Every day we are told how terrific we are and how delighted our patients are with our care. Those are words that we need to capture and, with the patients’ permission, share those kind words with our existing patients or potential new patients. You can toot your own horn, but when others do the tooting, there’s more music and harmony to be made. An effective testimonial can be incorporated into your website (see http://www.neilbaum.com), your brochure, or even a scrap book of your collected testimonial placed in your reception area. Trust me, it will be the most looked at book(s) by patients in waiting in your reception area.
While most physicians are uncomfortable asking for a testimonial, you can ask patients who have said nice things about your or have provided you with one of the many compliments you receive on a daily basis to put their spoken words into written words that will be shared with other patients. Most of those patients who provide you with accolades will be willing to share their thoughts with others. When patients read from the scrapbook in the reception area, they will even ask, what do I need to do to get into that book?
I emphasize that you must get the patients’ permission before using the testimonial. When the patient offers a testimonial, I tell them it may appear on my website and will ask them to sign a waiver giving me permission. (See example below from my practice)
Testimonial Authorization
Another use of testimonials is to share them with your office staff at staff meetings. This lets everyone know about the quality of the care that you provide your patients and raises the bar for patient satisfaction with the entire staff.
Bottom Line: Testimonials are a great way to get the word out. It’s equivalent to the ol’ time word of mouth marketing. Remember what the good book says, “Ask and you shall receive.” The same applies to requesting and sharing testimonials.
Dr. Neil Baum's Urology Blog 