Most clinics that try to grow through paid marketing run into the same problem. An agency delivers clicks and messages, charges for them regardless of outcome, and leaves the clinic to do the actual work of converting a lead into a patient who shows up. Delia Global’s co-investment model works differently. Delia’s own marketing and sales team generates and qualifies patient leads at its own cost, and only takes a share of revenue once a patient has actually been treated.
This distinction matters because it changes who carries the risk. Under a standard agency arrangement, the clinic pays upfront for lead volume and absorbs the loss if those leads never convert. Under co-investment, Delia absorbs the marketing cost first, which means Delia has a direct incentive to bring qualified patients rather than raw volume.
This article covers how the model is structured, what a clinic contributes versus what Delia contributes, who this model tends to fit, and how it differs from Delia Global’s separate referral network, since the two are often confused.
Quick Answer
Delia Global’s co-investment model means Delia’s marketing and sales team generates and qualifies patient leads at its own cost, in exchange for a share of revenue once patients are actually treated. The partner clinic contributes the facility and clinical team. Unlike a marketing agency, payment is tied to realized patients, not clicks or messages.
Why Marketing Agencies Fall Short for Clinic Growth
In competitive markets such as the Philippines or Indonesia, many clinic owners have little choice but to work with marketing agencies to generate patient interest. The structural issue is that most agencies are only accountable for lead volume, not for whether that volume ever becomes a paying patient. A large share of generated leads amounts to little more than clicks or form submissions, and the clinic still has to cold call, follow up, and persuade prospects to actually walk through the door, a process that converts only a small fraction of the leads paid for.
This is the gap co-investment is built to close. Instead of a clinic buying access to an audience and hoping it converts, Delia takes on both the marketing spend and the sales follow up, and is compensated based on patients who are treated rather than leads who were contacted.
How the Co-Investment Model Actually Works
The basic structure has two sides. Delia funds and runs the patient acquisition side, meaning digital marketing, lead qualification, and a dedicated team responsible for calling, nurturing, and booking prospective patients into the clinic for an examination. The partner clinic contributes the facility, the clinical team, and the ability to actually deliver the treatment once a patient arrives. Revenue is shared once a patient is treated, rather than being paid out for leads or appointments alone.
Because Delia’s team is paid from a share of realized treatment revenue rather than a flat fee for marketing services, the incentive is aligned toward bringing patients who are likely to accept treatment, not simply patients who are cheap to acquire. The exact revenue split and any minimum commitment terms are set per partnership rather than published as a fixed rate, since they depend on treatment mix, expected patient volume, and the clinic’s existing capacity.
Who Bears What: A Side by Side View
A traditional marketing agency is paid for delivering leads or clicks, regardless of whether those leads ever become patients, which means the clinic carries the conversion risk entirely on its own. Under Delia’s co-investment model, Delia funds the marketing and sales effort upfront and is compensated only when a lead becomes a treated patient, which shifts a meaningful portion of that conversion risk onto Delia rather than the clinic.
This difference is also why co-investment is not simply a rebranded referral service. A referral sends a lead to a clinic and the relationship largely ends there. Co-investment involves an ongoing, funded acquisition function that continues working the same pipeline from first contact through to the patient sitting in the chair.
What Makes a Clinic a Good Fit
This model assumes a clinic already has the clinical capacity to absorb additional patients, meaning available chair time, a qualified team, and the ability to deliver consistent treatment quality once patients arrive. What it solves is not a shortage of clinical skill but a shortage of a functioning marketing and sales engine, or a clinic that has one but finds it inconsistent and expensive to run internally.
Clinics that get the most value from this structure are typically ones where growth is currently capped by patient volume rather than by treatment capability. A clinic that is already fully booked, or one that lacks the clinical infrastructure to take on more patients regardless of how many walk in, is not a strong fit for this specific model, since co-investment addresses demand generation, not clinical capacity itself. Clinics operating on standardized clinical protocols tend to integrate more smoothly, since a predictable patient experience is part of what protects the acquisition investment on Delia’s side.
How This Differs From Delia Global’s Referral Network
Delia Global also operates a separate referral arrangement, covered in detail in Partnering with Delia Global: A Better Model for International Dental Referrals, where Delia routes qualified leads to a partner clinic on a case by case basis. That model is closer to a routing function. A lead is identified, matched to a suitable partner clinic, and passed along, with revenue shared per case.
Co-investment is a broader, more sustained commitment. Instead of individual leads being routed as they come in, Delia’s acquisition team runs an ongoing pipeline specifically built around a partner clinic’s capacity and treatment focus, functioning closer to an embedded growth function than a one off introduction. Which structure fits better depends on whether a clinic wants occasional qualified referrals or an ongoing, dedicated acquisition effort tied to its own growth targets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there an upfront fee to join the co-investment model? Structure and terms are set per partnership and confirmed directly with Delia Global’s business partnership team, since they depend on the clinic’s treatment mix and expected volume rather than following a single published fee.
How long is a typical commitment period? Commitment length is agreed as part of the partnership terms rather than fixed in advance, and is discussed directly with Delia Global before a clinic signs on.
Can a clinic choose which types of patients it receives? Patient matching is generally aligned to a clinic’s stated treatment focus and capacity, so clinics are not expected to accept cases outside their scope, though the specifics are confirmed during partnership discussions.
Is revenue shared on every patient the clinic treats, or only ones sourced through Delia? The revenue share applies specifically to patients acquired through Delia’s marketing and sales effort under the partnership, not to a clinic’s existing patient base.
Does a clinic have to use Delia Global’s training or CRM system to participate? They are separate pillars of Delia Global’s partnership offering rather than a requirement, though clinics running on more standardized clinical and operational processes tend to convert acquired patients more consistently.
How is this different from simply hiring a local marketing agency? The main difference is where the financial risk sits. An agency is typically paid for delivering leads regardless of outcome. Co-investment ties Delia’s compensation to patients who are actually treated, which means the incentive is on conversion rather than volume alone.
Final Thoughts
Co-investment works best for clinics that already have the clinical capability to treat more patients but lack a consistent, well funded way to bring them in the door. It is not a substitute for clinical capacity, and it is a different commitment than the case by case referral arrangement Delia Global also offers. Clinics considering either option are better served by comparing what they actually need, occasional qualified referrals or a sustained acquisition partnership, before deciding which structure to pursue.
Clinics interested in exploring whether their capacity and treatment focus fit the co-investment model can contact Delia Global’s business partnership team directly to discuss terms and next steps.
