Dr. Steve's Practice Tip Blog

How you would answer the question,”Dr. Steve, how can I tell if I or someone I know would benefit from what you do?” and my suggestion about how you would answer that question and the great precursor (interview) questions that actually would lead up to it drew lots of interest. Thanks for reading and asking for this information. Look for the 5 interview questions in upcoming editions of the PracticeTIP.

Now, to conclude this series on referrals.
We left off with you creating e a database of who specializes in what and then keep your ears open for an opportunity to make a referral to someone in your database.

Then, when you have an opportunity to make a referral to someone in the network for a service you know is provided or specialized in, please do so. And, in so doing, you will become a connector…connecting people in need of services or products with people who provide the services or products they need.

When you make a referral, follow up with the person you just referred new business to. You might phone them and say, “Alan, I just referred Dr. Jones to you. He said he needed a way to better communicate with his patients and I told him that you could help him with that-I hope he calls you.”

In so doing, whether Dr. Jones ever calls Alan or not, what does Alan now know? He knows you made an attempt to make good on your promise to refer business his way. How many calls like that from you to Alan do you think will be necessary before Alan understands you are actively promoting his business and maybe, just maybe, he should be doing the same for you? I suspect not too long.

Now, of course, this entire process can be automated through a company like 2ndCousin Media…email me for more information….click here.

Why do all this…just for a potential referral? No. You do this to create an alliance or a potential referral resource that provides referrals to you on an ongoing basis.

You also invest time like this to become known in the business community as someone who is good for “their” business and not just your own. And, in this way, when you have another project you want to do within the business community…you will be welcome.

Other projects you could run, with the help of alliances or other businesses within your community include but certainly are not limited to:
Community Wellness Day
Health Fairs
Speaking Opportunities
A Business to Business Referral Directory
And a business to business discount co-op.

Next Week we will begin a new series on the
“5″ Interview Questions
stay tuned…

At the end of last week’s PracticeTIP, I promised you a TIP on how to become a referral magnet. At the same time, I have also received numerous suggestions and requests to make the PracticeTIP shorter and more compact so…you ask, I comply and I hope you will find this new version more to your liking and please keep your comments and suggestions coming

How to become a referral magnet involves your willingness to ask the ONE question you have always wanted someone to ask you. In over 30 years in Chiropractic, no one has ever asked me the question, “Dr. Steve, how can I tell if I or someone I know would benefit from what you do?”

Now, how you would answer that question and the great precursor (interview) questions that actually would lead up to it are not our subject today BUT, if you want me to cover them in a future issue of the PracticeTIP, please email me and let me know.

For our purposes today, I suggest that #1-you do have a great answer to that question so that you can ask current patients if they have ever wondered how they could tell if someone they know would benefit from what you do…and if they have, tell them. If they haven’t, I would ask if they think its a good question. And, when they say yes, I would ask if they were curious about what the answer was. And, when they say yes, I would tell them.

As importantly, I suggest you ask this question of practice members that own businesses. I would ask business leaders in your community. I would ask members of any networking groups you belong to. And when they tell you, I would both make a note of it and let them know that if you come across someone who would benefit from what they do, that you will be sure to send them their way.

When you get back to the office, send them an email using an email program like icontact (for a free trial-see the “try it free” link at the bottom of this page) with your picture and a simple text something along the lines of:

It was so great to meet/speak with you today. Now that I know that your business specializes in______________, anytime I hear of someone that would benefit from your service/product, you could be sure I will send them your way.

And, sign it. No one has ever treated them that well before and they will remember you and your face.

Next step would be to create a database of who specializes in what and then keep your ears open for an opportunity to make a referral to someone in your database.

Final Part Concludes next week…
ON BECOMING A REFERRAL MAGNET
stay tuned…

Last week we ended with the concept that perhaps some of your patients do not refer simply because they just don’t know how to be effective in referring to you to their friends, family and co-workers. So let’s find out how we can better train them to be more effective referrers.

If you have practice members who have been referred to you, then it is fairly simply to find out what people need to hear in order to act when someone is trying to refer them to you.

How so? Well, these people were SUCCESSFULLY referred to you. Doesn’t make sense to find out what they needed to hear to act on the referral? You bet! So lets ask them.

I know…I know…your consultant already told you to ask your best referrers what they’re saying to people that causes them to want to become patients in your office. Don’t waste your time. Your best referrers are good because of the force of their personality…not what they said to people.

So, if you’re going to ask anyone, we recommend you ask those that have been referred what they needed to hear in order to act on the referral.

For example, find people who have been referred and follow a dialogue that might go something like this:

Hi Mary…I’ve been meaning to ask you. You were referred to us by one of our mutual good friends, Joe Jones and I’ve been meaning to ask you, “do you have any recollection of what Joe might have said to you that made you want to pick up the phone and call us for your first appointment?”

By asking that question, you will find out what PEOPLE NEED TO HEAR to act on a referral and then you can help your other practice members be more successful referring their friends and family to your office.

ANOTHER MINDSET RECOMMENDATION:

How would you feel if a practice member told you that “people all over town are talking about you…and they’re saying really good things about you?” Good right? Sure. What if you heard that a few times a month or a few times a week? Wouldn’t that make you feel great? So, here’s my suggestion…

Leave yourself a note where only you can see it that says, “People all over town are talking about me and they’re saying really good things about me.”

Is this “fake it till you make it?” No and I have proof. If you receive referrals at all, where do you think they came from? They came from people all over town saying really nice things about you…keep that in mind and you will contribute to the mindset of receiving referrals.

More next week…
ON BECOMING A REFERRAL MAGNET
stay tuned…

More from a new book by John Jantsch called the Referral Engine this week. And it remains our “Highlight Book” this week because it deserves to be as it is a treasure trove of information about the referral process and why people do and don’t refer.

Jantsch discusses a survey he conducted among thousands of business owners and he found that almost 65% of owners felt that over half their business came from referrals but 80% also admitted that they had no system of any kind to generate referrals. I know this hits home for chiropractors. Think about how you can know how powerful word of mouth is and yet do so little to take advantage of it.

In fact, does this sound like you? “when I ask, they say that they will keep it in mind” or “when I ask, they say that they already do refer” even though they haven’t or “even when we offer an incentive, we still get nothing.” As a result, does your brain tell you that maybe you just shouldn’t ask? Don’t you think it should be easier getting referrals from happy, satisfied patients?

So, what stops you from being more pro-active when it comes to referrals in general and asking for them in particular? Fear? Feel desperate? Don’t remember to ask?
Or is it because you don’t think or believe you’re doing something worth talking about? Or, could it be that you know that you don’t have an effective program to generate the lead or follow it up?

Again, I would use the Ritz Carlton as an example of a business worth emulating. How many times have you seen an ad for the Ritz Carlton? Not many, I’m sure you would agree that with a year-round occupancy rate in excess of 90% and a return rate at a given location of better than 80%, perhaps they know what they’re doing. And, what is the approach of the Ritz Carlton? It is “to meet and exceed the stated and unstated expectations of our guests.”

People refer to you based on their experience of you and the experience that they expect the person they refer will have with you. They must trust you and have high expectations of you that you consistently meet and/or exceed. That’s the ticket!

Imagine recommending a 5 star restaurant to a visiting business associate. You would only do it and perhaps even make the reservation if you had some certainty of the experience your colleague would have. If you KNEW they would have an impeccable experience, you would refer them because you also KNEW that the experience they had would reflect both on the restaurant AND on you. If you weren’t sure of the experience they would have, you would be loathe to make the recommendation because anything less than a stellar experience would also reflect on both the restaurant and YOU.

And that just may be why some of your patients do not refer. Of course, it could also be that they just don’t know how to be effective in referring to you…

More next week…stay tuned…

A new book by John Jantsch called the Referral Engine is our “Highlight Book” this week and quite a book it is. Certainly a “must” read for DC’s in that it provides readers with a step-by-step guide to creating a systematic and ongoing referral engine in any business…including your practice. This will also be a great opportunity to share some of my coaching insights over the course of this short series.

If your business is like most, 90% of your best clients come from referrals and, sadly, only about 25% of you are or will do anything about it to stimulate it. What a great opportunity for you to step up and create more ideal clients for your practice.

Some of the ideas explored in the book include concepts familiar to our Mastery Coaching clients like:
1. Be Referral Worthy: The foundation of getting referrals from satisfied clients is to be a business that satisfies it’s clients. “You have to be a great company worthy of being referred to,” Jantsch says. People don’t refer business to boring or mediocre businesses, but they do refer business to companies that exceed their expectations and do something exceptionally well. So, do yourself a favor and go beyond satisfying them…wow them!

2. Start With Existing Clients: It is not enough to simply provide a good product or service at a fair price. “That is the minimum of what is expected of you,” John correctly notes. Instead, your job, if you want referrals, is to take a customer through a cycle John calls “know, like, trust, try, buy, repeat, and refer.” What he means by this is for someone to refer to you, they must first learn about your business, trust it, try it and like it, repeat, and only then will they refer you.

Equally important, you have to make it easy for clients to refer business to you once they like you and become established clients themselves: Create loyalty programs. Give people incentives to refer business to you. Ask for referrals.

And most importantly, connect with your clients and give them many ways to connect with you:

• Connect using IM, social media like Twitter and Facebook, your website as well as the newest method of making your clients feel like VIP’s…the Cross Platform Widget (available through 2ndCousin Media…email me at drsteve@drstevehoffman.com for details

• Offer feedback forms on your site and with invoices

• Take frequent client surveys

• Call them and ask how you are doing

• Create client review panels (focus groups)

• Welcome client complaints because they tell you how to upgrade your service

3. Create a Strategic Partner Network: The idea here is to find businesses similar to yours – companies that share your values and are also exceptional and worthy of referrals. Then begin to do some work together, some joint projects. Maybe they can offer free samples of your products, and vice versa. Or do some webinars together. Create a group blog. Co-op your marketing efforts.

Because once you do that, once you create a valuable strategic partnership, all of a sudden you will have this other company singing your praises to their clients. A whole new group of people will be exposed to your business in a very positive way, and remember, since first impressions are often the lenses people look through when they see your business, a positive, word of mouth first impression can go a long, long way.

But don’t just find one strategic partner, advises John, “Look for many.”

“Recruit and activate an army of strategic partners,” he says. Since they will have similar motivations to you and will want to get the word out about your business, by doing this you begin to create a referral machine.

More next week…stay tuned…