Converting Appointments into Patients

Question

What are some strategies for converting sales opportunities into patients?

Answer

To maximize the impact of every contact you make and every lead you receive, avoid the following five common pitfalls:

Not involving the front office staff enough

Often times the front office staff are not properly trained or are underutilized. If they are not made part of the selling team, they may not know how to effectively handle potential patient leads.

Failing to adhere to a selling system

Hearing centers where clinicians follow a systematic process for selling to patients achieve the highest profitability. A defined and controlled protocol for assessment, counseling, delivery and orientation provides a framework for consistent quality and best results.

Ignoring the "low hanging fruit"

Sales opportunities abound through patient and professional advocates who can be optimal allies for helping grow the practice. However, these opportunities or "low hanging fruit" can be easily missed. Pay special attention to existing fitted and satisfied patients, existing tested patients who are good hearing aid candidates but have not yet purchased devices, and referrals from professional practitioners.

Reactive marketing

It is not uncommon to simply respond to a competitor's ad selection, timing, method and message, rather than executing a marketing plan specific to your practice's focus and purpose. Instead of marketing reactively, market proactively! Define yourself as a business, determine your target audience and know your numbers (i.e., break even sales volume vs. ideal sales volume).

Not keeping score

How do we get to where we want to go if we don't know where we're starting from? To effectively track results:

• Know where your business comes from
  
• Know where to place new or increased focus
  
• Anticipate marketing opportunities