If you are a specialist doctor, dentist, dentist or psychologist, you will surely be interested in learning these infallible techniques to attract more patients but at the same time, maintain and retain them.
As you will see, some of them are very simple and are designed so that you can implement them at a very low cost, practically without spending a single penny and using your available resources.
1. Request referrals from your current patients
If you have a database of your clients, then the best known way to create a new portfolio is by calling them and asking them to provide you with a couple of referrals and in return you can give them a small service from you. For example, if you are a dentist, you could offer a free evaluation or dental cleaning for each referral who becomes your client.
Note that it is very important that the award for referring a new client will be received once the latter has actually hired your services. That way you ensure that you will be giving compensation in exchange for a new client. And for this you can design some flyers in word or pubisher to send by email and promote your referral program.
2. Testimonials and success stories
One of the most important things when someone seeks health services is trust. Much more than price, people want to know that they will be served by an experienced professional who knows their job and with whom they will feel safe.
In this context, it is important that you have several success stories on hand with your patients treated. Try to document some of your most relevant clinical cases and publish them either on your professional facebook page or on your blog. The latter is ideal for all these kinds of objectives and will also allow you to reinforce your specialty.
Make sure to include some before and after photos and if you can record some testimonial videos along the way and upload them to your YouTube channel, even better. (Note: you can even record the videos with your cell phone, you don’t need specialized equipment).
These success stories will also give you a competitive advantage over other professionals in the same sector.
3. Promote your services and products online
Usually health professionals do not have the opportunity to promote themselves and for people to know them. Unless it’s by reference. Today, however, that is possible thanks to the Internet.
You should create a short video of no more than 5 minutes where you can talk about your specialty, your professionalism and especially about the value of your business and why your clinic is different.
Upload it to your YouTube channel and you will discover how it becomes a powerful weapon to convey confidence and attract more clients to your practice.
4. Give something to attract a first visitor
Nothing is more efficient to attract first visits than to use the word “free”. Marketers know that promotions and the gift concept powerfully attract the attention of anyone.
So whenever you promote or advertise your services be sure to include a special offer where you give something away gratuitous. It does not have to represent something expensive, on the contrary it can be a basic service whose cost you will recover anyway when the client hires your services.
5. Create your own Blog and build your brand
Just as it sounds. Your brand is yourself. As a professional, your name will position itself as a unique specialist that people will recognize over time to the point of paying whatever it is for you to be able to attend to them.
Building that brand can take years of work. But today, this process can be accelerated thanks to the Internet. So you can open your first blog using free tools like (Blogger.com) and start generating content by writing about different topics of interest to your patients and future clients.
- In a blog you can write practical and simple advice about different conditions
- Answer questions from your patients so others can see them
- Suggest home treatments or how to react to certain emergencies
- Expand on other services that you offer and that sometimes your patients are unaware of
- Publish your success stories
- Mention your specialties and / or newly completed studies
- Talk about your accolades
In short, a blog is one of the most powerful tools that exist to strengthen your reputation and build your personal brand. And the best part, you can open it today and it won’t cost you a single penny.
6. Build alliances with other professionals
Another of the great strategies that work is to create alliances with other professionals. But when we say alliance we mean a serious strategy of exchanging references and not something casual.
That is, you can meet with other professionals in your field and other specialties to build together a portal of medical services that everyone can feed and that contributes to further improve imaging for attract more patients to your practice.
7. Establish family packages
Telephone companies use this marketing strategy and it works very well for them. Why settle for caring for just one child if you can tend to the other two siblings and the parents?
Depending on your services, in many cases you can offer family packages with special discounts if the entire family hires you.
They will feel benefited with a special price and you will have not only one patient but three or more which represents a better income.
8. Improve your levels of patient service
Keep regular hours. One of the practices that more patients can lose you is that of attending irregularly. When the doctor is sometimes there and sometimes not, it creates frustration in the patient and ends up stopping requesting your services.
Make sure you organize yourself and have a defined schedule that you can meet and publish it in your media with total clarity.
Evaluate your patients attended. Every company has to evaluate at some point the quality of its service and your case is no exception. Ask your secretary to prepare a short survey of 10 questions that is passed by every patient seen before leaving the clinic.
In this survey, you should evaluate what your patient likes the most about your professional care and what they like the least and what you can improve.
There are cases for example where everything can be wonderfully well, except that the building does not have a secure parking space, or the number that appears in the phone book does not work and it was difficult for him to locate you, anyway. A thousand factors could influence a patient leaving well cared for and wanting to come back and refer you.
It offers added value. Giving something your patients don’t expect is the best way to win them over. How about a courtesy call in the evening to find out how your recovery went?
Giving young children a toy after care, a basic cleaning kit to a dental patient, or a candy to companions conveys a sense of warmth that we all value.
Providing a brochure with additional advice to what is prescribed or referring them to your blog so that they can obtain more valuable information so that the treatment is effective are just one of the many things that you can offer as added value and ensure that your clients return once and for all. again.
How to make your patients stay forever
Attract more patients to your office it is a task that requires a lot of work and a lot of effort. But getting them to stay and be faithful is another matter.
So I also share these other practical tips that without hesitation will help you provide an excellent service that will make your patients follow you wherever you go, for a lifetime:
- Call your patients by name and smile!
- Be empathetic to your patients. For you it is one more patient. For them, their world may be falling apart from a nuisance.
- Make sure your patient feels comfortable and relaxed in your clinic. Don’t rush it, don’t make it feel like it is “one more“.
- If possible, reduce waiting room times. They value their time as much as yours.
- Tell your patients that they care about you and that you will do what is in your power for their well-being.
- Actively listen to your patient.
- Put your patient’s photo at the front of the file so you will remember them when they arrive.
- Look professional, dress like one. This inspires confidence.
- Show patience with children.
- Don’t scold your patients for unimportant things.
- In critical cases, suggest a second opinion yourself, this also gives confidence.
- Put up a suggestion box in your clinic. Always be open to improvement.
- Be clear but sensitive when making a diagnosis, avoid being fatalistic.
- Provide different payment options to your patients (card, check, cash, etc.)
- Hire friendly, jovial, service-focused staff
- A welcome letter to new patients
Conclusions
As I mentioned at the beginning, the medical services sector is very competitive. And to gain ground, you need to take care of many details and work to build a brand that people want to follow. Have you ever heard of Dr. OZ? That’s what I mean.
I’d love to know if these tips are helpful to you. Successes!
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