, in brochures, and your other promotional pieces. Let your patients know where you will be and when so you can connect with them in a non-clinical environment. Hire a photographer for the day of the event to take some high quality photos of your on-site activities and post them in your practice, on your website, and newsletter.

Don't be afraid to explore the possibilities when it comes to the events you sponsor.

If you would like a consultation on an upcoming sponsorship opportunity, email me at sarah@npressnewsletter.com with the details.

- Sarah Nelson

Where are your patients coming from? - Measuring the Return on Investment in your Marketing

Despite its importance, marketing ROI is one of the least understood, least measured functions at many practices. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve seen boat loads of money spent on advertising campaigns without anyone ever stopping to ask- is this bringing me new patients? More often than not, practitioners have a vague idea of how new patients enter their practice but no real numbers on which to base their marketing decisions. What I hope that you understand is that by using data and analytics you can ensure that your budget is allocated to the best use of your marketing dollars and move some resources to marketing activities that yield a higher ROI.

Calculating your marketing ROI can be quite simple:

ROI = Profit/Investment or ROI = new patients/marketing campaign cost
The easiest way to get started with measuring your marketing is by asking every new patient how they heard about you. You can build this into to your new patient phone call or your initial consultation or interview. I always teach keeping a tracker that tells you each month how many patients you are getting from each source – website, referrals, sign, ad in the paper, etc. Then, I recommend taking the new patient numbers and looking at the treatment that was presented to them, what was accepted, and completed. These numbers let you know if the marketing tactics you are using are reaching your target patients, (those that are eager to do business with you.) At the end of the month or the year, you can clearly evaluate the most productive marketing strategy and make plans to do more of it over the next period.

You can also track ROI on your website by monitoring the site hits. If you haven’t looked at these reports before, call your site host and ask to see the numbers. As you make updates or changes to your site continue to watch the numbers and look for fluctuation in the number of unique visitors.

If you are using email campaigns with your patients, pay attention to open rates, and click-through rates (CTR). These numbers will provide you with a metric to use in developing your skills at crafting compelling messages and subject lines that grab your patient’s attention.

Knowing what to improve and what is working is vital to establishing realistic performance targets for your marketing and making the most of your budget.

Do you know where your patients are coming from?

If you would like a copy of my FREE marketing ROI calculator, send me an email at sarah@focus-evolve-succeed.com with ROI in the subject.

Testing... Testing...1,2,3

A friend of mine from my kickball team is having trouble with the latest direct mail piece for his chiropractic practice.

The postcard he’s using is nice- it looks really professional. It’s glossy, has nice images of his target clients, all his contact information, a testimonial, and even a call to action. He spent a little over $2,000 to have 4,500 copies made. During his first mailing, he used a 2000 person mailing list… but he’s had no calls from new patients.

“Why isn’t the phone ringing?” he asked me over coffee yesterday. “I copied the style of an ad I saw in a magazine. What should I do differently?”

If marketing were an exact science that anyone could learn with ease, then every business in this country would be flourishing. To use a kickball analogy, in marketing if you do everything right, sometimes you get a home run, but more often then not you bunt to first or get a double which is usually more than good enough. Sometimes, you strike out completely.

That is why, whenever launching a new marketing initiative, it is important to test it out and measure the amount of response or new patients that you get.

For many of us, the word “test” is a little scary. After all, tests are used to see if we are sick or if something is abnormal. Tests are used throughout our school years to gauge our aptitude and knowledge retention. Now, as professionals and practice owners, testing can be equally (if not more) important - especially in the world of marketing. Testing can be a powerful tool to move your marketing program forward. Testing can also help you move from, “I don’t know what works” to “It works for us”.

When testing the elements of your marketing pieces, like the call to action, one time is often not enough to draw conclusions. I usually start with 2 different versions of a piece and compare the response. Sometimes, you may need to test more elements but it will be dependent on your business and the type of initiative you are working on.

It’s important to only test one element at a time so the results do not get muddled. The most common tests are:

Timing – Are you always mailing during a holiday season or when people are away for the summer? Vary the timing of your offer to gauge open rates.

Headlines – The headline is often the most important part in hooking the reader. Make sure you are speaking directly to your target demographic.

Calls to action - Are you including strong or passive calls-to-action? Think about things that influence you to act on something and try to incorporate those ideas.

Images/graphics – Is the image you’ve chosen in sync with the message you’ve created? Does it create an experience or inspire emotion for the reader?

Idea for today: Get out there and start testing! What are you waiting for?Stay tuned for ideas on how to measure your marketing coming soon…