When we think about the best ways to run a medical practice we often think of having the latest medical device, or having a cool name and flashy logo. These are important pieces, however none of those things are going to create a return on your investment. So ask yourself… what will?
Your People
It is almost impossible to grow a medical practice on your own. One of the biggest concerns practice owners have is making sure they hire the right people. The key to hiring the right staff is taking your time with it, actively recruit people who you think would be a great to work at your practice. And remember just because an employee does not work out the way you want them to doesn’t mean the next one won’t, so if you find someone you love give them a chance and also invest in keeping the good ones from getting away. Because there is simply not enough time in the day to do everything without the help of people around you, and if you want to grow your practice you need to invest in your people. After all, if you want to be busy performing more procedures who is going to be the one answering the phone?
Think about the first interaction a new opportunity has with your medical practice is going to be with a staff member. Your front desk person serves as an extension to your medical practice so you need that person to be excited about what they do. When hiring you should look for people with high energy and who enjoy human interaction. Keep in mind your front desk person is more than someone who simply answers the phone, they are your lead sales person! Nothing can happen with that opportunity if your front desk does not make it happen. If your staff is not comfortable in being sales oriented then you are going to lose opportunities. Which leads to the next point.
Your Process
If your sales people are going to have success in taking new opportunities and converting them into consultations and procedures you need to have the right process in place. If every phone call that comes in to the practice is not answered in the same way then you have a breakdown in your process. What is the best way to make see if your staff knows what they need to say? Have everyone go in a room and right down on a paper a one sentence mission statement. If everyone comes out and says the same thing you have a brand. If they don’t there is a clear breakdown in your sales process. To fix this breakdown you need to provide scripts and make sure each staff member is knowledgeable in what the practice offers and what you are trying to accomplish. For example when someone calls in and asks “how much is BOTOX®?” there needs to be a script for that to be answered that focuses on selling the value of BOTOX® versus the price of BOTOX®.
Train your staff and put them in a position to be successful. Often times practice owners will express concern over investing resources in staff members just to watch them leave and go to the next job. Consider the alternative, what if you don’t train them and they stay? Rather than worrying about losing people to other jobs we should focus on creating a culture that attracts new people and encourages the ones we already have to stay. Get creative in ways to reward them, it doesn’t have to be monetarily but find ways to make them feel special and you will be amazed at the result.
YOU
Creating a successful practice and sales culture all starts with one person. You. As the leader and person who is ultimately in charge of the success of the practice you need to be the example. If you don’t believe in what you are doing, how will your staff? If it is true that your staff serves as an extension of the practice and you are the practice, who do you think the staff is really an extension of? Keep this in mind at all times when you are interacting with members of your practice because they will follow your lead. Invest your time and energy by providing scripts, creating a vision for everyone to follow, and show that you care about them and the success of the practice. Because at the end of the day, nothing can happen unless you make it happen.
Knowing that you need to make improvements to how you run your medical practice is one thing, actually implementing those changes is another. Crystal Clear Digital Marketing is here to make running your practice a little easier. Contact us today to get started with our team!
