At your therapy practice, how do you refer to a person who inquires about your services? Do you use the term "client" right away, or do you have a system in place to track and categorize by lead, prospect, and client?
Was that a new client who just filled out a website form, or a new prospect?
How many new leads signed up for your monthly newsletter, and how many of those leads became clients last quarter?
Believe it or not, this seemingly minor difference in terminology can impact the profitability and efficiency of your practice. Understanding how to distinguish between leads, prospects, and clients in your funnel can help you optimize your marketing process and intake systems.
Let's define each category:
Someone who you identify as a potential client for your practice who has so far shown little or no interest in your practice.
For example: If you run a practice in Harrisburg, PA specializing in working moms with burnout, a lead for you is “any 30-45 yr old mom in Harrisburg, PA who is struggling with burnout.” You may be marketing to these leads at local community events and some may have signed up up for your newsletter, but not yet requested an appointment.
A potential client who has shown some interest in working with you. This person is in the middle of your marketing funnel, warmer than a lead but not yet a client.
A lead becomes a prospect when they actively take steps to demonstrate interest in becoming a client. For example, a mom on your email newsletter calls your office to book an intake session or fills out an appointment request form on your website. She’s now a prospect.
Someone who is not only a good fit for your practice, but who is receiving and paying for the services offered at your practice.
For example: A mom has completed her first intake session and payment has been verified, and she’s booked her next session. It’s important that everyone on your team is clear on the exact point when a prospect becomes a client.
Using the terms above can really help practice owners to examine the strength of their marketing, intake, and client care efforts but, if you don't have a system in place to track and categorize your leads, prospects, and clients, you could be missing out on valuable data.
A client relationship management (CRM) system will help you gain these insights into your client base and simplify the process. Practice Axis is the only CRM pre-designed for the intake workflow of mental health practices to automate and streamline these tasks without losing the human touch. Features include appointment request forms for your website, automated welcome emails, and waitlist management to provide consistency of care, clarity, and efficiency when a prospect becomes a new client.
If you're interested in learning more about Practice Axis or need help refining your intake process, click here to schedule a demo.