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In today’s fragile economic climate, patients are watching their spending much closer. Simultaneously, I’ve recently spoken with many practices that answer questions about how to make their practice’s marketing
dollars go further. Take note, your new patient numbers will always be higher when you have multiple active marketing efforts. For example, the practice with a great Web site and stellar patient referrals will always lead the practice that relies on their print ad alone. That said, here are three key strategies every dental practice should pay attention to in today’s economic climate to increase patient referrals:
Know what internal marketing really is. Internal marketing, or word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing, is important to businesses everywhere. In fact, there is a Word of Mouth Marketing Association that advises companies worldwide on these strategies. Its former CEO, Andy Sernovitz, is quick to point out what WOM marketing really is.
“In many cases, WOM marketing isn’t actually ‘marketing’ at all. It’s great customer service that earns customer respect, said Sernovitz. ”When I say great customer service, I mean great customer service. You probably noticed during your holiday shopping this season that many businesses went the “extra mile” when it came to customer service efforts. Great customer service is not that difficult to provide, and yet so many dental practices fall short of the mark. What’s funny is that if you ask most dental practices to rate what they are best at, customer service is usually near the top of the list. Everyone thinks they are great at it, but most are just average. What would your team do in the two scenarios below?
• Mrs. Jones is waiting for her son in the reception area. He’s 15 and is there for a short 45-minute, two-surface filling appointment. Since she lives about 20 minutes away, it doesn’t make sense for her to drop him off, drive home, and then drive back to get him. Additionally, your practice is located in a corporate office park that isn’t nearby any local businesses where she could have completed a short errand. What does your staff do? Poor customer service lets her sit there uninterrupted, but does respond if she asks for something. Average customer service offers her bottled water and makes conversation for short time. Superior customer service knows in advance that she will be waiting, makes sure there are copies of
some of her favorite magazines, along with a small box of chocolates and a ‘Thanks for being a great patient’ note attached.
• Mr. Robertson always requests the last appointment of the day, which in your office has been 4 pm for years. He always seems to be running in the door at the last possible second, having wrapped up at work early, to make his dental appointment. You decide to offer executive hours on Tuesday evenings where the practice will now remain open until 7 pm. What does your staff do? Poor customer service waits for Mr. Robertson to ask. Average customer service calls Mr. Robertson and leaves a message on his home phone notifying him of the new hours. Superior customer service e-mails Mr. Robertson with an invitation to take advantage of the new appointment times and follows up with a series of phone calls (home, cell, work) to ensure he receives the
preferred slot.
Give people tools to use to talk about you.
This seems simple enough, but there are many practices that use a standard business card rather than a designated practice or referral brochure. Keep in mind, while the emotional impact of the referring patient’s story will stay with the potential patient for a short time, in many cases they are left sifting through their purse or briefcase to discover your business card and wonder “What is this here for?” A boring black-and-white business card with your name and phone number rarely compels a potential patient to call and find out more information, let alone make an appointment. If people are going to talk about you to their friends, make sure they have the tools that say what you want it to say about your practice.
“Time is money” has now shifted back to “money is money.”
Women, without stereotyping, are naturally better word-of-mouth marketers than men. Quite frankly, this is a good thing. Women are the ones who make the bulk of the purchasing and healthcare decisions in most American households, so it’s important we understand how they make decisions about dental care, and subsequently refer their friends to your office. Let’s step out of dentistry and into the grocery store for a minute. You may have noticed in the past several years a focus on “ready-prepared” meals. Most big-box grocery retailers have double or tripled the size of their shelves that are dedicated to these items. At my local grocery store, I can walk in and buy meatloaf, twice-baked potatoes, and cherry cobbler in a matter of minutes. In times
of abundance, the trade off between a dinner already done and saving a few extra dollars is much more valuable. However, in today’s economic climate, women have retuned to “money is money” and they watch their spending more than ever before. Your financial coordinator needs to understand that her ability to explain the additional co-payment for the posterior composite restoration, not covered by Delta Dental, is more important now than it was a year ago. If there is one thing that women talk about, it’s paying too much for something they didn’t think matched in value. Women compare “what they got for their dollar” across many categories. In other words, the $450 crown co-payment is compared to the $450 expense at the check
register. Comparatively, did they think it was worth it?
In short, your internal marketing hinges on the customer experience. Regardless of how many programs or bonuses you put in place, the practice that pays attention to these three strategies will definitely see an increase in patient referrals.
For more information on how to improve your practice marketing in 2010, call or e-mail us, kristie@mydentalcmo.com or 888.614.2203, for your complimentary marketing consultation courtesy of Perry & Young.
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