HMDG’s Top 5 Tips for Leads and Funnels
Too many agencies sell “leads” as if they are the same as revenue. They are not. A funnel only matters if it converts into paying patients, not a spreadsheet of email addresses. This article is part of our Complete Guide to Marketing for Clinics. Below are five rules we use at HMDG to turn leads into actual patients.
1. Leads are not patients
This is the biggest con in healthcare marketing. Agencies love to shout about generating “leads” as if they are the same as revenue. They are not. A lead is just an email address or phone number. You cannot pay bills with contact details. Until someone books, attends, and pays, it is worthless. Celebrating lead numbers is like celebrating how many likes you got on a post. It looks good but means nothing. What matters is how many leads actually convert into paying patients. Anything else is vanity
2. Speed wins every time
Patients do not sit around waiting for you. They send enquiries to multiple clinics, and the first one to respond almost always wins. If you wait until the next morning, you have already lost them. Respond instantly, whether it is with a call, text, or automation. Even a quick acknowledgement can hold them until you follow up. Speed is not optional. It is the single biggest driver of conversions.
3. Qualify or waste your time
Not every lead deserves your time. Some are tyre-kickers, others are looking for a service you do not even provide. Chasing them is just admin that eats into your day. Build intake questions that filter for budget, availability, and need. That way you are not wasting hours on people who will never book. Qualifying properly means your team spends their time on genuine patients who will attend and pay.
4. Follow up more than once
Most clinics call once, get no answer, and give up. That is lazy. Patients are busy, not disinterested. They might be at work, with kids, or simply distracted. A proper follow-up sequence of calls, texts, and emails massively increases conversions. Ethical persistence is what separates clinics that get bookings from those that keep buying more and more leads.
5. Track where leads come from
Every patient should answer the question “How did you hear about us?” Without this, you cannot calculate ROI or make decisions about where to spend. Use tracking links, promo codes, and form fields to make it easier. If you do not know what marketing channel filled your diary last month, your funnel is broken and you are wasting money.
Leads without speed, qualification, and follow-up are worthless. Track where they come from, convert them properly, and ignore the vanity numbers. For the full framework, go back to our Complete Guide to Marketing for Clinics. Or carry on to the next chapter: Booking Systems for Clinics.