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Volume 6, Issue 2

The Magic of
Hand Written Note Cards

Hand written notes are a powerful way to exceed your patients’ expectations.  Think about the times you've received a hand written note, didn't it make you feel good? Chances are it also made you feel good about the person who sent the note.

Benefits for Your Practice

Hand written notes will benefit your practice in many ways:

• They show you appreciate the referral and the referrer
  
  
• They are unexpected and fun to receive
  
  
• It gives patients something tangible to remind them of you
  
  
• They show that you're organized and on top of details.

Notable Cards

Ideally have note cards printed for your practice.  The front of the card could be a memorable picture of your team or your practice logo. If the card is intriguing, there’s a chance it will be displayed on your patient’s desk or be posted on the fridge for all to see.

On the back side of your card, make sure to have your logo, practice name, address, phone number, email address and website.  Leave the inside of the card blank for you to write a suitable message for the occasion.

Another option is purchasing thank you cards, welcome to our practice cards, blank cards, etc. from many companies.

Look for Opportunities to Write Notes

Your customized note cards can be used in a multitude of ways:

• As a thank you for a referral
  
  
• To welcome new patients to your practice
  
  
• To congratulate patients on the completion of a large case
  
  
• To offer wedding wishes.
  

Make each note personal and sincere. The nice thing is, they don’t need to be long, two to four lines is all it takes.

If the note is personal, the individual writing the note may be the only person to sign it. However, if you are welcoming a new patient to your practice or saying thanks for a referral, have each team member sign the card. To keep it simple, have everyone sign a month’s worth of cards at a time so they are ready to use when needed.

One of the dental teams I’ve worked with have an agreement that each person is to write a minimum of one card a day to a patient. In another practice, the dentists write their own thank you for referral cards. Guess what their new patient flow is like?!

Timing

Notes should be written as timely as possible to acknowledge the occasion. Beth, a very dear friend, once told me that if more than two days have passed, it’s not worth sending a thank you card – the opportunity has been lost. While there may still be some value after two days, the impact diminishes with each passing day.

Marketing Advantages

Note cards are a great marketing tool:

• They are easy and inexpensive
  
  
• They can be done regardless of what your budget is
  
  
• They don't take a marketing genius
  
  
• In this day of emails, receiving something snail mail – that’s not a bill – is doubly appreciated!

Action Steps:

• Create a strategy for sending hand written note cards that includes who will primarily be responsible for this task, the design of the card, situations you will send a note for, who will write them and when the cards will be sent
  
  
• Send notes on a regular basis... in a timely fashion
  
  
• Get the entire team involved in sending the notes
  
  
• Send a welcome note within a day or two of meeting your new patients.
  
  
  
  

Be systematic about sending hand written note cards
that delight your patients… and watch your referrals grow!

About the Author

CoraMarie Clark, BSDH MBA is recognized as a highly effective dental practice strategist. She works with dentists that want to optimize their potential both personally and professionally. Her collaborative approach has helped teams develop dynamic competitive strategies and achieve high impact sustainable results.

If you would like to explore the possibility of having CoraMarie work with your Dental Practice or speak for your Association or Group, contact us today.

Strategix
phone 403.686.6136
email coramarie@strategix-ltd.com
web strategix-ltd.com

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