The Secret To Getting New Patients or Clients

I have met with and helped hundreds of dentists, optometrists and veterinarians in my 8 years working for Silkin Management Group. One of the things that many of the doctors I met with wanted to know is “What is the secret to getting new patients?”

While there are many avenues to take when trying to get new patients and clients through both external and internal promotion, the most effective means is through referrals.

The reason referrals are so valuable is because word or mouth is both free and extremely effective. Your patients or clients speaking positively about your practice to people they interact with is a sure-fire way to increase the number of people walking through your doors.

The real problem with referrals is how to get your staff to successfully speak to patients or clients in order to get them to refer your practice to their friends and family. There is a right way to do this and a very wrong way. The information in this article will show you how your staff can successfully get patients to refer people they know.

The most important thing to know when asking patients or clients to refer your practice to their friends and family is that people contribute to expansion and growth. I’m sure you know examples of this, if a nice mall is built in a community other businesses and people move into the area. If a great new restaurant opens in an area people go to it and recommend that people go try it out. Those people in turn try it out and recommend it to their friends.

On the other hand it is important to know that the main reason people don’t refer their friends and family is that they are never asked to, or they just don’t think about it.

Keeping this in mind the proper way to ask a patient or client is the following:

“Hello Sue, how was your service? Great. Did you know that we are expanding? In fact we have hired new staff so that we can help better service our patients. We are also taking on more patients and if you have any friends or family who you think could be helped by [your medical field] care, have them come in for a consultation. Here are a couple of our business cards for you.”

Communicating it in this manner gives the patient or client the feeling that you are growing and puts the idea in their mind that they should recommend the practice. In addition, it avoids making the patient feel put on the spot or uncomfortable about having to give you names and numbers. Of course you will have to adjust this to your specific circumstances. If you haven’t hired new staff you don’t want to lie to your patients. You could find another type of expansion such as the purchase of new equipment, renovations, a new computer system, etc.

Here is an improper way to ask a patient:

“Hello Sue. Hey do you have anyone you know that needs [your medical field] care? We really would like them to come in if you do. Do you think you could ask them?”

You should have your staff practice correctly asking for referrals with one of your other staff or with you until they can do it easily and comfortably.

After that it is a matter of ensuring they do it and you should increase your new patients in no time!

Best of Luck,

Murray Marvin
Senior Analyst
Silkin Management Group

(If you find this information of use, find more articles and solutionsmags.com or at silkinmanagementgroup.com)