Increase referrals with a PRC

The economy is slowly beginning to rebound. Is your practice positioned to take full advantage of the recovery? Now is the time to ramp up your referral marketing and start growing your ortho practice again. Even during challenging economic times, Levin Group’s orthodontic clients consistently achieve extraordinary results with The Science of Referral Marketing, a systematic approach for continually increasing referrals from patients and dentists. You can, too.

Implementing a wide range of referral-marketing strategies will result in more referrals, more consults and ultimately more starts.

Patient referrals are important to the orthodontic practice, but orthodontists who market almost exclusively to patients and parents limit their practice’s growth and never reach their full production potential.

Remember, one top-referring dentist can send $100,000 to $250,000 in annual orthodontic treatment to a practice. Patient referrals will never compete with this type of referral power.

Orthodontists who focus on generating both patient and dentist referrals will experience the greatest success during the economic recovery. A professional relations coordinator (PRC), a position pioneered by Levin Group, can help ortho practices gain new referral sources and maximize referrals from dentists and patients.

A key marketing team member

A PRC is a part-time team member who handles 95 percent of the practice’s referral activities. Ortho practices that use a properly trained PRC typically have the most successful referral marketing programs and experience continual increases in referrals and production.

What are the PRC’s duties and responsibilities?

• Work with the orthodontist to develop the marketing program.
• Establish and monitor calendars, timelines and deadlines.
• Act as a liaison and develop strong relationships with staff members of referring practices.
• Implement a wide range of marketing strategies that target patient referrals and dentist referrals.
• Support the orthodontist’s relationship-management activities with key referring dentists by staying on top of notes, phone calls, letters, meetings, etc.
• Handle all the details for event planning, including announcements, patient activities, public relations, invitations and scheduling.

Conclusion

As the economy begins to turn around, this is an excellent time for orthodontists to add a PRC to their practices. Levin Group frequently sees ortho clients grow 20–30 percent by placing a well-trained PRC at the helm of a consistent referral-marketing program. Grow your referrals and increase production with a PRC!

If you are interested in learning more about how a PRC can grow your practice, come to Dr. Roger Levin’s “Principles of Maximum Ortho Production” seminar June 17–18 in Las Vegas. Ortho Tribune readers are entitled to receive a 20 percent courtesy just by calling (888) 973-0000 and mentioning “Ortho Tribune” or e-mailing customerservice@levingroup.com with “Ortho Tribune Courtesy” in the subject line.

About the Author

Dr. Roger P. Levin is chairman and chief executive officer of Levin Group, the leading orthodontic practice management firm. Levin Group provides Total Ortho Success, the premier comprehensive consulting solution for lifetime success to orthodontists in the United States and around the world.