Healthcare Consultation Skills: Handing over patients to specialists for the examination
Now that we have examined the goals, components and examples of a good confirmation statement, let’s briefly discuss how these confirmation skills can be effectively used throughout the rest of the sales process.
Most notably, the principles of listening and repeating are used when patient counselors turn the patient over to a specialist or doctor, and when overcoming objections.
We will analyze both of these concepts in great detail in subsequent blog posts.
When the patient counselor is turning to a specialist or a doctor, it’s of great benefit to repeat to the specialist or doctor, in front of the prospect, the prospect’s first-level information, dominant buying motive, a problem or challenge, and then ending it with a trial close. Repeating, for example:
“Sue and Charles, this is our surgeon, Dr. Lisa Silverton.
Sue and her husband Charles live in Norwich. Sue is a cashier in a bank and Charles is marketing manager for Sainsbury’s.
The main reason they’re looking into refractive surgery is because Sue would like to look as young as she feels, and Charles really likes taking beach vacations and his contact lenses really get in the way.
Does that sound right Sue? Charles?
Sue just started wearing reading glasses last year and she absolutely hates how she looks with them on. Having refractive surgery is important to Sue so she doesn’t have to wear her ‘granny glasses’.
And Charles is very frustrated by having to wear contacts at the beach, and not be able to see when he’s swimming in the ocean and he would really like to feel more spontaneous on vacations, isn’t that right?
If everything works out here today, they’d like to have their treatments as soon as possible. I’ve written down a few key questions about the safety of the procedure, and they were also curious about our financing options.
But it sounds to me, Lisa, that if you could answer the safety questions and if I can get their monthly payments to a comfortable level, we’d have some new patients here today.
Sue, Charles, isn’t that about right?”
Wow! Doctors: can you imagine getting a turn like that instead of:
“Dr. Silverton, meet Charles. Well Charles, I’ll leave you in Dr. Silverton’s capable hands and see you later when you’re all done.”
You will see when we discuss overcoming objections that the listening and repeating of the prospect’s concerns is key to overcome them.
You see, only if we listen, agree, and are empathetic to someone, will they trust us. We must first get on our prospect’s side, before we can bring them over to our side….