Sending a proposal to a Doctor (GP): What should include?/Where the HECK is Chris Green?

Sell him on WHY he needs it and what he will get out of it. What is he missing by NOT having a site. If you aren't selling features, and benefits, you are selling him WHY he's crazy NOT to purchase, and what he'll get from it.

"With our custom site, you're walk in business will triple in 3 weeks time."

"You will see a %70 increase in your consultations because of our SEO services."

Sell the sizzle not the steak...

"I hate to be the one to tell you, but you are losing tons of potential customers that you could be getting at no extra cost on top of the website. I personally go through online reviews and websites to do research on my doctors, dentists, ANYTHING medical! It is a serious decision to choose a new Doctor, and people increasingly make that decision by how credulous you seem to them while looking at your web assets!"

something like that I would do

and play off that wife thing - "I mean I am sure you know, your wife must be on the computer quite a bit researching things. I know I couldnt see my wife going with a new, potentially lifetime commitment, without doing at least a little bit of internet-stalking!"

That wife thing makes me money all the time, the wives always overweight the internet stuff (usually why the business owners give the decision power to them, they just dont want to think about "internet-stuff" while the wives are on Pinterst and FB all day)

Being a good friend of Chris, even though he's got an abnormally large chin and will be absolutely unbearable seeing as he's mentioned in a Warrior Forum thread title (thanks guys, honestly, my life will now be unbearable), I can give you some advice.

Let's start with this one :

"I hate to be the one to tell you, but you are losing tons of potential customers that you could be getting at no extra cost on top of the website. I personally go through online reviews and websites to do research on my doctors, dentists, ANYTHING medical! It is a serious decision to choose a new Doctor, and people increasingly make that decision by how credulous you seem to them while looking at your web assets!"

How do you know he's losing these customers? You need to turn it around. You're not going to tell them anything is wrong, or anything could be better - you just want to get them to realise it themselves. He doesn't care what you'd do and he doesn't know you from Adam, so you need to get him to do the thinking and come up with his own opinion.

First of all, you don't email them anything, screw that. Call him up:

"Hi Brad, it's Ryan, not sure if you remember me, but I bumped into you in the mall the other day - hope the bruises have gone down."

"Haha, yeah, you were awesome"

"Well, we talked about your website and to send something to your wife, but I've been thinking - I'm not entirely sure a website would help."

Pause. Let them think. They'll be shocked probably. Or they'll say "You're right, bye"

Either way, let them make the best move. Maybe it'll go like this:

You: "Do you use websites much?"

Him: "Yeah, all the time"

You: "But would people search for doctors? Forgive me, I know nothing about medical issues and I'm fit as a butcher's dog so don't go to the doctor much."

Him: "Yeah, there's a doctor up the road that's got a great site, he makes a fortune"

You: "Really?"

Him: "Yeah, he's driving a Merc"

You: "Wow. Maybe there is a need for a site then. Tell you what, why don't I come down and we could see what the competition is doing, see if it's worth trying to compete with them"

Him: "Go on then"

Get the idea? You need to get into the routine of questioning everything they say so they then have to justify it. Don't justify anything, let them do it.

Anyway, meet them and do the same there - get them to justify your crazy fees.

I have had doctors and dentists like this and the outcome really depends on what you are offering them. Work up a nice proposal like he requested, offering everything you think his site might need and your services. Also if the site is mobile friendly, sell that fact. Really, more than anything, when they ask for a proposal, they just want to see what you are saying in black and white. The professionals can provide one as to where most others are afraid to give something in writing. I usually don't give proposals with amounts, rather just what I am offering and that will always open the door for a follow up from the doc.

don't sell him anything...

He said his wife makes that decision.

That is code for

" i don't have the balls to tell you no. So talk to my wife, because she does."

Sorry it's taken me a while to get back to you on this. Just having my name mentioned in a post was too much for me...

First things first, let's look at the reaction he gave you:

"send the detail to his wife, as she makes that decision. "

This is code for:

"You sound like you want to sell me something so i'll fob you off by pretending my wife deals with sales people and hopefully she can be the one that tells you to go away"...

Trust me on this. People have a gut reaction to being sold to.

How could you have approached this differently?

Firstly. Never assume anything. Don't just think that because he has no website that he suffers because of that.

Now we all know you can always do more marketing and increase profits, but you don't know anything about the guy, his business or his motivation.

Therefore, you need to position yourself and ask questions to find out.

Positioning.

If you say you make websites, he'll assume that you make websites. Just like the half a million web designers out there.

Who cares? He won't.

If you tell him that you "specialise in working with Doctors that want to double their profits in 12 months"... well now you have his attention.

Those might not be the right words to use, but you get the idea.

Questions:

Once you have found a way of meeting up with him. You need to treat it as a fact finding mission. Some call this consultative selling. But essentially, it's all about finding the issues that he has that you can help fix.

Find out if he is struggling to increase the amount of patients.
Find out if he's wasting money on advertising.
Find out if he has a system of actively getting referrals.

etc etc

The answer may be that he needs a better website and SEO. But help him get to the point where he realises that those things will get him the results he wants.

What's the latest Ryan?