Susan and I were soaking up the Olympics last night, and one of the featured events was the Men’s Alpine Skiing competition.
As these guys were traveling a death-defying 80+ mph on skis (which is insane), the commentators continually talked about the importance of momentum.
For example, If a skier takes the wrong angle around the gate, and slides out a little too much, they lose momentum. Not only does this slow them down in the moment, but it affects their speed through the remainder of the race. No momentum = no medal.
To win, you must maximize these two complementary forces – speed and momentum. Put another way, speed on the course is the result of creating and preserving momentum.
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Speed and momentum are also crucial when it comes to winning new surgery patients.
We know that the faster you can reach out to prospective patients who complete your online forms, the more likely you are to connect with them and get them booked for a consult.
This is reflected in the data of a massive study by the Harvard Business Review. Among several eye-popping results, the study showed a 400% decrease in contact and qualification rates when you wait 10 minutes to contact new leads vs contacting them in 5 minutes or less. And contact rates continued to drop the longer it took to reach out to the leads.
(Important to note this study was done before Amazon and Netflix created the “on-demand” consumer culture we have today. The thirst for NOW is higher than its ever been)
And we see this play out all the time with our clients. Anytime we help someone systematize their lead outreach so they are connecting with leads faster, they see an increase in conversions.
There are several reasons for this, one of them being the preservation of momentum…
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Imagine with me for a moment…
Your prospects are the alpine skiers. When they go to your website and fill out a contact form, they are essentially leaving the gate at the top of the mountain, and starting to make their way down to the finish line.
Unlike the world-class skiers in the alpine competition, your prospects are not knowledgeable about the course, or how to create momentum or even how to ski. In fact, it’s impossible for them to generate momentum without your help. You must work as a team.
Contact your leads quickly (within 5 minutes) to preserve (and increase) the momentum they’ve already started creating.
Because if you wait an hour, or until this afternoon, or until tomorrow (cringe) to contact your new leads, it’s much like a skier sliding out of their line and losing momentum. Or like one unfortunate athlete we saw, crashing and coming to a complete standstill.
Not-So-Fun Fact: When someone crashes on the Alpine course, there’s no one there to help them up. So we watched this guy walk back up to his skis, put them on and meander down the mountain. Obviously going much slower – with feelings of frustration and dejection – than the competitors who were able to navigate the course smoothly.
The faster you are able to contact your leads, the more momentum (through the patient journey) you will preserve. And that’s one important way to set up your patience – and your practice – for a gold medal podium finish.
Wanna dominate the competition and serve your patients at the highest level? Contact all your online leads within 5 minutes or less.
That’s all I have for you today. Godspeed to you on a highly productive week!
– Troy “Snowboarding > Skiing” Cole
PS – You may already have guidelines in place to make sure your leads are being contacted quickly. Doesn’t mean it’s happening. Check and make sure it is.