Why Dr. Philip W. Faler Offers Free Consultations
Video Transcription
Dave: Most clinics charge before they even get to know you. Why do you offer free consultations first?
Dr. Faler: Well, Dave, I offer the free consultation because I like to make sure that I’m going to be able to give the patient what they’re looking for. So if they come to me looking for something maybe I don’t offer or that I haven’t done a lot of, I’m going to refer them somewhere else. That’s number one reason. Number two reason is because when we get to that initial consultation, that 45 minute sit down, new patient visit, I want to have data. I want to have lab work because I want to be able to hand my patient and say, “Here’s your first step to your solution.” Not sit down for 45 minutes, pay 200 bucks. And okay, I’m going to order some labs and then you come back in and you can pay another 100 bucks and then I’ll tell you what I think we should do.
I don’t feel right having a full visit and charging a patient, I haven’t even given them a solution yet. If I’m paying money for something, I like efficiency and that’s probably the simplest way to say it, is being efficient for my patient, valuing their time and offering them solutions right from the gate.
Dave: So what does that first 10 minutes look like or sound like?
Dr. Faler: How can I help you? And then you tell me your symptoms, I ask some follow-up questions and from there, I’m going to say, “Well, let’s get this lab work ordered and then we’ll put you on the schedule for a week and a half from now, two weeks from now, have lab results back, I’ll have reviewed your intake, your lab work, and sit down, ready to go.”
Dave: So you know then and there what they may have said doesn’t apply to the results and now I can really treat what the problem is, not what you think it is.
Dr. Faler: And it may apply. And I’m going to take a much deeper dive at the initial consultation interview wise, but now I’ve got the lab work to back up what I’m hearing and point me in the right direction and say, “Okay, let’s try this and do this for the next four weeks and then we’ll have a follow-up and see where we’re at.”
Dave: And this free consultation makes the patient feel more comfortable, at ease?
Dr. Faler: I think it helps to build trust to know that I value their time enough to take that time to see them without any charge for 10 minutes and get a sense of what they’re looking for and start the wheel turning to get them the help they’re looking for.
Dave: Do patients ever share with you after the fact why they chose you?
Dr. Faler: Yeah. And most often somebody told them. “Hey, I see this doctor and he this, that, or the other, and he was able to help me.” And that’s the number one reasons patients see me. I haven’t done a lot of marketing over the years. Mostly it’s been patient referrals, either that or, “Hey, I searched you up on Google and I saw a video you made and you seemed very personable.”
Dave: Is there something about this initial free consultation that has built longer terms trust with the patients and then possible referrals?
Dr. Faler: Oh, I think so for sure, because they feel valued, I think, by the fact that, “Hey, no problem. We’ll sit down.” And if you don’t want to be a client when we’re done with that, no harm, no foul, that’s okay. And if say somebody came to me for something I don’t really treat very often, I’m going to say, “Hey, that’s not something I do a lot of. I know a guy over in Olympia who really focuses on that. Let’s get you over to him.”
Dave: That’s a great respect for their time.
Dr. Faler: It is. It is. And that’s something I appreciate when I’m interacting with other businesses or whatever it might be. I don’t like to feel like my time’s not valuable to them and I love that. So that’s what I try to offer to patients.
Dave: Well, you can take advantage of Dr. Faler’s free consultation offer is the best way to see if his approach is right for you. You can schedule today at antiagingnorthwest.com. There’s also a direct link below this video.