 Better Internal and External Events to Drive ReferralsPublished Date: 2009-06-21 11:02:13 WorkOnInternet.com
2. The events take place only at a specific time. 3. Events last only a specific duration. 4. They create anticipation. 5. Events create energy throughout the project. 6. When done properly, the effects last for weeks and when done right, years! Internal Events Let's talk about some events that can be used to help drive new patients into your practice and former patients back to your practice. We'll start with some of the most common. One is some kind of patient care classes. Whether these are done regularly or periodically, when implemented properly, are successful at not only educating your existing patients but also introducing new patients to the practice. Naturally, holding these classes generate huge numbers of patient referrals as well as better existing patient compliance. With regard to patient classes, I am a firm advocate in making these voluntary. In fact, we never advocate force feeding any patient education. But if you tell your patients how their attendance can most likely increase the effectiveness of their care and shorten its duration, chances are, they will not only attend but also bring guests with them. Just like all other direct marketing, the key to making patient education events successful is to stress benefits. Now obviously, I've already mentioned two of these patient benefits above. The additional benefits include getting out of pain faster, spending less money on treatment, and certainly less time in your office. Don't be afraid of stressing these benefits in all your promotional materials too. By doing so, you are improving the effectiveness of your presentation as well as increasing class attendance. Perhaps the next most successful events that you can do are health screenings of some type. Health Fairs, when done inside your office can also be extraordinarily effective. I have done these in my office with MDs, DMDs and PTs too. In Chiropractic, scoliosis screenings are not only legendary, but still remain a very effective way of introducing new patients to the practice. They are also very effective at educating parents of adolescents and children about the devastating effects of scoliosis on spinal and general health when left untreated. Again, simply apply the same basic strategies. Specific date, time and duration, applied staff and office energy, and suitable promotional materials that stress all benefits. External Events I really like external events, because they are very effective at not only bringing new patients into the practice but also very effective at introducing you to the community. One of the largest advantages of involving yourself in external events is that there is a wide range of media that becomes available to you. This includes newspaper, radio, external fliers, as well as the energy you and your team actually generates in your office. There are many types of external events that have proven quite successful for many practices around the country. Scoliosis checks, basic spinal screenings, blood pressure clinics, group body composition screenings, weight loss clinics, SEMGs, etc. The list is limited only by your vision. Just be creative here, but be very sure to stay aligned with your personal direction and purpose. Your promotions should be on the same direction as your particular focus in practice. However, in this day and age, a limited focus is not a strategy I would advise, as the private health care market is just so competitive in so many areas. One of my favorites, out of all these external events, is forming alliances. What I mean by forming alliances is that you agree to sponsor events for a certain group or organization at their place of business. This group or organization, also in return agrees to prominently display your business cards and your literature in their place of business. By doing this, you will not only benefit for being a featured guest speaker or presenter, but will also become a known quantity. When a group member needs your services, the owner readily directs them in your direction. Honestly, I will refuse to speak for or work with any group or organization that does not reciprocate. My time is just too precious, and so is yours. Simply take a polite, business like stance, and be firm. Also make sure that staff knows your policy. Last year, I simply refused to do an event for a very large fitness center that did not promote, or reciprocate as they had agreed to do with a prior event. Compare this with the strategy of blindly seeking places to speak, sponsor screenings, where there's no reciprocity. This can represent many hours of disappointment, wasted energy and most especially a waste of finances. Plus, with this tactic, like me, you will get to build lasting relationships. In my main office, some of these relationships have spanned for more than 20 years, and have generated hundreds of thousands of dollars for me. With an effective marketing calendar, you too can skyrocket your practice, regardless of where you practice with effective event planning, and these very simple tools. Now, have at it! Only action produces results! ------------------------------ Dr. John Hayes, Jr. is an Evvy Award Nominee and author of Living and Practicing by Design. Get a copy of his book at http://outskirtspress.com/webpage.php?ISBN=978-1-4327-3234-9 To learn more about his unique approaches to private practice success, visit http://perfectpracticeweb.com/ and register for a FREE CD and Info Pack.
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