Unique Original Articles » The 3 reasons patients don't refer

Referrals.
Word of mouth.
"Tell a friend."

You've been told that it's the best way to grow your practice - To have your patients refer their friends, family, and co-workers to you.

So why don't they???

There are 3 main reasons that patients don’t refer others.

1. They don't know you want them to refer others
2. They don't feel comfortable referring others to you
3. They'd refer others to you, but are uncomfortable bringing the topic up with people they know

Let’s take a closer look at each of these.

1. They don't know you want them to refer others

It's an obvious point. Some people think it's TOO obvious.

It's SO obvious, in fact, that when I ask my clients "What are you actively doing to let your patients know you can help other people in their lives", they rarely have an answer for me.

Believe it or not, most of your patients are NOT spending large pieces of their day thinking to themselves "How can I help my chiropractor make a lot more money?"

They’re not even asking "What can I do to let everybody know how wonderful chiropractic treatment is?"

But if you ask them the right questions – Well, when you do that, almost all of your patients will be willing to help you grow your practice, and introduce their friends and family to you (See the article on "Why asking for referrals doesn't work" to get an idea of HOW to ask these questions).

2. They don't feel comfortable referring others to you

There are 2 VERY different standards that your patients will hold you to.

The first is the standard required to keep them as a patient.

Generally, this is a pretty easy standard to meet. If you've been in practice for any length of time, you obviously already meet this standard - otherwise, you'd have no patients

The 2nd is the standard required for them to feel comfortable actively recommending you to a friend, family member, or co-worker.

To understand the difference, just think of any product or service you use that you're not particularly pleased with - but not so frustrated with that you're willing to switch.

It’s not rocket science, right? While you may not be willing to look for another alternative for YOURSELF - you're certainly not recommending it to anybody you care about.

3. They'd refer others to you, but are uncomfortable bringing the topic up with people they know

Let's say you are doing a great job though - that all of your patients are extremely happy, and would LOVE to see the people they care for being treated by you.

They still won't refer unless you've made it easy for them... Which is something that very few chiropractors do.

So how do you make it easy? Here are some ideas…

1. Have special "Free consultation" cards that you give to patients who've expressed they know somebody who might benefit from seeing you

Be careful here - DO NOT put "Free Consultation" on the back of all your business cards - Instead, treat these as if they're something special - something you only give to your best patients. Presentation and perceived value is 90% of the effectiveness of this type of tactic.

2. Ask your patients specific referral generating questions

Not "Can you think of anybody you'd like to refer to me?" But rather "Do you know anybody who is suffering from (migraines / back pain / arthritis / insomnia / etc)?" Then wait for them to answer. If they can think of somebody, THEN give them the consultation card, and point out that you've helped many people with similar conditions

3. Show them what to look for

Similar to the above, but in this case, you're asking them to keep an eye out for certain symptoms. "If somebody you know starts to feel the aches and pains that come from sitting behind a desk all day ... or finds that their ankles, knees, or lower back are hurting them AT ALL... Then just remember that it's not a normal state - that those are often signs of deeper problems, and that I can help them overcome the pain right away, and stay healthy... Just like you and I are doing."

To find your answer, you need more questions

To learn how to generate a LOT more referrals in your practice, you only need to answer these 3 questions:

• "What am I doing to make sure my patients know I want them to refer?"

• "What am I doing to make sure that I'm 'wowing' them every time, and not just meeting their minimum expectations?"

• "What am I doing to make it easy for them to refer others to me?"

When you can answer these questions well, you'll understand why your patients are - or are not - referring others to you.

Want to learn more?

Referral generation is one of the many strategies covered in Real World Growth Strategies for Your Practice – an exciting new marketing program for Chiropractors. To find out more, call Scott at: 905-963-3771, or e-mail info@svachiro.com

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Why not send it on to friends and colleagues and share the knowledge with others. Alternatively you can reprint these tips in your own website or newsletter, but please include the following information:
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Shawn Veltman is a marketing consultant and the creator
Of the highly acclaimed ‘Real World Growth Strategies’ program
for Chiropractors. To find out more, e-mail info@svachiro.com
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