2. Primary Objective
Understanding the impact
referrals have on your practice.

3. Five Key Topics:
1. The Importance of Referrals
2. Internal Customer Service Review
3. The Referral Brochure
4. Using Social Media to Refer
5. Internal Marketing Tactics

4. The Importance of Referrals
• The most telling indicator of a practice's growth potential is
the propensity of its customers to refer its services to their
friends and family.
• Customers are retained longer and customer acquisition
costs are minimized
• Customer defections are kept to a minimum

5. The Importance of Referrals
The most powerful fact associated with customers making
referrals is that they are willing to put their reputations on the
line. When this happens, the customers are basically becoming
the practice's external marketing department.

6. Two factors related to referrals.
1. Trust. Being referred to someone (or someone referring a person to you)
comes with an implied endorsement. People don't like risks, and they don't
want to belong to the burned buyers club. So by simply opening themselves
to the idea of asking others who they recommend, they move closer to
acceptance and action required to make a buying decision.
2. Risk elimination. Essentially the endorsement (or recommendation)
eliminates the need for the potential client to look at normal depths with
your products and services. Of course, the risk is not entirely
eliminated, granted. But the normal methods of sales channels and
marketing methods designed to influence, a decision, those are typically
side-stepped.
The bottom line with both of these factors: Risk association and the
potential for loss is minimized when someone gives you a word-of-mouth
referral.

7. Summary
They are less likely to be “dentist-hopping”
They usually have fewer objections
They are more likely to be long-term, loyal patients
They are pre-screened
It is more cost effective to market through existing patients

8. Internal Customer Service Review

9. How to Improve Customer Service
1. Know who is boss – Never forget that the customer pays our
salary and makes your job possible.
2. Be a Good Listener– Take the time to identify customer needs by
asking questions and concentrating on what the customer is really
saying
3. Identify and Anticipate Needs– Customers don't buy products or
services. They buy good feelings and solutions to problems.

10. How to Improve Customer Service
4. Make customers feel important and appreciated. Treat them as
individuals. Always use their name and find ways to compliment
them, but be sincere. People value sincerity.
5. Help customers understand your systems. Take time to explain
how your systems works inside your practice. Be careful that your
system doesn’t reduce the human element of your organization.

11. How to Improve Customer Service
6. Appreciate the power of "Yes". Always look for ways to help your
customers. When they have a request (as long as it is reasonable)
tell them that you can do it.
7. Know how to apologize. When something goes wrong, apologize.
It's easy and customers like it.
8. Give more than expected. Think of ways to elevate yourself
above the competition.

12. How to Improve Customer Service
9. Get regular feedback. Encourage and welcome suggestions about
how you could improve.
10. Treat each other well. Employees are your internal customers
and need a regular dose of appreciation. Thank them and find ways
to let them know how important they are.

13. Ask Yourself One Question
Would you do business with you?

14. Marketing to Women

15. What Do Women Want in Dental Care
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians
(AAFP), 90% of U.S. adult women are responsible for health
care decisions for themselves and/or members of their family.
• 90% influenced by short/or no wait time
• Source – 80% personal
recommendation, 17% online, 2%
yellowpages, 1% billboards
• 92% - friendly staff & Doctor
• 98% - has referred at least 1 or more friend
• 96% - visits once every six months
• 75% - influence of office atmosphere
* Survey conducted by Moxzee

16. What DON’T Women Like in Dental Care
• Unfriendly Staff & Doctor
• Dentist that don’t explain procedures
• Dirty or Cluttered office building
• Long waiting time
• Hidden fees
• Hard to contact
• Not up-to-date with latest technology
• Poor Service

17. Start With Your Office Building
• Look around to see if there’s anything that needs to
be fixed.
• Fresh Coat of Paint – colors: warm colors, rich
colors, and soft colors.
• Make sure Office smells good
• Fresh flowers
• Clean Bathrooms
• Play area for kids
• Updated Magazines
• It’s the little things they remember

18. How to Ask for Referrals

19. Has someone ever asked you for a referral? Did it
go something like this: "Hey Mary, by chance
would you know someone who could benefit from
my services?" Mary thinks about it and eventually
says, "Well, not off the top of my head, but I'll keep
thinking about it."
Posing the question this way has a 90% chance of
failing. Why? It’s to broad.
People need a frame of reference to help them narrow down potential referral
candidates.
Get Personal. By knowing your customers likes and interests, it allows you to
narrow down the field. This is far more effective , and your request will stay
with them long after you've asked it because they’ll visualize your services with
much greater intensity.

20. The Referral Brochure

21. The Benefits of a
Referral Brochure
• Provides more information than a business card
• Makes a lasting impression with powerful imagery
• Eliminates complicated verbal scripts
• Provides an incentive for potential clients

22. Easy as 1-2-3-4
Step 1 – Patient finishes dental services
Step 2 – Doctor or Staff member asks patient for referrals
Step 3 – Staff member explains referral brochure and gives to
patient
Step 4 – Track referrals internally

23. Using Social Media to Refer

24. How Often Do
Women Use the
Internet
The most important needs for women revolve around personal
growth, as well as their interdependencies on others in their
social circle.
• Women purchase more things on the internet than men do
• 76% spend time on social media websites.
• On average women spend 5.5 hours a month on social
media websites.

25. What Do Women Use Social Media For?
Women use social networking tools to make connections, while men
use them to raise their status.

26. Top five ways women use social media:
• News/Politics
• Technology/Gadgets
• Cars
• Careers/Business/Personal Finance
• Health/Wellness – Doctors, Dentists, Beauty

27. What type of information is being shared?
• Personal Recommendations
• Tips & Advice
• Photos & News
• Deals & Savings

28. Internal Marketing Tactics
• Display in office thanking everyone who
referred for that month. (picture)
• Rewarding staff for referrals
• Free samples
• Handwritten thank you notes
• Patient Gifts (Flowers, tickets to events, gift certificates)
• Occasion cards (Birthdays, get well, condolences, congratulations)

29. Questions and Answers