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How to Schedule More New Patient Leads

Wish you could convert more new patient leads into appointments?

Over the last 12 years, we’ve helped generate hundreds of thousands of new patient leads for practices like yours and there is one HUGE difference between the practices that are able to convert leads into appointments and those who don’t.

Successful practices use a proven process to convert most of the new patient leads we send them into appointments. Often it just takes just a little training to get your front desk to use these tactics consistently, but it can make a big impact on your schedule, and ultimately, your bottom line.

Why not get the most out of the money you invest in marketing? We’ve mapped out the seven steps to scheduling more new patient appointments below.

1. Get more new patient leads

What to do before investing in marketing

Before you plan a barbeque you’d check to see if the grill had propane or you had charcoal so you could cook the hot dogs, burgers, chicken and soy burgers you bought. They won’t grill themselves. The same is true with marketing leads.

If you want to grow your practice, MedPB can provide you with new patient leads, but it falls on the person answering the phone to convert those leads into appointments.

Do you have a person who can follow up on phone calls and leads provided by email?
Are you willing to train that person on what to say and do?

If the answer to the above two questions is YES, then you’re in good shape to grow your practice.

The different types of new patient leads

Why is it easier to schedule some new patient leads than others?

Referrals from another physician or patient are everyone’s favorite type of leads. Patients who get referred by someone they trust transfer that trust to your practice. They are ready to schedule an appointment and ready to take your advice the first time they call.
Database leads are great too, as they’re people who already know you. Again, when a patient trusts you they’re more likely to schedule an appointment.
People searching for your services on Google and find your website via a search or Google PPC ad are looking for help. While they may not know you, if you follow up right away you can build trust and schedule an appointment.
Facebook Ads are a great way to get new leads and are a fraction of the price of Google Ads. These leads, however, aren’t actively looking for help. They see your ad because they fit your target market profile. This means your staff will need to work a little harder to convert them into appointments. But if you only convert half of the Facebook leads you get, you’ll be spending much less than if you only relied on Google Ads.

The source of your leads will help determine what kind of follow up is necessary.

2. Plan your response

Not all leads are created equal, as noted above. Some potential patients will be pre-qualified and ready and eager to schedule an appointment right away. Others will only be interested in learning more. Some leads will need to be nurtured before they make an appointment and are best added to your mailing list so they can get to know and trust you.

It’s like the difference between getting fresh flowers you can put in a vase today and getting bulbs that need a little water and sun to blossom in a month or so. See the different types of leads and what to expect detailed below.

SEO

Once your site and your SEO services launch, it can take 2-3 months for the SEO to build and for your site to start generating new patient leads. At that time, you can start to get 10 or more new patient leads per month.

Google PPC

Google PPC campaigns take approximately 30 days to set up and start running. Once they do, they can start generating new patient leads right away. And depending on your ad spend and location, you can get 3-4 a month to dozens per month.

Facebook PPC

Facebook leads are different in 2 ways. They cost way less than most other types of leads and need a bit more follow-up to convert.

Live Chat

Live Chat is a great way to help answer existing patient questions and keep them coming back. On occasion, potential patients will use the chat box to contact the practice too. Whether the person contacting the business is new or a returning patient, your front desk needs to respond to these leads provided by email ASAP.

Database Mailers

While mailers aren’t inexpensive, a mailing to your past patients can generate 10-40 more new patient appointments within a week or two, depending on the size of your list and your offer. The key, as with all leads, is to have someone assigned and ready to take the calls and follow up on any email leads.

3. Follow up

Imagine you’re trying to grow grass in your front yard. You go to Home Depot and buy grass seed. Then what? Do you leave it in the bag and expect your lawn to start turning green on its own?

Of course not, you’d open the bag of Bermuda or Bluegrass seed. Then you’d sprinkle it around your yard, and add a bit of topsoil over it and water it every few days. Within 5-30 days you’ll see the results, a lush lawn you can enjoy.

Once you decide to grow your practice and invest in marketing, what’s the next step? It’s to follow up with all the leads your marketing generates. Within 5 to 30 days you’ll see more patients and see your profits grow too.

Sounds obvious, but here are the common mistakes we see all too often.

Most common follow-up mistakes

No one answers the practice’s phone when new patients call, so they call the competition.
Front desk staff aren’t using a simple script. We have recordings of front desk staff just answering the phone saying, “What do you want?” We had one front desk person who routinely would answer a call with, “I can’t talk now, I’m busy (or going to lunch). Call back later.”

Typically, without training, front desk staff only schedule 30% of the new patient calls they do answer, instead of the 80-85% they could be scheduling using a simple script. When a patient fills in a contact form on the practice site or responds to a Facebook ad it generates a lead that gets emailed to the practice. Which means, someone needs to then call the patient to schedule. But all too often, no one in the practice is tasked with following up on these online leads, so they end up going to the competition.

The appointment-setting solution

How can your front desk team maximize the number of new patients that get scheduled?
The key is to:

Have someone whose role is to be in charge of maximizing appointments.
Ensure during business hours the phone is answered. If this isn’t always feasible, make it a practice to return calls within an hour.
Ensure any online leads provided by email or your CRM are called right away.
Use the proven, appointment-setting script provided below.
Add all leads into your practice’s CRM, and if you can’t reach the potential patient, keep track of how many times they’ve been contacted. Aim for 7 times at least.
Be prepared to answer questions about pricing.

That’s it! It’s not that complicated to do as long as someone understands it’s their role and what’s involved.

4. Use a proven script

Why train people to answer the phone? Doesn’t everyone know how to do that, take a call and if a patient wants to schedule an appointment, set it up?

The answer is that less than a third of people know how to do this well. If you’re okay with only scheduling a third of the patients that want your help, you can stop reading here. On the other hand, if you actually want to schedule 2-3 times as many new patients, use the scripts below.

Appointment setting is a sales task and with a smidge of training, you can schedule many more patients. We’ve spent 10 years testing the best way to get patients to schedule and the following script works!!!

What to say when you call a prospect

When you call to schedule the lead always ask for all information, including their snail mail address. That way even if the appointment doesn’t show up you can mail them.

When you get them on the phone, say

Hi, it’s [your name] calling, I see you are interested in our Hearing Technology Demo and we have a few spots left. Let’s get you scheduled because the program is filling up. (Create some urgency for the program.)

If you get their voicemail, say

Hi, It’s [your name] calling you back about your appointment. Call me today at [your phone number]. I’m here until 5 PM.

Email the patient and include your online scheduling link if you have one. Sample email:

Subject: [Name] – It’s still available
(alternate subject lines include “Yes we can” or “It’s still free”)
[Name],
Yes, we still have room in our no-cost demonstration of the newest hearing technology. I have 3 appointments left, on [dates] at [times]. If you email me back or call me today we can secure your spot. Or even easier, use our schedule link here: (link).
Best, [your name]
P.S. Your health is our #1 concern.

Sample audiologist appointment-setting system script

1. Greeting

Thank you for calling [practice name], this is [your name]. How may I help you?

2. Identity

I’ll be happy to assist you. Who am I speaking with?
Can I get your phone number in case we get disconnected?
[Name], are you calling about yourself or for a family member or friend?
If family/friend: “Ok, may I have their name, please?

3. Primary concerns: These are very important relationship builders!

[Name], what type of hearing loss are you experiencing?
Was there something, in particular, that happened that prompted you to call today?
What’s your biggest concern about your hearing?

4. History

What sort of communication or hearing problems are you/ is _______ having?

Ringing in the ears?
Hard to hear group conversations?
Watching TV?
Sounds like others are mumbling?
Other

You’re calling because of [specify the problem they indicated from above]. Is that right? To help you, we first need to evaluate your hearing here in our office. With a few simple tests, our doctors can determine the best solution.

Have you had your hearing tested before?

5. Insurance: Discuss insurance at this time if applicable

We can definitely help you with that. Let’s check your insurance coverage to make sure those services are covered. What type of insurance do you have?

6. Who will be coming in with you?

When you come in for your hearing test, it’s important that someone close to you, whose voice you know, accompany you to the appointment. This way, we can use their voice during the evaluation.

Who will that be? And their relation to you?

Will mornings or afternoons work better for you?

7. Scheduling

I can fit you in on April, 2022 at [time].
Does that work for your schedule?

8. Patient demographics

What is your address, please?

Repeat their phone number to verify you got the correct one at the beginning of the call.

Can I get your email address so I can send you detailed directions to our office should you need them?
What is your date of birth?

If for whatever reason you are unable to make your appointment, can you call us so we can reschedule the appointment for you?
Great [name], I have you down for [time] on April, 2022.

Our office is located at [address].

Is there anything else I can do for you today?

9. Marketing/Referral

[Name], may I ask how you heard about our practice?

If referred by patient or physician, be sure to make a note in the patient chart.

10. Set expectations

Thank you for your interest in turning to [name of practice] to help you. I look forward to meeting you in person. Again, my name is [your name] if you have questions later.

How to answer when people ask about price

What do you do when someone calls and the first thing they want to know is how much your services or products cost? The key is to let people know there is a range, and then quickly take control of the conversation by asking them a question and using the following script. Here’s an example of how that works.

A caller asks you, “How much do hearing aids cost?”

Step 1: You respond:

Here at [your practice’s name], hearing aids range in price starting at about a thousand dollars depending on your needs and hearing test results.

Are you calling for yourself or a loved one?

When was your hearing last tested?

Again, move right into the script. Do not pause or wait for the caller to take the next step.

If your caller follows up with a reiteration of the pricing question you move on to the next step.

Step 2: You respond:

The hearing aid best for you is determined by the result of your hearing evaluation. There isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ solution. Much like eyeglasses, everyone has a prescription that fits their specific needs. For this reason, we don’t have a price list but instead offer a no-obligation hearing evaluation.

Or

Have you had a recent hearing test and do you have the results?

Then move back into the script where you left off. This is key! If you have a really stubborn caller and they reiterate with wanting a specific price range you move to step 3.

Step 3: You respond:

Unfortunately I’m not qualified to answer that question with a specific price quote. However, I would be more than happy to have one of our specialists call you back and they can give you more specific information.

Then gather the caller’s information.

Remember, you don’t ever want to tell the caller you “can’t” give them pricing information as they will naturally think you are keeping information from them and become skeptical and suspicious. Instead, the front desk should use the language “I’m not qualified.”

5. Be persistent

What to do if the prospect doesn’t schedule

You’ll be getting lots of leads from your online marketing. Some types of marketing (such as Facebook Ads), bring in lots of low-cost leads. Anyone who fills in a form or calls is interested in your services, though they may not be quite ready to schedule an appointment yet. (We don’t know about you, but we often procrastinate about seeing a doctor.) Don’t lose these prospective patients, keep your name in front of them.

Use your Excel sheet or CRM and email them with a drip email campaign quarterly and invite them to an in-office event.
All leads not scheduled should get your e-newsletter as well.

How to get almost 100% of patients to show for appointments

Once you’ve scheduled the appointment:

Confirm with an email.

Subject: [Name] – Please confirm

[Name],
We have you scheduled for your hearing evaluation on April, 2022 at [time]. We look forward to seeing you then. See directions from your home to our office below.

Just hit reply to confirm your appointment.

Best, [your name]

P.S. Your health is our #1 concern.

Text or call both 2 days before and the day before to confirm. Check to see if they need directions.

Email them directions the day before and direct them to your website to complete your patient intake form as needed.

Additional ways to convert leads into appointments

Once you’ve got a new patient lead, as suggested above, calling them is the first step. And calling them again until you get them is the next step. But the truth is many patients won’t go from slightly interested to scheduling an appointment – at least not right away.

It’s sort of like dating, you need to woo them, show them they can trust you – then they’ll schedule an appointment and visit your office.

Once you get the lead into your CRM or email system, send them a series of emails demonstrating your expertise and sharing testimonials from happy patients. Feel free to start with the following four emails.

4 Emails to Send Follow-up on Facebook Leads – 2 days apart

Email 1 Subject: [Name] – Did you know this?

[Name],

Do you know…

Why You Hear White Noise? It May be Tinnitus.
Or
What’s the Difference Between Sensorineural Hearing Loss and Conductive Hearing Loss?

Click on these links to get the answers:

and

Hear better and live better,

[practice owner’s name]

P.S. Did you schedule your hearing test?
Call [practice phone number]

Email 2 – Subject: [Name] – Your opinion?

Which is your biggest concern?

How much does a hearing test cost?
How do I know if I have hearing loss?
What do they do at my appointment?
Do you take my insurance?

Hit reply and let us know.

Helping you hear,
[practice name]

P.S. Did you schedule your hearing test?
Call [practice owner’s phone number]

Email 3 Subject – [Name] – When?

[Name],

Frustrated with your hearing?

Take one small step toward a solution today.

Pick up the phone and call our super-friendly and fun team.

You can schedule a hearing test, or just call us to ask any questions you may have.

Call [practice phone number].

Helping you hear,
[practice owner’s name]

P.S. Avoid wasting time and talk to us right away.

Email 4 Subject: [Name] – Which time?

Hi [Name],

We still have room in our No-Cost Demonstration of our newest hearing technology.

We have a few appointments left at the below times:
[list available times]

Please call the office directly at [client’s phone number] to reserve your spot or respond by email today.

Please let us know what works for you!

Best,

[practice owner’s name, practice name and phone number]

6. Track your success

What’s the best way to hit a goal? If, for example, you wanted to shed a few pounds or get in shape and run a mile in less than 7 minutes, what would you do? You’d start by setting a goal, then step on the scale each morning, keep track of your diet and measure your heartbeat and your running times.

If you want to maximize the number of new patient appointments you’d do the same:

Set a daily and weekly goal.
Track every phone and or email lead you get.
Use our proven appointment-setting script.
Track who you’ve called and who you’ve scheduled.
Keep calling any leads you couldn’t reach.
Use an email autoresponder to nurture any leads.
Use an appointment-reminder system to maximize the number of people who show up for their appointments.

7. Review and repeat

We had one client who signed up for Google PPC and it started generating more than 20 new patient leads a month for her practice. This represented 95% of all her new patient leads and helped her practice make a profit each month. What could go wrong?

The practice owner made the mistake of thinking of her marketing as an expense.
Then, in an effort to cut expenses, she turned off her PPC campaign which immediately reduced her new patient leads from 20 or more per month to almost zero.

By the time she realized her mistake, 2 months later, she’d saved a few thousand dollars but was on the edge of bankruptcy.

Marketing is an investment in your future. Can you imagine a farmer deciding not to invest in seeds to save money?

What works is going to be different for each practice depending on a whole host of variables. At MedPB we can guide you based on experience, but we still can’t predict the future. (Though we’re working on it.)

This is why we review with you every quarter, what’s working, what’s not and make adjustments. For example, if your Facebook ad campaign isn’t working, talk to your advisor about alternative ads. We have quite a few options and sometimes it takes a few months to determine the right one for your target market.

Once you find a type of marketing that works, the key is to keep doing it and then do more of it and watch your practice grow.

Questions? Talk to your MedPB Practice Advisor.