title: Nurture personal referrals--your best source of new patients.
abstract: In your morning meetings, identify those patients who would be a great person to ask for a referral--patients who have expressed pleasure in receiving treatment from you. Then, determine who is going to ask for that referral. You wouldn't want to have EVERY-ONE ask them for a referral, so give someone that responsibility. Be sure that you have done some role playing and have practiced the verbal skills of "asking" for a referral. Get comfortable asking. Know that you will never know what you will get unless you ASK!!! All good businesses ask for referrals from their best customers. Learn from the masters. Pattern your own behavior after those who have acquired admirable results. When you identify patients who have accepted and have been pleased with your treatment, have come to their appointments on time, have gladly paid their bills, and have been a joy to treat, ASK these folks for a referral. More than likely they will refer others to you who are of like character. You can build a practice "on good patients just like you" and expect that to happen!!! Together, as a team, develop ways of acknowledging and nurturing your referral sources. If these wonderful people provide 70+ percent of your new patients, it benefits you to invest time and money in maximizing this source of practice growth.
authors.affiliation: Jameson Management Group, Inc., USA.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jameson
mesh_terms: D003812:Dentist-Patient Relations; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008389:Marketing of Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D011215:Practice Management, Dental / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000458:organization & administration*