Resource Centers:(News, information, and tools to support your practice)
May 2008
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Going for the close 3 ways to get new patients
If you plan to grow your practice, you’ll need to make some sort of presentation — formal or informal — to potential patients to receive a commitment. Getting that commitment is closing the sale.
The “close” portion of a sales presentation (yes — it’s sales, no matter what you want to call it) is the point at which you turn the person’s interest in using your services into a commitment to use them.
The simplest and most effective thing to do when you’ve finished presenting your information is to simply ask for a commitment. Surveys taken by sales and related management consultants repeatedly emphasize that the most frequent reason why people don’t buy a product or service is “I wasn’t asked!”
Once you crawl over the discomfort barrier, asking soon becomes second nature. Look your prospective patient straight in the eye and state: “Is Wednesday or Friday a better day for you to meet me in my office?”
As soon as the person agrees to a day, write that day and time on the back of your business card, sign it and hand it to your new patient. Now, you have an agreement.
But what happens if the person hedges? What do you do then?
Three objections and closes
Here are three common objections and suggested ways to overcome them — and make a close:
1“Let me think about it.” (Postponement).
As you become better-known in your community, you’ll be asked about your profession.
Often the person who asked about your work will then tell you about some physical problem he is currently experiencing.
You tell him a little more about chiropractic then invite him to your office for a consultation.
He may answer, “I don’t know Doc, let me think about it.”
What the person is actually saying is, “You’re a nice person, Doc. I don’t want to hurt your feelings by turning you down.”
Don’t just flip him your card and mumble, “See me when you get the need.” Instead, hitch up your resolve and say, “When I hear you say that, it tells me you really aren’t motivated to resolve your problem. You just want to discuss it. Should I stop talking about chiropractic?”
If the person says “yes,” change the subject. If not, continue and eventually he will agree to a consultation. You can do all of this without being pushy or using a “hard sell.”
2“I can’t afford it!” (Price).
In this situation, you’ve been talking to a prospective patient about using your chiropractic services. You’ve just invited her to your office for a consultation.
She replies, “I really don’t know. Money is in short supply right now.”
She may actually mean, “I don’t have any extra money in my budget for your services.”
But she could also be probing to see if you are willing to discount your fees.
To answer the objection, state: “If I can make it financially feasible for you to obtain chiropractic services, would you then come to my office for a consultation?”
If she says “no,” you’ve saved time. If she says “yes,” make the consultation appointment. Then when she comes in, ask your financial CA to speak with her about your various financial programs, including using credit cards to spread out their payments.
3“Let me talk about it with my spouse.” (Procrastination.)
(I love this one!) You and your prospective patient have been discussing your chiropractic services for a while when he informs you,” Let me talk it over with my wife.” (Or, if it is a woman, “my husband.”)
When a person makes this statement, he is probably saying:
• “I am so controlled that I don’t drive my car without spousal permission.”
• “This is just an excuse. I just don’t like to confront.”
• “You’re okay, Doc, but I gotta get out of this conversation.”
You can either let this person drift away or save him by saying: “I know you and your spouse have a wonderful loving relationship because you’ve told me many times. Are you telling me that she, who loves you dearly, would allow you to continue suffering without exploring possible solutions?”
The ball is now in his court.
You can use many different ways to ethically get patients to visit your office. The close is the only way I know of to get them to commit to treatment.
If you look at the three closes again, you’ll see a common bond among these three examples: They all use the standard sales technique of overcoming the prospective patient’s objections then throwing the ball back to the person.
If you believe in what you do, you’ll be strong enough to close most of your contacts.
If you’re interested in ethically attracting patients to your clinic, you must perform a proper “close” on prospects so that they can take the next step — accepting chiropractic.
Let’s close this article on closing with your resolve to make a close during your next conversation.
Too many closes? Not if you want to build a strong practice!
Dr. Ivan Delman is the author of The Business of Chiropractic: How to Prosper AFTER Startup (2nd Edition). He has degrees in both business and chiropractic. He can be contacted at Ivan@BusinessofChiropractic.com or at his Web site, http://BusinessofChiropractic.com.
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