What It Actually Takes to Turn Leads Into Paying Customers

Imagine for a moment that you’re a small dental practice with a full schedule of patients every day, yet you’re not seeing significant revenue growth. Why might that be? Could it be that many of the patients on the books aren’t qualified? Could there be a disproportionate number of cancellations and no-shows? Not likely.

In most cases where there are lots of leads coming in but no real growth, the problem is conversion, more specifically, a lack thereof. All the leads in the world won’t make a difference if they don’t convert.

What’s conversion?

Conversion occurs when a prospect or lead becomes a paying customer. The specifics of conversion can vary by business depending on the product, timeline, cost and other factors, but the principle is the same: Interest must become action.

For simplicity, let’s continue to explore the example of the dental practice, an experience we can all relate to from the patient’s perspective, and an area where I have particular expertise. While dentistry is a healthcare profession, it differs from many areas of medicine in that it offers numerous elective procedures — such as cosmetic dentistry — that also enhance a person’s overall well-being and quality of life.

All patients want a functional, healthy smile. Some need more extensive treatment than others to achieve that goal. Treatment plans can range from a single, simple procedure completed in one visit to complex, multi-step plans that require months or even years to complete. Whether a patient needs oral surgery to replace missing teeth or adult braces to correct their bite, the dental practice’s job is to help them understand why following through is essential and persuade them to accept treatment.

Roadblocks to conversion

The people calling a dental practice or submitting online inquiries are signaling that they are already interested in converting. While we can all acknowledge that not every person who encounters the practice and makes contact will be a good fit for the practice, if prospects are consistently walking away or moving on without scheduling an appointment, the problem isn’t the quality of the prospects; it’s the approach.

I see this frequently with dental practices of all sizes and in all markets. They miss opportunities because they’re not thinking like business owners. They’re thinking like clinicians. In dentistry, as in any service-based business, there must be an element of sales, or growth will stagnate.

Allowing patients (i.e., customers) to hang up the phone without scheduling an appointment is a critical mistake. Failing to respond to voicemails and online appointment requests is another. The most common issue I encounter, however, is ignoring patients who complete an online request to be contacted.

This problem spans industries: dentists, veterinarians, med spas, hair salons, CPAs, photographers, event planners, etc. When a prospective customer fills out an online form, they expect a response. Too often, they’re left waiting for days or, in the worst cases, indefinitely, because no one at the business has been officially tasked with monitoring and responding to inquiries.

The businesses that do respond — especially if they do so promptly — are far more likely to earn that customer’s business. It’s a low bar, but many businesses fail to clear it. When I work with a new dental practice, one of my main goals is to help them implement processes to ensure online inquiries are never ignored.

In fact, I help train their teams to respond as quickly as possible because a prompt response signals that the practice values new patients. It’s a simple concept, but it’s unfortunately rare, and no amount of leads or web traffic can compensate for neglecting the ones you already have.

Experience matters

Responding to leads quickly is only the first step in the conversion process. Once a prospect is on the phone, in the office or otherwise engaged with the business, there is still work to do to guide them toward purchasing. This is where the type of experience the business creates for the customer makes the biggest difference.

In dentistry, for example, patient experience can make or break the relationship. When patients feel heard and understood, they are far more likely to accept treatment. What does that look like in practice?

• Listening: The dental team listens without assumption or judgment.

• Understanding: The dentist takes time to understand the patient’s desires, goals and concerns.

• Communication: After creating a treatment plan, the dentist walks through each step and explains it in as much detail as the patient needs to feel confident and comfortable.

• Follow-up: If the patient doesn’t convert immediately, the team stays in contact until they do or until it’s clear the patient has no intention of pursuing treatment with the practice.

From the dentist’s perspective, some decisions may seem routine or low stakes. To the patient, however, even a simple, minimally invasive procedure can be intimidating and require a significant investment of their time and money. In every case, the patient deserves to have their questions answered and their concerns addressed.

Practical application

These principles apply regardless of industry. It comes down to not taking customers for granted. Just because someone calls, walks in or submits an online inquiry does not mean they will automatically buy from your business. It takes intentional effort to move a person from lead to customer.

Every business wants growth. But growth doesn’t come from leads alone. It comes from what you do with the interest you already have. The only way to truly move the needle is to focus on conversion.

Imagine for a moment that you’re a small dental practice with a full schedule of patients every day, yet you’re not seeing significant revenue growth. Why might that be? Could it be that many of the patients on the books aren’t qualified? Could there be a disproportionate number of cancellations and no-shows? Not likely.

In most cases where there are lots of leads coming in but no real growth, the problem is conversion, more specifically, a lack thereof. All the leads in the world won’t make a difference if they don’t convert.

What’s conversion?

Conversion occurs when a prospect or lead becomes a paying customer. The specifics of conversion can vary by business depending on the product, timeline, cost and other factors, but the principle is the same: Interest must become action.