Get referrals for your dental business

Getting referrals for your dental business can be one of the most successful ways to attract new patients. Considering the fact that a very high percentage of people choose their doctors and dentists based on recommendations from friends and family, referrals can mean a lot to your dental practice.

Some dentists are afraid to go out there specifically and ask for referrals. This is silly. Asking for references does not show any type of weakness or lack of patients. When done informally and in context, your patients may not even realize you’re asking them to collect references. Here are some ways to get more patient referrals.

Offer incentives to current dental patients

Most dentists put a place on new patient forms requesting referral information. In this spot the patient can include information about how she found her dental business, either by listing the person who told her or the place where she found her ad. You can use this little line to offer incentives for patient referrals. Periodically announce to your existing patients that you are offering a referral incentive program. You can do it for a limited time or you can do it all the time; that’s really up to you and your bookkeeper to figure out. You might try giving a dental patient a 10% discount when a referral is received in her name, or offer a free cleaning, etc. This way, you are making your current patients happy by rewarding them for finding you new patients. It is a situation where both win.

Ask dental patients to hand out brochures

There is no shame in asking patients to hand out brochures from time to time. For some patients, it can even appear quantifiably normal. For example, if you have a patient who is a teacher and you are an orthodontist, you could give them some handouts and ask them to place them on the welcome table at open houses or PTA meetings. When you see an opportunity, don’t be afraid to take advantage of it.

Mention of dental referrals in organic conversation

One of the most common ways to remind patients to check for a few referrals is to add the call to action to an organic conversation. When you’re done with a cleaning, you could say something like, “Lots of people go years without getting their teeth cleaned by a professional. If you know someone like that, you should mention me.” You can even add “I offer free cleanings to new patients” if you’d like.

There is no shame in asking your clients to refer new dental patients. Most people do this anyway without even thinking about it. Adding a little hint or incentive in there can go a long way in boosting your yearly referrals, and it’s a free or relatively inexpensive marketing technique for your dental business.