This letter recently came across my desk:
"I've only been in practice a very short time. I could use some ideas for getting new patients that don't involve patient referrals. I only have a few patients, but I'm satisfied that I'm doing okay with in-office referrals. Can you suggest something that won't cost me a lot of money and is simple to do?"
It goes without saying that you should look neat and clean, like a professional person. If you are married, and your spouse and kids can join you on these walks, so much the better. There's no problem with letting people know you need business; you have mouths to feed! Your objective is not to recruit patients on the spot (although you can), but to introduce yourself to people who live right in your office's backyard. You want to let them know that you are close, you are convenient, and you are such a nice young doctor!
Don't go in and have a visit. Just stand on the porch and have a brief chat, give them a brochure, tell them you are ready to help them and their family, shake hands, and say goodbye. Try to cover as much territory each day as possible. Do a follow-up mailing to each home, telling them you enjoyed meeting them/are sorry you missed them with another piece of literature promoting you. Right now you are selling them on you. If they come in, then you can begin the job of educating them.
Be sure to get your waitress' name; tell her what a nice place it is and what a pleasant person the manager/owner seems to be. Thank her by name and leave a nice tip; 20% is about right. Never leave a tip less than a dollar or not so big that they wonder, "What's he trying to prove?"
If you get the same waitress, greet her by name and give her a brochure, or get the new waitress' name and ask her to say hello and give the brochure to the first waitress. Let her know it's okay to look at it before passing it on, etc.
The idea is to establish yourself in their minds as a busy professional who is a heck of a nice person, who always remembers them and who always has something good to say. Spread yourself around. List the restaurants and visit them each about once a week. Don't make one your hangout. Don't become a buddy to anyone. Project the nice young doctor image. The next time they ask someone, "How are you doing?" and get a negative reply, we hope that your name and face spring into their head, and they talk about "the nice young doctor who just opened up here recently."
If you ate out for every meal, you would eat in 21 different places in a week and make 21 positive contacts. If you have real trouble with names, jot the name of the owner/manager and your waitress right on the chart. Make a note of what brochures, etc. you've given them. Because you see them weekly, and after your first two visits in their place only give them something every 4-6 weeks, you aren't even remotely being pushy. And because you always make a comment about how much you "enjoyed lunch because you are going to need the energy for this afternoon," you always remind them who and what you are.
If your family occasionally joins you, introduce the manager and the waitress by name with a nice comment about how good they take care of you. These people are also a priceless source of community information and will include what they know about you in their pool of information.
Good luck with your new practice. Have a nice lunch and then go for a walk afterwards!
I enjoy your notes and phone calls. As always, I'm happy to give a little advice free, but I won't pay for the phone call! Please introduce yourself when you see me at a convention. I'd love to meet you all.
Kiki Herfert
Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan
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