To book demos with medical clinics in Australia, call the practice manager, who usually owns software decisions, and time calls outside reception and patient arrival peaks. Expect switching fears about the incumbent practice software, so lead with how your product fits the current setup. Allied health and dental clinics differ: owners often run the practice and make the call themselves.
This guide covers healthtech sales in Australia for teams selling software to GP clinics, allied health, dental and specialist practices. Our role: Nousu books meetings and runs calling. We are not field reps, our callers make no therapeutic or clinical claims, do not promote prescription medicines, and your team runs the product conversation and the demo.
Who actually makes the decision when you book demos with medical clinics?
In most GP clinics, the practice manager. They run the software, the staff who use it and the vendor relationships, and they bring the owners in for sign-off.
| Role | What they own | How to reach them |
|---|---|---|
| Practice manager | Software choice and administration, workflow, staff adoption | Outside reception peaks; ask which days they work, as many are part-time or cover several sites |
| Practice owners and principal GPs | Final sign-off, cost and clinical workflow concerns | Through the practice manager, or between sessions at an agreed time |
| Clinic group operations lead | Multi-site systems, rollout and integration | Business hours, direct or by booked callback |
| Allied health or dental owner | Often every decision, as owner and clinician | Between appointments, at a time the front desk suggests |
Practice manager sales works best when you treat the manager as the buyer, not a filter. If they like the product, they'll bring it to the owners. If you go around them, they'll stop it.
When is the best time to call a medical clinic?
Mid-morning after the first patient rush, and early afternoon once the lunch break is over. The worst times are opening, the start of each session and late afternoon.
Practice managers often do admin at the same times each week, so ask reception which days they're in and when they're least busy. Our guide to the best time to cold call in Australia covers the general windows and legal hours; in clinics, the appointment book decides. In our experience, accreditation periods are a poor time to start a software conversation, so ask and diarise.
How do you get past clinic reception?
Reception is managing patients, phones and the waiting room at once. Say who you are and why in one sentence, and ask for a time, not a transfer.
"Hi, it's (your name) from (your company). I'm calling for the practice manager about (topic, for example how appointment reminders are handled). Are they in today, or is there a better day to call?"
If asked what it's about: "It's about the practice's (workflow) software, not anything clinical. I'd like to see if a short demo would be useful to them. When do they usually catch up on admin?"
If the manager is busy: "No problem. Could you tell me the best time to reach them, and would it be OK to email them a short note in the meantime?"
For allied health: "I know the owner is probably with a client. When is a good gap between appointments to call back?"
More scripts are in our guide to getting past the gatekeeper.
What opener works with practice managers?
One that names a workflow the manager deals with every week, acknowledges the current system and asks one question.
"Hi Michelle, it's Alex from (your company). I'm calling because we help practices with (workflow, for example online bookings and reminders), and it works alongside the practice software you already use. Is (workflow) something you'd like to spend less time on this year?"
Practice managers screen most vendor calls because they assume the pitch ends in a data migration. Saying "works alongside" in the first breath removes that fear before it is raised, and the question is about their own week, not your feature list.
What objections will you hear from medical clinics?
Most are about the risk of change, not the product. Respond to the fear, then ask for a short demo.
| Objection | What it really means | Response |
|---|---|---|
| "We're happy with our current system." | Switching feels risky; the pain isn't big enough yet. | "Most practices we speak to are. Does (workflow) take more staff time than it should?" |
| "Changing software is too hard." | Fear of data migration, retraining and downtime. | "That's fair. This works with your current system, so nothing is replaced. Would a short demo help you judge the effort?" |
| "Send me an email." | Busy, or not convinced. | "Happy to. Is this the best address, and what should I focus it on?" |
| "The doctors decide that." | The manager needs owner support first. | "Makes sense. Would it help if the demo covers what the owners would need to see?" |
How do you follow up a "not now" from a clinic?
Find out what sits behind it first: clinic "not now" answers are usually about accreditation, a staff gap or a recent software change. Then agree a callback, ask permission to email and follow up over two weeks.
- Same day, email: a short note on what the demo would cover and two suggested times.
- Next working day, LinkedIn: connect with the practice manager, no pitch.
- Middle of week one, phone: call at the agreed time, outside reception peaks.
- End of week one, email: answer the switching question directly: what changes, what doesn't, how long setup takes.
- Middle of week two, phone: call again, or ask reception for a better day.
- End of week two, phone: last call. If it's still "not now", log the reason and book the callback.
Follow-up emails must meet the Spam Act 2003: consent, a clear sender and a working unsubscribe. Some allied health owners use a personal mobile for the business, and personal mobiles can be on the Do Not Call Register, so wash your list. Our Australian cold calling laws guide explains the rules. This is general information, not legal advice.
What counts as a qualified demo with a clinic?
The right practice, the right buyer, a relevant workflow need, an agreed demo purpose and confirmed attendance. Note the current software, the practice type and whether the owners need to join. Our guide on how an outbound agency defines a qualified meeting has a template. If you also sell to other industries, our guide to booking SaaS demos by phone covers the general approach.
Should you book demos with medical clinics in-house or outsource it?
In-house suits a team with spare SDR capacity and a small target list. Outsourcing suits teams that need consistent calling across many clinics without hiring.
| Option | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| In-house | Deep product knowledge; full control over messaging | Clinic calling is slow, callback-heavy work; hiring and ramping an SDR takes months |
| Outsourced | Callers used to reception and practice managers; daily calling and tracked callbacks; demos handed over with notes | Callers don't run demos or answer clinical questions; needs a clear brief and a minimum term |
See how we book demos for healthtech teams and our pricing.
How does Nousu compare?
Nousu Collective's senior callers all work in-house in Sydney. We call practice managers and owners across GP, allied health, dental and specialist clinics and book demos for your team, each with a handover brief. Pricing starts at $7,000 a month (ex GST), with the exact fee quoted after a 30-minute call. The initial term is 3 months, then rolling monthly, and first calls are 2 weeks from sign-off. Most campaigns book about 8 qualified meetings a month once running, within a range of 6 to 20, and from month two an agreed meeting floor applies, with a credit for every meeting short.
Frequently asked questions
Who decides on software in a medical clinic? In most GP clinics, the practice manager chooses and runs the software, then brings the owners or principal GPs in for sign-off. In clinic groups, an operations lead often owns multi-site systems. In allied health and dental, the owner is often the clinician and makes the decision directly.
How do you sell software to GP clinics? Call the practice manager outside reception peaks, name a workflow they handle every week and show early that your product works with their current practice software. Ask for a short demo rather than a decision, then follow up over two weeks by phone, email and LinkedIn.
How do you handle fears about switching practice software? Address them directly. Practice managers worry about data migration, retraining staff and downtime. If your product works alongside the incumbent system, say so in the opener. If it replaces it, explain what changes, what doesn't and how setup works before asking for the demo.
When is the best time to call a practice manager? Mid-morning after the first patient rush, or early afternoon after lunch. Avoid opening and the start of each session. Many practice managers are part-time or cover several sites, so ask reception which days they're in and when they usually catch up on admin.
Are allied health and dental clinics different to GP clinics? Yes. In allied health the owner is often a clinician with back-to-back appointments, so call between appointments at a time the front desk suggests. Dental practices often have a practice manager and a principal dentist who decide together, while corporate dental groups usually decide centrally.
Will your callers run the demo? No. Nousu books meetings and runs calling. We are not field reps, our callers make no therapeutic or clinical claims, do not promote prescription medicines, and your team runs the product conversation and the demo. Callers hand over each demo with notes on the buyer, need and timing.
Sources
- Federal Register of Legislation, Telecommunications (Telemarketing and Research Calls) Industry Standard 2017: https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2017L00323/asmade/2017-03-28/text/original/epub/OEBPS/document_1/document_1.html
- Do Not Call Register, Industry standards (calling hours, identification and calling line identification): https://www.donotcall.gov.au/industry/industry-overview/industry-standards
- Do Not Call Register, Industry guide (business numbers can't be registered; personal numbers can): https://www.donotcall.gov.au/media/1212/dncr-industry-guide.pdf
- Federal Register of Legislation, Spam Act 2003: https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2004A01214/latest/text
- Nousu call data: 218,000+ dials into Australian businesses, November 2024 to April 2026, published in Inside 200,000 Cold Calls.
Book a 30-minute call
Selling software to clinics? Book a 30-minute call with Harry Constant, our founder, and we'll talk through practice managers, segments and timing for your product.