In my last email, we talked about why the iPhone 15 is selling so well (despite the current economic factors) and the importance of building value.
But who is responsible for building value with your prospective patients?
This is where we get a lot of questions in our coaching process. Because it’s common to think this job falls to the surgery schedulers.
And to be fair, they’re a huge piece of it. Through our coaching community, we’ve helped surgery schedulers increase their close rates 10-30% (conversions to surgery and/or upgrades on cataract technology).
Clients come in and find 100+ lessons, templates and workflows in our ever-growing coaching community. Along with multiple weekly coaching calls, and unlimited 1-on-1 support.
And many of these resources are geared toward helping surgery schedulers build the rock-solid mindset and tactical approach they need to convert surgery cases.
BUTTTT they aren’t the ONLY ones.
Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback of all time. But he would have never won a game had he not had an offensive line to protect him, receivers to pass to, and a defense to keep the other team from running up the score.
And so it goes for your practice. No SINGLE person can be the ONE who is responsible for conversions. Because it’s truly a patient journey, and every touchpoint is key to… say it with me…
“BUILD THE VALUE.”
Remember, Price is Only an Issue in the Absence of Value. Tattoo that backwards on your forehead and read it in the mirror every morning. (Or just put it on a post-it note, that works too).
EVERYONE builds value. Who is “everyone”?
Consult schedulers – often the first human touchpoint in the patient journey. If you don’t get this step right, prospective patients won’t even make it in the door.
Front Desk – Making the first in-person impression a pleasant and welcoming one.
Technicians – Typically spending MORE time with the patient than anyone else, so their role is HUGE (and beyond simply taking proper measurements and scans).
Provider – Your OD or MD who meets with the patient is almost the crescendo of the encounter. They need to make a strong recommendation and make sure the patient feels comfortable with it and has the answers they need.
THEN you get to the Surgery Schedulers. YES, a massively important role. And if everyone BEFORE them has done their job, the Surgery Scheduler is set up for success too.
We have an analogy we use often – the patient journey is a relay race. (What can I say? We like sports). No ONE person can run an entire relay. You have to pass the baton.
But you don’t pass the baton standing still. Both runners are MOVING at every hand-off, so you preserve the MOMENTUM you need to keep the patient moving forward.
Building momentum helps build the value. (Now we’re getting into energy, movement and creating an experience, which is a topic for an entirely different message…)
All that to say, the person building value with your prospective patient is… EVERYONE.
So who do we train in our coaching community? Everyone! In addition to surgery schedulers, we have a huge focus on the phone team – the ones booking the consults. We do private coaching with providers who want to hone their treatment presentation skills.
And we’re continuing to grow our “tech support” (pun intended) so technicians feel seen and empowered to build rapport with each patient they see (while still efficiently getting through their workups).
Sound like a lot? It is! Which is why we’ve brought on more amazing coaches. We also launched our “Guest Jam” sessions where we bring in experts from other fields to share their expertise with our clients.
Why do we do all this? It ALL comes back to giving you everything you need to BUILD VALUE.
Build the value, and watch the magic happen.
– T-Cole
PS – This morning, I dropped a humorous GIF on my Instagram page on this very topic. If you’re not following me on IG, you’re missing out. Give me a follow and message me with your #1 conversion “pain point” and we’ll see if we can help you out.