You probably have read dozens of articles and listened to hundreds of talks about marketing.
You can spend hundreds of dollars creating the best funnel for your social media marketing and hours taking courses that teach you how to become a marketing master.
However, I’m going to give you a different approach. Focus on strengthening your communication skills and look at that as marketing. It isn’t something shiny with tons of bells and whistles. It’s a practical approach that isn’t meant to replace marketing tools you may be using that work.
Let’s say you implement an amazing marketing strategy that makes your office phone ring. Potential patients are excited and motivated to call and book appointments in your office. They call, but your CA answers the phone sounding as if she were about to fall asleep or would rather be doing anything else. She may be distracted, but it’s evident in her voice. Talk about a buzzkill for the patient.
Now, I know a lot of you may read that and think it’s something your C A would never do. As someone with a company who speaks to hundreds of chiropractic offices a month, I assure you that it’s more common than you know. It may not be as extreme as that. It simply could be they speak so fast when answering that patients can’t understand them. They may answer the phone with an unexcited tone saying, “Dr.’s office,” and that’s it. Maybe they don’t know how to effectively convey the empathy and confidence necessary for patients to feel as if they are calling the right place.
Building rapport, trust, and hope during that first call (and every call after that) can convince a patient to choose your office over another. That’s marketing!
When it comes to phone calls, we use a standard script for training. We also expect them to be smiling and energetic on the phone. “Thank you for calling the Chiropractic Wellness Center! This is Amber. How can I help you?” We have gone as far as placing a mirror by the phone so that they see their smile as they speak.
We role-play different scenarios during team meetings and constantly train on phone etiquette. I guarantee that focusing on phone communication skills will set you apart from others. You can call my company, Cash Practice Systems, any day, and I assure you that our team will answer the phone smiling with a happyto-help attitude. It is a non-negotiable requirement for our employees.
..."One of the best times to ask for a referral is when a patient compliments your practice or shares how much they enjoy being a patient.''...
We actually train this way for every interaction with our patients. It may not seem like an obvious form of marketing, but “small talk” is definitely marketing! Making those quick interactions meaningful and positive with our patients is just as important.
Now, here is a small but mighty lesson I learned. Train your team not to greet patients with “How are you?” It may seem weird, but have you ever had a patient reply with every detail about the terrible day they had? What if that person is having a flare-up or was injured over the weekend, and they complain about their pain? How does this influence other people in your waiting room, especially a new patient? It brings down the energy and hurts the environment. Instead, we say things such as, “Hey, John, so good to see you!”, or, “Hello, Susie, happy Tuesday!” Of course, we do care about how the patient is doing. However, asking them is generic, and we expect the person usually to just say “great” even if they aren’t, which isn’t very sincere. It could also be an invitation for them to unload a bad day on you, which we don’t want in our lobby.
The next aspect of communication as marketing was important to me in my practice — asking for referrals. My ideal patient was someone referred by an existing patient because they already had been given the lowdown on my practice and structure from their loved one, so I didn’t have to sit outside for six hours at a screening on a Saturday to meet them. Referrals truly are one of the best compliments we can receive.
Knowing when and how to ask for a referral is something that we train on constantly as well. One of the best times to ask for a referral is when a patient compliments your practice or shares how much they enjoy being a patient. However, we know that accepting a compliment can be awkward. Turning it into asking for a referral is even more of an art.
We train first on how to accept the compliment. “Thank you so much
for sharing that, Jane. We love to help people, and it brings us joy to hear you love your experience.,, If you feel it’s appropriate to follow up with asking for a referral, then say, “I would love to work with more people like you. Can you think of anyone you know who may benefit from chiropractic?” We also display messages on our email receipts or TV screens such as, “The highest compliment you can give us is the referral of your family and friends.”
I am also a big fan of having a massage program as a new-patient generator. A massage therapist is trained in communicating the value of chiropractic to their clients, and referring them to the doctor is a form of marketing that doesn’t cost you money. In fact, it brings in revenue.
Lastly, I cannot stress enough the importance of frequent contact with your patients. Marketing to your existing patient list with frequent emails will help your active patients be engaged and keep you at the top of awareness for those who may not be active anymore. The power of an occasional email educating your newly enrolled patients about the benefits of chiropractic care reinforces the message and helps build loyal patients. Marketing to infrequent patients to return is a great way to do recalls.
I hope this article has given you a different perspective when thinking of marketing. You may have noticed a common action I mention, which is the act of frequent training. Effective communication is a skill that constantly needs to be honed and practiced. Role-playing these interactions with patients may feel awkward, but it pays off in the end. Solidifying your communication as a marketing skill will vastly improve all areas of your marketing.
Dr. Miles Bodzin is the founder and CEO of Cash Practice Systems, chiropractic's number one technology platform for creating loyal patients. He may be contacted by email at [email protected] or by calling 877-343-8950, ext. 200.
