My guess is that if you’re reading this blog post, you have yet to master the art of referrals. There is a “right way” to get dental referrals, and there is a way that isn’t as effective.
Let’s take a look at what it takes to master the art of referrals and grow your practice through word of mouth.
What is a Referral?
Just so we can all start on the same page, let’s define what “referral” means. A referral is when a patient of record talks to one of their friends or family members and directs them to do business with you. They’re telling their friends, “I love my dentist, and I’m confident you will love her, too. They take great care of me.” We call that internal marketing.
A referral is not, “I drove past this building the other day and there was a picture of a dentist with a phone number.” That’s considered external marketing.
The most important factor for a referral to be credible is that the person has already had a great experience with your service and is willing to put his or her reputation on the line to recommend you.
The Law of Reciprocity
Robert Cialdini is a professor of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University, and has written several books about influence. One of the laws he talks about is the Law of Reciprocity: people do things for each other.
For example, let’s say that you and I are friends. I’m having a special gathering at my home for a birthday party, and I invite you over. When I call you up to ask you to join us, you’ll probably have a follow-up question that sounds something like, “What can I bring?”
That’s the Law of Reciprocity in action. In our society, there’s an unspoken rule that says, “I owe you one.” It’s not intended - I’ll invite you over whether or not you bring a bottle of wine - but you return the favor because you think it’s important.
Meanwhile, Back in the Dental Office...
So, how does this relate to your practice? Imagine that you’ve provided outrageous service to a patient. You have been trustworthy, you offered great value for the money the patient spent, and you treated him with respect.
At the end of the examination, you look at him in the eye and you say, “Jim, it was a real pleasure to have you in the office today. I hope your visit was wonderful. Our business is based on referrals; we don’t do a lot of external marketing. We’re looking for people who love what we do here, and we’d love a practice full of people just like you. If you know anyone who’s looking for a good practice, send them our way.”
It’s important that you actually ask for the referral, because it often won’t occur to your satisfied customers that you’re taking new patients. Also, give your patient a business card or practice brochure with your marketing message so they can give it to family and friends. Click Here to receive a sample referral brochure.
Be Selective
By the way, I suggest that you be thoughtful about who you ask for referrals. That’s right! You get to be picky about your patients. Like attracts like, which means that your gold star patients are probably hanging out with gold star friends. It also means that your late, grumpy patients are hanging out with late, grumpy friends. Treat everyone with the same top-tier service, but extend your invitations to gold star people and soon you’ll find yourself with a practice filled with gold star patients.
Have you had success with requesting referrals? Do you have questions or thoughts about this Blog? Leave a note in the comments area, below.
Get a Sample Referral Brochure |
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| Download a free of sample of referral brochures, Click Here. | |||
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