feature // marketing
T
op professionals in nearly every field of selling understand the value of good clients above and beyond the direct business they get from them. Each client’s business not only adds to your personal bottom line, but it can lead to even more business through referrals. The same goes for orthodontic practices. Every satisfied patient can be the source of many more patients whose business generates additional revenues for your practice. The key is to understand how to leverage the satisfaction of your current patients for its maximum value. It’s a very simple, yet critical aspect of business and something that deserves dedicated effort by you and every member of your staff. In fact, it’s a good idea to remind everyone on your staff, both verbally and visually, that they should constantly be seeking opportunities to generate the contact information for potential new patients. Some ortho practices do this so naturally that you would have to pay careful attention to determine exactly the steps they are implementing to grow their practices through their patients. Let me suggest a couple of things you can easily do to get started on a program of growth that’s rooted in your existing, satisfied patients. First, ask the existing patients what they would tell others about their experience with your practice. Either you or your staff member should make a quick note of that (or even have the patient jot down their thoughts on a piece of your stationery,
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by Tom Hopkins
orthotown.com \\ DECEMBER 2012
25
http://www.orthotown.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Orthotown December 2012