Patchy appointment books are the bane of every practice owner’s existence. It’s an awful feeling not knowing how you’re going to fill appointment blocks, having chairs not being utilised, and staff not fulfilling their capacity.

If you want to get more new patients through the door, here are some super simple and cost-effective ways to get started.

 

1.   Get More Referrals

Asking for referrals is an excellent way to expand your patient base, and attract more of your ideal patient avatar.

If you have people and patients that you really enjoy interacting with, it stands to reason that friends and family of these patients are likely to be a similarly great fit for your practice.

If you’re not quite sure how to approach that conversation, we’ve got a super simple and actionable framework you can use to ask for referrals today.

 

2.   Generate Reviews

Make sure you’re asking for and generating reviews onto your Google My Business page. You can let patients know at the start of their appointment that you’ll be asking for feedback at the end, and then if the patient is satisfied, ask if they’d be willing to leave a short Google Review if you emailed them a link.

 

While it might not seem like a crucial part of marketing, it can be the decision-making factor for many prospective patients.

 

3.   Convert Price Shoppers

All practices get calls from price shoppers. You know the drill, “How much do you charge for a crown?” All too often we let these people slip through our fingers, but they’re a golden opportunity to gain a new patient.

You see, these people are looking to buy. All you have to do is give them the right information.

 

This doesn’t mean you need to undercut the quotes they’ve already received, or promise them cheaper rates than any other dentist in town. It means you need to build rapport and give the caller the information they need to make an informed decision.

Price shoppers can absolutely be converted, with the right framework and approach.

 

4.   First Impressions Count Online

When people enter your site, they make a very quick decision about your authenticity, trustworthiness, and expertise. This might be conscious or subconscious, and it’s especially prominent in the medical field.

 

If you have an outdated, glitchy, unprofessional website – you’re shooting yourself in the foot. Practice Builders reports that 46% of visitors won’t return to a poorly performing website, and for every second your page takes to load, 7% of visitors will click off.