Here’s what happens in most of the practices that I visit. Priority #1 – let’s try and find some strangers to come and see us Priority #2 – let’s try and get some referrals from our existing patients Priority #3 – let’s try and sell additional treatment to our existing patients Enormous sums of money
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The marketing channels through which you attract new patients have undergone a dramatic shift in priority over the last 20 years. Recognising this and taking appropriate action is mission critical in the development of your practice growth plan. Here’s how things have changed: 1995 2005 2015 Direct Marketing 66% 51% 15% Word of Mouth 34%
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OK, that’s all done, so now it’s time to just pop next door for a quick clean with our lovely hygienist Mary   The word “just” creeps into our vocabulary for the wrong reasons. We think that by adding “just” to a sentence we make things seem simpler, easier and, therefore, more likely to be
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In the heyday of The Dental Business School workshops, I used to make a politically incorrect joke about the long-suffering male Dental Principal who returns home after a hard day at the practice to hear the words: “I bought these shoes in the sale. They should have been £120. I got them for £80. I
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I finished the New York marathon in 2011 so exhausted that I hired a rickshaw owner to take me back to my hotel – this gave me the opportunity to realise just how hard these people work. Then again….. I meet many small business owners (dentistry included) who find a variety of reasons to ride
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Here are some top tips: Send by email – print media is dead. Send monthly – less frequently and you will not get noticed. Avoid jargon and clinical stuff – people don’t care how much you know. Talk about your team – include examples of what they are up to, professionally and personally. Talk about
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A frog will not eat, even if surrounded by food. That’s because the frog has evolved to “strike” whenever it sees something small enough to be an insect, that moves like an insect. The frog is easily fooled by size and movement, starved by the lack of the same. You and I have the same
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The clue is in the name – to criticise. Interesting to hear Seth Godin say that he NEVER reads critiques of his books because: nobody ever improved their writing by reading a 1-star review on Google Not to say that you should ignore feedback – it can often be grounding. The issue is whether the
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In the top of the hour-glass is all the money you spend on branding, interior design, equipment and marketing. In the neck of the hour-glass is your reception and front desk team. In the bottom of the hour-glass is all the dentistry that you deliver and all the referrals you will ever get. There are
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