A couple of days ago, I shot you this email going over the #1 virtual consult “road block” all practices face.
In case you missed it, the road block is about logistics. Many practices understand the new need for a Hybrid Model of Patient Engagement (Virtual Consults + Traditional in-office Consults).
But they still have to answer the logistical challenge – “WHO is going to do these virtual consults and HOW do we fit them into our already hectic/busy schedule?”
One new solution we’ve introduced to overcome that road block – Done-For-You Virtual Consults. For practices who enroll in this beta program with us, we will actually do the virtual consultations for you.
We’re getting a number of questions about how this works, and I want to address some of those common questions today.
“Why would you offer done-for-you virtual consults?”
We’re seeing many practices who want to move forward with virtual consults, but they don’t have the bandwidth. This service meets a real need in the marketplace.
It also makes virtual consultation offering a much easier decision for the practice.
You don’t have to figure out who does them, how to schedule them, where they fit in your schedule, etc. You skip all that. We handle it. We conduct the virtual consults for you.
“Who is actually doing these virtual consults for us?”
If someone’s going to do virtual consults for your practice, you want to make sure they represent you well. That’s priority #1 for you and us.
The individuals who will be conducting these virtual consults all meet the following criteria:
– US- or Canada-based
– Actively (or previously) worked in a refractive practice, or in the refractive space (think pharma rep, BDMs)
– Strong communication skills
– Strong ability to sell premium services
We have visibility into many practices – either as direct clients of ours, through masterminds and networking, and through our own ninja research (secret shopping, etc).
Flat out, the counselors we’re using for this program are better salespeople than most practices have in their offices. Frankly even if a practice has the bandwidth to do virtual consults, it probably makes more sense for us to handle them.
“You’ve used the S-word – Sales – several times, Troy. Tell me more about that.”
Priority #2 on virtual consults – whoever is doing them needs to be able to direct the conversation and convert virtual consults into pre-ops. In short, they need to have sales skills.
Some folks reading this are nodding their heads in agreement right now. They understand that sales is the lifeblood of any business, including your practice.
Others read this with hesitation, thinking along the lines of, “Well we don’t like the word ‘sell.’ We don’t want to ‘sell’ our services.”
If you fall into the latter category, all I can tell you is that if you aren’t selling surgeries, you aren’t growing your practice. If you aren’t selling your surgeries, your prospects will go to the chain LASIK center down the street that is selling theirs.
If you wait for your prospects to make hard decisions for themselves – if you don’t take the leadership role and help them make the right decision for them – well, you’ll be waiting a while. And honestly, you aren’t serving your prospects the way they deserve if you let them wait and stew in their own indecision.
The modern sales process isn’t like the old school, hard-sell tactics of the past. People don’t go for that anymore. Modern sales is built around leadership and authority.
The #1 rule of modern sales – help your prospect make the decision that’s right for them.
And on the virtual consultation, the decision we’re helping them make is “Does it make sense for you to move forward with a pre-op exam?” As long as the prospect meets all the qualifications, that’s what’s “for sale” on the virtual consultations.
“How do you know our qualifications, about our doctors, our treatments, etc?”
Of course we need some specific information about your practice. We do this simply through an onboarding form and launch call with your team.
We get the pertinent info we need about you and your treatments, and we figure out a mechanism we can use to book these folks into your system for a pre-op appointment (as long as they meet the criteria we establish on the virtual consult).
”What does the actual process look like?”
Let’s walk through this:
- Step 1 – Click – Prospect Sally clicks on one of our posts, ads or prompts on your website to book a virtual consult.
- Step 2 – Book – Sally schedules her virtual consult using the scheduling tool we build for you.
- Step 3 – Reminders – We remind Sally when to show up for her virtual consult, and provide her the instructions for how to log on.
- Step 4 – Actual Consult – On the day and time she selected, Sally jumps on the virtual consult with our counselor. We take her through the consultation, build rapport, determine if she is a good fit, and book her for a pre-operative appointment in your office.
“If you guys are doing the virtual consults, what do we have to do?”
Let’s start with what you do NOT have to do:
✅ You DON’T have to reach out to these people and try to get them on the phone.
✅ You DON’T have to book anything with them.
✅ You DON’T have to worry about any of the tech necessary to do the virtual consult.
✅ You DON’T have to rearrange your schedule to accommodate virtual consultations.
✅ You DON’T have to hire anyone, or stretch your team too thin, to add virtual consults to the mix.
So what DO you have to do? Greet these patients with a smile when they come in for their pre-ops, book them for surgery and take their money. That’s it.
“How do we get started?”
You reply to this email and ask for more details. We jump on a quick call to make sure you’re a good fit (we have specific criteria practices need to meet. This isn’t for everyone).
And if you’re a good fit, we walk you through the process and you can decide if you want to do it or not. Simple, straightforward and easy.
Got any questions I didn’t address here? Reply with those too.
– Troy “FAQ Yes” Cole
PS – Quick reminder – This beta program is only open to 3 practices, and we already have one spot filled.
If you’re interested, don’t wait until next week. Hit the ‘reply’ button now to hold your spot in line.
PPS – Whenever you’re ready, here are 3 ways we help refractive surgeons book more surgeries…
One. Leverage Virtual Consultations.
For all the bad that came from COVID, one arguably good thing is that it accelerated the adaption of home-centric consumer lifestyle.
Why is that good? Because people are now comfortable “doing life” from home – including booking virtual consultations with refractive surgeons! Practices who have properly introduced the Hybrid Model of Patient Engagement (Virtual Consults + Traditional In-Office Consults) are growing their surgery volume faster than ever.
With our Patient Prime System, we build your entire Virtual Consultation process for you. Reply “Virtual” if you want more info on Patient Prime.
Two. Sell More Surgery.
The highest leverage opportunity within any practice lies within their sales team, particularly on the phones. You’d be amazed at how much revenue leaks out of your phones by way of prospects who contact you, but never book a consult. We’re talking 6- to 7-figures a year.
Want to fortify your practice against this massive leak? Reply to this email with “Sales” and I’ll get you more details on how to identify your weak points on the phone (and how to solve them).
THREE. Mastermind with the Best in the Business.
Want to hear what’s working for world-class refractive surgeons across the country? Want expert marketers to review your ads, website and marketing materials and show your marketing team how to make them perform even better?
If so, our Refractive Mavericks Mastermind may be the right environment for you. Reply “Mastermind” and I’ll get you more details.