I’m frequently contacted by people who have products and services of relevance to my clients. For over 20+ years I have maintained a policy that I do not accept introducers fees or commissions – I simply broadcast and comment on good ideas.

You put a lot of effort into your marketing to get new patients in through the door, whether it be by digital/direct advertising or word of mouth. It can be hugely frustrating when the goose lays those golden eggs but you then lose them because your follow up systems are weak.

You may recall a post back in May when I visited The Dental Show and reported on some of the businesses I thought were worth a watch – one of those businesses was DenGro.

DenGro helps where I know a lot of practices struggle – keeping track of leads who are actively interested in dental treatment. Spreadsheets, pieces of paper, the receptionist’s head – I’ve seen many different ways in which practices manage, and heard so many similar stories – it’s time consuming; Principals don’t know what’s happening with leads; and there must be a better way of doing it.

At its core, DenGro is an online lead management tool developed specifically for the dental industry. Unlike some of the other more generic tools in the space, DenGro is built around dental treatments and caters for two distinct practice audiences; a simple system for front of house to use day-to-day; and a powerful business tool for Business Development Managers, TCO’s and Principals to understand more about what’s happening with marketing performance and ROI.

Now, after being in BETA for nearly a year with 100 practices in the UK, the next release of DenGro is available for public subscription – £49 per month to support lead management for a single treatment, or £99 a month to support the practice with unlimited treatments.

What do you get for your money? Well, an array of features that makes managing leads in practice much simpler, two highlights being; emails and text messages already written to nurture your leads, reflecting the treatments you offer; and a status and value of your entire lead pipeline, which is great for financial planning.

In terms of how it compares with other tools in the space, yes, Infusionsoft is undoubtedly more powerful and provides endless possibilities for automated patient communications, but there’s an investment required, not only financially but also in getting your team up to speed with using it. I’ve sometimes compared Infusionsoft to asking team members to take flying lessons in a Jumbo Jet when all you may need is a light aircraft.

Tools like Pipedrive are cheaper than Infusionsoft but are also more generic in their approach, so the practice needs to invest more time and have a certain level of marketing expertise in order to create value.

So why did I think that DenGro was one to watch? Well, in summary it’s doing what no one else in the space is – giving marketing and sales teams in dentistry a simple tool to manage and nurture leads through to conversion, in turn providing Principals with the numbers they need to make business decisions. And if there’s one thing I tell practices over and over again, it’s the importance of knowing your numbers.