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How many times should you follow-up with the leads you pay good money to generate for your practice? Thanks to a Harvard Business Review study of more than 100,000 calls, we have your answer.

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Will you be the last practice standing? Let’s talk about it.

Hello, my friends. It’s your boy, Troy with a fresh episode of the Practice Growth Machine Podcast. I’m so glad you’re here. Today, we’re talking about following up with your leads – the leads that are coming into your practice. How much should you be following up with those?

Good news is, we actually have some data to take a look at today. A Harvard Business Review study that looked at 15,000 leads across 100,000 phone call attempts, to really drill down and see what is successful when it comes to following up with your leads. So, let’s get into it.

One of the big comments that I hear when I’m doing sales training with my clients, someone will say, “You know, when we’re doing follow up, I just don’t want to be a pest. I don’t want to come across like I’m needy, and I certainly don’t want to feel like I’m bugging somebody, so I don’t really want to follow up over, and over, and over.”

Look, that’s understandable, but when you look at the data from this study, again, published in the Harvard Business Review, it looked at 100,000 phone calls across 15,000 leads that were generated. It has some pretty eye-opening data as it relates to follow up, and how much follow up you should do. When you look at the follow up numbers, and you just start with one, so you do one call back, we’ll just say that’s one call back to a prospect, right?

Let’s say it’s a web lead that came into your practice, and your team calls them one time. On average, the chance of connecting with that person on that first call is around 25%, so one out of four. When you make two call backs, that percentage almost doubles. It goes up to right around 50-55% and it continues to increase, and here’s the crazy thing.

Once you get to the sixth call, you’ve tried to touch base six times, there’s a 90% chance of making contact. If you were to take 10 leads, and call all 10 at least six times, according to this data on average, you should reach nine of those late. Is that going to happen every single time you call 10 leads?

No, but we’re looking at the average of all of this data across 100,000 different calls, and this is what it’s showing us. What does that tell us?

It tells us a few things. Number one, it tells us that people aren’t necessarily ignoring your calls because they don’t want to talk to you. Think about it. How many times in the last week have you ignored a call, or a text, or an email, because either A, it wasn’t a good time for you to deal with it, B, you didn’t really have an answer for whatever the inquiry was, or even C, you were going to get back to it later, but you just forgot.

That happens all the time. It’s happening to your prospects, too. You got to picture what’s happening in their lives. They sent in a contact form through your website, or through your social media page, or they took your self-test in the midst of picking up kids from school, or going to work, or wrapping up their lunch break, right, or watching Netflix or whatever they’re doing.

They’re also doing their life at the same time that they are reaching out to you about one of your solutions. When you call them back, if you don’t get in touch with them on that first ring, it’s not because they don’t want to talk to you. It is because they’re not sitting there by the phone waiting for it to ring with nothing else to do. It also tells us that we need to work to be in the right place at the right time. You can’t be in the right place at the right time if you’re not reaching out, if you’re not engaging.

What is the right time? I don’t know, but if you make one phone call and never call that person back again, you’re not gonna know either. Let’s talk about another aspect of the follow up that is good news for you if you can pull this off.

While it takes six times to connect with prospects at a 90% rate, according to this data, how many people do you think are actually following up with their leads six times? The answer is less than 10%. Actually, it’s less than 5%. It’s really about three. 3% of folks are taking the action that results in 90% of the outcomes.

What does that mean? That means your competitor down the street, probably only calling folks once. Competitor down the other street, competitor across town, probably only calling folks back once, if at all. So if you can be the practice that follows up with the leads that you generate three, four, six, ten times, you will gain the lion’s share of patients in the marketplace who are currently seeking a solution. Simple math.

How do you follow up with leads six times? Great question. You need to track what you’re doing. Some people like to have a nice fancy CRM, a customer relationship management system, like Salesforce is one example. Others, I’ve got clients who just use spreadsheets. They’ve got these spreadsheets that get marked for every single time a lead is contacted. That’s a little bit more rudimentary than something with automation and software around it, like Salesforce, but either one will get the job done.

What you can’t do is hope that somebody’s jotting down the leads when they come in, and then somehow just making sure to call them back next week, or the week after, and do all this follow up. That can’t happen. You need some kind of a system, even if it’s just a spreadsheet, and number two you need some kind of supporting follow up automation system.

Text messages, emails, those are things that we set up and we send those out from the practices that we work with, so it’s automated touch points that don’t have to be sent out manually, but they are working to reengage the leads, and they are acting as touch points.

Then we supplement that with scripts and timelines for our counsellors to go ahead and make those phone calls as well, so you’ve got phones, you’ve got emails, you got texts going out, and it’s all in an effort to create these ongoing touch points, and to be the last practice standing when it comes to converting the leads that you are paying good money to generate for your practice.

To recap, you need six or more touch points, outreaches to your leads to maximize your conversions. Also, you need some kind of a system to track it, a spreadsheet, a CRM software, something that you can use, and that your team can be held accountable with, to make sure that they’re doing those follow ups, and remember your competitors down the street will not put in the work or the systems to make this happen.

If you go the distance, the patients can be yours. In the next episode we’ll talk about what to say in your follow ups. Do you need to just call people over and over and say, “Will your book? Will you book? Will you book?” No, that is boring. That actually is kind of a pest type of a situation. You need to bring value when you do your follow ups, and we’ll talk about some ways to do that in the next episode.

Until then, go forth and prosper, my friends.

My phone blows up with spam phone calls multiple times per day. (Literally twice while recording and prepping this episode.) I’m not the only one. This is an epidemic across the country. And it’s changing people’s behavior in a way for which you need to accommodate (even though you aren’t the one spamming folks). In today’s episode, I tell you what to do.

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Transcript

Spam phone calls are a problem for you.

Hello, friend, it’s your boy, Troy, and we’re talking about spam phone calls today. Namely, on your mobile device. I get spam calls on my smartphone multiple times a day. This wasn’t the case 12, 18 months ago.

You’d get spam calls a couple of times a week, but telemarketers, spam calls, were pretty much a landline situation and that’s not the case anymore. My phone blows up with spam phone calls. I ask friends, colleagues, a lot of folks are experiencing the same thing.

I even did a little online research to see, you know, is this just me? Does this just seem this way? But no, the robot dialing technology that’s out there, the new, what they call phishing scams and other ways that scammers try to get your info has led to a lot more of these telemarketers, spammy, phishy, whatever you want to call them, phone calls that are coming to cell phones.

Here’s the thing, if you’re like me and you get those kinds of phone numbers, phone calls, you’re not answering your phone. So I ignore any call that comes through my phone that I don’t recognize, unless I know I’m expecting a call from someone. If I know someone is going to call me from a certain city or a certain area code or maybe I’m expecting a call from a local business, I will answer my phone if I don’t recognize the number.

And that’s pretty general behavior these days. A lot of folks are just straight up ignoring these spam calls, letting them go to voicemail and then dealing with them later.

Why is this a problem for you? Well, let’s talk about it.

This is a problem when you’re in an industry where you’re generating leads that require you to call them. If you think about the way leads come into your practice now, a lot of those are coming in from the web. Contact forms, online lead generation through social media sites, self-tests, these are all good things and are great ways to engage with prospects out in the marketplace. We see a lot of success with that.

The issue comes when it’s time to call those folks back. What happens when you’re calling a prospect that comes in through your website? Your phone number is an unknown phone number to them and a lot of times those numbers get ignored.

You’re not a spam call, I know it, you know it, but the marketplace, with all the spam dialing that’s happening, has led people to change their behavior and fewer people are answering that phone call on the first ring when they don’t recognize your number.

So, what are your options?

Well, a few things. Number one, we’re not going to stop calling folks. We’re definitely going to keep doing that, but we need to augment it. What do I mean by that? Well, you’ve got text messaging at your disposal, you’ve got email at your disposal.

We need to be reaching out to folks across multiple media, multiple channels, text, email, and phone, to let them know, “Hey, this is who we are, this is why we’re reaching out to you, and we look forward to talking with you soon.” And then we’re going to call them back later on.

One of the things that we do is that any communication that we put out to a prospect early on in the relationship, let’s say that a prospect fills out a form, we immediately hit them with a message that says, “Hey, we’re going to call you shortly and you’re going to get a number that you may not recognize from XYZ area code. If you do, it’s probably us, so pick up the phone.”

That’s what we are doing to encourage people to engage with us even though we are a number that they may not have seen or have in their phone. And they most likely don’t if they are a new prospect for the practice.

Okay? So, you’ve got spam calls that are going on out in the marketplace. They are causing people to not answer their phones as much. What do we have to do to get around it? We’ve got to be texting people, we’ve got to be emailing, and we’ve got to be following up with those phone calls, all right? One phone call is not going to do it.

We need multiple touch points across multiple channels, you’ll engage more people, you’ll get them into your practice, and you’ll get them booked for surgery.

That is the lesson for today. Go forth and prosper, my friend.

This one little aspect of your phone system is one of the biggest sources of lost revenue in practices across the country. And it’s not immediately obvious that there might be a problem with yours. After this show, your next steps will be crystal clear.

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“Thank you for calling; please listen carefully, as our menu items have changed.”

Can we stop this already?

What is going on, my friends? This is your boy, Troy. It’s the Practice Growth Machine Podcast, Episode 1. If you missed the intro episode, go back and check that out. You’re gonna like it. It sets the stage for the whole show and what we’re doing with this thing, so go check it out.

As promised, today we’re talking about a piece of technology that you probably have in your practice. And it’s not back in the exam lanes, it’s not in your surgery suite … it’s a piece of communication technology that is destroying your conversions. It is keeping those empty consult slots empty on your schedule. And I’m talking about your phone system.

This is an area where practices lose a ton of prospective patients. And I’m specifically talking about one little part of your phone system. It’s a little piece of technology called the automated phone tree. Nothing screams “you’re just a number” like an impersonal voice recording that’s reciting a menu to me and then reminding me, “Hey, make sure to pay attention because our options have changed.”

What are we doing? Here’s the deal. You’re trying to get people to give you 5,000, 10,000, 15,000 dollars, maybe more for a surgical procedure. But as soon as they work up the gumption to call, we’re actually giving them work to do. Wait. Listen to a recording. Think about which of these items you need. Hope somebody picks up when you tap the button. Hope you pressed the right button. Hope you can get back to the menu if the button didn’t work.

One of the worst things in life for me, this is probably true for you too, is when people make it hard for me to give them my money.

I am trying to give you my money in exchange for a thing or for a service. Why are you making me jump through hoops to get it? Look. I’m not saying that all friction is bad. Selectively added friction in certain places is fine, it’s appropriate, and it works. That’s a whole another episode.

No friction should occur on the phone call. Especially not the first phone call. “But Troy. We don’t have the manpower to have a live human being answer the phone.” Look, you rearrange a few things and you will. But until then, let’s take a second and talk about a few must do, must have items. If you’re going to use a phone tree, make sure that these things are in place.

Okay. If you’re using a phone tree, three things we need to pay attention to. Number one. If somebody presses zero, it’s got to go to the operator. Period. No question. If somebody calls you up and they say, “I’m tired of this phone tree. I just want to talk to a person.” Hit zero. That better ring somebody’s phone.

If somebody hits zero and your phone tree says, “I’m sorry, that’s not a valid option,” and then starts the menu over again, that person will never call you back. You will lose their money, you will lose their referrals, you will lose everything related to that person because you just made it hard for them to take action.

Zero must go to an operator. And by operator, I mean front desk, somebody who can get that person in the right direction.

Number two. Make sure on your voice recording that you’re using somebody excited and happy in your office to record the message. Don’t get random whoever just to record it ’cause you need it done. Find the peppy, happy, young lady or young gentleman to come on and read the recording with a vivacious, excited tone in his voice so that your prospects, when they’re calling in, at least get the vibe that your practice is awesome, is happy, is welcoming, and has a lot going on.

And number three, never ever under any circumstances ever send somebody to voicemail. Now you might say, “Well Troy, that’s not happening here. We don’t send people to voicemail.” First of all, you need to check your phone tree and make sure that people aren’t going into somebody’s extension, it’s ringing three or four times, and then their voicemail is clicking up.

I am not Mr. Technical guy. I don’t know what kind of phone system you have. I can’t tell you how to technically fix that. But I know if someone’s extension is ringing and it rings a few times and they don’t pick up, that better boomerang over to somebody else.

No one should ever be directed into a voicemail because that is a voicemail that will not get left. That person will hang up, they will say … They might even say to themselves, “I’ll just call back later.”

They’re not calling. They’re not coming in. They’re not paying you. They’re not having a procedure. They’re not referring their friends there. Maybe I sound a little bit worked up about this.

Maybe I sound a little bit too excited and passionate about a topic as seemingly mundane as your phone system. But let me tell you millions of dollars every single week are lost on the principles that I just went over with you.

So recap today’s episode. Number one. Use live people to answer your phone. Don’t use a phone tree. If you must use a phone tree, make sure zero is going to an operator … Make sure you’ve got a happy, excited, fun, upbeat person doing your recording … And three, never send somebody to voicemail. Alright.

Go and check all those things. Have your administrator check them. Walk through the phone system and make sure that there are no stones unturned. Make sure that nobody is getting dumped off into somebody’s voicemail. Or worse yet, getting just disconnected. ‘Cause that happens a lot.

People just get disconnected. You hit one, you hit three, you’re going over somewhere else, it rings a few times, disconnected. Unless you want to be disconnected from a full surgery schedule, go get these things fixed.

We’ll see you on the next show.

In this intro episode, we talk about what the Practice Growth Machine is, why we’re doing a podcast, and the easiest way to communicate to me that you think I’m full of garbage.

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Transcript

It’s the intro episode. Let’s get it on. Hello my friends, it’s your boy Troy with the Practice Growth Machine podcast episode zero. This is the intro episode where we lay the groundwork for what this thing is, why we’re doing it and what you can expect, and frankly, if it’s worth it for you to even listen to another episode past this one.

First of all, what is the Practice Growth Machine and why are we calling it that? I’m the marketing and sales consultant for refractive surgeons all over the country. The Practice Growth Machine is our philosophy on how your marketing and your sales teams work together to create a patient journey within your practice.

If you think about it, patients in your practice, people who come in and they have a surgery, they drop $5,000, $10,000, $15,000 for you to fix their vision or some other aspects of their physical characteristics for example. They come in and they’ve gone through quite a few steps before they actually sit down in your procedure chair.

They at one point, they didn’t even know who you were. They knew they had a problem. They wanted to start sniffing around and who could solve that problem, and so then they turn into a lead and then they end up booking an appointment. Then they show up for the appointment, then they have an amazing experience at the appointment, hopefully they book their surgery at that point. If not follow-ups need to happen, and at some point, they end up in your chair for a procedure and then hopefully after that, it was a great outcome and they go become evangelists for your practice.

When you think about all those steps I just named off, there are many moving parts at each point in those steps. All those parts work together. Think of it as a giant interconnected conveyor belt moving someone from point A to point Z. That is the Practice Growth Machine.

Now, why a podcast? Why not a Practice Growth Machine blog or video series or what have you? This is for a few reasons. Number one, it’s easy to consume. My clients are super busy. I’m busy. You’re probably busy as well. They don’t have time to sit down and watch a whole video series or time to sit down and read a 1,500 word blog post, but if I can give you education and tools that you can use, you can consume it while you’re on a short drive to the office or maybe you’re hitting the treadmill at the gym real quick. That’s exactly what my clients need so that’s why we’re doing this format.

You hear something on this show and you’re like, “Hey look, we need to be doing this or I’m not sure if we’re doing this, I better check.” You just send the episode to your team, say, “Hey guys, are we doing this thing? If we’re not, get it going. Let’s go.” It’s easy to take this info, share it with your team and make new things happen. There’ll be highly actionable info in all of these episodes.

Then lastly, podcasts, I love this format because it allows for a huge personality. You probably at this point already know this Troy guy, not for me, or hey, I like this energy. I’m vibe-ing with this, let’s keep going. You couldn’t do that if it was all written out in blog form, so I love the personality and energy that comes across with podcasts that are also the reason why I recommend this format and I’m becoming very bullish on podcasts for my clients as well.

Think about all the different FAQs and things that you could go on and just record two or three minute little responses to them, have it live in podcast form, send it out via email, post it on your YouTube, throw it up on your social media, stream in an office for your patients, and you can do all these different things with this audio core format.

We’ll get into more of those in future episodes but I wanted to give a little bit of background to this strategy behind why we’re doing podcasts.

Schedule-wise, we’re going to start out with a couple of episodes a week, so make sure you hit the subscribe button, wherever that might be here on the page, and subscribe. Like I mentioned, the episodes will be short. We’re talking five minutes or less so super bite-sized, super focused so that you can take what’s in the episode and run with it and go make it happen in your practice.

Now last thing here, you’ve got questions? Do you have things that you want me to address on the show here? You’ve got comments? If you think I’m full of garbage about a certain topic, any or all of the above, shoot me an email. Send them to ask@troycole.com, A-S-K ask, at troycole.com, T-R-O-Y-C-O-L-E dot com and we’ll address them on the show.

That is it. All right, we will see you on episode one, the official first non-introductory episode, and in that show, we’re going to get into a very common piece of technology that’s killing your conversions to consult, and I’m not talking about a technology over in your surgery suite or in your exam lanes.

This is a piece of communication technology that is causing you major problems. You may not even realize it. We’re going to get into how to identify those problems, how to fix them and plug this gigantic hole that’s leaking patients out of your practice.

We’ll see you on the next show.