Using a Sales Funnel To Find Not Just More New Patients, But The Right New Patients with Michelle Fernandez Ep208

In this episode of The Business of Being Well Dr. Danielle is joined by guest, Michelle Fernandez of The Foot Traffic Podcast.

Dr. Danielle & Michelle dive into sales funnels for your online and brick and mortar business.

They uncover what a sales funnel is, why it's so important to your practice and how to leverage your sales funnel to bring not just more new patients/clients into your practice but the RIGHT new patients.

You'll learn how to grow your practice with a sales funnel without feeling salesy or pushy, because we don't like that used car salesmen feeling either.

We know that you may have freaked out a little when you saw the words, "sales funnel", but don't worry, Michelle breaks down the 3 part sales funnel so that you can see just how simple a sales funnel can be.

This is an episode that you don't want to miss... so what are you waiting for???

Let's dive in!

What is The Health & Wellness Practitioners Podcast?

Welcome to The Health & Wellness Practitioners Podcast! Dr. Danielle and other guest experts talk about everything from getting your practice started, developing your clinical skills, growing your practice YOUR way, and dealing with the real stuff life burnout and work/life balance. Whether you’ve been practicing for decades or just started your journey, you’ll find something here for you!

Using a Sales Funnel To Find Not Just More New Patients, But The Right New Patients with Michelle Fernandez

DR. DANIELLE: Hello, everyone. Welcome to a new episode of The Business Of Being Well. I'm here today with Michelle Fernandez and Michelle, I would love for you to just share who you are and what you do for us to get started and dive into talking about funnels today.

MICHELLE: All right. One of my favorite topics. Hey there, I am Michelle Fernandez and I am a growth strategist. I'm all about creating strategic ad campaigns and highly converting funnels, for online experts or even brick and mortar businesses so they can help more people, serve more people on a broader level than just like who already knows them.

BROADENING YOUR REACH WITH A SALES FUNNEL

DR. DANIELLE: You just hit on something that is so huge within specifically the chiropractic profession, because for decades, statistics have shown us that only 10% of the US population utilizes chiropractic care. It never really changes. It kind of goes up and down a little bit from somewhere between like 8%- 12%, but it pretty much stays the same at an average of roughly 10%. I think a lot of that is because of what you just said, people that already know us are the people that utilize our care.

MICHELLE: Exactly, exactly. It's funny because there's these five levels of awareness, right? So people are either clueless, they don't know that they even have a problem. Then you have people who know they have a problem, but don't know there's a solution. And then people who have a problem and know there's a solution. It comes down to knowing that you are the solution to their problem. They're aware of products and services available. So a lot of times what you just said specifically to chiropractors or even physical therapists, I've dealt with people where they talk about like the pelvic floor, right? That was something new that I was like, I don't even know what the heck that is. However, when they described it, I'm like, oh, I can kind of relate now that I understand what you're talking about. So that's the beauty of having these funnels and really putting the content and value out there because you can get more people or help more people once they become aware that, oh yea, I do have that problem and I didn't know that there was a solution for it. I just thought I had to live with life this way. Right? Yep. So putting these funnels in place is how you're putting your message out there. This is ideal to open everybody's eyes to see that not only is there a solution, but to make that connection that you are the solution for their problem.

“It comes down to knowing that you are the solution to their problem.”

WHAT IS A SALES FUNNEL?

DR. DANIELLE: So talk a little bit more about what a funnel is. I know what a funnel is because I have one, I've been doing this online business thing for seven years. But most of the people that listen to this podcast hear funnels and they're like, oh my gosh, what are they talking about, or they automatically conjure up these ideas about what it means in their minds. So let's just dive into your definition of what a funnel is. And maybe we can dispel some myths.

MICHELLE: Yes. This is such a great question because I have heard different definitions. So I see this in two parts. Really a marketing funnel is the entire process, from a person not knowing who you are all the way to basically becoming a paying customer. So all the stops in between and every business that you can actually think of has some sort of a funnel for those of us that are in the online space. A lot of people just think funnels are when you go to a website and you land on an actual URL page, but that's not necessarily what it is. So the marketing funnel includes running paid advertising, maybe sending follow up emails, search engine optimization, and really everything in between. If you really wanna break down, even your funnel a little bit more, you're talking about the sales funnel, which is the path that takes the customer that takes them on that journey to purchase from your business all the way through actually what I call the transformation, because the sale doesn't stop in that transaction, it stops in the transformation. So I consider that the full sales funnel, part of the marketing funnel. I hope that makes sense.

WHY ARE SALES FUNNELS SO IMPORTANT FOR A BUSINESS?

DR. DANIELLE: It makes sense to me. Yes. Okay. Perfect. Perfect. Yeah. So why do you feel that funnels are so important for a business?

MICHELLE: Well, because you wanna get more people in, right? Any business is in business to make money, right? As much as we wanna help people out, whether we're looking at money or helping people, we can't help more people unless we get a steady flow of new leads or sales coming in and a funnel is the way to do that.

HOW TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS WITHOUT FEELING SALESY OR PUSHY

DR. DANIELLE: Okay. So, for a person who wants to help more people, but all these marketing terms sort of freak them out, what would you want them to know? Like how could you help them reframe what a funnel is so that it doesn't feel salesy or too pushy.

MICHELLE: So I always look at it this way. You wanna start with the end in mind, right? So it's like, you, you know what you ultimately wanna do, right. Which is, let's say take advantage of your services that you provide. So what are the steps that it takes to get them in? So, it's not that you're being salesy to sell them your services, but you're providing them basically with value or kind of the reasons or the benefits of your service on how to get them in. So, how can you reverse engineer that journey that they can go on to get this result with you being their guide on that journey to get there? That's how I like to look at it, because I don't wanna feel all salesy. So, I kind of position it that way in my brain. So it doesn't make me feel that way. Whenever you come with that sales or what I've always heard called commission breath, you know, people sense that, right? They feel like you're leading with your wallet. So if you come from a place of service and value and how I can help you and how this is gonna benefit you and your life and your wellbeing, you're in a different set that people receive that and they feel that rather than that commission breath.

“So, how can you reverse engineer that journey that they can go on to get this result with you being their guide on that journey to get there?”

DR. DANIELLE: I have never heard the term commissions breath.

MICHELLE: You haven’t?

DR. DANIELLE: No.

MICHELLE: But, when I said it, you knew exactly what I was talking about, didn't you?

DR. DANIELLE: I mean, I had to think about it a little bit, but I was like, oh yeah, okay.

MICHELLE: A person like that. Yeah. You've come across that sometimes for sure.

DR. DANIELLE: Yes. I have. I used to work in the mall, way back in the day before I went to school to become a chiropractor. So, you know, there were the Kiosks where people sold sunglasses, they sold cell phone plans, you know, just like, Nope, Nope. Not passing the cell phone stand today. I learned how to take alternate routes to avoid those people because they would see me or really not just me, but any person every day and they would ask me the same question. Hey, and I'm like, no, Nope, Nope. So I think that there are things like that we experience that sometimes develop into limiting beliefs or stories or misconceptions about selling and marketing. We don't wanna be like those people, so let's not do it at all and then It just holds us back from really being able to serve more people, which is what it's all about at the end of the day.

MICHELLE: It's honestly, and I will throw this in here because this was something that I had to overcome. You're not a salesperson, right? You're in the wellness business. However, by you not offering or not presenting this, you are doing a disservice to whoever can benefit from your care. If they don’t know how this can help them, then you're doing a disservice. So that, to me, when I heard that, I was like, oh, that shifted also my thing. If no one ever knows or doesn't know the different things like, I didn't know I could go to a chiropractor for this service, I thought it was only for that service. Well, by you not explaining or telling them, then they're not gonna be able to benefit from it either.

THE 3 PART SALES FUNNEL

DR. DANIELLE: Yeah, totally. Okay., so you have got three pieces to building a funnel that works well. Let's dive into those. What's the first one?

MICHELLE: Okay. So the first one is that landing page funnel. Maybe it's something in your field where it would be like you have a service that you're gonna offer for free or a discount or come and test something out. That could be a funnel to get them in the door. Then from there you take it offline where you really have like an in-house kind of sales. Let's just call it a sales team or a physician meets with them or some sort of doctor meets with them and kind of goes through what their plan of action would be. So maybe they need to come like five more times or a package of 10 services, or however that is, that would be taken offline. Now the other funnel that I put into place is your ads funnel, right? Some sort of marketing funnel, whether you do Google ads, whether you do Facebook or Instagram ads, some sort of marketing, that's really gonna bring in cold people to you. And by cold, I mean, people who don't know who you are or what you're about, right? How do they find you in the market? And when you're looking at that, you're looking at just the difference to kind of give you a heads up. If most of you are brick and mortar, right? If you don't offer a service online, most people find you with a search engine optimization. They're searching for chiropractors and the area and then you can come up in that search. The other way, when you're looking at, let's say Facebook or Instagram ads, you are actually saying, okay, I wanna put myself in front of these people within 10, 20 miles of my brick and mortar facility. Then that way, if they're searching, they may not go to the first one because they'll just go to the first one and start calling. Versus if they see your ad, they meet your staff, they see what you have going on, they see your facility, then they start connecting to you and they'll go to you instead of the person across the street. Right. So that's also a funnel that we put in place. And then you have either your email funnel, or it could be a text or a telephone, however you all do your sales part on the inside. That would be a funnel that you would have them go through as well. So it sounds like, oh my, you have to have three things in place, but yes. It's not that difficult, but they all work so well together. If you looked at what I was just saying, it's kind of bringing them on that marketing journey that when we explain what a funnel was from the beginning. It's bringing the people in and then closing them on your part internally, right. Offline and whatever your sales system or your sales process is.

USING A SALES FUNNEL TO FIND, NOT JUST MORE NEW CLIENTS, BUT YOUR IDEAL CLIENT

DR. DANIELLE: I think one of the ways I reframe my thought process about the sales funnel process the sales funnel journey for the potential new patient or client, is that for the practitioner, it actually helps ensure when your funnel is working the way that you want it to, it helps ensure that the right people are coming to you at the end of that funnel. Right? A funnel doesn't necessarily just bring you more and more and more people, it totally helps you to like weed out some people who may need to go to someplace else or who may not be the right fit.

MICHELLE: Exactly. And all of that is done with your messaging or your content. Right. I've seen it all the time with PTs where they don't take insurance. I charge a certain amount, so I want a certain clientele. So that's when we're looking to qualify the people, even before they book that call or book their, you know, their appointment. So when you're doing the funnel, like with your ads, or even in the actual landing page funnel itself, you are in your messaging saying who you do and don't want, or when you're doing advertising, it's like, okay, I wanna target, not only these people who live in a certain area, but maybe shop at certain stores or have a certain degree or something that would put them in a different range, um, economic range for them to afford your services. So there's all kinds of ways that you can do that. So when you get your not taking calls of people who they're like a hundred dollars, no way would I spend a hundred dollars. Right. Um, or whatever the cost of your service is. So yes, I totally agree.

DR. DANIELLE: Yeah. I think it also helps to prime people for what your services may cost. So it's not just whether or not they can afford the cost of your services is one thing. But the good sales funnel has primed them to expect a certain fee, whether it's like a low cost or a high cost or something in between as they go through your, your sales funnel, your marketing funnel, maybe not consciously, but unconsciously, subconsciously developing expectations. So I think in the best case scenario for our front desk staff in the brick and mortar setting, it helps them to have more efficient and effective conversations because the people that they are getting on the phone with, have already gone through that process. They already know what to expect ahead of time before they actually talk to the human.

MICHELLE: Exactly. Exactly. And then even when you just think of the word funnel in itself, it's a funnel, wider on the top and narrow on the bottom. So that's exactly what these things are doing. They're pushing them through. And in case anyone's wondering, I've gotten into situations where some of my clients are like, well, I can help all these people, I don't wanna turn anybody away, I just open my brick and mortar and I don't wanna turn people away. Right. I need as many clients as I can. You have to get comfortable and I say, “have to” like I'm telling you what to do, but I kind of am that you have to get comfortable that it's okay to let people outta the car to turn people away. Because if not, what's gonna happen is you're gonna build this business with clients that can't afford your thing are always gonna be complaining. They're gonna have an objection or not show up. So you'll have your calendar booked and then no shows… right. So it's important that you hold on steady to your vision of what you want your business to look like and say, yes, I want these types of people, this is what I want them to do and they will come. And if you do your messaging and your funnel the right way, then you can build the business that you're really like, I can't wait to get up and go into my shop today to help out all these people rather than being like, do I have to go in today? That's not how you wanna be. You wanna be the other way.

DR. DANIELLE: Well, there are a lot of people that feel that way and there's a lot of layers to this
conversation. This is not an all inclusive conversation by any means, but there are a lot of people that feel that way about going to their practice each day. They have had this notion, this philosophy passed down to them that they should save everybody, they should rescue people, they should be affordable and always open and accessible for as many people as possible. The truth that I see now, I've been able to see this for about seven years, is that it's exhausting. And then a lot of us are like, no, if this is what it looks like to be successful in this profession, I don't wanna do this.

MICHELLE: Absolutely. Yeah.

DR. DANIELLE: Which is burnout!

MICHELLE: It totally is. As sad as that is to say, I don't even know if it's sad, because then you're going against all this learning that you've got and all your certifications and your degrees that you got to help people. And you are helping people, but at a different level. So if you can just kinda reframe that in your mind, you will see that you're doing a better service to them, because with you being a little bit bitter that maybe these aren't the people you want, you're not gonna show up as your best self to help them ultimately. But I hear where you're coming from. And that happens with all kinds of industries, not just yours,

STAYING FOCUSED ON THE ONE THING

DR. DANIELLE: For sure. Yes. Okay Michelle, I have two more questions for you. One is that you've got a stack of books on the desk behind you. I can spot a couple of them that I know there, I can read the title just barely.

MICHELLE: I was like, your vision is really good.

DR. DANIELLE: Um, I might know some of the others, but I can't read them. So tell me which one of those books is your favorite and why is it your favorite?

MICHELLE: Oh my goodness. Where do I even start? Um, I'm like, let me look back. Okay. My favorite one is The One Thing. I think that's just good for all business owners, because we tend to get either shiny object syndrome or distracted, or you could even be listening to me today and be like, oh my gosh, I need to stop this right now and build this right when you're in the middle of doing something else where this has you focus on, okay, what is the one thing that I’m gonna work on and develop it until it turns into something? I’m not gonna give up on it because even though you put this marketing funnel together, it may not work tomorrow, or it may not work next month, but you need to be focusing just on that until you test and tweak and test and tweak until you get it to be where it's converting rather than saying, oh, this is not working after a week, let me move on.

“...what is the one thing that I’m gonna work on and develop until it turns into something?”

DR. DANIELLE: Oh, that's been the lesson of my last two years in business. I didn't look at conversion rates on landing pages, for example. I just never looked at that kind of information because I just felt like it was too salesy. And I realized I was actually missing out on a huge opportunity to help more people because sometimes it's just a matter of changing the placement of some words or replacing one phrase with another phrase and all of a sudden that landing page starts converting far better. If it means changing some words to something that means the same, but sounds different on a landing page to be able to help more people, then I'll do that. It just took me a long time to get to a place where I had that perspective to really understand it. It was actually sometimes very simple to make a funnel work better and to get better results, help more people, et cetera, and it's not actually salesy.

MICHELLE: It's not. It's all about knowing your numbers. Knowing what to track. Then when you're looking at the numbers, knowing what those mean in order for you to do what you just said, test it, tweak it and then, okay, what might I change to improve these little numbers? It could just be like a small percent. If you keep going up, then you'll be like, okay, they're responding to this now, what else can I change? And again, focusing on one thing at a time.

CONNECT WITH MICHELLE

DR. DANIELLE: Yeah. I read The One Thing a few years ago. I think it was maybe 2018 and I love, love, love that book. Yeah. I'm with you. Okay, great. If there are people that are listening to the show today that want to connect with you and learn more about what you do, they wanna learn more about the Foot Traffic Podcast, where's the best place for them to go?

MICHELLE: Yeah, they can go to the Foot Traffic Podcast for sure. You could follow me on Instagram @themichellefernandez and then we can help you with all that kind of stuff or you just get all kinds of values about what traffic and funnels is all about so you can grow a thriving income predictability, I guess I should say in your business.

DR. DANIELLE: Well, Michelle, thank you so much for everything that you've shared today. It's been really fun to connect with you.

MICHELLE: Likewise. Thank you so much for having me.

RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
* Listen to The Foot Traffic Podcast Wherever You Listen To Podcasts
* Follow Michelle on Instagram @themichellefernandez