Improve Your Referrals

From GPs and Referrers

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Do you plan to expand your referrer base?

Even specialists with strong referral patterns today should plan ahead.

Because things change and people move, it is common for your referrer base to decay by over
50% every 5 years.

Having a planned approach to nurture and grow your referrer base is important.

While we are sure you know all the points raised many do not actually have a plan or execution
strategy. This eBook seeks to review the basic steps we all know and act as a basic checklist.

This eBook seeks to outline proven strategies for improving referrer relationships and building
your referrer base.

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Who is Your Target?
Build Your List of Referrers
Your list needs to include all current, lapsed and prospective referrers.
You should setup a spreadsheet with referrer attributes in columns, some columns could
be:
● Referrer basic details - name, address
● Type - GP’s, physicians, other
● History - current, lapsed, non referrers
● Geographic - postcode, proximity to you
● Associations - Div of GPs, committees
● Relationships - leverage your network
● Propensity - attitude, ‘stickiness’ etc

For collaboration and outsourcing we recommend online spreadsheets like Google Drive or
even better a CRM separate from your billing database.

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Focus Your List
Segment for application
Once you have a complete list of every possible referrer this is your universe. It is important
you perform some basic segmentation:
For more focused application of your list we suggest the following grouping:

Referrer
● Regular
● Occasional
● Lapsed

Non Referrers
● Know you
● Don't Know you
● Influencers

but you can segment any way that adds value.

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Create a Your Action Plan
Know Me - Like Me - Trust Me
Most specialists need to do some proactive marketing. While some
activities can be delegated, other activities require your
involvement.
Attending conferences, dinners or other meetings is great.
Unfortunately most specialists don’t have a system to follow up
these initial meetings.
● Extend your conversation
● Develop a relationship
● Build trust

We recommend a scheduled range of actions over the year. A system

should enable you to:
Creating and automating natural follow up loops is important in
building your referral base.

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How Does Your Service Compare?
It goes without saying that you deliver quality healthcare, but often there are elements of your referrer relationship
that can be improved.
If you think of your referrer as a customer and a team member you may find service areas that can be streamlined.
Areas of service or processes that could yield benefits may include:

● Referral process - simplify the process and
make it easy for the referrer, maybe include a
referral checklist.
● Appointment process - make it easy to
schedule an appointment, even out of hours
● Complete information - using a guide or online
checklist
● Simplify any admission process - online
● Communications - keep all parties in the loop
● Consult with, rather than tell
● Ensure treatment plan is understood
● Include in the decision loop
● Complete treatment communications
● Demonstrate patients needs come first

Examine and deconstruct these processes thoroughly with one referrer and from their viewpoint. This offers real take
home insights and you may be surprised what you learn. Seek to resolve any issues found.
The issues found and resolved can often be replicated for many other referrers. You may also find ways to differentiate
yourself from colleagues. This simple process flow analysis can be a learning experience but it also loudly communicates
sincere interest and respect for your fellow team member.
And an additional benefit - when process flows improve everyone wins - patient, referrer and specialists.
By making dealing with you easy and clear it is only natural that these referrers will think of you when they need a service
provider in the future.

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Always be Inviting

Like Me - Invite Me
Always have something relevant and interesting to invite people to.
These can be:

● Seminars you maybe attending

● Events you are presenting at
● Community events or meetings
● Dinners or charity BBQ’s
● Niche mail lists
● Online webinars or their replays

Regardless of attendance people like to be included.

By extending a personal invitation you are communicating friendship and respect.
Ensure you have a steady supply of these offers at hand.

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Thought Leadership
Trust Me
In every profession and even sub specialties, thought leaders exist.
They are skilled and good communicators.
Positioning yourself as a thought leader will develop respect amongst your colleagues and
also extend your reputation.
By promoting your niche activities you can move to an elevated level of expertise and trust.
Some activities include:

● Speaking Events
● Publications
● Educational Activities
● Joint Ventures
● Online Webinars
● Public Relation and Re Marketing

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Show Your Care

Constant Contact
Referrers not only look for people they know, like and trust, but also surgeons who care for
the patients.
One of the best ways to demonstrate that you care about someone is with contact.
By keeping in touch you allow for:

● Easier communication
● Lower potential dissatisfaction
● Strengthens relationships
● Increases likelihood of repeat referrals.

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Action Plan for Referrers
Don’t take your referrers for granted
It is important to keep in touch. Your action plan Outreach
for referrers who know you should include the Your outreach plan should include most if not all
following referrer subsets: of these six ways to improve your referrals.
● Post
● Personalised, ● Meeting & Visits
● About them ● Events
● Brief, ● Telephone
● Relevant, and ● Email
● Modally appropriate ● Website
● regular, While you may be doing all of the above, setting a
● occasional
plan is important.
● lapsed and
● key influencers,
Scheduling activities and even automating some of
Like you, your referrers are all busy so with all your the activities for ease and consistency can be a
dealings you need to keep your communications: communication multiplier. This will help raise your
profile and referral rate.

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Post
When sending reports or regular correspondence
it is a touchpoint opportunity to share some extra
information.
Consider developing a range of piggyback content.
Some collateral you could offer includes:
● Valuable and contextual feedback
● Personal messages
● Invitations
● Surveys
● Referral Guides
● Case Studies
● Interesting stats and results
● Infographics or other unique content

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Face to Face Meeting
When visiting or meeting a referrer, being
prepared is important.

You should always have something

interesting to communicate, give, and ask.
Some examples could include:

● Documents - cases or trends

● Information including:
○ Website or Blog
○ Newsletters
○ Emails
● Workshops
● Invitations to observe
● Resource dissemination
● Feedback and Surveys

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Events
Itdoes not matter if you are attending an event
or inviting referrers to your event.
Each event should be considered as a great
opportunity to proactively interact with both
existing and potential referrers
Event Opportunities include:

● Conferences
● CME Events
● Division of GPs
● Webinar

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Telephone
You should always try to be available to your
referrer and you should always be willing to
fit a patient in.
However, urgent referral follow-ups or
emergencies can demonstrate commitment
to serving the patients needs.
Calling the referrer during consulting hours
can be intrusive when dealing with general
practitioners.
It is suggested that telephone calls be
minimised unless there is a clear preference
for this mode of communication.

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Email
This is an easy way to keep in touch, and extend your engagement but make sure it is not too much
information or too frequent. Basically emails should be respectful of your reader’s time and be
relevant and to the point.

Use headlines, subheadings and bullets and keep your
paragraphs down to less that three narrow lines.
Emails really should tell the reader something that they
probably don't know but should know.
Your email’s scope should be limited. Most specialists
could write a book but remember the point is to engage
first.
● Extending a topical conversation
● Providing talking points
● Summarising new information
● Sharing educational links
● Accessing video guides
● Invitations to live events or online
● Surveying and feedback loops
● Positioning you as a thought leader.

Don’t waste your referrer’s time. Your goal could be to have them click through to read, watch or attend
something that they would value.
This will build or extend your relationship and trust. Email content examples:
Encouraging your referrers to share your material with colleagues or comment on social channels has a
strong multiplier effect.

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Website
Obviously having a website is a great start. Using this website as a communication hub for
referrers is another thing.
Your website should have a referrers tab that includes information for referrers including:

● Urgent Referrals Access

● Referral Pad requests
● Blog with interesting material
● Email opt in form for referrers
● Policy statement for referrers
● Patient Admission Forms
● Secure Referrer Only Zone

By expanding on these 6 actions, you will not only improve your current referrer relationships but
will enjoy more new referrers from your existing referrers.

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Action Plan for Non Referrers
You do not need to have an existing personal
relationship with a prospective referrer to build a
referral-generating relationship.

Once the non referrer is identified you simply need

to establish a regular communications program.

This program is essentially the same as your

referrer program with some differences.

These differences are in the following areas:

● Word of Mouth
● Telephone
● Meetings

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Word of Mouth Referrals
People often feel more comfortable when they are introduced through personal introduction.
This is also an efficient method in starting a conversation.

We propose that you leverage your existing referral

base.
As a natural extension of your referrer
communication program you will organically grow
new referrers.
However your non referral outreach strategy has
subtle differences.
When you do enjoy a word of mouth referral it
should be recognised. Your referrer obviously
respects and trusts your work, this professional
compliment should not go unnoticed.
Where necessary and appropriate you should always
try and reciprocate with return referrals.

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Telephone for Non Referrers
Calling a prospective referrer in their rooms can be disruptive and counterproductive.
When dealing with a new practice it can often be more appropriate to have your person to talk with their
person.
Essentially it is a direct method to build your referrer
database.
Some questions about the referrer’s preferences are often
fine.
Asking for permission to send the prospective referrer an
email or letter can be your easy first step.
Often a brief introduction email with one valuable piece of
information or an invitation can be a good approach to
begin your conversation and referral relationship.
You are essentially handing them your business card, so
make sure your contact details are in your email signature.
Include direct telephone number, mobile number and
personal email.

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Meeting Non Referrers
While this is much the same as for a referrer meeting
there are some differences.
You still should prepare like you are meeting your referrer
base with information, and an invitation if appropriate.
Maybe having your personal overview clear, and
referenced on your website is important.
Another nice approach is to have more personal business
cards that you use only for referrers..
These would include:
● your mobile,
● personal email and
● subspecialties
By sharing your private details you also show due
deference to your prospective referrer.

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Your Referral Plan Can Make a Big Difference
It is important to build and nurture your referral base though planning, content and communication.

We hope this review of the 6 Ways to Improve your Referrals acts as a basic checklist, and helps you in the
following steps:

Make a Plan
Commit to Execution
Enjoy More Referrals

There are many elements that can be added and refined and at Your Reputation Online we are happy to answer
your questions and add more value to each area of this guide.

For more patients, better online conversions and a full explanation call 1300 883 260.

Mark Ryan
mark@yourrreputationonline.com.au

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