In a previous “Daily Grind” post, I discussed the Pareto Principle, whereby it is my contention that 20% of our practice success is due to our clinical knowledge and skills and 80% is from everything else. I like to talk about that 80%.
Knowing that “mindset + systems + consistency = success,” I talk about how inexpensive systems done consistently and with the right attitude can transform our business for long-term success. One of those systems, if done consistently, is what I call “Moments of Magic,” which are 10 or more moments that change how our patients respond to us and become raving fans who pay their bills, show up for their appointments, schedule their next appointments, and refer their family members and friends (what I refer to as pay, stay, repeat and refer).
In this blog series, I will outline each one of those Moments of Magic. The eighth one is the handwritten welcome card.
Our new patient has heard about us, checked out our website and social media, and liked us enough to pick up the phone and call. They were thanked for calling, scheduled and surprised with an office tour upon arrival. We utilized the Golden 10, whereby we got to know eight to 10 things about them that changed the relationship from a professional one to a personal one. We then engaged them in significant methods of codiagnosis so that they became an active partner in their own healthcare outcomes.
By now, your new patient has had seven significant points of contact with you, your team and the office. They should be leaving feeling great about themselves and about you and your team being their new oral healthcare treatment providers. They should be happy to pay their bill and schedule the next appointment.
They have now left your office, but the opportunity for another “wow” moment is at hand. Sometime before the end of the day, the dentist (or a specific team member if they had a particularly positive interaction with that new patient) should send a handwritten note welcoming them again to the practice, thanking them for choosing you and your team, and mentioning that you look forward to seeing them again.
Put the card in an envelope, and mail it.
Today, most of the mail we get is junk. People rarely get handwritten letters anymore. So, when your patient receives a handwritten envelope, they are going to notice it, open it, read it and be amazed.
Stock cards and envelopes work well, but, if you adopt this properly, try to get custom-made cards that reflect you and your team more specifically.
This takes seconds to do, is inexpensive, and will be something that people will notice and talk about. Some even take a picture and post it on their social media because nobody else is doing it right now — in any industry. This simple thing can pay big dividends in converting that new patient to a referral machine for the growth of your practice.
As Maya Angelou said, people will forget what you said to them, but they will never forget how you made them feel, and these eight moments of magic will have them feeling amazing about you.
The next blog will feature another moment of magic that will take the “wow” of the first patient visit to another level again.
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