Dental Relationship Marketing

Posts Tagged ‘tangiblemarketing’

Where is the absolute best place to market your practice right now? The answer is inside. Before you venture outside of your practice with direct mail or advertising, be sure you are maximizing the business you already have. Start off by seriously evaluating your case acceptance numbers. How many cases of treatment are you recommending, and how many are being accepted? Some practices are busy today despite the economy, and it’s easy to think busy equals profitable. Unfortunately this isn’t always true.

There is only one way to confirm how successful your case acceptance is and that is to read your data. What does your data say? Plain and simple, your key data = how many cases were presented, and how many were accepted? It is very important to point out that low case acceptance does not necessarily mean poor case presentation… in many situations low acceptance can be a direct result of failure to follow up. One of my mantras is, “The fortune is in the follow up”. Especially in this economy when patients are holding off on treatment, and possibly holding off for longer periods of time, it’s critical to follow up with patients regularly. Keep in touch, show you care, continue to communicate benefits, make yourself accessible, etc.

Remember dental needs that don’t hurt are easy for some to defer; however when you are top of mind and someone’s budget finally allows for either a new TV or the crown they need, chances are higher they will think twice before running out to buy the TV (especially if they just read an article in your newsletter about how procrastination costs patients more…). The most rewarding part of case acceptance marketing and training is the win-win benefit. The better your presentation and follow up, the more patients will pursue treatment and gain health and/or beauty- and the more cases accepted, the higher profits you and your practice will enjoy.

Need help? Call Rita at 303-807-3827 or visit TangibleMarketing.com

Popularity: 11% [?]

Most dentists and small business owners know they need to market… however where do you start? Do you invest a lot of time, money and energy into a comprehensive marketing plan? Should you hire someone to help or go it alone? So many questions arise and sometimes just the thoughts of marketing planning can be overwhelming. What if I told you it would be better not to invest too much time in planning? At least this is what some top consultants and coaches are saying…

A few months ago I had the pleasure of hearing, Douglas B. Reeves, Ph.D., internationally recognized consultant, entrepreneur and Harvard University Distinguished Author, speak at a local seminar. He said, “70% of strategic plans are never initiated.” Instead, he recommended a “One page strategy,” something that will inspire action. This concept seems to be a trend, just this week I heard a multi-million dollar marketing coach say she’s never had a marketing plan. Instead she evaluates her situation regularly and takes action as needed.

This by no means is meant to imply you should never plan or think ahead. If strategic and in-depth planning works for you, go for it. If it doesn’t work for you, if multi-page marketing plans stress you out or make you feel bad, then try the one-page plan strategy. Take at least one healthy action step at a time. One action step alone can be freeing and motivating. Then just keep going, just like riding a bike, if you want to get anywhere you need to keep pedaling and stay in action.

So, what are your plans for marketing implementation this January 2009?

Need help? Call Rita at 303-807-3827 or email rita@tangiblemarketing.com

Popularity: 1% [?]

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?

Popularity: 14% [?]

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” – Thomas A. Edison

Many dentists today realize the value of “wowing” patients during their standard two office visits per year; however few appreciate the value of connecting with patients throughout the year.

If you look to the specialists of dentistry, the oral surgeons, periodontists and orthodontists, you’d likely see examples of good relationship marketing (staying in touch with general dentists) throughout the year. If not, they’d likely not be able to maintain good communication, strong relationships or most importantly receive referrals from you. If you didn’t hear from the specialist more than twice a year, a general dentist might wonder if they are sending the wrong type of referral, if the specialist has become too busy, or perhaps wonder if they just don’t need – or want- your referrals any more. The same is true with patients of the general dentist…

Yes, staying in touch with patients throughout the year is work- it requires time, effort and investment. However the benefit you receive is increased referrals because patients:

Feel they have a relationship with you.
Sense you care.
Know you still want their business.
Believe you welcome their referrals.

How do you take advantage of referral marketing opportunities?

Are you looking for an effective way to stay in touch with your patients? Want friendly, authentic and proven marketing? Contact rita@tangiblemarketing.com to learn about our patient newsletter programs and keep your patients loyal, motivated for treatment and regularly referring.

Popularity: 1% [?]