Many healthcare practitioners have little or no experience in closing a sale. Finding new patients and selling more to existing patients can be difficult for a healthcare practitioner who isn’t sales-oriented. But inexperience can be crushing when it comes time to close the sale. After all, even sales pros often have trouble closing the deal. Although it may be difficult, closing doesn’t have to be painful or bewildering.

Here are a few basic pointers to help demystify this potentially awkward process in the healthcare field:

Close from the beginning

Don’t confuse this idea with the hard sell; the cutthroat approach alienates many potential new patients & those current patients who you are trying to sell more too. Instead, explain your agenda. Tell the new patient or current patient exactly what you’re selling (whether it is a new patient appointment or a new series of treatment or an aid or supplement) and how it can benefit them. Being up front about your intentions promotes an honest, mutually respectful, and rewarding discussion — paving the way for a smooth close.

Learn to recognise when potential patients are ready to buy

A patient might indicate they’re ready by asking questions about the product or the process: “How long would it take before I start to feel better with this XYZ you want me to get?” “What does that special type of treatment do?” or “How often will I have to come in/take that supplement?” Other signs include complaints about previous practitioners and interested comments such as “Really?” or “Good idea.”

Don’t respond to questions with merely a yes or no

Answer your prospective new patient or patient’s queries with questions of your own. Carefully chosen, these return questions can help lead to a sale. For example, instead of answering the question, “Can it come back once the course of treatment is over?” with merely an affirmative or a no, you could give some scenarios.

Free new patient offers can lead directly to these patients starting paid treatment with you

In sales-speak, this approach is sometimes called the “puppy-dog” close, because it’s reminiscent of the attachment children develop to a puppy after keeping it overnight. This strategy works well. A very good example of this is Dr. Mark Medownick, genuine pioneer of laser eye surgery and laser vision correction in Australia, who built his practice on the FREE assessment on radio ads in Melbourne and today, many years later, he still offers this on his website. If you do not want to offer a free new patient visit how about a free information night or a talk with then signing up new patients at the end of your talk. The lap-band surgeons promoting surgical weight loss have been using this successful approach for years.

Suggest specific terms

Rather than asking whether your prospective new patient wants to book an appointment, suggest a specific scenario and then ask if your prospective new patients agrees to it. For example, “We can book that new patient visit in for you on Tuesday at 10am next week. Do you want us to do that?” But be sure you know enough about your potential new patient’s needs to make reasonable suggestions. Otherwise you’ll sound ignorant and pushy.

Develop your dreams, advertise your goals, execute your plan, close the sale.