In last week’s post, I made the point that the packet of information that leaves with your non-committing visitor for their non-attending spouse is the most important set of documents that leave your practice, because these materials must convince the absentee spouse that the value of what you provide is worth the investment. As previously noted, this needs to be a separate set of information than your “welcome to our practice” packet for newly committed cases, but can use the same jacket folder.
So for this week’s topic: what specifically needs to be in your “persuasion packet”? I recommend the following structure, utilizing items covered in my staff training program:
Left-hand side of the jacket:
- The biographical summaries of your doctor and staff, with the doctor’s on top. (Think left side, staff – right side, patient).
Right hand side of the jacket:
- On top: Picture(s) of the patient’s teeth, followed with a summary of the recommended treatment plan, stressing the “why” and the expected benefits of the approach (all one page)
- Your reference list of other patients currently in treatment (obviously with their written permission to be a reference). From my training program, for each of your 25-30 references listed:
- Patient first name and last name initial
- Patient email address for contact
- A brief description (2-3 sentences) of the problem being treated, in layman’s terms
- Cover page on this stapled document: “Practice References: Local Patients Currently in Treatment”
- For identified shoppers, the Key Items to Consider List from my program and in the book
- Your Pricing Sheet, with every item included in treatment listed under the investment
Note that when the folder is set up this way, both sides are attention-grabbers when the folder is first opened, because each top item (doctor’s bio and patient’s teeth) utilize photography. Your initial goal with this presentation folder is to make the information appear initially interesting, so that the recipient will want to read further. People are very visual, and pictures are the most effective way to spark interest.
Some final points:
- Don’t overload your recipient! Avoid “stuffing” your packet with things that aren’t relevant to the specific needs of the patient. Less is always better than too much.
- I am not a fan of the cascading-tab approach to this marketing piece, although that format is fine for the “welcome to our practice” materials.
- The more that you can customize the information to the specific needs of the patient, the better impression that you will make on the decision-maker. Limit your use of generic items.