The "Rule of 250" is everyone knows at least 250 other people. If the person you are speaking with doesn't need your services, then they may know someone who does. When you are not treating patients, you should be marketing yourself to the community. This means meeting and getting to know people. Build the human bond before building the business bond. In time, they will seek you and your healing art.Thank You for the Referral Send "thank you for the referral" cards to those who recommend new patients to you. This is the greatest compliment of your healing art any person can give. They were happy and satisfied with your care and want to send someone they love to you. Say "thank you". It won't cost you, and it goes a long way. A sample note might read, "Thank you for the referral of .... Your trust and confidence in our office is appreciated." Or "I thank you for the referral of .... It is most appreciated." Have several different lines to use in the case that one person makes multiple referrals. It keeps it fresh to the reader, and they'll appreciate the personal touch.
Testing the water with potential patients
There are three phases a person goes through before become a patient. The first is expressing interest in your healing art. This is referred to as the buying signal. Statements such as, “Does it work for.....?” or "What's the purpose of the training?" or "How long does treatment last?" show the person in interested in you craft.
Once you have recognized the first phase, the next phase is for you to begin asking open-ended questions to determine your role, if any. Ask questions such as, "When did this condition begin?", "How did it begin?", "What makes the problem better?", "What makes it worse?", "What treatment have you had for it so far?", or "Does it restrict any of your activities?".
This process allows you to determine whether this is a person you may be able to help, or one that you should send to the emergency room. Once you have a handle on this, restate the history with the above questions. Rephrase their answers to illicit a "yes" response from them. For example: "If I understand you correctly, your neck pain began two months ago, is that right? And it increases when you turn to the left? You have used only pain medications? It limits your ability to change lanes while driving your car and prevents you from sleeping well at night? Is this correct?" If you have listened well, you should be told "yes" to all the above statements.
The third and final phase is to interest them in your healing art and achieve a closure to your encounter. Test the water to see if the person is interested in seeing you as a patient, or has some concerns that need to be addressed. You could say, for example: "Have you considered ....... for this?" If they say no, ask "Would you like to try ....... for it?" If the person says they would like to try it, then go to the next step. Ask permission to call the person to schedule an appointment and ask what is the best time to reach them. If the person is not ready to make an appointment, listen closely to their concerns so you can address any fears or hesitation. Once you satisfactorily address their concerns, ask to schedule the appointment.
Make new contacts
Concentrate on meeting 5 new people each day by saying hello to each. Half will say hello to you and some may even engage in conversation. Find out a little about the other person. Where do they work? What do they enjoy about their job. How did a current event affect them or their business? Nothing heavy, just conversation to get to know this person. After showing interest in someone, he or she will probably ask you about your occupation. This is a wonderful “buying” opportunity. Take a moment to tell them about the benefits of your healing art. Next, describe the services you offer. This encounter allows you to build a human bond, and when you see the person again, you’ll not only know his or her name, but you can ask a question related to your earlier conversation, such as work projects or weekend plans. A person is more likely to become a patient or refer a patient to someone with whom they share a bond rather than a complete stranger. Try doing this for 60 days and watch how your new patient totals increase over the next six months. An added benefit is that you will become a very popular person in your office building, local community, and town.
Maintain your contacts
Make contact with your current patients every two months with some sort of mailer and/or phone call. Sample mailers include birthday cards, holiday greetings cards, patient appreciation day cards, newsletters, thank you for the referral cards etc. Cards or stationery can be purchased quite inexpensively at most discount card or office supply stores. There's no need to purchase preprinted cards unless it is too time consuming to do it by hand yourself. (Note: If you want to create your own newsletter, there are step by step instructions in the Publish a Newsletter section of our web site. We have included sample newsletter articles which can be downloaded free of charge and inserted into your own newsletter. Articles are updated periodically, so check back every so often for the new ones.)
Identify referral sources
Check the phone book under healthcare providers in your area who may be a potential referral source for you. Identify those within a five-mile radius and create a gift basket with your brochure, prescription pad with your office address, phone number and directions and services, filler gifts like cookies, candies, hand creams, lotions, etc. Every week, go to five new offices and present a gift basket to the front desk person as an introduction. When you introduce yourself, describe the basket's contents and explain that your purpose for giving it is to introduce your office and the services you perform. Be sure to mention the benefits you can offer their patients as well as their office staff. If the doctor is available, ask to meet him or her. If the doctor is busy, state that you would be happy to return at a more convenient time. It may be helpful to call ahead to arrange a meeting with the doctor.
The "Rule of 250" is everyone knows at least 250 other people. If the person you are speaking with doesn't need your services, then they may know someone who does. When you are not treating patients, you should be marketing yourself to the community. This means meeting and getting to know people. Build the human bond before building the business bond. In time, they will seek you and your healing art.Thank You for the Referral Send "thank you for the referral" cards to those who recommend new patients to you. This is the greatest compliment of your healing art any person can give. They were happy and satisfied with your care and want to send someone they love to you. Say "thank you". It won't cost you, and it goes a long way. A sample note might read, "Thank you for the referral of .... Your trust and confidence in our office is appreciated." Or "I thank you for the referral of .... It is most appreciated." Have several different lines to use in the case that one person makes multiple referrals. It keeps it fresh to the reader, and they'll appreciate the personal touch.