Are You Asking Your Potential Patients to Take Too Big of a Step?

For many potential patients, they have a problem or illness that you can help with, they call, you book them into an appointment and they come on as a new patient. All is good!

But what about the others…

What about the potential patients who you met at the health fair or at a networking event or a talk you gave? They didn’t have an urgent need to come and see you, they didn’t call, but they might be open to working with you if treated right.

Most NDs either don’t do any follow up at all, they simply wait and hope that those who are interested will call, and unfortunately very few people will be motivated enough to call unless they have an immediate need. Of the Doctors who do make a follow up contact, it is usually either a phone call or an email,  typically to invite the prospective patient to schedule an appointment, right? Sometimes it is for a “Meet the Doctor” visit, or a free discovery session, or a paid new patient visit … and thankfully a few of those folks do schedule an appointment, but most don’t!

Why? … because it is too big of a step for them to take.

We all have two limited resources, time and money. So to call up after one brief encounter at a health fair or speaking engagement and request that I give you some of my most limited resources is a huge step to ask me to take.  We need to break that next step into smaller bite size pieces.

By adding a few smaller steps, it gives your prospective patient an opportunity to get to know more about you, how you can help them and build the relationship. Basically it makes it easier for them to buy.

What are the added steps? Here’s an example of a good step-by-step selling system that works well for those folks who are on the fence about coming to see you:

1. Initial Call to reconnect after the first encounter (health fair, speaking engagement, networking etc.) to get permission to send some information
2. Send valuable, relevant information about them and their health, perhaps link to a blog you’ve written about an ailment or issue they are dealing with.
3. Follow Up Call to confirm they got the information and to explore if it makes sense for them to schedule an appointment with you
4. Book the appointment
5. Send appointment confirmation email with appropriate paperwork
6. Send appointment reminder the day before the appointment
7. Have the appointment and discuss their issue and convert them into an ongoing patient
8. Do any necessary paperwork
9. Set up their payment method
10. Do/give your New Patient Orientation to set realistic expectations

Yes it adds more steps, and not everyone will need every step, but for those folks who don’t know you, or don’t have an urgent need, it moves them from skeptical prospect into new patient in your waiting room.

To summarize,  stop asking your prospective patients to take big steps, break it down to build the relationship and the value that you offer. These small steps will fill your waiting room with quality patients for your Naturopathic Practice.

Have you tried this approach yet? Let me know what your experience is below in the comments section.

Let’s keep the conversation going there…