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Practice Success Strategy 7: REFERRALS AND REVIEWS

 

A trusted referral is the holy grail of advertising – Mark Zuckerberg

Yes, a trusted referral is the Holy Grail.

You didn’t even market yourself, someone did it all for you. That’s priceless. Word of mouth is still one of the leading sources of business for small businesses.

When a customer is ready to see a dentist, they often start by asking family members or friends who they go.

Alternately, they may have heard someone talking about their amazing dentists who gave them a new smile.

Nowadays many people go online and look for ratings, reviews and comments posted on social media pages or google reviews.

As a small business owner, you probably realise that those personal reviews, testimonials and any raving reviews are gold for your business. They help you acquire customers without marketing.

 

If you still think reviews aren’t a massive part of our business, check out these incredible statistics from BrightLocal.com.

  • 86% of consumers read reviews for local businesses (including 95% of people aged 18-34)
  • Consumers read an average of 10 online reviews before feeling able to trust a local business
  • 57% of consumers will only use a business if it has 4 or more stars
  • 80% of 18-34 year olds have written online reviews – compared to just 41% of consumers over 55
  • 91% of 18-34 year – old consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations
  • 89% of consumers read businesses’ responses to reviews.

Now, before you start ringing all your clients or start calling up all those missed appointments or enquiries from the past 12 months – just know that around 63% of people who have requested information about your company may not make a buying decision for at least three months, and a further 20% often take more than 12 months to make a buying decision.

Let me ask you this, how many opportunities for new clients are there already in your practice?

How many people have you not followed up? These aren’t people that have ‘rejected’ you or one of your team, they are people that can tell you why they didn’t choose you, or why they didn’t attend their appointment or why they didn’t complete their treatment plan.

This type of feedback is gold! It gives you the chance to rectify the situation, to offer them a return visit, to find out the reason behind their behaviour.

It gives you the chance to understand clients’ objections and seek to resolve them sooner.

Don’t be afraid to build a relationship.

If they are celebrating a birthday or they have just had a new baby, keep in touch and see them as a lifelong patient – not just a one-time visitor.

These are people you are honoured to look after, so take them into your life and value them.

I truly encourage you to read my book, for the link click HERE

 

 

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