Dental Practice Marketing and why dentists need “extra” skills for the new economy.

Now more than ever you need dental practice marketing strategies in place to overcome the current stagnant economy.

Did you see the latest news, the unemployment rate is unchanged. As every glass is half full, the good news is at least things seem to be stabilizing. The half full part is that there is no hint of any returning to the pre-recession boom that the profession grew accustomed to for so many years.

Tom Friedman, who predicted the flattening of technology worldwide while we (in the U.S.) were busy declaring war on nouns, sums up where things succinctly:

“In the past, workers with average skills, doing an average job, could earn an average lifestyle. But, today, average is officially over. Being average just won’t earn you what it used to. It can’t when so many more employers have so much more access to so much more above average cheap foreign labor, cheap robotics, cheap software, cheap automation and cheap genius. Therefore, everyone needs to find their extra — their unique value contribution that makes them stand out in whatever is their field of employment. Average is over.” [If you have high-school kids or even those in college, this discussion needs to be on your agenda with them…..]

During the campaign you heard even the liberal voices agreeing that the era of lower skill high wage is over and that even in the middle skill category it’s a rarity to have a high-wage for those skills. Ironically, we are in a state of shortage of people with middle skills and right now that’s one of the fewest paths left to a barely acceptable middle class lifestyle..

So what does any of that have to do with the dentist who is high skill? Well, as dentists in the U.S. are compensated outside of the medical system, you are affected by this sea of change in worker value.

The worker without “extra” in the pocket won’t be earning enough or getting a benefit package that buys your service. That’s whammy number one which wipes out the lazy factor of business occurring purely based on population growth.

The second whammy is that the practice without “extra” in clinical skills PLUS promotional and selling skills and proven dental practice marketing won’t be creating enough interest in his or her services to the workers who can actually buy.
Ouch!

Ten years ago, the average dentist, doing average work, on average patients, could make a VERY above average income. With the recession and new economic pattern/reality, the bar didn’t go up just one notch, it jumped multiple levels leaving most in the profession woefully under-skilled in the things that generate above average incomes now for an average dentist which are: education about promotion and education for ethical selling.

I guess the question for you is, will you continue in a lemming like fashion down the road that is dead ending on this or will you rise up to get and use the “extra” required by using proven dental practice marketing strategies ?

It’s a great service you are providing to the public so why not do the extra things needed so you can help patients make some good decisions about their dentistry? Why not start by checking out my #1 best selling book on Amazon.