TIP OF THE MONTH

Have you heard of the 80/20 Rule? It states that 80% of effects can be attributed to 20% of the cause. For example, about 20% of your patients are responsible for 80% of your total office production. What are you doing to show your appreciation to these top 20% of patients and to make sure you attract more patients just like them?

To maximize on your most profitable patients, you first need to identify the top 20% of your clientele. These are the people who make and keep their dental appointments, proceed with dental treatment recommendations, and usually are a pleasure to work with on top of it all! Some practice management systems are able to identify these patients by running a patient production report, but you and your team are as likely to recognize these patients if you just take the time to look.

At your morning meetings, make it a point to pinpoint the "top patients" of the day. Next, acknowledge these patients by thanking them for choosing your office and telling them how much you enjoy working with them. Let them know you would like to have more patients like them in your practice, so you would be honored if they would recommend your practice to their friends. Make it easy for them to do this by giving them a few of your business cards to pass along to friends. Even better, have referral cards made that identify these clients as "Excellent Patients" and offer a discount on whitening, or another service of choice, to people these patients refer.

Finally, send a card or small gift (and include a few more referral cards) to thank patients for their referrals. Recommending your office to friends is the highest compliment a patient can give you, so make sure they know you appreciate it.