Hearing Aid Newsletter

Back to the Basics...
It Costs Less To Keep A Patient
Than Acquire A New Patient.

Why are your customers leaving you to buy their next set of hearing aids from your competition?

 

The only issue worse that a sales return is finding out a long term customer went to a competitor and purchased new hearing aids. What went wrong? Why wouldn’t they come in and discuss this with you? There are many answers to that question. We need to review as many as possible to reduce the likelihood of this happening….again.

 

What is going on in your patients mind when they make a decision to leave you?

Here are some samples of what they may be thinking:

My friends just told me about a new technology from xyz hearing aid office.
I wonder if their hearing aids are any better.

Maybe some else could do a better fitting or programming.
My hearing aids are not that comfortable and I really don’t understand the conversations.

Even when I really strain the words just don’t seem clear. There has to be something better!

Will a different set of hearing aids with a newer technology make it better?

Those new hearing aids advertised in the paper look so small. No one would even know I’m wearing one anymore.

I know Alice goes to a different place than I do. Maybe I can talk to her and see if she thinks I should try what she has.

That’s all it takes. One moment of frustration and doubt that turns a long term patient away from your practice to seek the next solution to help them hear better. Over 65% of hearing aid sales are from repeat purchasers.

 

What are you doing to keep your customers coming back to your business?

Having a patient leave is painful and costly. The lifetime value of a patient is over $30,000.00. You may have attained the first purchase but the repeat purchase, referrals and additional ancillary sales are gone when you loose a customer. The problem is they are long gone before you know it. They may have had unrealistic expectations from the beginning and they are always looking for the next best thing. Your patient may even be surprised to find out later that you carry the same brand and the same exact product. Why didn’t they know?

 

They didn’t know because you didn’t tell them or they forgot. It’s your job to remind them, not their job to ask. You must have a different style of conversation with a patient that is already doing business with you compared to a prospect or even a competitors’ customer.

 

How can you do that?

The key strategy is to stay at the forefront of their mind and continually be providing them with information about hearing, hearing loss and new hearing aid technology by using a newsletter. The format is perfect to discuss all the issues going on in the mind of your existing patients, prospects and the patients you tested but did not fit.

 

A newsletter delivered monthly is money in the bank. Keeping patients informed and active in your business will create a new relationship with them that is hard for your competition to disrupt. By giving them more information they feel empowered. Not only will your customers feel appreciated and cared for, they will feel more confident in referring their friends and family members.

A newsletter stays in the home far longer than a typical advertisement.

Keeping your name if front of your customers/patients constantly reminds them you are the expert they want to do business with.

You can talk to them like an old friend. When they read about new technologies that you introduce they will naturally ask you if those certain hearing devices would be something they should consider. If you are always asking them to upgrade into a new technology it appears to be pushy. If they read about it and decide to approach you and ask questions about something they read in the newsletter it’s very different. The sales message is under the radar. They are getting valuable content and information in a format that is fun and interactive. The games and coupons in the newsletter stimulate office traffic all month.

There are different kinds of newsletters. The Hearing aid newsletter Is a marketing newsletter. Created to establish trust and generate sales. When you are sending information to your patients, you keep an invisible barrier of customer satisfaction around them. These are the most valuable assets you have. They are golden! You can spend a fortune on direct mail campaigns trying to attract new customers. That is always a necessary part of your business. Just divert a small amount of your advertising budget to a marketing newsletter to maintain the customers you have already spent so much to attain!! It makes sense.

 

Here is a recent email we received about our newsletter service:

From: David J DeKriek, Au.D.
Sent: Saturday, August 07, 2010 4:39 PM
To: HearingAidNewsletter.com
Subject: 2nd pair of hearing aids

Hi Stuart,

Just wanted to let you know I sold my second pair of hearing aids as a direct result of your newsletter.

I saw this patient in January of 2009, tested-no-sale. His wife called me this week and they came in today and he got his first pair of aids.

Thanks,

Dr. David J DeKriek, Au.D.
Board Certified in Audiology

 

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