Chiropractic Coaching Tips | Who's Answering Your Phone?

Well, hello everyone, Dr. Vince Leone here, and welcome to the show, Dr. Vince Presents, Episode 4. And thank you so much for taking the time, and this is a super important training. This is more systems-based, and we're going to cover who is answering your phone, and we're going to go over a tried and true approach to increasing your call-to-consult ratio while also increasing authority, trust, and rapport between the patient and your office. So first of all, why is the phone so important? Because a lot of doctors may not even put, you know, much credence to it, haven't really thought about it, you know, people call, we schedule them, and the problem is a lot of times we're not tracking our stats, right? And so as doctors, we're very busy, we're pulled in 10 different directions at least, and we may not know how many people called that day. And And so we may have 30 people call and only, I don't know, maybe 15 people make appointments. Those stats absolutely need to be tracked. And your CA, though she's wonderful I'm sure, is not most likely going to tell you, oh man, I had 5 people call today and Not one of them decided to come in, right? 'Cause that makes her look bad, right? And, you know, it's not that we want them to feel bad, we just wanna train them up and we wanna keep those stats so that we can get the most, you know, bang for our buck. So first, why? Well, first impressions. So when a patient either Hears about us from a friend, sees an advertisement, clicking on an ad on Facebook, whatever it is, the ad is, you know, to some degree the first impression, but really it's when they contact your office and they talk to someone on the phone, and it creates a first impression, and that can be a good impression, good first impression, that can be a bad first impression, and it can be a so-so first impression. So what we want is is it to be a great first impression, okay? Because it's going to, it's kind of like greasing the slide, and we're gonna make everything so much easier for the patient and the doctor as that kind of process goes along. The next, you know, very big reason is if you're spending money on advertising, and, you know, it may be $1,000 on Facebook, or it may be $20,000 across All advertising platforms, we want to maximize the return on our investment. And again, if say we spent $10,000 and we got 20 calls off an ad or in a week, say, you know, your staff member only got 5 to come in. Well, that is not a very good ratio and it's not a very good use of your advertising dollars because if she was Super good and she got 75% of the people to come in, so 15, then, you know, say you closed half of those, you have 7 patients versus 3. And if your average case value is, say, $5,000, just to make it easy, that's $35,000 in revenue versus $15,000 in revenue. And so one, you know, in one case you paid $10,000 and then you got $15,000 in return, and the other case you paid $10,000 and got $35,000 in return. So I'm just throwing numbers out there, but the point being is we wanna maximize our advertising dollars, right? Because you can't get 'em back, and typically ads tend to fatigue over time, so we really wanna take advantage of them, especially in the beginning when they're working well. And then finally, conversion. Now conversion, a lot of people When doctors talk about conversion, and, you know, this is mainly for bigger case fee niche type cases, it's like, oh, I'm a master in the report of findings, right? Well, conversion starts on the phone, okay? Because if that patient has a wonderful first impression on the phone, then they're going to be coming in with a much different attitude versus— Having a terrible first impression on the phone. You know, if your CA was rude, maybe she didn't have her coffee that morning, or her boyfriend broke up with her, or whatever it is, if there was a bad first impression, well, then they're going to carry that bad first impression all the way to see you. And so, you know, conversion starts on the phone, and it's helped along in the evaluation where we can present our expertise and start to educate the patient, and then finally in the report of findings, if you do everything else right, then the report of findings should just be a matter of whether they have the funds or the ability to afford the care plan, and obviously if they qualify as a patient and they need our care. But, you know, if they, if they don't need our care, then they shouldn't be in the report of findings. So, you know, Just massively important. I mean, if, you know, if you're— once you figure out your leads, cost per lead and cost per new patient, and we covered that in a past webinar, but I'll do another episode on, you know, figuring out those, you know, kind of key stats and numbers. But say your cost per lead's $300, which, look, I've seen leads that go up to $1,000, and you have to have a case fee that justifies that, warrants it. But if your leads is in that range. I mean, if your CA is doing a poor job on the phone, you can take that money and just flush it down the toilet. So very, very important. And it comes down to you. It comes down to you, the doctor, to either do the training or institute the training so that someone is training this staff member about how to be excellent on the phone. Okay, and you need a rock star, right? And that's another episode of how to, you know, how do you find a rockstar CA? And, you know, I'm sure many of you have them. I'm sure many of you wish you had them. Actually, I go into that in great detail in my book that's coming out in 4th quarter of this year about how do you go about getting that rockstar CA. But you have to have it, guys. If you don't have it, Go find it. You know, by hook or by crook, go get that rock star. If you've been thinking about firing your CA, do it now. It's fire fast, hire slow. I mean, that has got to be your motto. Fire fast, hire slow, because that person is literally, if they're like, you know, dead weight or toxic up front, they are killing your practice. They are repelling patients. I've heard so many stories of doctors that You know, they've had a CA forever, or not even forever, maybe even a few months. And then once they finally, you know, get around to firing them— because none of us like to, you know, let's be honest, none of us like to fire people, but you are the boss, right? So got to do it. But, you know, patients will come up to me and it's like, oh my gosh, I'm so glad you got rid of that. You can't imagine how she treated me. It's like, really? Yeah, because your patients Usually aren't going to tell you. Sometimes they will. And if they do, you better listen to them because they are the customer and that's— and, you know, they're paying our bills. So got to get a rock star. Now, you also need a really great script because you can't expect your, you know, your CA to just, you know, just because she's nice, like that she's going to be able to create authority, trust, and rapport. And, you know, kind of put you on a pedestal and And start that whole process on her own. You know, I mean, they're like, you know, CAs are usually in their 20s. Maybe you'll get one in their 30s or 40s, but typically they're in their 20s, early 30s. And, you know, they don't have a ton of life experience. And like I said, I'm sure they're nice. I'm sure they can chat someone up, but you can't expect them to, you know, day in and day out track their stats and really be consistent. If they're not working off a template, right? Because if you look at a great movie, you know, you don't think like you're in your— when you're watching the movie, you're like, if it's a good one, you're not thinking, oh man, they're reading off a script. No, you're thinking, wow, what a performance, right? Because they've ingrained the script. They're not reading off the script. They've internalized it. So that's what your CA needs to do with a really good script. is internalize it, make it her own, hit all the major spots, get the information that they need, make the appointment, and get out. So let's take a look at my script here. Now this is, again, now this particular one is for neuropathy. I also have one for disc, for decompression, but very, very specific. About why we're asking these questions, and we'll just go through this quickly. We're not going to spend a lot of time, and don't think like, oh my gosh, this is going to take my CA, you know, 10, 15 minutes to get through this. She's got to take copays and blah, blah, blah. Look, first of all, it's not going to take 10 minutes. This should— you can get through this in 5 minutes, no problem. But yeah, taking copays is great, um, you know, scheduling, all that type of stuff is great. If you're at the level where you're spending money, good money on advertising, you have to have someone that is really dedicated and can take the time to speak with someone without being interrupted mid-call. Okay, super, super important. But even, you know, even if she is the all-in-one at front desk, she's got to be able to juggle this and again get through this quickly and efficiently. While still giving that awesome impression. And you're like, oh my gosh, that's a lot to ask. Yeah, that's why you need a rock star. So we start right at the top. You're going to have one sheet of these for each patient, right? So she should have a binder and, you know, stack of blank scripts on the left so that she can fill these out for each new patient that calls. And then on the right will be her stat sheet. Okay. This person called, this is the date, This is the name. They set up or they didn't set up. Why didn't they set up? Why did they not set up if they didn't, etc.? Or if they did, this is their date and time of the appointment. So ring, ring, ring. First of all, she's got to have a smile on her face. Okay, I'm sure you've heard this before. It's very, very true. I can't tell you what it sounds like to call someone that look you know they answer the phone like their dog just died. It's just depressing. So got to have a smile on their face. You know, hi, look, whatever your clinic name is, you know, this Dr. Leone's office. Hi, this is Cindy. How can I help you? Hi, I'm calling about the ad on peripheral neuropathy. Great, I can definitely help you with that. Again, my name is Cindy, and what is your name, please? And they're gonna say, you know, Say, Mary Jones, right? Now, I like, because these RCAs are typically younger, I like to have them refer to the patients by Mr. or Mrs. Now, if they— if the patient corrects them and says, no, no, no, call me Mary, fine. But it's just respectful because most of these patients, you know, that have neuropathy or these disc conditions or functional medicine, they're typically older, you know, baby boomers, 50s, 60s, 70s. And your staff member is 20 years— they're younger, so there's nothing wrong with showing some respect and calling them Mrs. Jones. So I like that. And your name, please? Mary Jones. Great. Okay, Mrs. Jones, Dr. Smith specializes in treating peripheral neuropathy without drugs or surgery, so you definitely called the right place. Now, how long have you been suffering with this? Now, this next little section here is super important, right? Because this is going to make your consultation history much more efficient, right, because you're gonna be walking in with a lot of information, and patients love to spill information to the doctor, do they not? They do. About, you know, you know, the last 20 years and this, that, and the other. Well, if you can go into your consultation and you already know how long it's been going on, and is it staying the same or getting worse, and the scale 1 to 10, Blah blah blah. Then instead of them giving you this full diatribe, and you know maybe they will, maybe they won't, but this at least gives an option to slim it down. It's more of a yes or no, right? And again, wow! This doctor's walking in and they already know everything about me. That's awesome. You know they filled out paperwork, and you know like if I go to a doctor or a dentist or whatever, and they start asking me the questions that I just filled out on the paperwork, it's like. Yeah, that's why I filled that out for you, right? So we want to be efficient, we want it to be a very nice experience for the patient so they can get in, get the evaluation, and get on their way because they're all busy. Everyone's busy, even if they're retired, they're busy. Who knows? I mean, I, I have patients that are retired that say they're more busy now than they were before they retired when they worked. I can't imagine having a job now, I have so much to do. So How long you've been suffering with this? Is it staying the same or getting worse? On a scale of 1 to 10, how severe is it? Is that with or without medications? What treatments have you tried so far? Have you had any imaging or testing done? And what is your age? Are you on disability or Medicare due to this condition? So one of the reasons why we want to ask these questions is to essentially kind of pre-qualify them. Now this is even more important with Disc, you know, disc situations. Because I have, again, on the other sheet, we go into just very briefly, you know, has there been surgery? Is there, you know, any— basically reasons why they cannot go through the treatment protocol, right? And so we want to start, we want to save them time. If we don't feel like they're even a candidate, say, for decompression, we don't want to waste their time or ours for them coming in. So it's kind of a dual purpose. So here we go, next in the highlighted section. Okay, Mrs. Jones, the next step since you're now pre-qualified is for me to reserve an appointment time for you and Dr. Smith to meet. Dr. Smith does a detailed orthopedic and neurologic exam and evaluates any imaging you may have, and if you don't have any, he may perform some here in the office. He takes all this information and determines whether you would be a good candidate for a specific protocol to treat your peripheral neuropathy. After a detailed evaluation, the doctor is going to let you know right away if he's going to be able to accept you. He's very thorough and very kind. You're going to love him. He's a great doctor. Now, what are we doing here? We are starting to create authority, trust, and rapport, right? At the end there, the CA is pumping up the doctor, right? Now, we can all speak great about ourselves, and that's, you know, kind of braggadocio. If we have other people talking nice about us, which is why we have testimonials and that type of thing, but if we have staff members talk about us nicely, you know, maybe they will think, oh, a staff member's just saying that, but most likely they'll say, oh well, that's nice that the, you know, the staff member likes their boss, right? We're going to reserve an appointment time for you. He does a detailed orthopedic and neurological exam. He's going to review all your imaging. And he may even take some if you don't have it. And he's gonna essentially assess all this information, he's gonna let you know whether you're a good candidate for our specific protocol. So again, we don't take everybody, we gotta make sure that they are going to have a very good chance at responding, and that's why we put in the good candidate, and we're very efficient. Now, if you do a 2-day report of findings, which is totally fine, you can just change that. After a detailed evaluation, the doctor is going to set up a second appointment where he will let you know after reviewing all his information whether he feels like you're a good candidate or not. Now, in my opinion, if the spouse is there, you know, then I don't see any reason— I mean, if you know whether they're a good candidate or not, then why not just move right into the report of findings? You have them there. Again, they're busy, they have other things, they may go on vacation, they may try something else. You know, why not, if you have all the information you need, you feel they're a good candidate, why not go into it, and if you have the time? So up to you, but that's how we do it, and it's very effective. So let's move on here. So let's get your appointment time scheduled. Now, and this is the this or that, okay? We're not saying, so when would you like to come in? So let's go ahead and get your appointment time scheduled, Mrs. Jones. Now, is morning or afternoon better for you? Oh, I love morning appointments. Great. Is Tuesday morning or Wednesday morning better? Oh, Tuesday sounds great. Awesome. I have a 9:30 or an 11:30. Which is better for you? 11:30. Perfect. Done. In like 10 seconds, it's scheduled, right? That's the way to do it. You don't want to stumble and bumble. You want to lead the conversation, right? You have to lead the conversation. Patients are looking to doctors as the leader. We have to be the leader, right? We know how to fix them. So we— and we have to do that starting right at the very beginning on the phone, right? We're talking about conversion, first impression, all that type of stuff. And then your assistant's gonna say, okay, great, I'm going to start a file for you right now, Mrs. Jones. Just need a little bit more information. And then you just get your address, email, and then the best phone number to reach you. You don't need the home phone number and the cell phone and the work number. It's just what is the best number to reach you, Mrs. Jones? Okay, so let's move on. So this is the bottom half. So that's the top half of the script, and this is the bottom half. This is your confirmation policy. Now, Mrs. Jones, doctor's schedule is normally full and we do not double book him, so the doctor and the exam room will be reserved you for 1 hour. And just pause for about a second and let that sink in. We are reserving a room along with a doctor, maybe even an assistant, for you for 1 hour. We want them to make their appointment. So Mrs. Jones, you're gonna be seeing Dr. Smith Tuesday at 9:30, and all your paperwork needs to be done before that time. So I suggest coming in, you know, 15 to 30 minutes early so we can keep him on schedule as well as yourself. Now please bring All the following: your MRI or x-rays, your health insurance card, your medication list, and are you familiar with how to get to our office? Right, sometimes yes, no, maybe so. And you can, you know, if it's a smaller town, oh, you know, use a landmark. If it's a bigger town, you can take their address and do a Google Maps and email them very specific directions to your office, right? They will very much appreciate that. And then here we're moving on. And will your spouse be joining us? Okay, the doctor recommends this so that they fully understand what is going on with you, as well as hearing directly from the doctor what his recommendations are, if any. Don't expect them to be able to turn around and tell their spouse everything that you explained about peripheral neuropathy or decompression for discs. It just doesn't— it doesn't work. I mean, I heard I was at lunch the other day and I heard this kid talking to his mom about what a chiropractor was doing, and if I heard that, I would be appalled. Okay, he was talking about pulling on a leg and this, that, and the other, and I almost threw up my lunch. And no, I did not interrupt them and try to correct him. I don't have time for that. But point being, don't— If there is a spouse involved, Just assume they're going to have to run the financial decision by the spouse, right? We need the spouse there, so try to get the spouse at the very first appointment, right? And so, uh, and you know, anyway, so that's what that is there for, and, uh, it helps conversion, and I think we all feel pretty comfortable with that. And then finally, Hey, it's really nice speaking with you today, Mrs. Jones, and I look forward to seeing you at your appointment on Tuesday At 9:30. And you're repeating that for a reason. There's, you know, it's been shown if you repeat it, this is the 3rd time they've heard their appointment, right? 3rd time. Your appointment's on Tuesday at 9:30, Mrs. Jones. Again, my name is Cindy, and I'm going to be helping you when you arrive. And, you know, and then just say goodbye. So nothing crazy here, but very, very important points. that you need to hit. You need to be comfortable. You know, this has to flow. It can't sound like she's reading off a script. That's not going to be great. But that's why you train. You know, so you either have— you either train the staff member. You know, if you have an office manager, then the office manager needs to role-play with this. You know, someone needs to train with the CA with this script. She can't just read it. You know, several times and, and, you know, have the skills to, you know, effectively sign up patients. Okay, so that's this training on the phone. Now, if you are in the— in one of these niches, whether it's decompression or functional medicine or stem cell or neuropathy, and you'd like to look into scaling up your advertising And what this means is typically beyond Facebook. Now I absolutely handle Facebook, but I really specialize in kind of taking docs to the next level with TV, radio, and/or print. And so I offer a very cool little offer here, free custom advertising blueprint. So you just go to www.nichemasteryvip.com and you'll see information about how to get signed up for that. If you're not in one of those niches, but you're just looking to increase revenue in your practice, I have a free report on that. Just go to www.leoneconsulting.co, not .com, .co, and you will see a place to sign up for a free report on 3 strategies of how to increase revenue in your practice. Okay, guys. Hey, I'm Dr. Vince Leone, and this was episode 4 of Dr. Vince Presents. I want to thank you so much for Thank you for joining me. We're talking— we were talking about the phone today, how important it is. So take this stuff, implement it. And hey, if you want this script, if you'd like an example of this script, no problem. Just shoot me an email at drvince@drvinceleone.com and I'll shoot that right back. Okay. Hey, thanks again for taking the time with me today. I really appreciate it. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day. Bye-bye. Thank you, Dr. Vince.