|
News You Can Use from New Patients, Inc.
|
|
Dear
Howie Horrocks,
Getting high
quality new patients to call your practice is what our company has been
all about for the last 18 years. The purpose for these
periodic newsletters is to give helpful marketing advice that will
assist you in building your practice. And to share news about new ways
to market your practice. In this issue we have articles by Mark
Dilatush and me.
We are also
happy to have a guest author for this issue - Vicki McManus from
The Productive Dentist Academy.
Enjoy!
Warm regards,
Howie
|
You're Selling
Stuff - but what are people really buying from you?
By William Howard (Howie) Horrocks
|
|
 I've
been a big fan of Seth Godin's for years. I recently read his All Marketers are Liars
volume. A remarkable book. I actually read it 4 times cover to
cover!
I thought it remarkable for two reasons - one is that he says what I've
been trying to say for years. And two, is that he takes a subject -
marketing - which just might be the most studied and written about
subject in human history, and actually contributes a bunch of new
insights. (Dang, just when I thought I knew it all!)
While we all like to read or listen to things that support what we
already believe ("yeah I already knew that") it's very
refreshing to get a deeper insight or a whole new perspective into what
you already believed.
Example; I've known for a long time that infusing emotionality into
your marketing is very important. You aren't usually successful by
concentrating on "just the facts, ma'am" (hat tip to Sgt. Joe
Friday). Your reader or listener must make some emotional connection to
your product or service or they will treat it just like any other
product or service - i.e., they will ignore it.
Mr. Godin tells a story of a woman who is buying a pair of designer
shoes - Puma's to be exact. They cost $125 a pair (and are made in
China for about 3 bucks). Is she concerned about arch support,
durability or even comfort? Nah, she's thinking how hot she will look
in these expensive shoes, the message she will be sending to others
about how hip she is and how cool her friends will think she is when
they see her in them. All this of course is Puma's exact intention.
The shoe salesman may think he's selling her shoes, but from her
perspective that's not what she's buying. She's buying how the shoes
make her feel.
Substitute "shoes" with "a filled tooth" or "a
set of veneers" or "a crown." Same thing. You may think
you're selling them a crown but they aren't really buying a crown per
se. They are buying how the crown will make them feel about
their health and appearance. They might also be buying because the
dentist and the practice is really cool and makes them feel
special.
From your patient's perspective the experience and the way it makes
them FEEL IS
the product. Not the porcelain thingy.
The following gets a bit metaphysical, but see if this hits you like a
thunderbolt as it did me: Mr. Godin says (with some additions from me
in parenthesis):
"The product (the shoes, the widget, the white teeth) is simply a
souvenir of your trip to the store (practice) and a reminder of how you
felt when
you bought it."
Emotions in marketing are waaay important. Apparently we are all
emotion junkies and usually won't buy anything unless the widget feeds
our habit the right way.
Just wanted to share.
Howie
Find more Seth Godin at his website: http://www.sethgodin.com/sg/
I highly recommend him and his books.
Mr. Horrocks is the author of two dental bestsellers,
Unlimited New Patients, Volume One, and Unlimited New Patients, Volume
Two; Trade Secrets of America's Dental Marketing Guru. His agency, New
Patients, Inc. produces advertising campaigns for private dental
practices all over the US and Canada. For more information call (866)
336-8237 or on the web at www.newpatientsinc.com
|
|
|
|
 Before
you get all excited and run out to buy a "flat" of Krispy
Kreme's - I am not talking about adding to your personal weight. As if
you would listen to me and immediately react, right?
No. What I propose is that you spend just a bit of time and a
small/tiny amount of money in 2009 to add to your marketing weight, or
"marketability."
Adding to your
marketability will almost certainly provide positive impact. But
you can't do everything, so where do you start? I am glad you
asked. Here is my short list:
Conveniences:
Do you actually think that 8 to 5pm is convenient? That's because it is
convenient for you. Look around you. Ask 5 dentists you know when the busiest
parts of their days are. They will all tell you the same thing. Early
mornings, right around lunch, and late afternoons/evenings are by FAR
the busiest times. What does that tell you? I know what it tells me. It
tells me if you added a couple more early morning hours and a couple
evening hours (after 5pm), you would have something very compelling to
present to the local market. What might be more important to a busy
executive couple - a $99 introductory offer, or, an available 6pm
appointment to meet their new dentist for the first time?
Kids: I
hear it all the time, "I don't really like working with
kids." OK. Ignore the #1 recession proof segment of
dentistry during a recession. Just don't come back to me and complain
that you aren't getting enough "new families" into your
practice. Kids are usually the FIRST family member to engage a new
dental practice. Mom brings the child in for care. Mom likes the care,
the atmosphere, the relationship with the doctor and team. Mom books
appointment for herself. Mom then drags hubby kicking and screaming
about 6 months later. You know the drill (no pun intended)! You don't
have to "niche" the practice with an all out pedo message,
you should just "mention" that you work with children and
children love coming to your dental practice. You can still refer some
patients to the pedodontist. Nobody is saying you have to treat every
last one of them. The question is, do YOU want to control the process?
By the time that pedodontist returns the favor and refers the kid back
at age 16 or 18 - what are the chances that mom is going to recommend
them going to a new dentist (you) rather than the dentist she goes to?
Think about it. How many of you get an equal number of referrals FROM
the pedodontist? What happened to all those kids? Surely they didn't
ALL move away!
Ortho/6 Month
Braces: Ortho in general is recession resistant.
So, if you are looking to bone up on your ortho skills, this is a great
opportunity. There is a subset to ortho called 6 Month Ortho, or 6
Month Smiles. You can find out more about it by clicking here. Dr. Ryan Swain is the founder and the
main man at 6 Month Smiles. You can reach Dr. Swain here SixMonthSmiles@gmail.com
A new smile in 6 months using braces is a BIG deal to prospective new
patients. Look at it sort of like sedation dentistry with fearful
patients. Fearful patients put off getting their work done out of fear
right? Many ortho patients put off (or never get work done) because of
the "fear" of wearing braces for 3 or 4 years! Don't most of
us want quicker, faster results? Well, NPI has about 50 to 60 clients
that have already gone through Dr. Swain's course. We see how
marketable this segment is.
Kor - Deep
Bleaching™: This is about as close to a no-brainer
as you can get. Every one of you is either hesitant or ticked off at
whatever whitening system you are using. Ever had a patient call you
that evening or the next day because of sensitivity? Ever had a patient
complain that they weren't as white as they thought they'd be? Ever
had patients complain about both?
Here's the deal: Back in '99 or 2000 (I don't remember exactly
when), dentists all over the place were calling or emailing me
complaining about over the counter whitening. "How could these big
companies let us down like that? We are the one's who administer
whitening products to our patients!"
Back then, I
just smiled and said something calming...... Now fast forward to 2009.
You've got millions of people out there that spent $40 for a BAD
result. The big companies have created a GIGANTIC market pool of people
looking for a solution to a problem!
I am not a dentist, but I have seen the results. I have clients all
over the US that SWEAR by the results they get. Jump on this bandwagon
- now. You can learn more about it here.
SPECIAL NOTE:
Vicki McManus from The Productive Dentist Academy has written an
article that follows this article. I have had the privilege of
attending Productive Dentist Academy events in the past. They are
absolutely top notch. I have known Vicki McManus for almost 20 years. I
am honored to be an integral part of their 2009 Marketing Summit
This is a "roll up your sleeves" and "get to work"
event. Believe me; I will put you to work. You will leave this
event with certainty, direction, and clarity as it pertains to
promoting your own dental practice. I hope to meet you there.
Mr. Dilatush has
a unique combined background in dental technology, dental practice
management, practice marketing, and dental business analytics, which
was built over the past 23 years in dentistry. He and his team are
responsible for building client marketing plans that pose the least
risk to client marketing budgets with the highest potential return.
Howard Farran said of Mark, "multitudes of dentists have benefited
from the wisdom and integrity that Mark brings to every project. His
thoughtfulness and sincere approach has aided scores of dentists in
finding their path to greater dental success.
|
|
Marketing your
Practice in Good Times and Bad
|
|
By Vicki
McManus
According to Dun
and Bradstreet, 48% of all business failings can be attributed to
ineffective marketing. At no time does that statistic become more
evident than during rough economic times.
Staying committed to marketing through good times and bad is critical
to building long-term success in your practice. If you've been doing
that, then the current anemic economy has probably not affected your
practice at all or to the same degree as your colleagues' practices.
The majority of
dentists, however, tend to take a shotgun approach to marketing. They
"turn up the heat" when production is down, perhaps doing a
one-time direct mail campaign, taking out an ad in the local paper, or
building a website, hoping that these actions alone will improve new
patient flow.
Marketing,
however, is far more reaching than these limited, disjointed
applications (and rarely effective when employed in this manner), and
must become an integrated and ongoing part of every aspect of your
practice.
To measure your marketing savvy, ask yourself these questions:
1.
What percentage of your budget should you allocate to marketing?
2.
How do you measure return on investment on marketing dollars?
3.
How many Raving Fans have you created?
4.
What is the best media to get your message to the public?
5.
What steps are you taking on a consistent basis to build your
reputation and become the 'dental expert' in your local
area?
6.
How will you grow your practice in a shrinking economy?
"A typical dentist spends about 1-2% on marketing with staff
overhead of about 28-32%," says Dr. Bruce Baird, founder of the
Productive Dentist Academy. "In our practice, we spend 8% on
marketing with total labor costs of 17-18%. Marketing aggressively and
increasing revenues drives all of our fixed overhead costs down and our
profits up," adds Dr. Baird who produces $2,300/hour in good
economic times and bad.
Once educated to the need for ongoing marketing, it's important to cut
through the massive amount of misinformation and discover the path that
is best suited for you and your practice.
"We work with doctors across the country who are
spending lots of money on all the wrong things. Executing the elements
of a plan in the wrong order, or dropping your commitment to the plan
when times are tough, will kill marketing's effectiveness,"
explains Mark Dilatush, VP of New Patients, Inc.
Though the principles of marketing are eternal, the vehicles that
deliver your messages change over time. Dentists who become complacent
get blindsided by new media. Today, 57% of the population sends text
messages on a regular basis. This technology did not even exist 10
years ago! Is your practice keeping up with new marketing trends? Ask
yourself:
Do you REALLY know which of your promotions work?
Do REALLY know if your website is paying off?
Are we using video testimonials to reach out beyond our website?
What % of our patients confirm their appointments via email?
Are we putting technology to work for us to reduce
account receivables and increase collections?
If you want to
learn more about marketing in both good times and bad, attend the
upcoming Marketing Summit on May 29-30, 2009 in Dallas, Texas. During
this program, you will work side-by-side with industry experts to build
a customized 12-month marketing plan specifically for your practice.
You will also receive a free demographic and competitive analysis for
your specific area. Click here for more information or to register http://productivedentist.com/Marketing_Summit.
|
|
First Impression
Video (tm) from New Patients, Inc. Customized video for your website!
|
|
First
Impression Video by New Patients, Inc.
is a way for potential new patients to actually meet you when they
visit your website for the first time. This GREATLY reduces the barrier
of distrust and begins the process of "trust." Trust is the
first thing you have to accomplish when you want to attract new
patients. You can convey this with words but that can only take you so
far.
Think about it.
Let's say you need some kind of medical care. Your physician refers you
to three specialists and gives you their websites so you can go home
and look for yourself. Two of those sites are all text and maybe a
poorly done educational (too long) video.
But on one of
the sites, the doctor him/her self immediately introduces
themselves to you and directs you to other points of interest on their
website. When you click on those other points of interest, they (or
someone else from their office) pop up again and help you with timely
information.
Which one of the
three specialists are you most likely going to call first for a
consult?
Now let's say
you weren't referred but you're just searching for a new dentist, which
dentist would you most likely call for the first consult?
Now you
understand the main benefit of First Impression Video. You are going to
convert more of your website visitors into more new patients!
After all, what's the use in having lots of web traffic, if you don't
convert that traffic into new patients?
To
learn more about First Impression Video, email Mark at
markd@newpatientsinc.com, or, call us
at 866.336.8237.
You can also visit our website and download a First
Impression brochure. Go to www.newpatientsinc.com
and click on the First Impression link at the top right.
|
We hope you've
enjoyed our newsletter. Please let us know if there's a particular
subject you'd like to hear about. And we always appreciate your
feedback.
Howie
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Marketing
Plan Built For Your Practice
|
|
We will prepare a customized marketing plan for your practice
which includes:
- Demographics report
- Complete budget
- Marketing plan
Absolutely No Cost or Obligation (and you won't be hounded
with sales calls).
|
|
New Patients, Inc.
The ad agency
exclusively for dentists
Corporate
offices:
Oquendo Business Park
5935 Edmond Street Suite 105
Las Vegas, NV 89118
866-DENT-ADS
(866-336-8237)
Office: 702-221-2184
Fax: 702-252-3958
www.newpatientsinc.com
Pacific Time Zone
|
|
|
