Has your practice considered sticky note ads? Sticky note ads, due to front page visibility, have the potential to draw a large call response. However, keep in mind that this leaves a high chance that many callers will end up being non-candidates.
Much of the success of this marketing effort will rely on pre-appointment screening to ensure quality prospects are scheduled during the event. Once you have screened for quality, here other tips for success:
Scheduling Appointments:
- Utilize a pre-appointment screening process to make sure you schedule quality appointments to make the best use of time and inventory during the event. Schedule any potential non-candidates at a later date or add them to a wait list where you can call if a cancellation occurs.
- Schedule follow-up appointments for 1 week after the first appointment date. This is a MUST. If the prospect will not commit to the follow up, ask the prospect to call back when a commitment is possible or suggest this may not be the ideal trial offer for the prospect’s current situation.
- Inform prospected that they will be required to leave a copy of their credit card and social security number prior to beginning their trial period.
- Do not agree to extend the original trial period timeframe or “borrow” the prospect hearing aids for a longer period of time. This will tie up inventory and result in slowing event sales.
Considering Capacity & Inventory:
- As a team, establish the available number of appointments for each day of the event. Be sure to not overbook the schedule, which can overload the staff and require that inventory be increased beyond what is necessary.
- If the sticky note ad draws a large response, consider having a wait list for those prospects that did not fit into the schedule. Another option is to hold another trial later down the road when some inventory has been recouped from the first trial.
- Sales representatives should help customers monitor purchased stock, to ensure it’s manageable, realistic and won’t result in large returns or credits.
Securing the Commitment:
When prospects return for their follow-up appointments ask right away if they are ready to move forward with a formal trial. If the prospect says yes, inform him or her of the required 30-day trial period and request that a deposit (per office policy) be put down on the hearing aids. Do not allow the prospect to continue use of the product without this commitment. (Making prospects commit to the formal trial will weed out those who are not serious about making a purchase.)