Dental Practice Marketing & Vicious Cycles……Excuses Don’t Cut It.
In discussing dental practice marketing and the excuses I hear while marketing systems are not being implements- they are almost always lame.
I’m always in a state of revision and tweaking of materials either promotional or case acceptance related that our members actively use.
In fact, just this week, as part of our online McAnally Selling System (which has ready to use ads plus training in how to use), I updated several free standing inserts used for promoting reconstructive cases as well as the “how to’s” on the use of FSI’s.
TIP: If you’re in a major metro area this mode of communicating to the public is likely one part of a well diversified strategy for finding cases. Perhaps it’s time you looked into the FSI as a tool that your competitors don’t understand and use it to your advantage in your dental practice marketing…..
I’ve actually been spending a lot of time this year simplifying the materials delivered in Elite Online for dental practice marketing. I review reports from practices, listen to requests, and I take in a lot of things from various industries as they cross my desk that a feed-back into minor changes that keep the materials updated and ahead of anything else in the marketplace…..call it a “virtuous cycle” of tweaks and improvements to make it easier for members and to deliver better results….
While virtuous cycles are a lot of fun to be a part of, many dentists these days are trapped in a vicious cycle that’s going downward with each passing year….all due to not knowing how to sell outside of the “free” reimbursement systems or even the first step for finding a patient who is more concerned about solutions versus their insurance.
We survey dentists arriving, “trialing,” and usually departing from even our most basic program after the almost free trial is done, and there are a lot of excuses offered on why choosing to work on the practice or choosing to do the work of approaching things differently in changed times isn’t on the doctor’s agenda….
The excuses are bountiful (reminds me of a football coach of mine from years ago that said excuses were like anuses….there’s a lot of them around and they all stink…..(okay he said something a bit more crude…. after all this was football and it was Oklahoma)……
A few of the excuses marching through recently for not taking even the most basic step of learning to ethically sell under ALL economic conditions, which is in this day in age is truly a life or death economic choice by the practice owner include:
Staff issues (including my staff won’t LET ME!)
My family has the mumps….I kid you not….this was offered……
The practice is out of control (various versions of this….meaning the business RUNS the doctor)….
And the most oft given…..”I can’t/won’t commit the time needed….”
Ironically, I’ve yet to meet a colleague yet who upon advisement began to take 1/2 to 1 full day each week away from patient treatment and devoting it SOLELY to either ethical selling or working on promotion and dental practice marketing that didn’t report back a better income shortly thereafter…..
Baffles the mind beyond belief……
If you’re caught in a vicious cycle and are offering any excuse beyond personal illness or physical disability (those two are legit), then it’s time to either get out, shut up, or do something about it….tough love……You can start by checking out my #1 top selling book on Amazon.
