You’re doing everything you’re supposed to—Google and Facebook Ads, postcards, asking for referrals, and you have a beautiful sign that thousands of people pass every day.
But… despite all the money you’re throwing at it, your new patient numbers are still, well, TERRIBLE.
“Frustrated” doesn’t even begin to describe how you feel. And as more months of “spend, spend, spend” with a poor return pass, you begin to “spin.” Maybe it’s your marketing? Your receptionist? Maybe patients in your area just don’t care about their teeth? Or my favorite: “People in my area have a low dental IQ” (Whatever the H@!$ that means).
You have to do something. But you don’t want to do the wrong thing—why? Because things may get worse! So, what should you do?
Well, I can’t speak to every situation, but I can give you a straightforward checklist to help diagnose and solve this problem in most cases. It’s actually a lot simpler than you might think! And please forgive me—I hate when I’m struggling, and people tell me the solution is “simpler than I think.” It doesn’t go over well—but I say this only because it’s true!
So, with that, let’s get busy debugging your new patient numbers and get back to growing your practice with confidence! We’ll start with the basics and walk through each step so you can pinpoint where things may be going off track and apply the solutions that might work best.
Understanding the New Patient Journey
To fix a new patient marketing issue, it helps to break down the journey of a new patient into four stages:
1. Interest – The patient hears about your practice somehow (sees an ad, from a friend, etc.).
2. Response – They contact your office. This might be a call or form lead from one of your landing pages.
3. Schedule – They make an appointment with your practice.
4. Show Up – They arrive at your office. They are “in the chair.”
If you aren’t seeing enough new patients “in the chair,” working backward through these stages can help reveal where the problem lies. Let’s see how this might work.
PROBLEM: Adequate Number of New Patients Scheduling, But High No-Show and/or Cancellation Rate
If new patients are scheduling but not showing up, we might look at:
Reception Process Issues
Review your confirmation and scheduling procedures to ensure they’re smooth and effective. Are new patients reminded of their appointments, and are those reminders clear and friendly?
Sometimes, just refining your script or reworking the confirmation process can reduce no-show rates dramatically. Remember, these people don’t know you yet—so there’s no “brand loyalty,” and they’ll need every encouragement to ensure they show up. Now, how they are handled on the phone could affect:
-
- a) whether they show up or not, or
- b) if they “convert” and schedule in the first place.
To that end, I’m going to suggest a few things. When investigating these no-shows, listen to some of the calls—not just one; you’ll need a decent sample size. If I had 10 no-shows, I’d listen to all 10 calls. Sure, it’s work—but as every trainer will tell you: “those weights aren’t gonna lift themselves!” So, put in the work. See if something is broken in the appointment process. If you’re having trouble figuring this out, I’d recommend one (or all) of three things. One is free, and two are not:
1. Our Phone Skills Ebook: This is free and shows you how new patient calls SHOULD be handled. You can also get a free “Mystery Call” from us with this, where we grade your receptionist.
2. The MGE New Patient Workshop: We cover this and show how to get more new patients from every marketing channel. And it comes with a MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE.
3. Lastly, our online platform DDS Success has a Phone Skills Course. It also has a TON of other training for you and your entire team—including courses dedicated to every front desk position. Click here for a FREE demo.
Alright—enough shameless promotion. Now, back to business. Assuming you’ve checked the calls and confirmations are legit (meaning patients are actually being confirmed), what to look at next?
Poor Availability
Patients want appointments quickly, especially if they’re new. If they can’t get in within 24-48 hours, they may lose interest or go elsewhere. Consider blocking out time specifically for new patients to ensure quick availability. Imagine the disappointment of a patient who, having finally decided to prioritize their dental health, calls only to find there’s a three-week wait. That’s why I say it’s almost like wasting marketing dollars if your availability doesn’t align with the influx of new patients you’re trying to create. And again, if this is the case, remember—they don’t know you beyond the ad they just clicked or called from! Making them wait just won’t work.
Personal Touch Confirmations
One of our clients had great success in reducing new patient no-shows by taking a unique approach: personally confirming new patient appointments as the doctor. They took a few minutes each day to call new patients, introduce themselves, and answer any questions. This simple step created a powerful connection that led patients to feel appreciated and excited to attend. Try it—it could reduce your no-show rate substantially.
PROBLEM: New Patient Conversion Rate is Low/Problematic
Your marketing is bringing in a good volume of calls, but whoever’s handling these calls in your practice is not converting them to appointments. By far—this is usually the biggest problem. What to do?
Identify if this is ACTUALLY an issue
To do that, you need to have a clear idea of how many calls or “reaches” you’re getting and how many are scheduling. For that, use a New Patient Log. An example of one can be downloaded here. A New Patient Log tracks every call your practice receives, along with details like the caller’s name, phone number, EXACTLY how they heard about your practice, and whether they scheduled an appointment. This log helps identify conversion bottlenecks and sheds light on any issues that may be blocking your progress. Without accurate records, you’re effectively operating blind and making decisions on partial information. This one, seemingly small tool can dramatically change your ability to assess marketing and conversion success.
Training Receptionists on Call Conversion
Assuming you do have a conversion problem, the answer is training. Or, if the person handling these calls just isn’t cutting it despite training, potential replacement. Whoever handles these calls (Reception, Scheduler, New Patient Coordinator, etc.) is effectively your partner in marketing. Think about this—if you get 100 calls a month and your team only converts 25 (or 25%), you’re wasting 75 potential new patients. How much did it cost to create these phone calls? Yeah—it’s not cheap. So, here’s where investing time and money in training your reception team on effective phone skills, including building rapport, handling questions confidently, etc., becomes CRITICAL. As I mentioned above, we have three solutions you can use for this: the Phone Skills Ebook, the MGE New Patient Workshop, and DDS Success. You’ll also need to regularly review recorded calls (if your phone system allows it) to ensure the training is taking hold. And following with that example from above, if you train your reception team that has a 25% conversion rate and get it up to—let’s say 50%—you’re now seeing 25 more new patients a month with little to no expense! I can’t stress enough how worth it training is here.
Develop a Friendly Approach to “Shoppers”
When potential patients call with questions about pricing or insurance, encourage your receptionists to see these as opportunities to build trust. Instead of dismissing “shopper” calls, teach your team to engage and find out more about their needs. For instance, they might say, “I’d be happy to answer that, but may I ask a few questions first to understand your needs?” Building a connection through friendly conversation can turn a curious caller into a committed patient.
PROBLEM: Your Marketing Just Isn’t Getting a Decent Response
If the problem lies in the lack of calls from your marketing, this is likely a campaign-specific issue and requires a deeper dive.
Use Analytics to Measure Campaign Effectiveness
Tracking response rates is essential to identifying high-performing campaigns. Keep a close eye on which channels are bringing in leads—whether it’s Google ads, social media, postcards, or referrals—and focus on optimizing those that perform well. If your mailers are underperforming while your social ads are thriving, it may be time to shift resources.
Check for Technical Errors
A disconnected phone number, incorrect tracking links, or outdated information can all sabotage a campaign. Make sure each detail is up to date and tested. Confirm tracking numbers on all promotional material and monitor analytics to ensure calls are being routed properly to your office. We had a client whose website was driving new patient traffic, but a disconnected tracking phone number on the site meant that patients couldn’t get through. Small oversights like this can add up to big losses in patient numbers.
Make Your Campaigns Stand Out
Even effective marketing campaigns can lose steam over time, so keep your strategy fresh:
Refresh Ad Content Regularly
Patients become blind to the same messages if they’re repeated too often. Consider rotating your ads monthly or seasonally to maintain engagement. Changing up images, headlines, and call-to-action phrases can breathe new life into a campaign and attract fresh attention. For instance, we’ve found that just switching up the main image on a direct mailer can make a noticeable difference in response rates. People notice even minor changes, so experimenting with variations can be well worth the effort.
Set Realistic Expectations for Direct Mail
If you’re sending postcards or newsletters, it’s important to understand average response rates. For general mail campaigns, a response rate of around 0.25% is typical. That may seem low, but if you’re mailing 10,000 postcards and booking 25 new patients, you’re likely seeing a reasonable ROI. By using targeted lists or personalizing your message, you can gradually increase these rates over time. Knowing this upfront helps you measure success realistically, without being discouraged by a lower percentage than you expected.
Keep Marketing Consistent
When you’re not seeing results, it can be tempting to pull back entirely. However, consistent marketing is crucial to keeping your practice visible. Instead of scaling down too quickly, look for ways to adjust or refine your tactics. Even with a limited budget, regular marketing efforts help maintain a steady flow of new patients, protecting your practice from seasonal dips or unexpected changes.
Get Started on Solving Your New Patient Problem Today
Addressing new patient challenges isn’t just about throwing more money into ads—it’s about fine-tuning each part of the journey from interest to arrival. With the right tools, training, and adjustments, you can turn those frustrating numbers around.
If you’re ready to take action, we’ve got some resources to help you. Check out our Phone Skills Ebook to perfect your call-handling strategies, consider the MGE New Patient Workshop for comprehensive guidance with a money-back guarantee, or dive into DDS Success for team-wide training that covers every front desk role. Each solution is designed to give you practical steps to see real improvements fast.
And if you have questions or would like more tailored advice, feel free to contact me directly at Jeffb@mgeonline.com, visit MGEonline.com or give us a call at 800-640-1140. I hope this helps!
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