Word-of-mouth referrals for a plastic surgery practice are absolutely the best form of advertisement you can get to grow as quickly as possible. It’s also the cheapest form that you can invest in, and it takes so little time, money, and effort.
The best patient for your plastic surgery practice is the referred patient. It is golden when a friend tells another friend, family member, or colleague about you in a positive light.
Because the referred patient is pre-sold on you already, they are not as price-sensitive and much more likely to say yes to your recommendations.
So, word-of-mouth referrals increase closing ratios, decrease external marketing costs, and grow your practice.
Compared to other plastic surgery marketing strategies, word-of-mouth referrals are cheaper, easier, and painless – you can’t ask for more than that.
Word-of-mouth referrals work so well because they are passing pertinent information in a trusting, informal, person-to-person manner, rather than by mass media or advertising.
It is highly valued because it’s so credible. People are more inclined to believe word-of-mouth referrals than more formal forms of promotion because the communicator (your patient) was satisfied by the services you provided and is unlikely to have an ulterior motive (i.e., they are not out to sell something). Also, people tend to believe people they know.
A PLASTIC SURGERY PATIENT’S INNER CIRCLE
Think of it this way. Each one of your patients, on average, has an inner circle of approximately 250 people. That includes friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, etc. If each of your patients told only five of their inner circle about you and then they told five, and so on, and so on, consider how quickly you could grow your plastic surgery practice.
When you first start out in practice, you do need to rely on more external marketing – so the community gets to know you. Advertising helps to build your brand and your name recognition.
However, as your practice matures, 70% and more of your new patients should be referrals from your existing patients.
SO, HOW DO YOU GET PLASTIC SURGERY WORD-OF-MOUTH REFERRALS?
Word-of-mouth referrals must be encouraged and sought after using creative, subtle methods. Sure, you will automatically get some of them from your core group of cheerleaders in your practice. Every practice has that group of patients who love you and tell anyone who will listen how great you are. However, you also want referrals from the majority of your patients – not just the chosen few.
Make word-of-mouth referrals a priority in your office. For starters, set up processes to help ensure you have your staff’s commitment to make patient satisfaction your #1 priority.
Be sure they understand the importance of treating each patient with a warm and friendly attitude every time they are in touch with your practice.
And then be sure the person answering your phones is asking how the callers heard about you, so you know who and what is growing your practice.
GET PLASTIC SURGERY WORD OF MOUTH REFERRALS FROM YOUR DATABASE
Spending time now developing relationships with your current patients will grow your prospective patient list later.
If your patients like, trust, and respect you, they will be happy to tell their family and friends about you and may even brag about your great work to everybody else they know.
Begin by speaking with your patients. Before you jump right into the medical reason, they are there to see you, spend a couple of minutes with them as a person.
Ask them about their family, occupation, or anything else in their patient in-take form that strikes you as interesting.
They will be impressed if you remember the name of their child or if you refer to something they told you on the last visit.
The point is to bond with them personally first, so they know you care about them as a person first – patient second.
When the patient is relaxed, they will be more likely to open up to you and talk about themselves. If you show a genuine interest in a patient, you would be surprised at how much someone will disclose to you.
And, you will be surprised what you learn. Perhaps they are a member of the media, or they are the program chair this year for their businesswomen’s group.
Remember that like-minded people associate with each other, and you want your “preferred patient” to be a referral from your existing patients.
Be sure to tell your patients that you want more patients like them, and if they send you someone in their social group, you promise to take good care of them.
USE WORD-OF-MOUTH COMMUNICATION TOOLS
Use communication devices such as your practice newsletter, special event invitations, and email marketing messages, so your patients share information you provide with their friends, family, and colleagues.
Any written communications coming from you should make a mention of how much you appreciate referrals.
Add the phrase, “Bring a Friend” to your invitations, and “Send this to a Friend” on your website and email messages.
Add a special note in your marketing efforts and have an eye-catching reminder sign in your reception area.
The more your patients are reminded, the more they will remember you when they are speaking with their friends about cosmetic enhancement.
LOOK AT YOUR ALLIANCES FOR REFERRALS
Look at who you know in your community. Perhaps you are friendly with the dentist down the hall or other non-competing specialties who would be happy to refer their patients to you and vice versa.
This can be done informally by exchanging business cards and handing them to the patients who need the services. A physician referral to another physician is powerful since it’s so credible.
Or, perhaps your staff regularly visits a certain hair salon and retail store, or your office manager gets massages weekly at the new hip spa in town.
You can turn those casual alliances into viable word-of-mouth referral sources by having your staff talk to them and then introduce you to the owners.
If you hit it off, you can give them your business cards or a customized poster to display in their place of business.
You can also consider participating in some type of cross-promotional event and invite both of your databases. You can gain instant credibility and prestige when your colleague introduces you as the expert to their patients and clients.
It also gives you exposure to an entirely new group of prospective patients who also have their circle of friends, family, and colleagues they can refer you to.
NETWORK TO INCREASE PLASTIC SURGERY WORD OF MOUTH REFERRALS
I have watched physicians grow their practices quickly with networking. Remember the adage, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”? Now it’s actually, “Who knows you” that is so important.
If you are good at networking, you can tap into groups of people who can become your preferred patients.
Attend events and connect with as many others as possible.
Every person you meet should know who you are, what you do, and the services you offer. If nothing else, be sure your business card says it so you can at least introduce yourself and hand them a business card they can refer to later.
Now follow up with an email or send them a small gift with extra business cards. Tell them it was a pleasure to meet them and how much you would appreciate their referrals to your practice.
GET INVOLVED IN YOUR COMMUNITY
Giving back to your community shows you care about others. Getting involved in a worthy cause makes you feel good, and it’s good for the community.
If you don’t have a cause close to your heart and need to find something, think strategically. If you want to be known as the “facelift doc” in your community, perhaps you can offer your services to domestic violence victims.
Or, if you want to get into the “in” social crowd in your community, work with the socialites in your area that give considerable time and money to a specific cause and get to know them.
Become part of their crowd, and they will loyally go to you and send their like-minded friends to you as well.
FREQUENT REFERRAL PROGRAM
Reward, encourage, and acknowledge those special patients who offer multiple referrals.
Every practice has those patients who just love them! They visit often, they know the names of the staff’s children, and they go to you for all of their skincare needs.
They may live in the same neighborhood, and their kids may go to the same school your kids go to, they may go to your health club, or whatever.
You have a special group of loyal patients who sing your praises all over town. Whenever the subject of cosmetic enhancement comes up, they are the first to jump in and tell everyone what they have had done, who did it, and how happy they are.
They can give others your telephone number right now if they have a pen. And, if they don’t, they will email your name, telephone number, and address the next day- and they do it!
It’s the 80-20 rule. Like everything else in life, 80% of the referrals will come from 20% of your patients. You can help those statistics by going a step further.
Implement a frequent referral program but do it with caution. You do not want to get into the game of giving away services if your patients refer a certain number of people.
Those patients who are trying to get “deals” from you by sending in their friends may be more trouble than they are worth.
They may send you patients you don’t want and maybe in it for the wrong reasons. You want the patients who are truly ecstatic about you and want to sing your praises.
COMPUTER TRACKING
“So, how did you hear about Dr. Smith?”
This is one of the most important questions your staff must ask every single prospective patient calling your office and walking through your door.
You can’t really know who your advocates are unless you can track them accurately. It’s vital you have a computer system that automatically tracks referral sources, so you know who is really referring people and who just says they are referring.
You also want to track who actually books procedures and which procedures they seem to be booking more of from the referrals you receive.
Good computer systems will outline, in detail, who referred whom and the outcome in terms of revenues generated.
DON’T TAKE PLASTIC SURGERY WORD OF MOUTH REFERRALS FOR GRANTED
Acknowledge and appreciate your referring patients.
Send a handwritten thank-you note for each referral you get from a patient. Or, if you send a computer-generated form, be sure you handwrite a special note on it, so the patient knows you truly appreciate them.
The handwritten note visually tells your referring patients you sincerely appreciate their efforts. This indicates you acknowledge their support and value their friendship.
You can also invite your best-referring patients in periodically for a complimentary, non-invasive treatment that your staff can perform and send them a small gift or card on their birthday and during the holidays.
It’s the acknowledgment, more than the “freebies” your referring patients will appreciate and will prompt them to send more patients your way.
THE GOLDEN RULE
Patients have to be truly happy and satisfied with the service they receive from your practice to refer their friends.
Please be sure every single patient has a “WOW” experience every single time they are in contact with you, your staff, and your office. This will make it much more likely for them to tell others how great you are.