We are 50% advertising agency and 50% SALES consultancy.

Why? Because even with some of the very best ads in the universe (ours), economic results are greatly hindered if the practice thinks and acts like a ‘classic’ one presenting and treating a few fillings and crowns here and there and doing hygiene checks. The processes, conversations, behaviors, and mindsets in this environment are basically like kryptonite to economic results to full arch implant advertising.

The ads flood the phone with patients but they are never invited into the practice in a way that moves them on to consults, presentations, and treatment. In some cases, the office is so backwards in it’s ways that patients are literally repelled at the first phone call!

Finding What Works

I would love to be 100% ad agency. We take a client on, do our ads, make their phone ring and that’s the end of the story. My hours would be cut back by 70% personally. However, with that scenario our advertising client turnover would be non-stop so we are shackled to the sales consultancy component. It is what it as.

Fortunately, I have a freakish ability when it comes to sales for understanding patients and I enjoy working with teams and docs with selling their cases. I get a big dopamine rush when all the little light bulbs begin to ‘go off’ and people suddenly move on to having excellent sales processes and sales conversations AND far more cases!

Now the crazy part about the ‘consultancy’ side, even after discussing how critical it is to simply do what we teach until you are a pro (which can take several years!) and then start modifying things, a significant percentage of docs will completely ignore the advice they paying for and believe that there situation is ‘special and unique’ versus the last 500 docs I’ve personally spoken too and analyzed and the last 200 we’ve worked with hands-on.

Repeatable Systems

There are rarely new scenarios or stories in any of these routines with the patients or the providers or teams and that is actually a very good thing because it lends itself to SYSTEMS that can be repeated and taught again and again.

Einstein has an oft-quoted line, “Insanity is repeating the same actions but somehow expecting different results” and this ‘we will do it our way even though your way has be shown to work the best’ is a version of this insanity.

I strike this up to comfort zones and habits for the most part although occasionally (literally) a long term employee or a family member working in the practice basically vetoes all change that upsets their daily routine or the little fiefdom they have created.

While sometimes these types of employees and family members do have value in the business, a significant portion of them create anxiety and dread amongst the team and actually repel patients and hinder results. We had one client who his office was staffed completely with family and this nice doc was terrorized by by those who in theory “loved” him. He literally retired versus do battle with them and I cringe at the thoughts of the likely elder abuse that’s likely underway.

Real-Life Examples

Here’s comments from a practice that we finally convinced to use our proven full arch conversion website for advertising versus their way which made no sense and had no proven history selling a single case.

“We are getting on average 4-5 appointment requests per day through the number on the new site versus our old site. That’s better than any time before in the 15 years I’ve been doing this.” – Dr. KA, Northern Ohio

This same practice could have had this nearly a year earlier but they wanted to do things like they always had been doing them which wasn’t working. They are now following the most important recommendations we make to our member docs AND consults/case volume is picking up even IN THEIR HISTORICALLY WORST MONTH OF THE YEAR – December!

Then you have practices that embrace everything we say and within a few months they are soaring.

“Just now, got a phone call from one of first patients who came in on the Full Arch Program. He is 55. Wants AO6 ceramic 50,000 and is now ready! He went out to other offices including Clear Choice, says I am the ONE thanks to YOUR sales process we have in place. We just follow your check-list and do our part and patients are accepting better care at higher fees. January is really booked with surgeries. This week we closed AO4 U/L 30,000 AO4 upper 15,000, AO4 Lower 15,000. Good Week!” – Dr. HS,  NoCal

and within 9 months…..

“James…I’m too busy to talk to you guys now so buzz off (just kidding…you folks are the best and thanks for being patient with this old buzzard). Just had our second $300,000 month thanks to you guys. You know we’ve been through every agency out there (Progressive et al) to finally arrive at what we want thanks to you folks. I promise to get in your schedule to catch up soon!!” – Dr. LD, East Texas

And… then there is Medicare which continues to evolve and even now our relationships with competent legal and billing experts has kept the billing pipeline open but once again it requires doing what we say to do and working with particular companies we recommend on this hyper-specialized subject.

“I had a very healthy 75 y/o woman come in with Medicare. She needs AO4 U/L and her case total was 50K, medicare will pick up about 15K as she has a policy that picks up her co-pays. She’s writing a check for the balance but this was still THE reason why she chose us. We are quite literally the only biller advertising, she had no place to go to have this conversation. This is a validation that your medicare system does work for many patients but not all. I have also had several HMO patients come in where Medicare does not cover BUT they paid full price.” – Dr. H.S., San Jose, CA

Is it time to simply do what works when it comes to advertising and sales for the full-arch case?