How To Get More Healthcare Product Reviews
You have a great product and your customers are happy. Doctors, nurses, the hospital staff, and even your competitors are telling you that your product or service is making a difference. You already know that testimonials are integral to the healthcare sales process. You’ve asked your physicians and other stakeholders who have interacted with the product to write a review, but all you hear is crickets.
How do you actually get someone to sit down and write a solid review? You never get something for nothing as the saying goes. Follow these steps to get the review you want in the timeframe you need.
Ask the Right People
You know the helpers out there. Don’t be bashful. Ask your cheerleaders and the review will be stronger for it. Choose wisely. The last thing you want is someone to write a mediocre review and then have you or your company decide not to use it. This can be a great time to leverage existing relationships and build stronger bonds with the clients and customers you already work well with. It might also be worth your while to reach out to your professional network for ideas, sources, and contacts.
Find Physician Email Addresses
Ask With Kindness
Make sure you aren’t strapped for time when asking someone to review your product and make sure the request comes with a genuine compliment. Kindness and compliments go a long way. In an article on why kindness matters in the workforce, Brooke Idiart point out that “we spend a tremendous amount of our waking hours at work and the way we treat one another while we are there is incredibly important.”
Stating that the review would mean a lot coming from someone so respected in the healthcare community and sharing where their feedback would be published may give the reviewer more motivation to get it done.
Trade a Favor
Favors are not free in business, but they can be traded if the exchange is straightforward. Favors can be tricky so you need to ensure that the exchange is fair. Typically a verbal or documented agreement is necessary before any action is taken.
After my various experiments with giving away my services to influencers, I learned people value what they pay for. Influencers are no different. One way to make people “pay” is by creating some exchange.”
Luis Congdon, CEO of Thriving Launch
For example, perhaps you know a scrub tech that really likes the way an instrument grips and can be handed off to a doctor in surgery. After the procedure, offer to help wheel the non-sterile equipment to central sterile while he writes a review. Make sure he agrees it is fair before proceeding.
Offer A Break
While you should be certain to follow all of the rules and regulations afforded in the Sunshine Act, you may also offer a small token of your appreciation for services rendered. A quick coffee break could grant a physician some time to jot down his thoughts for a review. A gift card or lunch treats could show some office staff that you value their feedback. These little gestures of thanks may be the best solution to get a product review in your hands quickly.
Post Your Reviews
Once you have them, share them, everywhere. Product reviews and customer testimonials benefit both the product and the reviewers. Post them on your website and social media pages. Print them onto product literature and brochures. Share them on product review websites like G2 Crowd. The more exposure they get, the more people will see it and that is a perk for everyone involved.
The Value of a Good Healthcare Product Review
If you are not yet convinced that a product review is worth the time and effort, consider this 2018 data from Brightlocal.com:
- 86% of consumers read reviews for local businesses (including 95% of people aged 18–34)
- Consumers read an average of 10 online reviews before feeling able to trust a local business
- 40% of consumers only take into account reviews written within the past 2 weeks — up from 18% last year
- 57% of consumers will only use a business if it has 4 or more stars
- 80% of 18–34 year olds have written online reviews — compared to just 41% of consumers over 55
- 91% of 18–34 year old consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations
- 89% of consumers read businesses’ responses to reviews
Healthcare products are typically not a purchase taken lightly and are heavily researched. Even healthcare buyers like doctors and hospital staff want to feel a connection to others during the purchasing process. Strong product reviews are key to the success of any healthcare product or service. Follow the steps above to ensure your process of obtaining product reviews goes quickly and smoothly.
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About the Author
Carevoyance contributor Sarah Pike, M.B.A., is a freelance marketing copywriter based in San Diego. She enjoys writing about business, fashion, food, healthcare, leadership, motivation and technology.
Originally published at Carevoyance.com.
