Don’t Lose Referrals to Pens, Pads or Cheesecakes
About a year ago, we heard from an angry oral surgeon with a once-successful practice. For years he was the only oral surgeon in town and received almost all of the oral surgery referrals from other dentists in the area.
Then, a new oral surgeon opened an office a couple of blocks away and reached out to local dentists by sending gift certificates, cheesecakes and other goodies. The established dentist was upset that the new, aggressive oral surgeon around the corner was garnering his well-established referrals. Upon further examination, it appears that the well-established oral surgeon had stopped marketing his practice sometime before the new oral surgeon moved to town.
We hear these scenarios all the time, not only from dental specialists but from physicians, physical therapists, accountants, attorneys and financial planners. Some become well established and comfortable, and assume that as long as they continue to demonstrate their competency, they will continue to receive the same level of referrals they have received for years.
Unfortunately, the world of competition does not work this way. Even top-notch professionals must market their practices, or they run the risk of losing the flow of clients or patients they have come to depend on.
At the very least, an ongoing communications program reminds referral sources about your competency. In the world we live in, if you are “out of sight,” you become “out of mind.”
We have found that one of the best ways to maintain “high visibility” while demonstrating your competency is to provide a newsletter with useful information.
If you are a dentist, physician or physical therapist sending newsletters to referring health care providers, the newsletter should contain digests that summarize recent journal articles about research and advances in your field.
If your newsletter is directed at clients or patients, the newsletter should contain articles that inform, educate and address the needs of your readers.
In either case, your newsletter should not only inform, but also remind the reader of the range of services or treatments you provide.
If you have the time, you can do this yourself by regularly preparing summaries and mailing them to your referral sources or clients. If you don’t have the time or inclination to do this yourself, we may have a program that fits your practice. Either way, a newsletter is far more professional, subtle and effective than pens, pads or cheesecakes.
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