Networking Events Have Proven to Be an Effective Program for Generating New Patients

File: Marketing Toolkit/special promotion

Internal Networking Events

Networking events have proven to be an effective program for generating new patients.

Over the years, a type of underground sales networking has been gaining ground, typified by the in-house Tupperware parties. With the advent of social networking on the Internet, informal get-togethers promise to become even more popular.

A number of offices have had success at sponsoring their own type of networking meetings. Using the guidelines and examples that follow, you too can create your own internal networking events that will help generate more fans and new patients for your office.

General Description and Procedure

An internal networking event is usually held during a week day evening where patients who have small businesses and other local businesses are invited to display their services or products.

Patients and non-patients are invited, and each participant is encouraged, or required, to bring at least one guest, and is provided a space to display and apply their services or products.

The chiropractic clinic provides the location, maybe food (which also can be donated), and of course, health screenings from which appointments can be made for follow up exams leading to, as needed, new patients on treatment programs.

Vendors are interested in exposing new people to their services or products and so they are willing to spend the time and donate their services or products as a way to introduce themselves to a referral based market. Guests are interested in coming as a way to get out of the house, learn and benefit from free services and presentations, and have some bonding time with friends or like-minded people.

While you want to screen prospective patients and convert those in need on treatment programs, the primary goal is to create an event that is social and friendly. You are really making more friends for your office.

Action Steps

Not all of the following steps need to be done. You can have a very basic event or spend several months organizing your own trade show. We suggest starting out small and simple and building up from there.

___1.Decide on a theme. Usually, these seem to work best for your women patients, however you can definitely select or make up a theme that includes men as well. You can call it just “Girl’s Night Out”, “Girls and Guys Night Out”, or add a theme behind the GNO title, such as “Girls Night Out – Family Fun Gifts For The Holidays.” Other ideas include:

Girls Night Out (Anytime)
Ladies and Gentlemen Night Out
Mother’s Day Retreat
Stress Relief Evening (Holiday Stress Relief, anytime)
Gardening and Crafts Show (Spring Networking)
Shop Before You Drop (Pre-Christmas Gifts)
Personal Fitness Evening (trainer, dietician, cosmetologist, etc. Do in January.)
An Evening of Spa And Pampering

___2.Decide on who you will invite for vendors, including:

Patients with home businesses
Patients with out of home businesses
Non Patients with allied businesses

Examples include: manicure, hair, and cosmetic, and other spa related services and products. Your patients, or their friends, may be involved with Mary Kay, Tupperware, home interiors, food specialties and accessories (Pampered Chef), Longaberger (collectible baskets), Discovery Toys (educationally oriented toys and books), a fitness trainer, a dietician, home chefs, and many more.

___3.What is required of the vendors?

Bring a guest
Donate a gift
How many hours committed
Table, display, etc.

___4.What will you provide the vendors?

Display table
Chairs
Promotion
Sign
Other

___5.Can you get another company to donate any of the supplies for vendors, such tables, chairs, food?

___6.Decide on the space to hold the event.

___7.Time and date of event.

___8.Cost of admission.

Is the event free? Or
Will you request a small cover charge ($5-$20) which will be donated to a local charity, such as a food pantry.

___9.Will you have a drawing for free gifts? Yes/No. If yes:

This would require that each vendor donate a free gift to be raffled. This is a great way to promote that vendor.
Vendor gifts obtained. _____
In order to enter raffle, each guest has to visit each vendor and get a special card initialed or stamped. Once the card is stamped by all of the vendors, the card can be entered into the raffle.
Make up the card. ______

___10.Will you supply the food, or will it also be donated?

___11.Set up your screening procedure and practice it ahead of time.

___12.Integrate massage into your screening procedure.

___13.What staff needed to organize and then staff event.

Event coordinator: ______

___14.Decide is the event just for patients and guests of vendors, or the public as well.

___15.Work out how you will promote this to vendors, and then do so. Try to get at least 5 –10 different vendors.

Word of mouth
Personal letter (sample attached)

___16.Plan how you will promote this event to guests and then do so.

Word of mouth to patients
Posters and fliers in the office
Newsletter
Billing statement envelope
Posters around down
Public service announcement
If you are making a donation to the charity, promote through its channels

___17.List the expenses for the whole promotion, including total extra staff time, and determine how many additional new patients over the next three months would make this event cost effective.

You can now set this as your minimum goal.

That’s It!

Attachments:

Sample letter/flier to solicit vendors

Sample Posters