The correct answer is both mediums used together is best. Why? You might ask, “With so many marketing companies now offering e-newsletters, isn’t digital the best option?” The answer is no, for several reasons. Digital or e-communication (as much as I love it) cannot yet completely replace all the benefits of hardcopy.

Tangible newsletters allow people to experience news in a much different way than e-communication. Most importantly, hardcopies allow us to get away with longer articles, more photos and richer content than digital formats.

There is just something more sincere and warm about holding a tangible note, card or letter in your hands rather than scanning it on a screen… For similar reasons, highly personalized hardcopy newsletters are still key relationship and trust building tools.

At the end of the day, you want to be sure your patients have seen and absorbed all you have to convey. Ensure your marketing communication is achieving every important objective by including both email and hardcopy news in your 2009 marketing plan.

Need help with dental newsletters for yourself or your practice? Email rita@tangiblemarketing.com or call Rita (303) 807-3827.

On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being best, I rate Henry Schein® GURU a 10+. After years of personally presenting thousands of periodontal and dental implant cases to sometimes scared, financially challenged or “difficult” patients, I can say with confidence, “This consult tool is terrific and will begin to return on your investment from the moment you use it”. (No, I’m not employed by Henry Schein®. I just love practical solutions to long time problems).

A specific example of the power of GURU is… A patient is in need of a Sinus Augmentation. Ok, you can use all the good tangible visuals in the market and verbally explain it in succinct detail and still risk the patient not entirely understanding, or easily show the patient a brief animated program illustrating what happens to the sinus floor post tooth loss. GURU’s illustration is the best available in the market, I’ve already seen it cut down on the sinus augmentation explanation time and… bonus, the patient definitively “got it,” he understood exactly what his situation was and clearly saw what he needed to do about it- and scheduled surgery immediately post viewing the program.

There has never been a better visual of a sinus collapse or augmentation- at least that I’ve seen. Further, GURU’s visuals are friendly and professional, and the program is intuitively useful… there’s even an option to email the patient their personal treatment “program”. I love this tool and can’t wait to begin training my client’s teams to implement it in all appropriate facets of the practice.

What are your thoughts?

Are you constantly investing in new equipment or treatment training with the hope that this one new technology or skill will attract droves of new patients? Over the years I’ve seen many dentists spend thousands of dollars on technology like Cerec® or months of training to help enhance their already finely honed skills. These investments are certainly worthy in many cases; however they prove to be poor decisions when executed primarily for their marketing benefits. In other words, unfortunately, there is no one thing you can buy to definitively attract droves of new patients in an instant. Wouldn’t that be great, you could run out to the local Office Depot® and pick up a box of that instant “New Patient Marketing” and get results right away.

I’ve seen sales representatives touting the marketing benefits their new equipment or CE will provide… The reality is that patients are not likely to run out and tell ten of their friends that you are the only practice in town that can make a crown in one visit. Likewise, they aren’t likely to shout a declaration about the new implant skills you’ve recently acquired. Patients already expect that you will make their treatment as convenient and high quality as possible.

Are you a fine dentist offering high quality care? Then you should know… when it comes to getting new patients in the door – first and foremost – they need to find you. This is where traditional marketing comes in. Without the basic components: who you are, what is unique about you and where you are located, you cannot be found. In most cases, no piece of technology or enhanced skill can accomplish that for you. If new patient flow is what you need, start with practical traditional marketing. Invest in internal first, then external- it’s what works.

Are you avoiding marketing? Got feedback?

As consumers we are bombarded each day with thousands of advertising messages. This environment creates mind clutter which makes it hard for patients to remember to refer to you on a regular basis. In addition to providing exceptional service experiences, you can help your request for referrals to stick by making your message tangible.

Experts agree about 60% to 65% of the population are visual learners. These visual learners relate most effectively to written information, diagrams and pictures. Whether you illustrate your referral request in letters, postcards, business cards, CD’s, or emails, the moment you make your message visual or tangible you’ll help cut through the clutter, increase your effectiveness and your new patient referrals.

What makes your referral marketing memorable?

If you’re like many dental practices today you may be looking for ways to stimulate business… One tried and true tactic is a basic phone call. Placing courtesy calls to your existing patients for recall is one of the fastest, easiest and least expensive ways to get patients in the door.

Make it a fun challenge, get the whole team involved, and start placing calls to fill your schedule with healthy doses of production. Try using one of the following scripts:

Hello I’m calling from Dr Smith’s office as a friendly reminder that you are overdue for your cleaning/check-up/treatment, would you like to reserve an appointment… many of our patients are already reserving their appointments before years end to use their insurance benefits before they expire… Our schedule is filling up and I want to be sure we can get you in on time.

Let me know how this tactic works for you?

Many dentists realize the value of referrals, yet few communicate with their patients on a regular basis… This results not only in lost referrals, but also in lost case acceptance and sometimes lost patients.

Your patients are regularly receiving generic postcard offers from neighboring dental practices, each promoting a new special service, new technology or better location. The best way to ensure your patients are loyal, motivated and referring regularly is to keep in touch with them. Yes, excellent patient care is vital, but how often are you permitted to make someone’s day? Once or twice per year is not enough. Here are a few effective tips to follow up throughout the year:

• Email- few practices are collecting email addresses. While not every patient will elect to receive email from you, many will and this will allow you to communicate with patients inexpensively and quickly.
• Postcards- don’t bother sending patients a generic dental postcard- remember, they’ve likely already received dozens in their mailbox- instead, why not pick up colorful postcards from your favorite local town and have someone from your team write out a seasonal greeting (think summer destinations or great fall color drives).
• Newsletters- not your father’s newsletter! Despite our desire to interest patients in cutting edge dental technologies, most patients would rather read about you. More personal touch articles and less dental procedure will allow patients to feel like they have a real relationship with you.

The key to winning more referrals is to keep in touch with your patients, one quality follow up at a time.

]]> http://www.dentalrelationshipmarketing.com/2008/08/12/stop-losing-dental-patient-referrals/feed/ 0 http://www.dentalrelationshipmarketing.com/2008/07/23/who-should-sell-treatment-%e2%80%93-dentist-or-team-member/ http://www.dentalrelationshipmarketing.com/2008/07/23/who-should-sell-treatment-%e2%80%93-dentist-or-team-member/#comments Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:22:16 +0000 Rita Zamora http://tangiblemarketing.wordpress.com/?p=70

The correct answer is everyone should sell treatment in your office. By this I don’t mean you should have your entire team running about pitching and closing… Instead I mean your receptionist should be friendly and approachable, your assistant knowledgeable and inquisitive, your hygienist informative and compassionate, and the dentist a good listener with excellent questioning skills.

When it comes to treatment presentation, the best person to present treatment to patients is the person with the best people skills- technical skills are often only a small part of a successful presentation (this spoken from years of personal experience presenting hundreds of diagnosis and treatment recommendations to many times scared, financially challenged or “complicated” patients). In many cases the technicalities of treatment need not even be discussed. Most patients just want to the opportunity to ask specific questions and feel that they have been heard. Yes, there are some patients who absolutely need to see the doctor and learn about all the details. In those situations the doctor is best suited to see the patient. However many times I noticed patients felt more open to ask their “silly” questions and chit-chat with the team members- great trust building and bonding opportunities. It pays to remember the power of strong, healthy people skills when determining who will present treatment and fees for your practice.

Who handles case presentation in your practice?

A dentist recently asked if I thought using CD-Rom or video during case presentation was worthwhile… My answer, yes absolutely; however be sure to always ask the patient for permission first.

For example, ask the patient, “Would you like to see a brief animated video of the treatment? It is only about 3 minutes long however I think you’ll really find it beneficial?” By asking this way you inform the patient the program is animated (so they won’t say no thinking you might show them a horrible real life bloody surgical incision), you let them know it is only 3 minutes long (so they won’t think you’ll hold them hostage with a 30 minute video), and you also politely ask for their permission.

Introduce visual programs and ask for permission in this format- you’ll get patients motivated about their treatment, and help them to feel empowered as a part of their learning and decision process as well.

How do you introduce video programs to your patients during case presentation?

]]> http://www.dentalrelationshipmarketing.com/2008/07/22/video-during-dental-case-presentation-%e2%80%93-use-it-or-lose-it/feed/ 0 http://www.dentalrelationshipmarketing.com/2008/07/18/the-best-way-to-get-patients-to-buy/ http://www.dentalrelationshipmarketing.com/2008/07/18/the-best-way-to-get-patients-to-buy/#comments Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:50:49 +0000 Rita Zamora http://tangiblemarketing.wordpress.com/?p=47

Dr. Tony Alessandra, author of the book Collaborative Selling, says, “The commando approach to selling is obsolete. It does not foster referrals, references, repeat business, word-of-mouth advertising, customer satisfaction, or good will.” Once effective ways of selling, pitching and closing, are ineffective with today’s buyers… Instead, patients want to buy from people they feel they have relationships with. Patients want to feel confident that you have heard what they need to say and that you can fulfill their needs. Before they buy, they want to trust you.

The most common question I hear from dentists is, “What should I tell people so they’ll trust me faster?” The answer is not what you should tell, rather it is what you should ask. Telling is pitching- an old school sales tactic. Asking open-ended questions allows the patient to open up and speak what is on their mind. The more the patient shares, the more trust they are building with you. This provides a more pleasant decision-making environment for the patient and makes selling easier for you.

Have you decided against attending a seminar or CE course because you “already know what the course is going to cover?” I’m guilty of this myself… reviewing a program schedule and thinking, “I already know all this stuff”. That is until recently when I learned that most adult learners will likely retain – at best- about 75% of what they’re taught. In fact, if you sat in a class and just listened to a speaker talk, you might only retain about 10%. Take notes during class and you may retain about 50%. Get involved in discussion and actively participate in the course and your learning potential increases.

Recently I attended a course where an attendee told the speaker she liked the analogies he used this time versus the way he explained things in a previous class. The speaker chuckled and said, “I haven’t changed my material. You’ve just changed the way you are listening today.” Experiencing material from a different speaker, presentation format, venue or state of mind allows you to learn something new or different. The one nugget you need to know about business, marketing, leadership or clinical skills could be discovered when you give life-long learning a chance.