Many practices believe they are vying for patient\’s attention among competitors, and they are. But what constitutes a competitor? It\’s not just the other medical practice down the street. Your competitors also include other places where patients could choose to spend their money – for example should they spend their money on LASIK or take a vacation? You\’re also competing against the potential pain and downtime of a medical procedure. Which all mean that the prospect\’s journey is often far broader than we think, and their thought process goes well beyond you or even the procedure itself.
Source: MYM Marketing
First, The Vast Majority of Prospects Aren\’t Even Thinking About a Procedure
About 60-80% of prospects aren\’t even contemplating if a procedure is right for them. What they are thinking about are the pain points they\’re tolerating on a day-to-day basis. Things like:
- The wrinkles they see in the mirror
- The blurry vision they have when they\’re reading a book or looking at a screen
- The glasses they forgot to bring with them (again)
All these things start to add up – and it\’s the accumulation of their pain point that pushes them to want to fix the problem.
15-40% Are Researching
At this point in the journey, they are paying attention to people who have solved the problem, Googling solutions, and asking friends about their experiences and recommendations. This is where they start familiarizing themselves with the benefits, watchouts, and potential costs associated.
From there, they\’ll conduct more specific research like comparing practices and physicians to understand who would be best to reach out to.
But keep in mind, emotional barriers are always working against you. They are always thinking about the potential pain of the procedure and the recovery. Cost becomes a concern and ultimately, whether the results with all be worth it.
When they finally do decide to action by contacting you, it\’s a critical point for your practice. Typically, practices see around 15-20% of prospects who contact them actually book an appointment. But there are ways that practices can accelerate prospects from Researching to booking an appointment:
- Most will submit a contact form on your website. It\’s quick and easy, and they can do it at anytime, whether your office is open or not. While web leads tend to have lower conversion rate than phone calls, they generate more volume. That\’s why it\’s important your practice has an efficient inbound lead management system that follows up with prospects in a timely manner, makes multiple attempts, and uses several forms of communication to try to reach them. OptiCall\’s Capture web response program incorporates all of these tactics and has shown to actually double average lead conversions.
- Fewer will decide to contact via phone, but our data shows the conversion rate from phone calls to booked appointments is actually higher than web leads. In fact, OptiCall clients who use our First Contact Phone Handling Program see about a 75% conversion to booked consultations. This is a result of using trained experts that can spend time answering tough questions, dispelling myths, and easing the prospect into feeling more comfortable in taking the next step.
Only 1-5% Are Actually Ready to Make a Move
When you think about such a low percentage, you should be patting yourself on the back. It\’s not easy to overcome the hurdles of convincing prospects to want to recognize their pain point, consider a procedure as the solution, and then choose you among stiff competition.
Now it\’s about ensuring they have the best experience when coming into your practice and having the procedure. You want them to love their experience and their results so they are happy to share with others and be part of the next prospect journey.