What To Do in a ‘Down’ Economy?
Gas prices are hitting consumer’s wallets along with other ‘economy blues’. But no fret, there are things you can do for your practice to help fight recession or a down economy.
First and foremost, start with your frontline – your receptionist and front desk staff. When consumer’s wallets are being hit, they are more in the mood to shop. They might call around for several options, consultation fees, etc. Your front desk staff can make the difference between a new patient or just a person calling to shop prices, simply by handling the conversation in a professional and systematic order.
Have your front desk staff in alignment with your goals and make sure they understand how to answer shopper’s calls. If someone is shopping for prices, they might just ask the price of a consult, procedure or product, say ‘thank you’ and call the next place. Your well-trained front desk staff can explain value and expert service in conjunction with explaining price, which will help for people who are shopping.
You may even want to consider incentivizing front desk staff as a group to help with converting shoppers to new patients.
Last, don’t give up on marketing just because things might be slow. In fact, studies show to keep up with a moderate amount of marketing to continue to solidify your status within the public and physician community, while others may back-away from marketing. Now is the time when people are ‘shopping’, so they will need to know where to look!
Consider holding monthly promotions or discounts to help incentivize new patients to come to your practice in a time of their financial need. A break in price might be just what it takes to get them as your patient.
For more information or questions, we’d gladly available to help with dealing with the ‘economy blues’ and other ways to grow your practice.