For a little help in generating referrals in the month of February, you may want to offer a selected number of your patients a Valentine’s Day gift certificate/coupon.

These can be ordered from your printer. You can also produce them yourself with your photocopy machine or from your computer and printer. It simply consists of a card that you give to your patient as a gift for someone about whom they care. The card offers some kind of a complimentary or discount service.

Keep in mind that the key to the success of these gift certificates is all in how you give them to your patients. If they are just left on the top of the front desk, they are completely devalued, there is nothing special about them, and their effectiveness is minimal. On the other hand, if they are valued by the doctor and the staff as actual money, which they are, and also presented sincerely from the doctor and staff to their patients for their patient’s friend or loved one, the coupon greatly increases in value. They are also much more effective in generating referrals.

Review the example below and use it to customize your own Valentine. You can have your printer make you a bulk order and since there are no dates, you can use the gift certificate for several years in the future.

Sample Offers. You can pick one or more of the following, or add your own, depending on your circumstances.

• Spinal Screening
• 10 Point Screening Exam
• Conference with the Doctor
• Examination
• X-rays (initial)
• 15 (30) minutes on automatic therapeutic massage table (chair)
• 15 (30) minutes therapeutic massage

These can be free, or sold to the patient for their Valentine for a nominal fee, such as $20. As an extra incentive, you may want to donate the money to a local charity.

Many computer programs have card templates available and there are also a number of web sites where you can make your own cards. For example.

Sample Script:
Doctor/Staff member: “Mrs. Jones, (Doctor: “the staff and I”; Staff member: “Dr. Smith”) would like you to have this Valentine’s Gift Certificate as a Valentine’s gift from us. It is for _____ (specific person that you know, e.g.: “Bob”, or “your husband”, or “your Valentine”), and is a special gift certificate that (he/she) can use for complimentary services at our office.”

Pull out envelope and physically open certificate or coupon, show it to the patient, and explain the details. If they accept the certificate, sign it, and give it to the patient. Check to see if they want more than one.

Doctor/Staff: “It is good for the entire month of February.”

Patient’s reaction. “Wonderful! Thank You”

Doctor/Staff member: “We hope you have a nice Valentine’s Day and look forward to taking great care of your Valentine(s).”

Sample Coupon

Sample Card

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