How to Convert a Hot Lead Into a Patient

12/30/19 | by Terrnekia Collier | Marketing

It’s always exciting when a new prospect is interested in the services you offer. It’s an opportunity to share your passion with them and persuade them into becoming a loyal patient that will continue to come back to your practice for years to come.

When trying to find someone that fits the criteria for your ideal patient, you need to know what type of sales leads you are dealing with in order to approach them correctly. If you have someone that is extremely interested in booking an appointment at your practice, this is referred to as a hot lead and is something that you should get a jump on as soon as possible to increase your lead conversion.

Do you know how to convert a hot lead into a new patient? If you’re unsure of what measures to take, we can help. Here’s what you need to know about converting someone into a new patient and keeping them satisfied so they come back and see you again.
Hot leads

What type of sales lead is it?

Before we tell you how to convert a lead into a patient, you need to know what type you are dealing with. There are three different types of sales leads in the lead generation funnel. They are:

Hot Lead – this type of lead is extremely qualified and meets all of the set criteria. They have shown a strong interest in your business and should be contacted as soon as possible because they are ready to become one of your patients. They may have shown their interest by subscribing to newsletters, constantly downloading content, visiting your website via paid ads, or informed someone in your office directly about wanting to book an appointment.
Warm Lead– this person may be missing a few of the criteria to be considered a hot lead, but they are still considered qualified because a need was identified. This type of lead can be nurtured and may have shown interest by filling out a contact form or coming to your website a few times. They are getting closer to finally be persuaded to schedule a visit and are willing to really talk to one of your staff members about it.
Cold Lead – a cold lead is someone who fits the criteria of your ideal patient but they have not had any interaction with your brand or company whatsoever. They are unfamiliar with you and therefore have a much lower chance at conversion. As a business owner, you’re always looking for new opportunities and just remember that these leads can be nurtured over time and turned become more engaged.

Now that you know the difference between each type of lead, you’ll know how to identify and categorize each person you and your staff interact with.

Lead Conversion

If the prospect in question is considered a hot lead, then they’ve probably already reached out to you about what products or services you have to offer and are either ready to book their first appointment or they’re almost there. So what can you do to give them that final push to do so?

1. Highlight all the positives.

Since this person has been qualified as a hot lead, the should already know what products and services you offer. But you can reiterate what the benefits of becoming one of your patients would have for them. How can you help them find a solution to a problem and why do they need you?
HighlightLeads
For instance, if you’re a chiropractor and the hot lead has back pain from being in a car accident, tell them about how having an appointment with you can help them feel like they did before the accident and what measures you’ll take in order to ensure that this happens. Communicate with them about how you can improve their quality of life and encourage them to be life-long patients.

2. Utilize email marketing.

Because they are considered a hot lead, one of your staff members has spoken to this person on multiple occasions before they even step foot in your office. Now would be a great time to use email marketing to connect with them. send them a very personalized email that really stands out and shows that you were listening to their needs or desires and can give them exactly what it is they are looking for.

3. Offer an incentive.

Offering an incentive
Your hot lead may almost be to the end of the race, but need a little something extra to make it across the finish line. This is where incentives come in handy! People love free or discounted products and services. As a first-time visitor, you can offer them a discounted price on their first appointment or next one to incentivize them to come back.

You can even leverage content for this as well and offer them specific information that they would find useful in the form of a free ebook, how-to guide, or a video. It’s your decision to make about what avenue to take that you think would help them come to that final decision.

What to expect at the first appointment.

First appointment
So, your hot lead has now made the final step and scheduled a visit with your practice. Hooray! Now, what can you do to show them that they made the right decision? As we stated before, having a good line of communication with your patients is essential to keep them returning to your office.

One way that you could do this is by informing them of what to expect at their first visit. Is there anything that they should bring with them? What do you do at your first visit? What type of questions will you ask? You can either tell them all the necessary information by calling them or sending an email.

Reaching out to them before their appointment shows how excited you are to have them a new patient and working with one another to provide them with everything they need to get the most out of your products and services.

Be proactive with your communication between you and the patient and provide excellent customer service from the very beginning so they have no doubt that they made a great choice in coming to see you.

During the first appointment.

Your first appointment with your new patient is officially here and things are going well. You want to persuade this person to come back for another visit. But how?

Familiarize yourself.

Your first conversation with the patient may have been good at their first visit, but you should be actively working towards really getting to know personal information about your patients, especially something that can be useful during appointments.

Are you an eye care professional? Make it a point to ask about the history of their eyes. When did they get their first pair of glasses? Do any of their family members have eye disease? Getting to know more about them is a commitment you have to be willing to make to build a strong foundation for your relationship.

Encourage interaction outside the office.

Encourage Interaction
At the end of every appointment, you should want to know whether the patient felt like you provided them with excellent care. Politely ask them to like you on Facebook or leave a Yelp or Google review.
You can also ask them to like or follow you on any social media platforms that you are actively using. Put up your usernames around your office so patients can easily find you online. Engagement with your practice on social media and other websites will help to boost your traffic and overall ranking.

After the first appointment.

Once a patient leaves your office, they should never leave your radar. They should continue thinking about you even when they’re not in the office so that they return sometime soon. Send them a “thank you” email to each patient that can also double as a reminder to book their next appointment.

Patient relationship management.

If you want someone to stay loyal to you, you must do everything you can to provide great care, be an excellent resource, and remain in constant communication with them. It’s never just one and done with your patients.

They want to feel appreciated and know that they are in good hands.
Once you’ve converted a hot lead into a patient, it’s up to you to nurture that relationship with your patient and make sure they’re more than satisfied, but we can help on our end as well.

If you require some assistance with getting more patients to your practice, find out how our digital marketing solutions can accomplish this for you. Contact us today for a free consultation.