By Greg Stafford, Strategic Accounts Manager
On July 30th, we touched upon the importance of implementing a consultation sales process for your practice. Check out those benefits and the 7 steps to the process.
Today’s post will focus on Step 1 “Establish Credibility” and Step 2 “Define the Evaluations Steps for the Patient”.
Establish Credibility
At the start of each visit, take 5-10 minutes to:
- Greet patient with an open hand and a smile!
- Thank the patient for coming to see you.
- Congratulate the patient for taking action.
- Briefly assess patient’s reason for choosing your clinic: “What brought you in today?”
- Define you and your practice – express the outcomes of your work with patients.
- As part of this step, think about a ‘Defining Statement’ that sets your practice apart and is easily communicated to the patient.
- Assure the patient that your #1 priority is to provide exceptional service.
Here are some great questions to help you build rapport with the patient:
- Tell me what’s going on with your hearing?
- What would you like to accomplish?
- Put your mind at ease, we are here to do all we can to get you back on track.
- Do you know of anyone else with hearing loss? If so, what have they told you?
Define the Evaluation Steps for the Patient
You do many evaluations each day, but remember this is the first for each patient. It’s important to spend 1-3 minutes over-viewing ‘what happens next’ in the evaluation:
- Medical and hearing history assessment.
- Physical ear examination.
- Hearing test – this is the objective part of the exam. Ask if the patient has had a prior hearing test experience.
- Hearing device demonstration.
- Needs and lifestyle assessment – this is the subjective part of the exam.
- And, finally, review test results, prescribe and discuss a treatment.
After completing Steps 1 and 2, be sure to get the patient’s consent to move forward with the consultation and evaluation. Asking whether they have any questions before you get started or whether they’re ready to get started can ensure that you are on the same page as the patient.
We will cover Step 4 “The Consultation Process” with a look at the needs and lifestyle assessment piece on August 13th.