Everyone who cares about referrals sends hand-written “Thank You for Your Referral” notes. Let’s face it, most of them are monotonous and sorely lack the impact intended by the writer. 

 

In receiving today’s obnoxious postal dumps, we are often inclined to open hand written notes first, feel good about them briefly, toss them in the garbage, and then prepare our minds to shift to the dreaded mail-sorting process.

 

This is a regular, ordinary protocol for the average person in the United States.

 

Breaking that pattern and becoming an extraordinary dental practice (I have yet to visit a practice that doesn’t think they are already extraordinary) requires you to think in an “extraordinary” fashion. A great referral ladder can break help break that “ordinary” pattern and have your referral sources searching that dreaded pile of mail for anything with your logo on it.

 

What is a referral ladder? Tyson Steele (Eugene, OR) says, “Essentially, a referral ladder is designed to reward referring patients in various ways.  Ultimately, it’s more than a prospecting tool  -- no one is going to refer to you just to get the reward.  The referral ladder serves to remind patients to continue to refer, builds your relationship with the patient, and even increases the odds that the patient will reinforce value to the person they already referred.  In other words, it helps get patients talking about you.”

 

The referral ladder reinforces one of the most important elements in any marketing effort...which is enhancing the position of you or your business at tip of your customer’s thoughts.  By crafting the correct system, and giving it proper care, you can strike an emotional chord with many of your referral sources, thus increasing the likelihood of them becoming true missionaries for your practice.

 

It is important to recognize that this is not a means to an end, but rather a nice touch on a job already well done by your practice.  A referral ladder will never increase the likelihood of referrals by itself.  It only supplements your business efforts with a nice touch.

 

Different referral ladder systems should be designed for patients and for other referring doctors. Here are two simple examples of each:

 

 

All great referral ladders start with a handwritten note by the doctor (sometimes signed by the other team members) and one the following gifts:

 

 

If you have a Starbucks close to you, they can send you large quantities of ‘Starbucks Cards’ with a carrier (card envelope) that has a message and your practice logo.  They also offer bulk discount orders.  For more information call 1-800-611-1669 or click here http://www.starbucks.com/business/bizgifts.asp.  Starbucks is a great brand to align your practice with.

 

You can also choose to brand your logo right on top of an already established brand.  Put your logo on all of your efforts.  How else can you position yourself a permanent place in the wallet or purse of your beloved clients?  Most people will put it right between their drivers license and debit card...and look at it a few times a week. Why not put your logo and phone number on it?  What have you got to lose?

The evolving marketplace of dentistry will demand creativity.  Trying anything on the creative side is better than doing nothing at all.  Your ability to think differently about being at the forefront of dentistry and the minds of your clients will greatly influence the future of your success. 

 

The only difficult part of creating a referral ladder is that you now have to track referrals in your patients’ files.  This is a small price to pay when considering the fact that in most cases it costs at least 5 times as much to attract a patient externally than it does to cultivate one internally.

 

 

Keep in mind that the best gift you can give your specialist is another case.  Having that noted, a good second place token of appreciation for your specialists is a well-crafted and personalized referral ladder.  Again, every rung of this referral ladder starts with a handwritten note.

 

Here is one example:

 

 

Specialist referral ladders take a little more investigative work than patient referral ladders.  Creating a fruitful relationship with other dental professionals is a very important key to your long-term success.  In the old days, dentists used to go out to lunch with other professionals to cultivate relationships.  Our time-starved culture will continue to make this a challenge in the future of dentistry. That is why our contact with others in our professional network must be crafted with greater care and meaning.  You cannot afford to NOT TO STANDOUT!  Somehow, somewhere you have to find what these people like and then show them you put some time into crafting a “Meaningful Thank You.” 

 

The team members that work in the offices of your professional network are just as valuable as the doctor themselves.  They greatly influence the direction and preconceived notions of every patient that comes out of their operatories.  It is very important for you to be well-liked in the hearts of these people.  Gifts cannot do this alone.  It is important to take as much time as you can to improve your “Likeability Factor” with them.  These team members can become an extension of your team if you handle this well.  Being at the tip of their minds can greatly influence the number of high quality referrals that come to your office.   When you start to focus in on truly comprehensive procedures in your office, your specialists and their team members become a giant influence to great patient referrals.

 

 

There is one caution in creating a good referral ladder.  Once you start, you cannot stop.  You can only improve the thoughtfulness of the rungs in your ladder.  Consistency is the most important ingredient to building a successful referral ladder.  Remember, you are conditioning the minds of your beloved clients and specialists.  That conditioning cannot be taken away, or else it becomes an emotional withdrawal.  It is Pavlovian by nature.  So you must stay on top of it.

 

For example, when we were kids, my grandparents used to bring gifts every time they came to visit.  Then one day, when we were old enough, they stopped.  The gifts are not the important ingredient here. Rather, my grandparents had established a conditioned emotional pattern with us.  We got used to it and expected it.  Of course, we were always excited to see them, but the gifts only heightened the excitement. And then one day the gifts stopped.  I still remember how much of a withdrawal it felt to all of us kids.  After that, having Grandma and Grandpa come and visit didn’t quite have same exhilarating effect as it used to.

 

It’s time to stop sending boring Thank You notes.  Start increasing the effectiveness of your internal marketing efforts.  Enhance your position in the hearts of those who refer to you.  Create a well-crafted referral ladder that invokes a visceral response every time they see your logo on an envelope.

 

If you have any questions or need help with this, give us a call.

 

Keep up the good work.

 

Kirk