Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

Need More Customer Traffic

Posted by Anonymous on 3/3/2004 at 6:06 PM ET 50 Points
My company has a small outpatient rehabilitation and wellness facility in a suburb of a large city. It has been open about 6 months now and we are having a hard time getting customer recognition. It seems the competition from the nearby city is too overpowering for our small operation. Any ideas, suggestions of how to get more clients, get our name out, get people in the door? Thanks.
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Blaine Wilkerson on 3/3/2004 at 6:13 PM Accepted
    I worked in the medical field for over a decade. Hourly visits from Marketing reps were a daily routine. Trust me, I know this arena well. Especially, from the viewpoint of the doctors.

    Although some doctors are "rep friendly", most find them a nuisance...a distraction from their patients and just another thing to get them further behind than they already are. Unfortunate, but true.

    From what I have found, the BEST way to get the doctors full attention is FOOD!!! Bringing lunches for the staff and talking to the docs in the lunchroom and/or his/her office during lunch hours is the most effective way to get them to listen. Are lunches expensive? Yes. But not as expensive as hiring a crew of marketeers!

    So how many visits does it take? The number is relative, but persistance is the key.

    For example, one day, a physical therapist showed up around lunch time with food, brochures, business cards, and various other "freebies" (pens, coasters, etc). We all thought, "Who is this guy".

    He continued to bring lunch every 2 weeks for about 1 1/2 months before the doctors started sending him patients. The next thing you know, he became our primary referral.

    I have seen this exact same scenario with Home Health, Pharmaceutical, and Med Supply companies/facilities. Food and persistance paid off for ALL of them.

    I hope this helps. By the way, don't be too pushy or "cheesy" with the doctors. They see right through it and may get annoyed. Also, BE PREPARED!! If a doctor hears "I don't know" or some sort of scripted response, he may get turned off!

    Good Luck!!
  • Posted by Chris Blackman on 3/3/2004 at 7:05 PM Member
    A few ideas for you…

    Why not run tours of the establishment for medical receptionists, interns, nurses, doctors, too if the have the time.

    Make it educational and call it a free Professional Development session. Get the AMA to recognise it for PD points if poss.

    Run a tour (or tours) every 3 months. Get busloads of clinicians and healthcare professionals coming through and seeing what you have to offer. Put on snacks and drinks and a chance to mingle with the staff and ask questions before you bus them back where they came from again. Give them a take-home show bag with literature and branded pens, sticky-notes, fridge magnets, thermometers, etc all with your brand name, 1-800 number and web address.

    Collect names and addresses of people who attend, so you can build a referral database. Segment it so you know who's interested in what message.

    Send them a newsletter.

    After each tour, meet with the staff to see what recurring themes were in the conversations and questions they fielded. Build the FAQs on your website and printed collateral to reflect these themes and q's.

    Ask any high-profile patients –community leaders, local celebrities – if they will tell the story of their experience at your establishment. Make them an ambassador. Let them talk about your place on talk-shows, in local newspapers and on radio. About how your rehab made them better again after their life-changing health problem, accident or elective surgery.

    That should help drive business from the patient angle, as well as from the clinician-referral angle.

    Strategically, you need to analyse the differences between your facility and the "big-city" alternatives, with a focus on what you offer that they don't. Could be something simple, like no tolls on the freeway, free parking for visitors, or a more relaxed, country atmosphere.

    Come back and tell us more about these "differences" so we can focus on helping you create a competitive advantage.

    Good Luck
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