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The Customer Factory

Tag: Management

Anything related to practice management or improving systems to help a practice run more efficiently.

What’s Really Happening On Your New Patient Calls

The number one place that new patients are turned away is that your front desk via phone. So much depends on the quality of how that first call is handled that I can make or break your yearly growth.

Monitoring your front desk staff’s handling of new patient inquiry calls can be critical to your practice’s success.

Regularly reviewing recordings of these calls, when legal and with the proper permissions, can provide valuable insights into how well your staff implements their training and interacts with potential patients.

An anecdote involving a healthcare professional illustrates the importance of this approach:

The practice owner had recently hired an expensive ($17,000) consultant to train their front desk staff on the latest techniques and scripts.

The training seemed successful, as the staff performed well in role-playing scenarios, and the practice experienced a slight increase in new patient schedules and show-up rates.

The practice owner believed their staff was handling calls well, as they had observed them in person.

However, when they reviewed several random recorded calls the next week, they discovered that the staff’s performance was not always as good as it had appeared.

In one instance, a potential patient called to inquire about a weight loss program for herself and her husband.

The front desk staff put her on hold for three minutes(!), ultimately causing her to hang up and resulting in the loss of two new patients who were ready to start the program.

This example highlights the importance of regularly checking your staff’s performance when they are unaware they are being observed.

It’s a business reality. If you monitor it, you can manage it – and If you manage it, it will improve.

Of course, there are many more things to know in order to create a consistent flow of qualified new patients for your practice.

To save time, many practitioners choose to partner with my agency, The Customer Factory.

To find out if our marketing program is a good fit for your practice visit our website and book a 15-minute Discovery call. You could have new patients coming in as soon as this time next week.

Find out more at:

TheCustomerFactory.com

May 17, 2023
The Tech Trap: How Too Much AI & Automation Sours New Patients

A new patient prospect’s first priority is to determine if they trust you enough to handle their health care issues. While AI and automation have their place, overuse of artificial communication can sour the new patient relationship before it begins.

Hundreds of new companies have popped up in the last year announcing AI and automation services that rejoice in claiming that you never again have to talk to a new patient before they walk in your door ready to pay.

While automation can be helpful, it can be overused and become a way to avoid personal contact.

Things that can be automated include automatic responses to requests, immediate delivery of requested materials, and reminders before appointments.

However, aspects that should not be automated are those requiring personal contact, such as phone calls and answering questions.

Humans do business with humans they trust. And trust is only established through personal interactions.

Just because an AI chatbot can answer someone’s factual questions does not mean it’s capable of building any level of trust.

In fact, not being able to reach a human easily or getting shoved off into automated systems can alienate the prospective new patient and cause them to go elsewhere.

Having a live person available to schedule appointments, answer initial questions, and build rapport with prospects is invaluable for starting the new patient relationship off right.

A warm, friendly voice on the phone of a real person is the first step in the prospective patient agreeing to accept a care plan.

The older the prospect the more true this is.

Practices that attempt to deflect human interaction into automated systems often fail to create a friendly and inviting experience.

Of course, there are many more things to know in order to create a consistent flow of qualified new patients for your practice.

To save time, many practitioners choose to partner with my agency, The Customer Factory.

To find out if our marketing program is a good fit for your practice visit our website and book a 15-minute Discovery call. You could have new patients coming in as soon as this time next week.

Find out more at:

TheCustomerFactory.com

May 17, 2023
The Silent Killer Of Practice Growth: Your Sales Prevention Department

Do you have a lot of failed new patient marketing programs? Are you frustrated at the amount of effort it takes to get new patients in the door? If so, you may have a “Sales Prevention Department” secretly operating inside your practice.

If you are pushing hard to get more new patients and nothing seems to be working, perhaps someone is pushing back from within.

It’s tempting to hope that everyone on your team acts angelically with pure motives to help you and your practice succeed however experienced practice owners know that often when they find recurring failures of marketing there’s actually someone acting as a sales prevention department within the organization itself.

One common example is a front desk employee who prefers downtime to browse social media rather than work diligently. They might offer excuses for low performance, such as blaming bad weather or claiming that marketing leads are all bad.

Here are some common signs to look for:

1. Negativity. They continually complain about the quality of the new patients contacting the practice. Apparently, everybody is stupid, broke, or not really interested in care despite the fact they called in.

2. Constant failure. No matter what marketing program they work on it never seems to quite work and it’s always somebody else’s fault for the failure.

3. Fear-mongering. They are constantly giving you bad news and warnings about potential problems, real or imagined.

Some of these people will go to great lengths to convince you how indispensable they are as a way of protecting their position.

(By the way, if you thought of a particular person in your office while reading this article you may want to take a closer look at them.)

Of course, there are many more things to know in order to create a consistent flow of qualified new patients for your practice.

To save time, many practitioners choose to partner with my agency, The Customer Factory.

To find out if our marketing program is a good fit for your practice visit our website and book a 15-minute Discovery call. You could have new patients coming in as soon as this time next week.

Find out more at:

TheCustomerFactory.com

May 17, 2023
Don’t Let Your Equipment Gather Dust – Learn How To Make It Profitable

Too often practice owners buy new equipment, such as a decompression table or laser only to see it gathering dust months later. Take the following steps to ensure you maximize the use and profitability of your new service.

Adding new services can help you sell more to existing patients, attract new patients, and increase revenue. Here’s how to successfully add and market a new service to your practice.

Keep it real

I once saw a regenerative medical office bring in an expensive machine designed to melt fat. Purely an aesthetic treatment. While it was initially profitable less than a year later they were getting rid of it because those patients and that service just did not fit with the vibe of their practice.

Train your staff

You spent days or perhaps months researching the new service and know it inside and out. Don’t make the mistake of thinking your staff have a clue. They may be nodding their heads, but they don’t really get it until you train them – and then train them some more. Not only do they have to understand how to provide it, they also have to be able to explain (without you around) the benefits of the new service to patients and how it fits into the practice’s mission and purpose.

Introduce Existing Patients to the New Service

You have an existing database of patients that you can leverage to introduce the new service. Send emails, texts, and/or postal mail campaigns to your patient database highlighting the benefits of the new service.

Keep talking about it

Don’t stop marketing your new service after the first few announcements. It takes longer than you think for most patients to realize what you’re offering and to take action.

The general rule is that you have to tell somebody about a new product 20 or more times before you have fully cut through the noise.

Of course, there are many more things to know in order to create a consistent flow of qualified new patients for your practice.

To find out if our marketing program is a good fit for your practice visit our website and book a 15-minute Discovery call.

Find out more at:

TheCustomerFactory.com

May 17, 2023
How To Get Your New Patient Leads To Respond

Nothing is more frustrating than having a new patient inquiry who won’t answer your calls when you call to schedule them for their first appointment. You can waste hours of time calling and calling and calling and eventually begin to wonder if the person is real or not.

I’m going to bet if you got a phone call right now from an unknown number you probably wouldn’t answer it.

Most people wouldn’t.

Realize that is how you look to a prospective new patient. Just because the person submitted a form on a web page or left you a voicemail does not mean that your phone number is in their contacts list.

The fix is simple.

Text the lead before calling them: Send a message saying, “Hi, Josie. This is John at Dr. Smith’s Office. You asked for an appointment. I’m going to call you in about 1 minute from this number.”

This increases your chances of getting a response by up to 50%.

Beyond this, you can set up a system that sends automatic follow-up “nurture” messages to the person every few days for several weeks.

This re-engages the lead, reminds them of their need, and encourages them to call your front desk to book an appointment. Sometimes people request an appointment and then things come up or change. Just be persistent.

If they needed your help last month they’ll still need your help next month if they don’t get care.

To take it to the next level, implement marketing automation software or a CRM. This keeps track of the prospects you have so that none fall through the cracks.

There are many options available, from MailChimp to more advanced software such as Infusionsoft.

Alternatively, you can use an agency that already has a system in place. You’ve probably heard of Go High Level and other variations.

Of course, there are many more things to know in order to create a consistent flow of qualified new patients for your practice.

To save time, many practitioners choose to partner with my agency, The Customer Factory.

To find out if our marketing program is a good fit for your practice visit our website and book a 15-minute Discovery call. You could have new patients coming in as soon as this time next week.

Find out more at:

TheCustomerFactory.com

May 17, 2023
Practice Success: How To Build A Loyal And Competent Team

To build a successful practice, you need a competent, loyal team. Regardless of your goals, you cannot grow without skilled individuals who share your purpose. The key to achieving this is to find people who genuinely care about their work and share your practice’s mission.

Here is how I hire competent and loyal staff.

I own a successful new patient marketing company. Our hiring process is quite selective, and we go through numerous resumes to find the right candidate.

We eliminate candidates with errors in their resumes because it suggests they aren’t detail-oriented. We also conduct thorough testing, including IQ tests and aptitude assessments, to determine if they can learn and execute tasks efficiently.

We prefer hiring individuals without prior marketing experience, as they may have misconceptions or insufficient knowledge.

We train them with our proprietary methods to ensure they excel in their roles. Ongoing training is vital for everyone in the company, as industries are constantly evolving.

Our commitment to improvement extends to each team member. While they might not work with us for their entire careers, we want them to grow and develop while they’re with us.

Our business relies on documented procedures and comprehensive training, which allows us to seamlessly onboard new team members.

This approach prevents the loss of competence when someone leaves, ensuring our clients don’t experience any disruptions.

Developing a solid hiring and training process will enable you to build the business you love without feeling trapped or overworked. Cultivate a team of skilled, purpose-driven individuals and watch your company flourish.

Of course, there are many more things to know in order to create a consistent flow of qualified new patients for your practice.

To save time, many practitioners choose to partner with my agency, The Customer Factory.

To find out if our marketing program is a good fit for your practice visit our website and book a 15-minute Discovery call. You could have new patients coming in as soon as this time next week.

Find out more at:

TheCustomerFactory.com

May 17, 2023
Unlock Practice Success: The #1 Millionaire Marketing Secret

This is not a pitch for a stock, cryptocurrency, or some sketchy real estate deal. Rather, I want to point out the one investment that has made millionaires out of most practice owners like you.

This investment is a reliable marketing program that generates a consistent flow of qualified new patients for the cases you can profit from.

If you want to turn $5,000 into $40,000 within 30 days, a good marketing campaign is the best way to do it.

Even better, once built a successful marketing campaign is running, it tends to pay off month after month and year after year.

Not convinced? Consider this:

Think about a multi-million dollar practice you have seen.

You can be sure that they have a fairly extensive marketing effort and a regular recurring budget covering personnel and advertising of some sort. The business model relies on turning that recurring budget into higher multiples of recurring revenue.

More revenue leads to more advertising which leads to more revenue which leads to even more advertising on and on, bigger and bigger.

It’s crucial to recognize marketing as an investment rather than an expense, as the objective is to generate more revenue in return.

As with all investments, there is risk and you may need to test a few approaches before you hit pay dirt. But to grow you must be prepared to take some risks.

After all, those who wish to have zero risk end up making zero investments and always see zero returns.

Start small such as $50/day on Facebook ads. Then as you have more success slowly expand your budget. Our bigger clients started small but now spend more than $500/day on marketing – and they also now make multiple 6 figures per month in revenue!

Of course, there are many more things to know in order to create a consistent flow of qualified new patients for your practice.

To save time, many practitioners choose to partner with my agency, The Customer Factory.

To find out if our marketing program is a good fit for your practice visit our website and book a 15-minute Discovery call. You could have new patients coming in as soon as this time next week.

Find out more at:

TheCustomerFactory.com

May 17, 2023
Beyond Referrals: The Proven Formula For Sustainable Practice Growth

Many practice owners are disappointed when their exceptional service and patient care do not result in enough referrals to truly prosper.

No matter how good the patient experience is or how well-loved a practitioner is by their community relying on referrals is not a reliable growth strategy.

Even when clients are extremely satisfied, they might not refer others for various reasons, such as no longer experiencing pain, forgetting about the service, or being hesitant to discuss their health history.

Word of mouth is undoubtedly a powerful marketing tool but it is hard to control and manage.

Implementing a paid marketing program alongside offering excellent service is essential for success. A well-planned marketing strategy enables businesses to invest in growth and measure returns on investment.

For example, if a $5,000 marketing investment yields a $40,000 return, a practice owner can increase their marketing budget to drive further growth. Scaling marketing efforts in this manner is not always linear, but it allows practice owners to control their growth more effectively than relying on word of mouth alone.

Patients from advertising are not quite as profitable for the practice as each has an actual dollar cost to acquire. However, the referral patients are still there helping to bring the net cost per new patient down.

Over time, when combined with quality service, this creates a virtuous upward spiral whereby the practice helps more people, sees a rise in revenue, and invests in marketing and services which in turn increases the revenue even more.

Of course, there are many more things to know in order to create a consistent flow of qualified new patients for your practice.

To save time, many practitioners choose to partner with my agency, The Customer Factory.

To find out if our marketing program is a good fit for your practice visit our website and book a 15-minute Discovery call. You could have new patients coming in as soon as this time next week.

Find out more at:

TheCustomerFactory.com

May 17, 2023
Practice Owners How To Stop Stressing And Be Your Own Success Story

You make plans for your practice, set goals, and then work hard to provide the best care to your patients. How do you know if you’re actually being successful? How do you measure that success in a satisfying way?

Determining success can be challenging. There are two ways to assess it:

A. Comparing yourself to others or;

B. Comparing yourself to your own goals and past performance.

Comparing yourself to others is risky, as you may not know their circumstances or resources. This also sets up every victory by another practice owner as a slight loss to you. This breeds quiet resentment and can feed jealousy.

It can get even darker. I’ve seen practice owners who just assume anyone doing better than they are must be somehow cheating the system or victimizing people. No matter what the truth is, this mentality of comparing yourself to others brings you no closer to your own success.

That is why it is much healthier to set your own goals and measure your success by your progress toward them.

To gauge your own success, reflect on your goals, where you were last year, and your current situation.

Objective measurements such as graphing key statistics help keep this assessment realistic.

Set defined milestones such as reaching highest-ever the number of new patients in a month and adding a new service. Set target dates for these but don’t punish yourself for missing deadlines as long as you are making enough progress to satisfy yourself.

It’s crucial not to let external factors dictate your happiness or self-worth. This will help you find happiness and satisfaction in your own achievements.

At the end of the day the only person you need to satisfy is yourself and what you feel is your duty to your family, community, and beyond.

Of course, there are many more things to know in order to create a consistent flow of qualified new patients for your practice.

To save time, many practitioners choose to partner with my agency, The Customer Factory.

To find out if our marketing program is a good fit for your practice visit our website and book a 15-minute Discovery call.

Find out more at:

TheCustomerFactory.com

May 17, 2023
Why Small Practices Stay Small & Big Practices Get Big

Have you ever seen a dumb guy with a big practice or a really smart guy who’s struggling to grow?

I have uncovered the key difference and would like to share with you right now so you can decide what size practice you want to have.

Small practice owners are typically run by a single practitioner with one or two support staff. They may be providing excellent care, but they serve a limited number of patients compared to larger practices, which have multiple locations and a substantial number of staff members.

Interestingly, both small and large practices are driven by the same purpose: helping people while making a good living.

However, the mindset of the practice owner significantly impacts their ability to grow the practice and achieve their desired lifestyle.

I discovered that when asked, small practice owners and large practice owners have vastly different goals.

Small practice owners have goals to take more time off, spend more time with family, take more vacations, and generally be out of their practice away somewhere.

This desire stems from the stress of having to manage all aspects of the practice, including tasks they may not enjoy, such as marketing, collections, and billing.

Large practice owners have goals around expansion ideas such as adding more services, hiring more staff, growing marketing, adding additional locations, etc. They are looking for ways to spend more energy on their practice.

Interestingly, when you survey them the large practice owners have far more vacation and off time than the small practice owners do even though it’s not their primary goal.

Large practice owners also consistently invest more and more in marketing. They’re always stretching their budgets and trying new things.

Of course, there are many more things to know in order to create a consistent flow of qualified new patients for your practice.

To save time, many practitioners choose to partner with my agency, The Customer Factory.

To find out if our marketing program is a good fit for your practice visit our website and book a 15-minute Discovery call.

Find out more at:

TheCustomerFactory.com

May 17, 2023