Lead Follow Up: How Do You Keep Prospects Interested?

It is easier to convert surgeries from leads known as “low hanging fruit”, such as from patient referrals. It is much tougher to convert those leads that need more coaching through the buying process. These leads tend to need an average of eight touches, before they feel comfortable taking the next step. The next question becomes how does your practice continue to follow-up with an elective surgery prospect, without being intrusive.

A combination of email and follow up is the best strategy for following up with a lead. A practice should shoot for a ration of two emails per 1 phone call. The frequency of these contacts should gradually have more time between touches. A good time frame is once a week in the first month of expressing interest, once every two weeks in the second through fourth months and once a month for the remaining time.

Where most practices lose patients is through delivering the same message over and over. It is important to continually change the message in each contact, in hopes that the prospect’s objection is addressed. Once you hit that hot button, the prospect will be willing to really discuss the reason they have not taken the next step.

This can prove to be very time consuming for a counselor. The first thing to go when practices get busy is the follow up.  It is crucial to the success of your practice to continue these efforts.

There are tools available to help your staff balance these planned contacts. One system that takes care of the email based communications is an automated email follow-up system. Such a system sends off emails to the prospect at scheduled intervals, without anytime being taken away from the counselor’s other activities.  This ensures that follow up is being done regardless of how busy your practice gets.  It keeps your practice top of mind for when the prospect is ready to take that next step, scheduling the consult or surgery.

While a practice always wants to capture those prospects that are ready to buy now, the vast majority of potential patients need time to feel comfortable enough to purchase. Keeping focused on these prospects will take a practice from average surgery numbers, to truly dominating the market.

If you would like to discuss these topics or find out more about what Fast Track Marketing can offer your practice, call Brandi Musgrave at 303.731.2634 or email her at brandi@fast-trackmarketing.com.