3 Quick Tips to Get More Appointments in January

This time of year, its normal for your practice to be a little quiet and for your clients to take a few weeks post Xmas before they have the time and motivation to do anything positive about their health.

So I thought I’d share with you 3 quick marketing tips that I have been using to great effect with my clients to get your practice pumping and your clients motivated for the New Year. Here’s the first one, with the other two to follow in the next few days:

Consider that the main reason your clients aren’t coming back to use your services as often as they should (or at all) could be simply that you haven’t invited them too!

On the other hand, we all have New Year’s resolutions about our health, and as their trusted health advisor it’s a great opportunity for you to present solutions, actions and answers to your clients to help them on track with their goals. Therefore, now is the perfect time to get back in touch with clients you haven’t spoken to for a while and invite them back into your practice.

Q: What do you offer them?

A: Any sort of overall health analysis or physical assessment is a good idea. Examples include live blood analysis for naturopaths, structural assessments for chiropractors or massage therapists, or energetic “tune ups” for energy healers and the like.

This gives the client some valuable health insights and you a benchmark for their health from which you can help them set some goals and an action plan.

Ideally you would offer this assessment free or at a discount or “mate’s rate” with a limited number available (you don’t want to be doing these all year!) to help promote prompt action, and use the face to face opportunity to offer them a series of treatments or sessions that guides them towards their desired solution. (all of my best clients understand that in about 90% of cases, selling a client a series of treatments is best for achieving results for the client, best for client compliance and attendance, and best for filling their own appointment books – a win-win-win!)

Q: How do I contact my clients to offer this?

A: The best answer to this is…. Anyway you can!

If you have an email database, by all means use that.

If you write them a brief letter and post it, all the better (remember, whilst email gets deleted, personal post gets opened – and read!) Use a coloured envelope, a real stamp if possible, and sign off personally if you can… your clients will appreciate the genuine personal touch and your “open rate” will be close to 100% as opposed to “junk mail.”

And lets not forget the most effective method of all – a personal phone call from either you or your staff inviting them in for an assessment!

Q: Should I offer this to everyone?

A: Not necessarily. Start with offering this to your “A Class” clients first, (they are the ones who are worth the most to your practice over time) and then work backwards through your database, until you go back to people who haven’t been in for a few years. You will find your responsiveness highest with those who have been patients of yours most recently.

Remember that the more personalized your offer is, the more response you will get. In other words, show me you understand me and my individual needs as a client and I’m likely to take you up on your offer.

To your success in 2012!

Adam