The List: Top 6 Ways to Elevate Internal Marketing

01. Overcome Your Own Objections

Asking for referrals is not being sales-y. Internal marketing is simply utilizing your current patients to reach new patients. It’s a smart and necessary – not to mention cost-efficient – marketing strategy.

02. Get Your Team Involved

Everyone in the practice from the front desk to hygiene to the dentists have the opportunity to interact with and influence patients. The entire team needs to be trained and comfortable with asking for referrals.

03. Practice Makes Perfect

Verbal skills don’t always come naturally. It takes practice in order for the team to feel comfortable and confident enough to weave a referral request into everyday patient conversations. Hint: Ask for a referral whenever you receive a compliment!

04. Modernize Your Approach

72% of Internet users turn to the web when researching healthcare options. Make sure prospective patients can learn about your practice online; in addition to asking for referrals, remind patients to share their positive experiences by writing an online review of the practice on Yelp! or Google+ Local.

05. Take Advantage of Technology

When it comes to acknowledging patient referrals, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Take advantage of innovative solutions such as those from Viva Dental, a turnkey internal marketing program that automates referral tracking and help you easily incent both team members who ask for referrals and patients who refer!

06. Create Momentum

Improving internal marketing systems is a marathon, not a sprint, and it takes time to build momentum. Commit to the ongoing process now and reap the rewards for the long-term. One easy way to ensure continuity is to make asking for referrals a regular topic in your morning huddle – so it doesn’t fall by the wayside. 

Tips provided by Naomi Cooper - President, Minoa Marketing & Chief Marketing Consultant, Pride Institute.

This article originally appeared in the June 2014 issue of Dental Products Report. For more great articles about products in action, click here to subscribe to DPR: http://bit.ly/17ocF5z