Marketing Program For Private Practice Owners
People have been asking me for years and I have always resisted. But right now I'm offering to give it a 3 month test...
"Can I Take The Burden of Marketing Off Your Shoulders For The Next 3 Months?"
"Imagine 100 Influential Community Professionals Getting TWO Mailings From You Each Month, and You Don't Even Have to Think About Writing, Printing, or Mailing"
If you want new clients coming to you from the best referral sources in your area, this may be the easiest, least expensive way to get them.
We can save you all the hours of thinking, writing, re-writing, printing, folding, sealing, addressing, stamping, and finally mailing.
Stop worrying or beating yourself up over marketing " should's"
From: David Stowell
To: Learning100 Community
Date: July 1, 2008
Earlier this year, you may remember we introduced and then led the 100 day challenge. The idea was to find some activity you could do for 15 minutes or less each day that would move your business forward, and commit to doing it every day for 100 days. It was a very simple idea.
We even provided some forms so that people could keep track of their commitment. Several people chose to participate. Here was the biggest surprise about the 100 day challenge:
Most people couldn't stick with it for
more than just a few days in a row!
It made me realize how hard it is to do what we know we need to do when we are overseeing all the day-to-day details of running the business. It's just an awful lot "on our plates."
(Stay with me 'cause I'm going to switch subjects for just a moment, but it all ties in, I promise!)
The fastest way to get new clients -
For many, many years I have explained to owners the value of doing a 3 times per year newsletter. About 2 or 3 years ago I added to it the value of taking your very best referral sources and finding a way to "touch" them at least once each month.
The concept is called the Dream100 .
But no matter how much I've talked about it, when I bring it up there are always people who ask me what the Dream100 is. Here is how it works: you make a list of the 100 people you most wish were referring to you . They don't have to know you or like you. They do need to be someone who is in a position to work with the kinds of clients that you might be able to help. Once you've made your list, you find some way to contact them each and every month .
We started to experiment with mailing (yes, paper and ink) once per month, twice per month, 3 consecutive weeks...you get the idea. Mailing once every month got us a little bit of notice and some more referral calls. But we noticed a real difference when we started mailing 2 or more times each month.
It takes some time for the people on our mailing list to catch on and start really reading what we send out. But once they "get to know us," they make sure they open and read what we send.
And they begin referring clients to us .
Time is the enemy - Most private practice owners I know can barely get something written and mailed once every 4 months, let alone 2 times per month!
Mailing to your Dream100 list, consistently and frequently, is about as low cost and high return as you can get. Before anything else, this should be your top marketing priority .
We are in a time where the market is changing, the economy is way down, and it is that time of the year when referrals tend to barely trickle in.
What is needed is good content, sent to your Dream100 list, on a consistent and frequent schedule, that continues for at least 3 straight months.
How much is a new client worth to you? How much money will they bring in?
I did some math the other day and realized that a new client, over the total time that student attends, is going to pay us an average of $9542 . We call this the "life time value of a client."
BUT, they actually bring in more than that. 1 out of 10 refers a new client while they are still attending, and 1 out of 5 refers a new client after they have finished working with us.
That means that each new client is actually worth $12,404.60 when we add in the new clients they refer to us!
What is a reasonable amount of money we should spend to get someone to pay us $9500? If I said to you, "Write me a check for $5,000 and I'll give you back $9500," would that be a good deal? You bet it would! You would stand there and do that with me all day.
But I like to keep my marketing costs well below that level. If I can get a new client for 15% of the amount they will pay me, then we are doing very well.
But I've got an offer for you that should do even better than that.
Here is the program to get you new clients while saving you time:
- YOU provide me with your Dream100 list. That's a maximum of 100 names and addresses. I will help you figure out who should be on it. The quality of the list is one of the most important factors in making this work so we'll work together to make sure you've got the highest quality names and addresses.
- I will write, print, fold, wafer seal, address, stamp and mail to your Dream100 list. You won't have to do any of that work. You won't even have to think about it .
The piece they get will have only your contact info and logo (none of my information will be on it). It will be a single 8 ½ x 11 sheet in a black and white, glossy text, newsletter format, folded once.
Your Dream100 list will receive the very same articles we have been successfully sending to our list.
- They will get 2 mailings each month for 3 months. That's 6 contacts in 3 months (July-Aug-Sept) that you do no work for.
- All You have to do is this one thing: provide me data on new inquiry calls so we can know how well this process is working for you.
Anticipated Results -
In some ways this is new, but actually, we've been doing it all year and keep seeing growth despite the terrible economy. I believe it will be a huge success if you get 4 new clients over the 3 month period (July 1 thru Sept 30). If those clients pay you only $4,000 each, that's $16,000 you wouldn't have had otherwise .
The important thing to realize is that there are really 3 factors that make this work :
- The quality of your list
- Quality information that they can relate to and is formatted in such a way that people want to read it
- Consistent, regular, sequential mailings rather than "random acts of marketing"
What I'm sure of is that most practice owners just won't get this done on a regular basis. While they might get one or two articles out, they seldom carry it through twice a month for 3 consecutive months.
What does it cost?
What I've done is break it down into a monthly cost so that you don't pay the entire amount up front.
We will write, print, fold, wafer seal, address, stamp and mail, 2 times to your list each month . Each month we will charge your credit card $595.
Another Savings -
When you decide to participate, I will also extend your Learning100 membership for 3 months (for those paying yearly your membership will extend, for those paying monthly we will stop charging you for those 3 months.).
PLEASE NOTE -
This is a 3 month program. Once you start, you are committed for the full 3 months. We have to give it that long to make an impression on your list and to get their reaction. If you stop before the 3 months are up you will have wasted your effort.
I know what you are thinking. "I can do this for much less on my own." Yes you can, but will you? I've talked to people for at least 2 years about monthly mailings to their Dream100 list, and still most people ask me what that is. Very few take the time on a consistent basis to touch their most important referral sources. There just isn't enough time in the day to get it all done.
Please understand, this is NOT for everyone. Don't take me up on this...
- If you don't believe that getting in front of the 100 most influential referral sources in your community 6 times in the next 3 months will get you more clients.
- If you don't really believe you can get more clients doing this.
- If you don't believe you will bring in much more money than you pay out.
What I expect is that you will pay $595 per month and you will get back new clients who will, over the time they work with you, pay you at least $16,000 (4 clients at $4,000 each). That's a marketing cost of just 11.2%.
And you won't have to spend hours coming up with ideas, writing articles, printing, folding, addressing, or mailing. All of that is done for you.
WARNING -
This is a sensitive subject, but I have to bring it up. There are those who say they want more clients, but really don't expect to get more. It can be comfortable staying right where you are...even if "right where you are" isn't as comfortable as you would like it to be. This program is for people who really want to grow their business by getting additional clients.
If you actually do want more students/clients, this is for you.
3 Reasons you must act now -
- The first mailing will go out to arrive the week of July 21 with the next mailing for July the following week. We want plenty of time before that to put together your mailing list, get your logo, and make sure everything is just right.
- I cannot serve 2 clients in the same geographic area. The first one who responds will be in. If you might have someone else in your area, you need to be the first to respond.
- This is a 3 month trial. At this point it isn't an ongoing thing. It is specifically for July, August, and September, 2008. We will re-evaluate at the end of September to see if it is worth continuing.
If you want to get more clients and get a jump start on developing your Dream100 list, now is the time.
It will NEVER be any easier than this!
Getting Started: What to do next -
This program that will send 2 mailings each month for 3 months (July-Aug-Sept 2008) to your Dream100 list under your name. You do nothing but get us the list and keep track of your new inquiry calls.
To enroll, simply call Evelyn in our office and she will get you signed up as well as get all of your information and start building your list.
Call her now at (909) 598-9796.
Remember, we want to get your mailings out during this month (July) so that you can get your list in the habit of seeing what you have to tell them. The sooner we get started, the sooner they will start referring. Call Evelyn today.
11 Questions About The 3 Month Marketing Program
- Why are you doing this now?
- Economic times - Because so many practices are hurting for clients and MUST do something different in order to survive
- Whenever we find something that works we share it. We started doing once a month and got some results. But when we went to more than once a month we saw a real difference. I KNOW that most private practice owners will not spend the time consistently to write and send out articles twice a month.
- Because RIGHT NOW is the time to build momentum for the fall
- What if I want to send more than 100 each month?
We can do that for $1 per name over 100.
- Can I add an insert to the mailing?
Yes, you can. We can print in black and white and have it ride along with your other mailing. The cost is $15 for one insert per month, $30 to add an insert in both mailings.
- What's the biggest advantage to me to do this?
TIME! Most owners simply don't have the time to write 2 content pieces a month and get them printed and sent. The savings in time alone is worth the cost. But the return in new clients should also be worth every penny you spend.
The biggest problem people have is they try to run a business with virtually NO advertising budget. This marketing program is a very reasonable cost that will do far more than what newspapers and other traditional advertising will do.
- I still think I can do it for less money on my own.
Yes, you can. But again, will you really sit down and write 2 per month and get them sent on a consistent basis? Most people will get one or two done, but then it's over. It "devolves" into "random acts of marketing." Consistency and frequency are key.
- What happens after the 3rd month?
We will evaluate. If it is working for you than we can continue. But the important thing is to give it 3 complete months to grow and produce results for you.
NOTE - If this works well, I will be opening up the opportunity again (still respecting geographic boundaries) but at a higher cost. However, if you continue, your cost will stay the same . I actually believe it will work much better than I predicted.
-
I'm not convinced it will work
There are a couple of factors that made me try this to see if it would work for us:
- The online world is full of E-zines that people get in their mailbox once a week. In fact, the "E-zine Queen" says that if you are going to send only once per month, you shouldn't waste your efforts...it won't be worth it. 2 times a month is the minimum.
- "Paper and Ink" has become much more valuable. It's not that online is not effective. But people delete online things pretty fast without reading them. The latest studies tell us that a well written paper and ink mailing is more valued than ever before.
Our attempts at doing this have kept the phone ringing for weeks. I know it works because we have been doing it.
If you have never chosen 100 of your most influential community people and mailed to them regularly, then you simply must try it.
- Why not mail to students instead of referral sources?
The fastest place to get new students at a reasonable cost is from referral sources. There are a number of problems with this truth. First , many of your best referral sources have never heard of you. Second , many of those that do know you have forgotten about you because it is too long between contacts.
These people are like gold to you. They can do more for your business in a shorter period of time than any other group. Imagine if each of those 100 people referred just 2 clients per year. That's 200 new referrals, or an average of 4 new referrals per week!
Mailing to students is also effective, but more costly because you don't' know which students need or want your help. And when they call, chances are no one that they think of as an expert has told them to call. It is a much harder sell. Should you do it? Yes, but not until you have a relationship going with your Dream100 list.
- Can I mail the piece on my own to more people?
Absolutely . You will receive an email copy of what is sent. Run off and send all that you want.
- I'm already sending out a newsletter every quarter. Do I really need this?
The newsletter is always a great thing to do. But at just 4 times a year it doesn't provide a frequent enough reminder to your most important referral sources.
We live in a constantly changing world; the 3 to 4 times per year newsletter is no longer enough. You need more . This is a way to do it at a very affordable cost
- I seem to have plenty of students right now...do I really need to do this?
For most of us, summer is a great time. But late summer and the beginning of the school year can be dismal. It's time right now to start making an impression on the most influential people to begin referring to you. This is a process that takes some time to gain momentum. It is time, right now to begin to get fall clients.
Here is the program to get you new clients while saving you time:
-
YOU provide me with your Dream100 list.
- I will write, print, fold, wafer seal, address, stamp and mail directly to your Dream100 list. You won't have to do any of that work. You won't even have to think about it .
- The piece they get will have only your contact info and logo (none of my information will be on it). It will be a single 8 ½ x 11 sheet in a black and white, glossy text, newsletter format, folded once. Your Dream100 list will receive the very same articles we have been successfully sending to our list.
- They will get 2 mailings each month for 3 months. That's 6 contacts in 3 months (July-Aug-Sept) that you do no work for.
Anticipated Results -
I believe it will be a huge success if you get 4 new clients over the 3 month period (July 1 thru Sept 30). If those clients pay you only $4,000 each, that's $16,000 you wouldn't have had otherwise .
What does it cost?
What I've done is break it down into a monthly cost so that you don't pay the entire amount up front. We will write, print, fold, wafer seal, address, stamp and mail, 2 times to your list each month . Each month we will charge your credit card $595.
Another Savings -
When you decide to participate, I will also extend your Learning100 membership for 3 months (for those paying yearly your membership will extend, for those paying monthly we will stop charging you for those 3 months.).
3 Reasons you must act now -
- The first mailing will go out to arrive the week of July 21 with the next mailing for July the following week. We want plenty of time before that to put together your mailing list, get your logo, and make sure everything is just right.
- I cannot serve 2 clients in the same geographic area. The first one who responds will be in. If you might have someone else in your area, you need to be the first to respond.
- This is a 3 month program. It is specifically for July, August, and September, 2008. We will evaluate your results at the end of September.
If you want to get more clients and get a jump start on developing your Dream100 list, now is the time. It will NEVER be any easier or cost less than right now!
Getting Started: What to do next -
This program will send 2 mailings each month for 3 months (July-Aug-Sept 2008) to your Dream100 list under your name. You do nothing but get us the list and keep track of your new inquiry calls.
To enroll, simply call Evelyn in our office and she will get you signed up as well as get all of your information and start building your list. Call her now at (909) 598-9796.
Remember, we want to get your mailings out during this month (July) so that you can get the people on your list in the habit of seeing what you have to tell them. The sooner we get started, the sooner they will start referring. Call Evelyn today.
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