Marketing: Getting Referrals for Your Private Practice
by Kellen Von Houser, M.A.Referrals are the backbone of a successful private practice. Knowing how to attract and maintain them is imperative in order to ensure that you have a constant stream of new clients coming into your practice. There are a number of factors involved in developing and maintaining a steady stream of referrals.
Develop a Sound Marketing Strategy
In order to develop good referral sources you have to be very clear about your overall marketing strategy. Refer to my article, “Marketing: Developing your Strategy” for more information.
Determine your Best Referral Sources
Work backwards. Determine what kind of population you want to serve and what kind of referrals you want to draw. Then think about the people you already know who interact with that population and can make appropriate referrals. Think of people who are influential in your field or in your area of specialization. Be open to professionals in other areas who might refer their clients to you for emotional support, therapy, mental health assessments, etc. These could doctors, attorneys, or other healers such as massage therapists or herbalists.
Think about people who are influential in the community, people who have a large circle of contacts, and people who are “movers and shakers”. There are also people you know who have a natural gift of gab, people who are natural born salespeople. It’s important to get your name and the services you provide to such people. Provide them with a steady flow of business cards to give to people they talk to. After racking your own brain, talk to your friends and family about ideas they might have for contacts you could develop. Ask your colleagues for ideas. Brainstorm with other professionals for ideas.
Develop Mutual Relationships
The best referral sources are those where the relationship is beneficial to both parties. If you specialize in working with teens, develop a relationship with a therapist who specializes in family therapy. You can refer your families to her and she can refer her teens to you for individual therapy. You can also develop mutual relationships with professionals in other fields. If you specialize in working with cancer survivors, develop a relationship with an oncologist. He can refer his clients for emotional support and you can refer clients for medical treatment.
Know What you Want to Accomplish
Again, it is crucial that you have a clear vision of your marketing strategy before continuing. You must have a very good idea of the needs of potential clients and the community, and how your services can meet those needs. You must also be able to articulate this clearly. Develop a very clear and specific message to take to potential referral sources before you contact them. You can’t expect them to figure out what you are trying to accomplish if you aren’t clear about it yourself.
Contact Potential Referral Sources
Contacts will usually fall into two categories; people you know and people you don’t. How familiar you are with them determines the method you use to contact them. If you are familiar with the person you can just call and invite them to lunch. Since you are asking them and the lunch is for your benefit, etiquette dictates that you pick up the check. (Consult with an accountant about writing off these expenses on your taxes.)
If you are contacting someone you have never met, you may want to send a letter first to introduce yourself, then call. Do not send an impersonal form letter. Take the time to develop your idea of what needs the potential referral might have and how your services can meet those needs specifically. This will help you organize your thoughts in writing. When you meet in person you just have to reiterate what has already been stated. Advise the person that you will be contacting them by phone in the future, usually within a week or two.
Meet with the Referral Source
Once you have arranged to meet with the person, use your counseling skills. Listen to their point of view. Try to understand what their needs are. Ask questions to find what problems they are having that you may be able to solve. This will tell you not only what is a problem for them, but alert you to potential needs in the community as a whole.
Follow Up
If the person you contact makes it clear they are not interested let it go and do not pursue the matter. You don’t want to develop a reputation of being pushy or a hard sell. If you get no immediate response from your letter or phone call, call back.
You also need an ongoing follow up process for referral sources you have established. This can be done with cards, articles of mutual interest, phone calls, or a newsletter. Establish a regular contact schedule in order to be sure that it gets done.
Contact Referred Clients Immediately
People who are making referrals to you are basing their reputation on your work. It is imperative that you be perceived as dependable, reliable, and professional. Respond quickly to referrals so that both the client and the referral source are assured their needs are going to be met by your services. This increases your credibility and reputation not only with the clients and the referral source, but with anyone they talk to.
Thank Referral Sources for Referred Clients
This is crucial. It lets the referral source know two things: 1) the client followed through with the referral and made contact with you and 2) that you were there to “catch” the client and meet whatever needs they were referred to you to meet. It also acknowledges your appreciation for the referral and the effort the referral source went to on your behalf. Always thank them, whether the referral becomes a client or not. You can do this in a number of ways: with a phone call, with a thank you note, with a lunch or a bouquet of flowers or a plant.
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