How the $1 Consultation increases your show rate!

It's getting a little chilly down here in Charlotte (or "up" here
if you're south of us)...this is perhaps my favorite time of year.
No more stifling 90+ degree days with raging humidity, just shirt
sleeves days and cool crisp nights.

Speaking of "chilly", that can be the mood in your office when
your promising "Free Consultation" patient no shows for his or
her first visit in your office. You attract interested prospects
with your marketing, they call and schedule their free consultation,
and you're all excited to discuss their interests and be THE
solution for them. They even sound excited and "ready to go" on
the phone!

Then they don't show up.

No call, no notice...no patient.

You double check the schedule...walk up to the front...ask the
team what happened, and of course they're dumbfounded and frustrated
too. Yes, they called to confirm. Yes, the new patient even
called back and said "yes I'll be there." But still no patient.

There aren't many things that grate on me more than missed
appointments with little or no notice. It's the biggest disrespect
of someone else's time I can think of, and in this case that
"someone else" is US.

Well, I'll start by saying that there is most certainly NO one
way to eliminate all missed appointments...not even close. But
there are things we can do to help minimize the number of no shows
that we experience from new patients. Recently I've tapped into
a KILLER strategy for reducing missed consultation appointments
from new patients, and I'm going to share it with you right here,
right now.

Charge $1 when they schedule.

Yep, simply ask the caller for their credit card number so you
can schedule their $1 Consultation. Then charge the $1 fee right
then, while on the phone. This does two things:

1- You get their credit card number, which is an extra level of
commitment that you didn't have before. This is critically
important, because you can mention that your normal consultation
fee is $120 (or whatever you wish), and this amount will not
be charged unless they miss their appointment without prior
notice...in our office that's at least one of OUR business days.

2- You train them to prepay for your services. Even though it's
just $1, the concept is more powerful than the dollar value.

While I call this the "$1 Consultation", you could still advertise
"Free" as well. Here's how.

Charge the $1 to secure their appointment time, then REFUND that
amount when they arrive. This strategy works in many businesses,
so why not dentistry? In fact, you can charge whatever amount
you want and refund it upon arrival, and it's still "free"! But
you'll get the least resistance with $1.00.

Market research has shown that the word "FREE" is one of the most
powerful words in marketing. The "$1" offer is strong too, and
worth testing vs. "free" in your market. Whichever you choose,
you'll feel more confident scheduling your new patient consults
when they are secured with a credit card.

All my best,
Chris

PS: If you're worried about resistance to this protocol, think
about how many patients scheduled consultations in your office,
then they just didn't show up. If a patient's not willing to
commit $1 to be at your office, chances are they're not serious
about the appointment. Do everything you can to build value
in the appointment, but if they refuse to share their credit
card info, let them go. I've always said:

"If they schedule for free, they can cancel for free!"

Dr. Chris Bowman
Dental Insiders Alliance