The Secret Shopper That Changed Everything

The Patient Whisperers
Feb 1
4 min read

Why This Exercise Should Be on Your Radar to Hit Your 2025 Goals

As published in the February 2025 issue of Administrative Eyecare. To subscribe or view the entire publication, visit their website.

We vividly remember the secret shopper we had done in our own practice. Little did we know that it would become a pivotal moment that would define not only our next level of success in practice but also continue to drive our passion for team training as The Patient Whisperers to this day.

We were shocked by gaps we were blind to, training and process deficiencies, and opportunities that weren't even on our radar when it came to how someone felt when viewing us online and inquiring for more information. It's not that we weren't doing our job, we were just too busy with the day-to-day, hat-juggling act we did to put out fires and keep our busy practice running. (We’re sure you also know this delightful dance all too well!)

We didn't have time to be objective or the advantage of fresh eyes. We’re not going to lie, it felt a little painful to see these gaps, but that was quickly erased by relief. There was relief that in this one exercise, we'd identified exactly (1) what changes would make the biggest impact on the patient experience, (2) where to focus our time, energy, and resources for the best return, and (3) how to bring our revenue numbers up quickly and sustainably through higher conversions at every stage of the interest funnel and inquiry process.

Now that was a great feeling. Those are the three reasons a secret shopper should be on your radar too (we recommend every year ideally). Trust us, it will make your life easier. We know because what happened next was incredible:

We pivoted and added over $1 million in just one year through new emotion-focused social media, website landing pages, and inquiry call, text, and email follow-up strategies (with no added marketing spend!)
Our premium patient lead-to-consultation rate reached an average of 72% by focusing on our phone team with soft skills training and our premium IOL conversion rate increased to an unbelievable 80%.

It was vulnerable to step back and see our practice through the critical eyes of someone who was judging us on their first-time interaction, yet that’s exactly what happens when a potential patient is considering what you offer. The sting was worth the perspective.

Warren Buffett said, “Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing wrong.” We couldn’t agree more.

When was the last time you had a secret shopper done on your practice? If your answer isn’t ‘never,’ was it by someone who could be objective from the outside, looking in? Was it by an expert in what today's online consumer wants and the premium patient's emotional decision-making journey? If the answer is no, this is your sign to make it happen. Now is the time to use this feedback to empower you to change what matters most now for real results in 2025.

See your practice through the eyes of your potential patient.
Understand the emotions that drive their decisions.
Find out where you're losing them in the 'funnel of interest'.
Feel confident in what to DO to see real results.

Hang on, why is it important to appeal to our potential patient's emotions? Today's consumer researches you online and judges you by that first impression on your website, social media, phone call, text, or email. When you’re losing people bit by bit through that process, it’s tragic to think of how many of them started off curious but dropped off and never made it through your doors.

If you know us, you know we love data! Consumer studies back up the psychology of emotional decision-making. Not only does it feel good to prioritize our patients' emotions, it makes better business sense too!

95% of spending decisions occur in the emotional area of the brain.(1)
If they don’t find what they’re looking for in about five seconds, 61% of people will go to another site.(2)
Emotional vs rational marketing performs twice as well (31% vs 16%) for a higher return on investment.(3)
90% of Americans report using their customer service experience as a deciding factor when choosing whether to do business with a company.(4)

Now that we do secret shoppers for others, (no judgment, remember - we can relate!) here’s what we see the most that is costing a sickening amount of revenue:

Weak brand differentiators online (losing to the competition)
Social media that’s missing authentic personality and nurtures interest (stagnant audience)
Ads that don’t resonate (views but low clicks)
Factual vs. emotional messaging (half as effective in consumer studies!)
Landing pages that overwhelm or cool interest (clicks but low leads)
Slow response time/difficult to reach someone (leads that go cold)
Polite, but reactive vs proactive phone reps (leads that don’t schedule)
No or unhelpful follow-up (low lead to consultation conversions)

At every point of conversion (the patient’s decision to continue or tap out), we can find opportunities to increase our bottom line and elevate patient experiences simply by putting ourselves in the shoes of our patient and understanding the emotions that drive their decisions.

If you are ready to make the most of every ad dollar you spend, turn frustration (why are 'impressions' and 'clicks' in your online reports not turning into a full schedule?) into confidence and clarity, win the comparison game every time, and see your schedule fill up for 2025, make a secret shopper your priority for January. Let’s hit our big goals for this year!

REFERENCES