Business Cards...

I’ve got a brilliant marketing idea for you. Are you ready? It’s called handing out business cards. I know. It’s new. It’s different. It’s unique. Well, it’s none of those things. But, I’ve got a strategy for you that I think might really enhance that entire process of handing a business card out to a prospective client, patient or customer.

So many of you are so focused on “selling” that patient, client or customer on your products or services, that you simply hand out a business card, and you do everything you can to encourage them to call you. Well, that’s really the second half of the equation, or the formula. The first half of the formula that almost all of you miss is letting that prospective patient, client, or customer know that you’re not even sure you can help them. And that in order to find out more about their unique, special, different problem or situation, you should really talk to them for a more extensive period of time in the office for what could be a free consultation. So when you take the business card out, and you hand it to a prospective patient, client or customer, make sure you write on the back of that card: “free consult.”

Anyone reading this, doctor, financial professional, attorney, business owner, etc., can talk to anyone for free. There are no HIPA compliance laws; there are no compliance laws in general, against you speaking to somebody for free. But, again, I want to stress the importance of the first part of that process. Most of us get so caught up in talking to a prospective client, that we forget about credentialing ourselves, and qualifying them. So, in other words, maybe they don’t qualify to be your patient, client or customer. But the truth is, all of us, we all have this need and desire to qualify for anything. We all want to qualify for all the good stuff.

So, when you’re talking to somebody, and you’re sharing your solutions for their particular problem, you must include that you’re not even sure whether you can help them, and that they should really come into your practice or your office first, to discuss things in greater detail so that you can provide them with more information, about whether you can help them and so that they can make an educated decision about whether you’re right for each other. And there goes the business card with “free consult” written on the back, as well as a person to ask for in your office. That really adds a nice personal or personalized approach. “Hey, my office manager’s name is Terry. So, let me write “free consult”. You can call Terry. Ask for Terry. I’m going to let her know that I spoke with you today. She’ll be expecting you to call. Great to meet you, I look forward to seeing you in the office.”

That’s the dialogue; of course without the whole qualifying/prequalifying process of and let them know, let’s talk more, and find out together. That’s it. That’s the new, unique, and really purposeful strategic twist that you want to put on the business card, hand-out process. Have a great day!

Action Steps:

1. Say to the potential client, customer or patient “I’m not even sure if I can help you”
2. Encourage an evaluation by writing “free consult” on the back of your card
3. Provide the name of someone in you office that they can contact