Do you have the guts for this?

Sep 15, 2009

Editor's note: Richard Geller's column, Marketing Madness, appears regularly on the DrBicuspid.com advice and opinion page, Second Opinion.

Have you ever thought what could happen if you shut your doors to any patient who tries to knock and get in -- unless they were referred by another patient?

This is what one doctor did. And the result was an incredible practice that outshone the old one and was far less busy and far more profitable.

Referral marketing is something that people take for granted. But can there be a formula for referral marketing -- a formula you can count on in recession and good times?

I will digress for a moment, but you'll see why. I recently taught a group of students a workshop on referral marketing. I have personally trained more than 1,000 salespeople and business owners, and I always train them on my "patented referral system."

But in preparing for my referral workshop, I listened to some of my gurus' audios and went back to my voluminous notes from over the years. Combined with my own experience and that of a number of doctors, it was a eureka moment.

And you will benefit as a result. I know you regularly get referrals, and they are your best patients. If you have a fantastic patient, she refers another fantastic patient.

There is a systematic way to build a practice solely on referrals. It involves making the patient pay in two ways: in cash and also in referrals.

It's a matter of setting expectations. If you expect to just get paid, that's one thing. But if you set up your practice so that you expect to get paid in both money and referrals, that's quite another thing.

A 100% referral practice is a different animal. I think you'll like the idea a lot.

I will explain how you can get there in my next article. Meantime, make sure you are on my e-mail list. Go to my Web site, www.Cases4Dentists.com, download a copy of my best-selling book on dental marketing and case acceptance, and you'll be invited to my next webinar.

The comments and observations expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions of DrBicuspid.com, nor should they be construed as an endorsement or admonishment of any particular idea, vendor, or organization.