How to attract patients to a dental clinic. Ideas for attracting new patients How a healthcare organization will attract patients

d. ps. Sci., Professor, Head of the Department of Psychology and Medical Deontology, SPbINSTOM

Today it is already a trivial idea that a patient in paid dentistry acts in two guises: he is a recipient of medical care and a consumer of services. Everyone understands that successful commerce and the competitiveness of a clinic, firm or private practice dentist decisively depend on the degree to which medical and service personnel have mastered the psychology of interaction in the process of treatment and sale of services. Attracting a patient, retaining, pleasantly surprising, making him permanent - these goals have become companions of commercial success.

Conversely, the concepts of “alert, disappoint, lose” a patient are perceived as synonymous with bad business. We emphasize that a shift is taking place in the consciousness of the consumer of services in medicine: he is more and more interested in the personal qualities of a doctor - humanity, decency, kindness, responsiveness, and not just professionalism in the traditional sense. The impressions of the doctor's personality are usually transferred to the quality of the work he does - a good person and a good professional. However, what fits into the framework of common sense is not always reflected in practice. That is why it is appropriate to express in the form of strict standards the cornerstone, in our opinion, provisions that should be guided by a dentist who counts on sustainable effects of his work: high earnings, strengthening relationships with patients, their constancy and voluntary performance of the distributor function.

10 ways to attract and retain a patient

Method 1

In the process of consultation or reception, at all stages of service, do so that the patient does not resemble anything bad and unpleasant from the practice of budget medicine.
To work and gain the trust of patients in the contrast of the new and the old! This provision applies to all aspects of the activities of a paid institution - it is informing about services, compliance with security measures, interaction of medical and service personnel with patients, providing illustrations at the reception, booklets and letterheads, design of offices, hall and auxiliary rooms. Consciousness of patients everywhere should record the thoughtfulness, even of the smallest things, and the conclusion should suggest itself: here they do not save on treatment or on service.

Method 2

At all stages of interaction with a patient, demonstrate cordiality, attention and willingness to cooperate with any patient, including not very kind, well-mannered, and even with problematic personality traits. We continue to develop the theme of contrasts, highlighting its psychological background. An ordinary citizen of our country was brought up in conditions of deprivation. Everywhere and in various forms, he was deprived of attention and care - in the family, in institutions of everyday life and medicine, at the place of work and rest. However, such a disappointing reality of the recent past can be used for the benefit of commerce and competition. Imagine that it is with you that the patient is at the epicenter of sincere attention and care. Literally from the first to the last second of his stay in your institution, he feels the hospitality addressed to him personally, the willingness of the staff to cooperate. The task seems to be no wonder, but it is not easy to implement it in practice. It is difficult to maintain the style of "cordiality and courtesy" at all stages of interaction, with all patients, under all circumstances and all staff. We are very different - both those who serve and those who are served; each has its own principles, ideas about what should be, its own nervous system and character. In addition, cordiality and courtesy are very capacious concepts, including ethics, the ability to make contact and maintain it. It can take years for the firm's employees to learn good manners. Start with the elementary. First of all, dear colleagues, learn how to properly meet a new patient who has entered the office. This is stated in the following provision.

Method 3

Do your best to give the patient a positive first impression of their personality. As you know, the first impression about a person leaves a deep and lasting mark. It may not be as objective as it is psychologically significant, informationally rich. Instantly and to a large extent unconsciously, a holistic assessment of the partner's image takes place: an impression is formed about whether it is pleasant or repulsive, positive or negative associations arise with known types, an emotional-energetic consonance or dissonance is formed. At this moment, the patient's psyche operates in an extreme mode of "sorting impressions and predictions": what can you expect from this doctor - is he a good person or a bad one, can he be entrusted with his wallet and health? It is known from practice that, upon entering the office, at some point, patients often lose orientation, do not understand how to approach and sit in a chair, with a confused smile or a tense grimace on their faces. Such states indicate that the brain is actively processing new information at a subconscious level, attention is focused and directed to signs of well-being and distress, all other details are outside the field of active consciousness. After a while, conceptual thinking and logic begin to connect. Gradually, as contacts expand in one direction or another, the opinion about the doctor will be adjusted, and final conclusions about his personality will be drawn. But this will happen later, and the first impression will nevertheless remain for a long time and color all facets of further relationships. That is why in the first moments one should especially try and show the best in oneself - benevolence, friendliness, responsiveness. The overwhelming number of doctors possesses these qualities, but many have hidden them deeply and are extracted in exceptional cases. Unfortunately, some doctors, being humane people, have developed an official stereotype of interaction with patients - official officiousness on duty, an ambiguous smile, an absent-minded look, a neutral emotional tone. The mask "stuck" to the face. It should be admitted that this is an economical style of relations, but it is least of all suitable for the first moment of communication with patients, when it is necessary to easily and widely show readiness for frank and desired interaction, strengthening contacts.

In the first moments of communication with patients, any falsity is very noticeable, an attempt to pretend to be someone who you are not. Most people, at the first contact, quickly notice when a partner is playing someone else's role. Is it easy for a doctor to be hospitable and helpful, to win over the patient from the first seconds of communication? Not easy. Fatigue affects, not all of his character traits and not every manner of communication is pleasant to everyone. The doctor also "calculates" the patient by the first impression, and associations and images of the past arise in his mind. Another patient is not at all inclined to open embrace, but true professionalism lies in the fact that the humanistic essence of the doctor, communicative tolerance prevails over unpleasant memories. In this regard, there is the following warning.

Method 4

Do not allow yourself to be guided by negative attitudes towards patients. Our observations show that prejudices and images of "bad patients" often outpace the contacts of the dentist with a specific patient. One doctor expressed his state of mind, proud of his "instinct for people," in the following form: "At first glance, I define a patient who will be difficult and unpleasant to communicate, and I immediately develop an appropriate attitude towards him." Is this a sign of professionalism? On the contrary, as a result of such readiness, the doctor develops certain forms of protective behavior - closeness in communication, unwillingness to explain in detail, to explain what is supposed to be, emotional constraint, aggression, etc.

In other cases, the dentist and his assistant "calculate" the patient's ability to pay - whether or not we can make money on it, whether he will stay for treatment or not. Emotional detachment and a formal tone also originate from here. The patient, as a rule, catches this, and here two outcomes are probable: if he is brought up and sustained, he will not show, but will harbor resentment and will speak badly about the staff; if he is less cultured, emotionally labile or, even worse, with signs of mental abnormalities, he will give a reaction in the form of accusations, indignations, rudeness, etc. Without realizing it, the doctor sowed the wind and shook the storm. As a result, he became even more entrenched in the opinion: "What a bad and capricious current patient, here before ..." Thus, mutual negative attitudes are able to swing the amplitude of negative impressions in the emotional-ethical contour "doctor - patient". Forbid yourself, dear colleagues, from participating in this communication drama.

Method 5

Do so that each patient is convinced that you have received from him and properly appreciated all the information necessary for the successful implementation of a set of therapeutic measures - diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, prevention.

We are talking about the initial phase of compulsory professional communication (OBO) between a doctor and a patient, more precisely about that part of it, which is aimed at identifying the necessary information - complaints and wishes, general health and the condition of the recipient of medical care at the time of admission. In the conditions of paid services, the aspect of “revealing” has some peculiarities in comparison with the scheme of collecting anamnesis and studying images, which operates in a state-funded institution. The main difference is that the doctor is not limited to dental tasks, he also exerts a psychological influence on the patient. The visitor should see and positively evaluate the professionalism of the doctor, attentive attitude to health and diligence. Therefore, the doctor works in a dialogue mode and according to the principle of "feedback", giving adequate information to the client: I see, hear and take into account everything, not a single important detail escapes me.

The doctor "reveals" for the patient, for the patient, and not just for himself. Almost everything that the doctor "reveals" he brings to the patient's consciousness. For this purpose, the influence of general health on the state of the dentition is explained and, conversely, individual complaints and readings of the image are commented, and generalizations are made. The principle “we write one, two in the mind” is unacceptable here, according to which the doctor understood what was important for himself, grasped the essence of the patient’s statements, determined his condition and silently acts further - he makes decisions, makes inferences. On the contrary, the doctor uses various techniques of "feedback" so that the patient, at this stage of communication, draws a conclusion: I have come to a responsible, attentive, highly professional specialist.

Method 6

Explain to the patient all the necessary information in such a way that he feels like an active actor at different stages of interaction - getting to know the problem, developing a recommended treatment plan, choosing a solution, discussing cost and guarantees.

To do this, you continue to carry out mandatory professional communication in full, you argue clearly, clearly. Address the patient with questions, make sure that he understands you correctly. Let's have the opportunity to express wishes. At the same time, do not be confused by what another patient will say: "Do what and how you see fit." Mandatory communication is therefore called that, because it includes what must be brought to the patient's mind under any circumstances, keeping in mind the rights of the consumer and the complexities of human nature. However, one and the same thing can be expressed briefly or in detail, put certain accents, but the essence cannot be ignored - it will be more dear to itself.

In each case of treatment, in addition to “detection”, the following components of the OBO are performed:

• explanation - the patient is explained his problems, the content of the recommended treatment plan;
• approval - the plan to be executed, the selected technologies, materials, cost, start and end dates of work are coordinated;
• explanation - the circumstances of the definition of guarantees and the conditions for their observance by the clinic, the content of informed voluntary consent (or several consent, if there are parallel and sequential interventions), the conditions for maintaining the effect of treatment and actions in case of discomfort (best in writing after completion of treatment).

It would seem that there is nothing unexpected or complicated in the requirements for OPO for dentists, however, patient surveys show that not every doctor succeeds in fully implementing it properly and in all cases. So, according to more than three thousand patients interviewed by us by phone after treatment at the Medi firm, a detailed explanation of the problem takes place in the range of 52 to 97%, an explanation in case of complications - in the range of 28-99%, guarantees - 25- 91%. Note that the disadvantages of OBE are different, for one reason or another it does not reach the proper volume and quality and, as our experience shows, it is difficult to correct even as a result of special trainings. Thus, you should not overestimate yourself in terms of OBO.

A typical mistake of dentists is that they get carried away with monologues, read lectures to the patient, and oversaturate information with special terms. In this form, they compensate for the lack of dialogue skills and the ability to persuade, mistaking their light language for the art of professional communication.

Method 7

Pay attention to the individual characteristics of the patient and build interactions with them in such a way as to achieve the best mutual understanding.

This position is well known to doctors and has become a truism. But this does not mean that it is at least satisfactorily performed at all stages of interaction with patients, as evidenced by our observations and special studies. First, doctors lack the knowledge and skills necessary for the rapid diagnosis of a patient's personality. Secondly, no one has ever taught them algorithms for interacting with patients of one type or another - communicative and uncommunicative, extroverts and introverts, rational and emotional, labile and rigid, visuals and audials, suggested and non-suggestible, showing their psychological characteristics within the normal range. and beyond its limits, etc. Thirdly, most doctors do not follow the rules of reflection and therefore not only make elementary mistakes in interacting with a patient of a particular type, but also provoke conflicts and rejection of their personality and work style by their behavior.

At the first stage of self-learning and self-control, one must at least correctly set psychological tasks for oneself:

• induce, or perhaps force oneself to respectfully treat the patient's subjective reality, that is, his actual needs: on the one hand, as a living being - the desire for safety, physical and psychological comfort, on the other, as a self-respecting person who defends his rights and interests, wants to be heard and seen, wants to prove himself “here and now”;
• try, at least in general terms, to recognize the personality traits of the patient who came to the appointment that are most significant for choosing a strategy of relationships - has a negative dental experience, is anxious, needs support, is easily vulnerable, suspicious, inattentive, weak-willed, insincere, emotionally labile, conflicted, depends on outside opinion, has problematic features;
• "Join" the individuality of the patient, if he has variants of the norm of individual-typical properties;
• use adequate measures to neutralize tensions and conflicts if the patient has problem personality traits.

Method 8

Do your best to ensure that the patient is confident that the cost of your treatment is justified.

This provision concerns many aspects of the behavior of a doctor and an assistant - their ability to communicate, professional skills, attitudes towards their duties and even their personal philosophy, the principles that guide them in life. The patient's belief in the justification of the cost of treatment depends to a large extent on the completeness and thoroughness of the OPO. If the patient positively evaluates the verbal part of the professional's activity, this strengthens his conclusion about the justification of the cost, because it is clear what and how the doctor is trying to explain, explain, agree. It is equally important to show the patient in an accessible form the quality of the planned, and even better - the work performed. Indeed, many criteria and indicators of quality in dentistry are not directly visible and intangible. It is to you and me, dear colleagues, that it is clear that highly professional treatment using the latest materials, tools and technologies cannot be cheap. We are also aware that the cost depends on the level of service. However, these simple market dependencies require evidence and illustrations for patients who are accustomed to reasoning by analogy with a state clinic or simplified: “What is difficult in putting a filling or removing a tooth? This is done in any dental clinic. And what about the service? Is it paid for? "

The naive mentality of the patient (at least at this stage of paid dentistry) can devalue almost all your achievements in the field of service culture, treatment safety, individual approach, technological innovations and the quality of treatment, measured by indicators unknown to many. For example, such indicators as complete restoration of the anatomical shape and chewing function of teeth, passage of a complex canal, high refraction and permeability of light in metal-free ceramics, etc. seven seals. But who wants to pay for the unknown and invisible quality? Even a highly aesthetic orthopedic construction of the most complicated technology of execution, which, in fact, is the creation of a skilled craftsman, usually does not cause any special impressions in a person who is inexperienced in modern dentistry or fixated on the fact that he is certainly "untwisted".

That is why the doctor is entrusted with the task, as if in passing, unobtrusively and at the same time, with verified strokes, to reveal to the patient the quality of the work performed, sometimes simultaneously convincing him, and sometimes even enlightening him. Frankly, the task is not easy, requiring a specialist to have good communication skills, the ability to appeal to reason and feelings, use arguments, and notice the individual characteristics of patients. For example, according to a telephone survey, the indicator "cost is justified" ranges from 14 to 60% for doctors. This means that some doctors are better, while others are worse at coping with the designated commercial and psychological task. At the same time, they are in the same technological conditions, work at identical prices and achieve a sufficiently high quality, which is an indispensable condition for the employees of our company.

Method 9

Work with the assistant so that the patient sees and appreciates your tandem.

Usually, the advantages of the "four-handed" method of treatment come down to overcoming technological difficulties, convenience for the doctor and the quality of performing various manipulations. But it would be unfair and reckless to ignore the assistant as a participant in the interaction with the patient and not assign him some additional roles related to the sale of services. The goal is to make the assistant a significant figure in gaining the patient's trust. There are many possibilities for this. When meeting the patient in the lobby and escorting the patient to the exit, the assistant can demonstrate courtesy. In the course of treatment, she should anticipate physical and psychological discomfort, be interested in the patient's condition. By agreement with the doctor, she can give some explanations, and in appropriate cases, maintain a dialogue with the patient on various topics, for example, about the achievements of the clinic, dental care, maintaining the effect of treatment, etc. And, of course, the assistant and the doctor should equally be interested in demonstrating to the patient the coherence and refinement of actions, mutual understanding "without words", business spirit. In this case, the patient feels a positive energetic effect from the medical staff. As our research shows, patients usually notice the harmony or lack of harmony of the physician-assistant pair.

To put into practice this method of attracting and retaining a patient, some of the doctors may need to reconsider their views on the functional responsibilities of an assistant. Do it. According to the traditional concept of nursing, the assistant performed auxiliary functions that ensure the work of the doctor, behaved detached in relations with the patient and did not have the right to take initiative.

In the conditions of selling services, an assistant is a professional partner of a doctor, together with a doctor, he carries out a subjective type of relationship in communication with a patient, shows activity, independence, creativity (of course, within the framework of his duties and by agreement with the doctor).

Method 10

All interaction with the patient is carried out under the motto "Be our regular patient".

This motto should unite and direct the efforts of the entire team of the clinic and the company to achieve a single goal. By and large, each patient visit is a performance (in a good sense of the word), which is played out with the participation of medical and service personnel in the name of gaining the patient's trust and motivating his choice in favor of your medical institution. A play called "A Visit to the Dentist" should have commercial and psychological drama, emphasis placed correctly, and the roles played masterfully. The doctor is the director and main performer of the action.

It defines the moral context of the reception, its content, the energy of the dialogues. The mentality and dedication of the assistant depends on him, who can work to one degree or another clearly, responsibly, gracefully, and proactively. The doctor plans and implements in his actions the main goal of the patient's treatment - to be a one-time visitor or a permanent recipient of medical care and a consumer of services.

Under what motto do you, dear colleagues, carry out your daily activities? Try to sincerely answer the question: do you always and everything with an assistant do so that the patient prefers to continue to be treated with you and not with your competitor?

As you can see, there are many ways to attract and retain patients. Their implementation requires a thorough training of doctors and assistants in the field of psychology. It is not as costly as the acquisition and implementation of new technologies, but laborious and requires patience. But how easy it is to disappoint the patient, cause criticism and discontent, provoke him into a conflict. On this score, there are many ways, some of them are proposed to be discussed further.

Literature

1. Boyko V.V. Volume I. Clinic - turnkey, 1008 pp., St. Petersburg, 2009.
2. Boyko V.V. Psychology and management in dentistry. Volume II. Personnel - team, 450 p., St. Petersburg, 2013.
3. Boyko V.V. Psychology and management in dentistry. Volume III. Doctor and patient, 580 pp., SPb., 2013.
4. Boyko V.V. Psychology and management in dentistry. Volume VI. Doctor, child, parent, 512 pages, St. Petersburg, 2013.
5. Boyko V.V. Psychology and management in dentistry. Volume VII. Service for children, 200 p., SPb., 2012.

Dentistry- one of the most favorable areas for investment, but with high competition. There are dozens of dental centers in every city: from modest dental offices to large network clinics. To stay afloat, you need to practice attracting patients to the dental clinic... And you need to do this regularly.

How to attract patients to the dental clinic: 6 effective ways

• Location You don't have to have an office in the city center to be a winner. It is important that the hospital is easily accessible by public and private transport.
• Competence of doctors The professionalism, accuracy and cleanliness of the doctor are visible from the first minute of acquaintance. If he began to conduct an examination without gloves, and during treatment caused the client discomfort, it is unlikely that he will make an appointment again. You can also attract patients by treating complex diseases, performing rare operations, using experimental techniques.
• Offline and online advertising How to attract patients to dentistry that has just opened? At first, only advertising on the Internet and on the street will help in this. Use any tool: flyers, banners, streamers, billboards, websites, social networks. In the future, the main stream will come through word of mouth.
• Marketing campaigns Discounts, promotions and special offers have always been and will be an effective way to attract patients to dentistry. Reduced prices will help expand the audience among students and retirees.
• Feedback After providing the service, doctors should ask their clients if they liked everything. You can ask for feedback on the website or on the company page in social networks.
• Automated service Making an appointment with a doctor through the registry is becoming less and less relevant - they use computers or telephones. It is very convenient and time-saving.

Attracting corporate clients to dentistry

Corporate clients for dentistry - Goldmine... One company can bring an average of 10-15 clients to the clinic. There are two ways to increase the flow of clients to dentistry by suggesting:

• Corporate subscription for employees.
• Conclusion of a service agreement with a discount.

In both cases, the dental clinic receives significant influx of customers, and the head of the company demonstrates concern for his employees. You can contact the owners of the companies by phone or e-mail by sending a commercial offer.

Benefits of working with YCLIENTS

Most of the ways to attract clients to dentistry allows you to retain them and make them regular clients. However, only simple, fast and convenient service will help to conquer them from the first second.
The cloud platform allows you to do this. YCLIENTS... It binds to the site and allows you to solve numerous tasks for both visitors and clinic staff.

• Online booking... Busy people don't have to take time off from work to come to the hospital and make an appointment with a doctor, and introverts don't have to make phone calls. It will be possible to get to the dentist with a single click. You just need to choose a doctor, date and convenient time, and then indicate the phone number and mail.
• Electronic journal... It is enough for a doctor to have a phone at hand to find out his schedule. YCLIENTS automatically records clients, which are then displayed to the clinic staff in a pivot table.
• SMS and email alerts... Set up automatic sending of notifications to the client's email or phone a couple of days before the appointment. So the patient will definitely not miss the trip to the doctor, and you will not have any windows in the schedule.
• Customer base... This feature allows you to improve the customer focus of your dental practice. You can easily track the frequency of visits. In this way, you can develop personal discounts for regular customers and increase their loyalty. For those who have not been for a long time - organize a mailing list with an unobtrusive reminder about yourself. will provide guaranteed attraction of primary patients to dentistry and turn them into regular customers of your clinic!

Sales Generator

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In this article, you will learn:

• What are the features of attracting clients to a medical center
• How 4Rs Affects Patient Attraction to the Medical Center
• Do discounts and phone calls help in attracting customers?
• What are the real ways to attract customers
• What new ways to attract to take into service
• Word of mouth among the clients of the medical center to attract new ones
• What profit to expect from attracting clients to a medical center

A private medical center is a popular business idea. Entrepreneurs are attracted to this market by the ease of entry and quick return on investment. But in the future, the owner of the institution will have to solve many complex issues related to the selection of personnel and ensuring the quality of services. Also, one of the most important tasks will be to attract clients to the medical center.

Features of attracting clients to a medical center

The marketing of a medical center is based on its concept. There are four main types of medical institutions: a polyclinic, a hospital, a rehabilitation medical institution (for example, sanatoriums), and a highly specialized medical institution (women's consultation, dental clinic, laboratory).

These concepts have existed since the days of the Soviet Union, and modern patients also intuitively understand their specifics.

However, nowadays not all health care institutions correspond to one of the traditional types. Since the owners of private clinics are focused on making a profit, they often combine several of the most profitable areas in their business.

For example, everywhere you can find institutions where dentists of different profiles, as well as gynecologists and urologists, are accepted. Obviously, these areas themselves are poorly combined with each other, and each of them has its own promotion methods. In this regard, attracting clients to this type of medical center will be difficult and very costly.

For a healthcare facility, like for any other business, competent marketing is very important. However, advertising alone in this area will not go far. For patients, quality medical care will always come first.

And even the most skilled marketers will not be able to ensure the success of the clinic if the doctors working in it are not distinguished by professionalism or cannot find an approach to clients. The goal of marketing is to attract people, but their retention is possible only due to the quality of services.

For example, the Masterdent network of dental clinics known throughout the country in the early 2000s organized a large-scale advertising campaign, thanks to which many potential clients remembered her phone number. Then the need for promotion decreased, and there was much less of it, but the business continued to grow.

What can you say about the specifics of attracting clients to medical institutions? There are three features:

1. Clients are forced to contact the clinic.

Even the most wonderful institution will not interest a person if he does not have health problems.

1. Demand is inelastic.

The demand in the medical services market does not change when prices fluctuate by 10-15%, both up and down.

1. The demand for the services of medical centers is primary and secondary.

The client understands the need for primary demand services himself. We are talking about contacting a specialist in connection with any complaints, including emergency help. For example, when a person comes to an ophthalmologist due to visual impairment, to an ENT specialist due to a persistent runny nose, or to a dentist-therapist due to toothache.

Secondary demand differs in that in this case the patient does not realize the need for treatment measures until they are prescribed by the doctor. Accordingly, such services are provided on a planned basis, and not urgently. This can be a hospital stay, tests, orthodontist services in dentistry.

These features of customer demand must be taken into account when building a marketing strategy. Further, when explaining various phenomena, we will still refer to the above nuances.

How 4Ps Affect Customer Acceptance at a Medical Center

• Place.

There is a belief that if an institution is in plain sight on a busy street, it has a much better chance of success. As for medical centers, this rule works here only partially.

Of course, if the entrepreneur managed to find a profitable place, then this factor can be used to attract customers, while saving on other types of advertising. However, there are many examples where a clinic located on the outskirts of the city or in courtyards is working and thriving.

This is understandable if the institution is famous for its good doctors: trying to get to a trusted specialist, the patient does not think about his location. In this case, the category of place can be viewed from the other side, meaning the territory where the demand for certain services is actualized. And here the "presence" of the clinic in the right place will be a big plus.

Let's say a person comes to an otolaryngologist, and he diagnoses him with sinusitis. The cause of this disease can be periodontitis, and the dentist can find out. Therefore, it is important which dentistry the ENT will recommend to his patient.

Conclusions: An advantageous location can help attract clients to a medical center, but it does not guarantee success. Even if a lot of people pass by the clinic every day, they will not just come there. Accordingly, owners of institutions should focus their efforts on being recommended in places where problems arise.

• Price

One of the well-known experts in the promotion of medical organizations said: "The main feature of medicine as a service sector is that the client does not understand what he is paying for." These words accurately reflect the specifics of the interaction of clinics with the audience, which consists in the impossibility of determining the fairness of the price-quality ratio.

Most of the clients of medical centers are not doctors and cannot say with certainty how well the care is being provided. In this regard, they also cannot assess whether the prices set in the institution correspond to the quality of services.

Several conclusions can be drawn from this:

1. Clinics should not use a dumping strategy to attract patients. Clients will not agree to a medical intervention, even free of charge, if they are not sure about the result.
2. Prices that greatly exceed the market average will have a negative impact on attracting people. The medical center simply will not be able to explain how its approach to treatment is fundamentally different from its competitors and why it should be paid more. High prices can only occur with the right interaction with VIP patients.
3. It is best to adopt a mid-market pricing strategy. In a situation where the cost of your services is no more and no less than that of others, clients will not ask questions.

Output: the price of services in a medical center is an important factor, but it will not work to gain an advantage over competitors.

• Product

It seems that the main offer of the medical center is curative services. But the demand for them is not born just like that: it only happens in a certain situation, if there is evidence. Therefore, we can say that clinics do not sell individual services, but a treatment plan - a set of measures required for a specific disease.

The difficulty is that it is only possible to draw up a plan during the examination of the patient by a specialist, and we are trying to figure out how to attract clients to the medical center. In this regard, the idea was born to sell standardized treatment plans, which is now done by many hospitals.

We are talking about annual service programs, like voluntary health insurance, comprehensive examination programs, etc. But here, too, everything is not so simple: for sale it is necessary to find points of demand actualization.

In fact, a large number of thriving clinics do not create or market such products. The absence of such practice in the institution does not mean its insolvency.

Output: a medical center does not need to have standardized treatment or examination programs, but this can be an additional way to attract clients.

• Promotion

It is this factor that is key for medical institutions in terms of attracting an audience. There are many nuances in promotion that should be taken into account: this is the name of the clinic, and advertising, and the search for places where demand is actualized, and events to create an image.

All this together provides an influx of customers and profits. Neither the location of the center, nor the pricing policy, nor the list of products can affect the success of an institution in the same way as promotion.

How advertising works in attracting clients to a medical center

Most of the leaders of the clinics rely on effective advertising. It is impossible to argue with the fact that advertising is simply necessary to attract clients to a medical center. Moreover, it can be more or less intense at different stages of development. And it is very important to choose the most relevant methods and methods of promotion.

At the beginning of the last century, dentists offered their services in the capital's newspapers. There one could find the following slogan: "We will cure your teeth with high quality and inexpensive." And it's surprising that after so many years, many private clinics use all the same techniques, although the advertising industry is actively developing.

At the same time, entrepreneurs expect a quick and tangible effect from marketing. Sometimes, already at the beginning of an advertising campaign, the director of the medical center regularly asks administrators about the influx of new clients.

Or an attempt is made to assess the effectiveness of promotion channels using a survey. To do this, at the reception, each visitor is asked the question: "How did you find out about our clinic?"

Then the obtained data is analyzed, and it turns out that attracting patients with the help of a banner is more effective than advertising on the radio, and more people learned about the institution from the newspaper than from the TV report, etc.

Based on these findings, adjustments are made to the advertising campaign. Is this approach correct? Does such a survey really help to adequately assess the effectiveness of the advertising media used? Let's reason:

• Firstly, if a person saw an advertisement for a clinic, this does not mean that he will immediately call there. As already mentioned, clients seek medical services only when necessary, and if it is not there, marketing will not change this.
• Secondly, at the present stage, advertising does not enjoy unconditional trust. Let's say a person needs medical help, and he knows for sure that the necessary services are provided by a certain clinic. Before going there, he always reads the reviews and asks his friends if they have visited this center. If a person has not recently seen an appropriate advertisement, he will not look for it, but also contact his acquaintances. Unsurprisingly, about 50% of patients say they came to the facility on a recommendation.
• Thirdly, in most cases, several methods are used to attract clients to the medical center at the same time. And it is highly likely that the same person saw or heard about him from different sources. In this case, the questionnaire, most likely, will contain only one answer.

If the data is collected by the administrator, he may forget to ask this question or make a mistake when filling out. In general, there is no need to talk about the complete reliability of the information obtained during the survey.

In fact, there is little need to evaluate this information for two reasons:

What advertising for a medical center is most effective for attracting clients?

Obviously, advertising that does not resemble the promotion of similar institutions works best at attracting customers. You can achieve originality using the following components:

Medical center name

First you need to correctly name your institution. Already at this stage, many clinic owners make a serious mistake, choosing an option that is similar to many existing ones.

So, most of the dentistry has such elements in the name as "dent", "stom" and "tooth". Naturally, they are not remembered the first time.

At the same time, the unusual signs, although they do not contain a hint of the field of activity ("Green Apple", "White Rhino", "Made by hand"), help the clinic to stand out from others. Due to this, attracting clients to the medical center is faster and easier.

Competitive advantages of the institution

Perhaps articulating the advantages of a particular clinic is one of the most difficult tasks.

In the advertisements of each medical institution, one can hear the phrases: “We employ highly qualified specialists”, “The laboratory has high-precision equipment”, “Quality treatment at an affordable price”, etc. In such a situation, non-standard ideas are needed to attract the attention of the audience.

The solution to this problem was found by the leaders of the George Medical Center, which opened in 2007 in Ussuriisk. The clinic really had modern medical equipment, reasonable prices and professional doctors. But, as we already understood, talking about it in advertising is not very effective.

The management made a bet on a product that was unique for that time - a certificate, the purchase of which guarantees free medical care for a year.

To attract clients to the medical center, only two banners were used, placed in high-traffic areas, and five posters in shopping centers. The slogan on them accurately and briefly described the essence of the unique proposal: "You pay once - you get treatment for a year."

The audience actually got interested in this ad, and the administrators at the clinic simply didn't have time to answer calls. As a result, several hundred annual service contracts were awarded.

Then, when interest in the product waned, it was taken off the market. However, an advertising campaign related to an unusual service did its job: all residents of the city knew about the establishment of George. If nearby firms needed to explain their location, they used it as a reference point.

In the same year, a CC clinic (price-quality) appeared in Moscow. The creators of this promising project have invested a lot in the implementation of an advertising campaign based on visual images. They were built on a double interpretation of the name: a good price-quality ratio and a reference to the fundamental concept of the "Central Committee (CPSU)".

The attraction of clients to the medical center, undoubtedly, was facilitated by the link to a significant for many period of history, when medicine in the country was at the highest level. The recognition of the clinic grew very quickly. Unfortunately, the project was closed for financial reasons, but the originality of its promotion strategy is really amazing.

Advertising of individual medical center services

Many clinics in their advertisements focus on one of the services provided. Is this approach effective in attracting clients? To answer this question, consider the existence of primary and secondary demand medical services.

If we are talking, for example, about inpatient treatment, it does not make sense to advertise it separately, because a person cannot diagnose himself and come to the institution with confidence to purchase this service. Inpatient treatment is a doctor's recommendation, which can only be obtained at an appointment.

Dental clinics have recently been promoting dental implantation. Thanks to materials posted in the media, the audience's trust and interest in this service increases. As a result, the likelihood that, when contacting the institution, the patient will agree to this type of assistance on the advice of a doctor, or even ask about such a possibility, also increases.

Of course, such advertising has not only a positive, but also a negative side: instead of attracting customers to a specific clinic, there is a demand for the service that is provided, among other things, by competing firms. Accordingly, advertising for specific treatments is appropriate only when they are unique to the market.

Attracting clients to the medical center through discounts

During a certain period of marketing development, discounts were the main tool for attracting customers. Nowadays such information sounds less often in advertising, but there are still quite a few such messages. And the owners of the clinics want to know the answer to the question whether it is possible to increase the flow of patients through discounts.

It should be noted that consumers very rarely react emotionally to a discount for several reasons:

• an abundance of such offers;
• the inability to understand what constitutes the price of a product (this is especially true of a treatment plan, because it is developed only in communication with a doctor).

There is one illustrative example illustrating that it is ineffective to use discount as a tool for promoting medical services. All this happened in one medical center of a popular network, where a whole staff of experienced marketers is engaged in attracting clients. One of the patients came to the clinic at the appointed time to do an ultrasound of the kidneys. The cost of this service was 500 rubles, but the administrator gave the client change - 100 rubles. The visitor was surprised and heard the explanation that his reception fell on Happy Hour, when all services are provided with a 20% discount. And the same thing happened with all the patients who came to the clinic at this time.

When planning such a seemingly useful action, several mistakes were made:

• Firstly, most of the center's clients learned about the price reduction only at the moment of payment for the service.
• Secondly, the reaction to this was almost always neutral: "Well, I see."
• Thirdly, the workload of the clinic was such that demanded services (for example, ultrasound) were provided throughout the day, and not only during Happy Hour.

The moral is pretty simple: the institution lost 20% of its total revenue at certain hours, while there was no customer acquisition. The action did not cause delight among the patients and did not seriously affect the image of the organization.

It is worth saying a few words about whether it is possible to attract customers to a medical center using discount coupons. In many areas of business, supply greatly exceeds demand, so companies do their best to sell their services, even at a large discount. When it comes to entertainment-related services (dinner at a cafe, going to the cinema, etc.), coupons are very popular here. If we talk about medicine, there are several reasons why this marketing method is practically not used in this area:

• Firstly, it is possible to promote in this way only those services that are understandable to patients and do not require a doctor's prescription (professional teeth cleaning, preventive examination, STD testing, etc.).
• Secondly, according to statistics in the field of medicine, demand is lower than in other sectors.
• Thirdly, experience shows that a person who receives a particular service with a coupon almost never becomes a regular client of the clinic.

We can say that the greatest interest in such promotions is shown by a group of consumers who are accustomed to receiving all possible services at a reduced price. Obviously, it is not very beneficial for an institution to attract patients who are treated with coupons only.

Attracting clients to the medical center by phone

On the Internet, you can often find requests related to attracting clients to a medical center by calling. At the same time, many heads of medical institutions do not understand the essence of this service.

Companies offer to call all residents of the city on the phone book in exchange for a percentage of the amount of the check. Most of these requests come from entrepreneurs from Moscow and St. Petersburg.

In fact, such calls are completely useless, and no self-respecting advertising agency uses this method of attracting customers.

Let's say this is happening in Moscow, where 15 million people live. Without any calculations, it is obvious: to call such a number of people will require a huge amount of resources. But still, let's calculate how much money will need to be invested in order to attract at least 10 patients using this method.

Conversion for cold calls ranges from 1 to 3%. This means that in order to attract 10 patients to the medical center, it will be necessary to make from 300 to 500 calls. If the company employs a competent telemarketer manager, the duration of one call does not exceed two minutes. Moreover, each minute of a conversation on the phone will cost the company two rubles.

The cost of an hour of the company's work is 1,400 rubles. The number of calls for this hour, with the right approach, does not exceed 30 (in the eyes of clients, the manager is an employee of the clinic, and he must leave a positive impression of himself).

If the specialist works eight hours a day with a lunch break, he will make 210 calls. Taking into account the percentage of conversion, this will lead to the clinic from two to four patients. The marketing firm will have to spend 11,620 rubles.

People who are interested in the manager's proposal will sign up for an initial consultation. The profit from them will be from 2,000 to 10,000 rubles. The clinic will have to give 10% of this amount (that is, 200–1,000 rubles) to the call center. The institution will not transfer a percentage of further profits, even if the client becomes a regular.

Now you understand why cold calling as a method of attracting visitors to a medical institution is practically not used. Not only is this method ineffective, but calls to advertise products without a person's permission are prohibited by law.

And finally, many people are simply annoyed by such conversations. Instead of getting customers interested in your services, you are more likely to spoil your image. Imagine how a person feels when a representative of an unfamiliar clinic suddenly calls him and invites him to an appointment with a doctor.

New and Well-Proven Old Ways to Attract Patients to the Medical Center

Recording directly on social networks

Recording via the Internet is not only a very popular opportunity in the salon business, but also a plus for medical institutions. There are a number of services for which this function will be most relevant; it is also often used by the center's regular customers.

The most convenient option is when the registration form can be opened through the clinic's page on the social network. It is not difficult to do this, the main thing is to correctly configure the online recording itself, and then install a special application.

The ability to make an appointment over the Internet is important for attracting customers, because it allows you to choose the convenient opening hours, and you can use it at any time and from any device.

Points of contact

How to attract clients to the medical center? For this, it is desirable to differ from other similar institutions. Minor details will work in your favor, which together provide a comfortable interaction between the patient and the clinic. These points of contact include:

• Outdoor advertising: signs, banners, screens. If the office is in a business center, make signs so your visitors don't get lost. There are times when it is impossible to place advertisements directly on the building: then replaceable signs on the windows will come to your aid.
• Sign at the entrance to the medical center, where its name and operating time are indicated.
• Entrance to the premises, decorated with visual and sound accompaniment.
• Hall where there should be a pleasant relaxing atmosphere. The aromatization system will help to cope with the medical odor, which can cause negative sensations. Design the lobby so that clients do not experience unnecessary stress while in it.

• Administration / reception... To decorate this area, it is good to use various interior details that are memorable and pleasing to the eye. This may include an aquarium or a beautiful sculpture, a vase with colored shoe covers, etc. Ideas that reduce stress contribute to customer engagement. For example, if you put a table in front of the dentist's office with bubble wrap that you can pop. There should be sofas with soft pillows in the waiting area, anti-stress pillows are also suitable.
• The doctor's office must be equipped with a hanger or a crochet hook and a shelf for a bag. Also provide good soundproofing.

Graffiti on the wall

In our time, original ways of attracting customers are especially in demand. For example, advertising a clinic using graffiti has the following benefits:

• attracts attention and is well remembered;
• non-standard communication channel;
• unexpected location;
• ample opportunities for creativity;
• positive character.

Today graffiti is a popular art form that can be successfully used in advertising. High-quality and interesting drawings are often photographed, thanks to which the effectiveness can be assessed by hashtags. When posting activity drops, the graffiti and tag can be changed.

It is impossible to name a specific "lifespan" of graffiti: it is determined situationally, depending on the interest of the audience. It is necessary to place pictures in the marketing area of ​​the medical center, taking into account the cross-country ability of the streets. In the best case scenario, the effect will be as if you had hung up a full-fledged billboard.

The cost of such images is about 1,000 rubles per sq. M. Additional difficulties may arise with obtaining permission to place graffiti. If you chose a residential building as your canvas, you will need to hold a general meeting of tenants to get their consent.

Also, the proposed image must be seen and approved by the district administration. Indicate if the drawing is social in nature - this will be a plus. If it is intended to indicate the names of services and their cost in graffiti, it will be classified as advertising, and in addition to approval, you will need to obtain special permission.

Geolocation

A geolocation service can determine where any phone is located. The most widely used service is Foursquare, or 4sq. Of course, the number of users here is less than in popular social networks, but they are distinguished by their activity.

This platform can be used to attract clients to the medical center. To do this, you need to create a point on the map corresponding to the location of the clinic and indicate all possible contacts: phone, website, Twitter, etc.

Then you will need to get the right to control the point. It's free for three weeks, but if you don't want to wait, you can get it right away for one dollar.

When the eligibility is confirmed, you will be able to use all the functions of the service to attract patients: visual highlighting of companies with special offers and news, event announcements, partner programs, etc. Also in 4sq you can, for example, make lists with recommendations for clients (for example, five effective procedures for losing weight).

Geolocation networks can perfectly complement the existing promotion strategy of a medical center.

Working with beauty bloggers and trendsetters

Collaboration with popular bloggers is a modern and highly effective way to attract clients to the clinic. Their publications on the experience of visiting an institution build trust and build a positive image. However, it is important to responsibly approach the choice of a suitable blogger (for this you can study toprussianbloggers.ru).

Any social network has pages with a large number of subscribers who advertise for a certain price. Discuss the terms of cooperation with the blogger in detail: how much money you pay and what publications you get, what advantages of your clinic should be emphasized.

Sometimes there is an opportunity to get advertising for free: if a person really visits your medical center, and the quality of services and services is completely satisfactory. In such a situation, it is important to ensure that there is no negativity in the interaction.

Nonprofit collaboration with media personalities can be an exchange: a person receives a service, and then shares his impressions with subscribers.

If we are talking about inexpensive manipulations (cosmetic procedures, piercing, massage), they are provided free of charge. Also, a blogger can sign up for an expensive service (for example, plastic surgery). In this case, you can offer him a big discount for the review.

And yet, in the matter of attracting clients to a medical center, service remains the most important criterion. You can evaluate it using several questions:

1. Is it possible to make an appointment with a specialist remotely? Do you see patients on a first-come, first-served basis or at a predetermined time? Do clients always get to the doctor at the exact time they are registered, or do they often have to wait?
2. Does your clinic have a quota for health policy holders? Is there a system for informing patients about it, or do special conditions work only for those who ask about it themselves? What is the medical center's policy in this matter?
3. Do the employees themselves break the schedule for personal reasons? Timeliness is very important in attracting clients, since many of them take time off from work at specific times to see a doctor.
4. Does the administrator of the medical center have the appropriate education? Can he recommend the right specialist to the patient, correctly interpret the direction, ask the necessary questions?
5. Are you introducing extended working hours to ensure that visitors can get the service at a time that suits them?
6. Does the clinic have phone calls to clients with an appointment reminder? Do the administrators tell you what documents you need to take with you and how to prepare for the procedures?
7. When taking blood from a vein, do you limit yourself to a cotton swab or use a medical tape that ensures no discomfort?
8. Do employees monitor the replenishment of consumables (paper, soap, towels) in the washrooms? Are the rooms equipped with hooks for bags and clothes?

Attracting clients to a medical center is possible only with careful attention to them. If the clinic takes into account all the little things related to the convenience of patients, it always contributes to the retention of visitors and the appearance of new ones.

24 tips on how to start word of mouth among clients of a medical center

What do you need to do to get your clients to recommend you? Follow the tips below.

1. Be polite and friendly to everyone:

• to clients and to those who come with them;
• to the clinic workers;
• to sellers;
• to technical personnel, etc.

Remember what people say when they advise an organization? "Contact them, they are all very kind and pleasant."

2. Make sure that at the entrance to the clinic there are always:

• shoe covers;
• cane;
• wheelchair etc.

3. If the medical center is located in a large building, a dedicated staff member is required to meet clients and escort them to the reception.

4. Sometimes it is worth making calls to attract patients who have already visited your clinic. During the call, the administrator must:

• find out about the client's health;
• remind you of your institution;
• offer to get tested.

After that, about 10% of respondents will come to you in a week, and within two months another 20% will come up.

5. Ensure your presence in the places where your target audience is spending time:

• Beauty Salons;
• business centers;
• pharmacies;
• medical equipment stores;
• sports centers, nursing homes or kindergartens.

Place your brochures in these places, having previously coordinated this with the management.

You can also leave a few glossy magazines in the waiting area, and with them your advertising materials.

6. Offer your regular customers the opportunity to call a doctor at home.

7. Attracting visitors at unpopular times (weekend evenings), perhaps with serious discounts.

8. Arrange an interview for one of your specialists on a local TV or radio station. Have an experienced doctor in your clinic give you a live consultation or talk about a pressing medical problem.

9. A good marketing ploy to attract patients would be to visit executives:

• private educational institution;
• paid university or college.

To organize a preventive examination of students at the dentist or the passage of a medical commission.

10. Become an active participant in discussions on forums and medical sites: follow the feedback, give users useful advice.

11. It is also worth concluding an agreement with the bank in order to provide customers with the opportunity to:

• carry out complex operations;
• receive expensive services;
• undergo serious examinations in installments.

12. Invite large organizations in your city to conduct regular medical examinations of employees under special conditions. Come up with a system of interaction with corporate clients so that employees turn to you for treatment.

13. Create in the clinic the possibility of treating serious diseases that require the use of modern techniques or complex surgical intervention. In order to attract patients, ensure that information about your endeavors is disseminated.

14. Make a website that would become your business card. Carefully monitor the quality of the content: it should be only unique and interesting materials on medical topics. To promote the site, cooperate with other media and Internet resources.

15. Attracting clients to the medical center is possible through blogs and social networks.

An example of a blog by our client - a medical center for beauty and health Veronica Herba

Cover topics that are relevant to your target audience in your posts. Don't forget to provide feedback or online consultation.

16. Initiate medical discussions wherever you are. Share any unusual situations you have encountered in your work. Try to give the impression of an experienced professional.

17. Inform potential clients about vaccination opportunities. Encourage regular patients to get seasonal vaccinations.

18. Introduce the possibility of obtaining a doctor's consultation on the site.

Inform your regular visitors about this feature using an email newsletter. Indicate the time limits for the consultation.

19. Come up with a system where employees from other institutions can benefit from referring clients to your clinic. This will happen much more often if you motivate doctors from third-party centers to work with you.

20. After the reception, ask the visitors for their impressions. You will be able to spot problems in time, as well as get positive feedback.

21. Visits to bedridden patients should occur at least twice a day.

22. Track the mood of your employees. You need to know:

• are the employees satisfied with the working conditions;
• are the patients satisfied with the attitude of the specialists;
• if there are any problems, how could they be corrected.

23. In the design of the clinic, use details related to the topic of a healthy lifestyle and disease prevention. For example, in the waiting area there should be no fashion magazines or music broadcasts on the screen (it is better that there is no music at all).

Instead, lay out medical magazines on the tables, and have health programs or image videos of your center on the screen. Decorate the walls with posters of medical themes, hang up schedules of preventive examinations, etc. So your room will look not like an ordinary office, but like a serious medical institution.

However, in an effort to create a design appropriate to the specifics, do not forget that patients in the clinic should be cozy and comfortable. In attracting clients to a medical center, its appearance plays an important role: it can create both a positive and a negative impression on visitors.

24. Greet guests with a smile. This sets a positive tone for communication from the outset.

Profit from attracting clients to the medical center

Concluding the story of how to attract customers to a medical center, it is worth noting how marketing activities can affect the profit of an organization. We know that about half of all patients choose a clinic on a recommendation. Accordingly, half of all income of an institution depends on its reputation in the market.

However, during the initial visit, the client usually receives only about 20% of the assistance needed. Whether he will visit the clinic further depends on many factors, including the professionalism of the staff, the level of service, the pricing policy, the list of services, and much more.

This means that marketing provides 5 to 10% of a healthcare facility's revenue. Naturally, active promotion is necessary to attract customers when a business is just starting to develop. Further, marketing efforts can be reduced, but the quality of service must be maintained at a high level at all times.

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Attracting new patients is the most important task of any practice. 40% of production falls on new patients, new patients contribute significantly more to the practice through more extensive treatment and they are more likely to recommend others. New patients generate more income for the practice and are more likely to recommend.

Successful practice today is consumer-driven and uses marketing techniques that aim to attract new patients and retain existing ones. Since dental services are not paramount to people, and they spend them after meeting basic needs (housing, food), dentists are experiencing strong pressure and competition from the goods and entertainment industry, which is fighting to ensure that patients spend money on vacations, entertainment, etc. Further. The patient is always faced with a choice of how to spend his money.After all, everyone has a case in practice when some careless client tried to self-medicate.

Today, active practice is inconceivable without some form of marketing, which can be divided into two main types. " Outdoor" or " external"Marketing refers to actions related to all aspects of informing potential patients about the services offered in order to attract them into practice. External marketing can be ineffective if the geographical, ethnic, socio-economic and other characteristics of the region are not taken into account. Tools outdoor marketing are:

1. Formation of relationships with the public: participation in any organizations, participation in events of the city, neighborhood, and so on, a dentist's column in the local newspaper, public lectures in residential complexes, speeches in libraries, at work and everything else that makes you noticeable and surrounds other people.
2. Advertisements and advertisements: telephone directory, newsletters, local newspaper, local TV, flyers, coupons, and so on
3. Representation media: practice brochure, business card, signboard, newsletters, logo, letterhead and office envelope.

"Internal" marketing focuses on the satisfaction and referral of existing patients with your services. Internal marketing is carried out within the practice and the existing patient base. His tools: clinical bulletins, letters to existing patients, opinion polls, reactivation of former patients, requests for recommendations, actions aimed at creating the desired image (certificates of continuing education, a doctor's biography highlighting his special qualifications, any information that distinguishes the practitioner and the doctor among many others), etc.

Internal marketing based on existing patients who you have already established contact with and who are satisfied with your services is inexpensive and maybe even more effective as new patients arrive already predisposed to trust. However, the growth of practice and the accumulation of patients may not be as fast as we would like. This is especially important for a beginner practice.

Internal marketing brings in better quality customers who are already receptive to you in advance and more or less aware and willing to pay your level of cost for the services they may have heard of from those who recommended them. This type of marketing is especially good if you are dealing with a relatively small group of people, like in a small town, or with a company where people communicate with each other more often.

There is no doubt that both types of marketing should be intelligently and creatively combined depending on the type of practice, location, budget and purpose, and should be planned for the short and long term. Can you do without marketing? In most cases today, the answer is no. It is likely that you may be in a special environment and serve a certain group of people who bring you more income. However, it is not worth counting on this in the long term, the full-flowing river can dry up if your source of new patients is the only one.

The activities to advance the practice are extremely varied and depend on creativity, effort, and desire. There is never a guarantee of complete success, and what works and works in one case may be completely ineffective in another. However, efforts to promote the practice should be carried out 365 days a year, building on past success and trying new ideas.

External marketing

External marketing can combine many different activities to educate and promote your practice and services. You can use the following tools:

1. Free inspection for selected groups of people in the area (glider pilots, hockey players).
2. Open Day.
3. Participation in children's and adult sports and social societies, clubs, circles.
4. Be active and visible, as if you are running your election campaign.
5. When meeting new people, always say who you are, what you do, and where you are.
6. Always give your visiting card. These people are your potential patients.
7. Give short general education lectures in libraries, schools, housing associations, and other institutions.
8. Reactivating letters to former patients.
9. Newspaper or yellow page ads phone book.
10. Ads in professional publications.
11. Leaflets handed out on the street.
12. Internet, including website.
13. Use the correct keywords and site position.
14. Cosmetic dentistry brochure for beauty salons, beauty salons, hairdressers and other places where people spend a lot of time and visit often, with your address, business card and special offer.
15. A short article in a local newspaper with information, reflecting any topic of interest to the public (for example, the prevention of dental caries in children).
16. Discounts for pensioners.
17. Interprofessional cross-reference.
18. Introduce yourself as existing businessmen in the area. Letter , brochure, special offer for the employees of the given enterprise.
19. 24/7 emergency assistance.
20. Participation in clubs popular for women, such as cooking.
21. Cups, mugs, pencils, pens with your name and logo.
22. A letter to the new residents of the area.
23. Lecture at school for parents.
24. A letter to all residents of the area, telling about some important method that interests many people with an invitation for a free consultation and / or with a discount.
25. Extended opening hours, including weekends.
26. Free teeth cleaning for newlyweds.
27. Business cards for all employees.
28. Contact with local pharmacies.
29. Contact with plastic surgeons.
30. Emergency assistance for nearby hotel guests.
31. Free examination for early detection of oral cancer.
32. Advertise all your events through press releases in your local newspaper, supermarket ads and other venues.

Whatever forms of marketing you use, carefully consider your strategy and your targeting, that is, what group of people you want to attract, what you want to tell them and in what form. For example, if you are trying to attract a group of people who can benefit from mini implants, your potential customers are people without teeth and marketing should be done purposefully, not in general. Limit marketing to your geographic location, you can't be everything to everyone. Keep a careful record of your cost-benefit ratio. Change the form of marketing if what you are doing is not working.

Dental treatment is a vital service for everyone. The market is huge. This includes all segments of the population: businessmen, housewives, students ... almost anyone is a potential client. Many people need your services and would like to receive it if (and only then) you tell them who you are and invite them to come.

Make a list of all the people you know, including those you come across in organizations, schools, cafes, shops, pharmacies, hairdressers. This applies not only to the doctor, but mainly to the rest of the staff in the office. Everyone can and should do this all the time. Each employee should be targeted towards potential clients. This is a constant, everyday activity.

Make contact with a part of this group every day and talk about your office, ask if they know anyone who needs a dentist. The content of your conversation with them is not essential, the main thing is to just tell them that you are a dentist, give them a little educational tour about the importance of oral health and ways to maintain it, pointing out common problems. Find out if they meet with their doctor regularly, invite them to your office for a short free check-up or consultation.

Always have your business card or coupon with you when you speak with a candidate. Write on your business card your special offer and its expiration date ("We're having a health week"). Take his name and phone number so that your administrator will call and schedule a visit. You will hear many objections, for example: "I already have a doctor", ignore it, be creative and persistent.

Think about where else you can meet and meet new candidates? Practice what you say to make it sound natural. Set a specific goal for yourself for the next three months: how many candidates you should involve (presentations) in the conversation. This approach can lead to a large flow of people who may not necessarily become part of your practice after their first visit. You can attend a meeting where business people who own companies and run large numbers of people meet. These managers can be your patients themselves, or they can recommend you to the entire enterprise, or they can enter into an agreement with you to service their employees.

You will not have much time and opportunity to talk about your practice, so it is important to establish relationships and contact that are conducive to you on the basis of community and mutual affection. Walk up to the person you are interested in, or one by one, and just introduce yourself. Start a light conversation by establishing community. Then translate the conversation to the person you are interested in. People love to talk about themselves rather than listen to others. Give him a chance to talk. At this stage, nothing more is required from you, except to "build bridges". Immediately after the meeting, send a small note or e-mail or hand over a business card with the words that you were very interested in this person and his life story (even if this is not the case), the main thing is that he remembers what you are doing. It is highly likely that he will contact you in the future or advise one of his friends and acquaintances exactly your services.