In the book, The One Thing, by Gary Keller, (yes, that Gary Keller, of Keller-Williams real estate), Keller tells us to limit our daily focus on doing the one thing every day that will make many of the other things you do unnecessary or obsolete. This article is designed to help you do just that.

Here’s the one thing you can do in your practice to make unnecessary the need to constantly hunt down and attract new patients.

For many doctors, the biggest challenge to building a solid, successful practice revolves around attracting a steady stream of new patients.  I don’t need to tell you that marketing, advertising and the hours spent networking require a lot of effort, and can often carry a hefty price tag.

However, if you had a proven formula, a strategy that would consistently convert more of your new patients into lifetime loyal patients, you would be on the fast track to building a profitable, sustainable practice without spending a ton on advertising.  In fact, if you were able to convert a mere 25% more of the new patients you see every week into repeat clients, you could cut in half the time, money and effort you spend on attracting new patients to your practice.

I don’t want to toot my own horn, (okay maybe just a little…) but I can honestly say I learned a lot about cracking that code in the 18 years I spent building and managing a busy practice. Today, I am going to share one of the secrets I learned to keep more new patients coming back to the office regularly. It is one of the patient retention strategies in the system I call “The Six C’s of Client Retention”.

Let’s talk about strategy number 5: Communication.

This is a patient conversion tactic I found to be one of the magic bullets that helped me build a 900 patient visits a week practice. It is deceptively simple, but patients often told me how much they appreciated this approach. So try it out in your practice, I am confident it will play an important role in turning more of your new patients into lifetime, loyal customers.

I hate to say it, but unfortunately, it’s true. By the time many patients get to the point they are ready to try a “holistic” practitioner (and pay cash out of pocket for your services), they have been to almost every other doctor under the sun, without satisfactory results. They are frustrated, fed up, and maybe a bit skeptical as to whether you (or anyone) can really help them.

It’s safe to say that in most of those cases, it isn’t their first Rodeo. They have been to a few “regular” doctors, who told them “your tests are just fine”, (but they still feel like crap); or they have simply been given up on and told, “you’ll just have to live with it”.

There are some patients who do come to you first because they want a more natural solution to their health challenges (your ideal client!) as more and more people are turning to Dr. Google for answers. That’s awesome too, and this approach works just as well in converting those patients to lifetime fans.

In either scenario, when you let your new patient know exactly what’s in store for them on the first visit and beyond; you can put their mind at ease, make them feel confident that they made a great choice in selecting your office, and you’ll begin to gain their trust right off the bat.

Here’s how it works.

On the very first visit; tell the patient the process you’re going to take them through. Outline for them step-by-step your approach to their treatment. Be clear about what they can expect from the first few visits in your office.

Let them know specifically what you will do on the first visit. Tell them what tests you are ordering for them and why. Then tell them when they will get the results, and when you’ll go over them together.

Give them some homework to do between now and their next visit. Recommend some books or reading material you think will be helpful for them to read. Even better, give them your “doctor approved” useful resource list to help them study up on their condition, or your method, or proper nutrition, or anything else you have vetted out and find to be useful for your patients to know.

On the report of findings visit, (or the visit you give them their test results and recommendations), outline a very clear treatment plan, be honest about what they can expect, and make it clear that you are partnering with them, and it is important for them to follow their treatment plan, as you have outlined it.

Tell them precisely how often you want them to come back and what you will be doing on those visits, i.e.: recheck your vitals, adjust your prescription, modify your diet, take blood, etc. and tell them why that is important.

And don’t forget to reassure them that you are on top of their case, you are there to support them, and you and your staff want to earn the right to be their go-to resource when it comes to their health.

In other words, communicate!

Benefits to this approach:

1. It gives the patient certainty that you have a system, a tried-and true plan of action.
2. It takes the mystery out of what the next steps of your care are going to be, so the patient can relax and focus on what you are saying to them in the “here and now”.
3. It sets the foundation for a policy of collaboration, and lets the patient know your philosophy of “we’re in this together” from the very start.

By establishing clear and open communication with your patients from the first visit forward, you will create an atmosphere of trust and comfort.

Add to this your stellar clinical skills, and you are well on your way to maintaining an office overflowing with lifetime loyal patients.

All my best.

Pattie

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