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Patient Attraction Episode 1229

– I’m Colin Receveur, CEO of SmartBox.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– Let me ask you a question.

– When was the last time you saw an orthopedic surgeon advertising a special offer?

– Never, that’s when.

– Orthopedic surgeons are pretty much an elite group, and they expect to command hefty fees for their work – even for relatively minor procedures.

– That’s not to say that a patient couldn’t price-shop among surgeons, but that hardly ever happens.

– What I’m getting at is that those doctors recognize the value of the services they provide and charge accordingly.

– Now, dentistry isn’t orthopedic surgery, but dentists are also an elite group.

– So why don’t they act like it?

– That’s always puzzled me.

– If you don’t recognize the value of what you do and charge accordingly, you’re selling yourself short.

– If you see yourself as a commodity provider, you’ll earn a lot less than you could.

– In almost any given market, some 20 to 30 percent of dental prospects have the ability and willingness to pay more for the right dentist.

– It’s true that some markets just won’t support premium pricing, so to speak.

– But those are the exceptions rather than the rule.

– The road to better patients and more money begins with you.

– If you’ve been running a volume dental practice, you have to make the decision to evolve.

– That begins with assessing what you offer to patients.

– Not just the services, but also the experience you provide while they’re communicating with or actually inside your practice.

– Better patients are motivated more by the relationship they establish with the practice than by financial concerns.

– Once you’ve zeroed in on the unique value you offer, you need to communicate that in every aspect of your marketing.

– That’s not an easy thing to do for dentists who are used to advertising low price.

– Your website will almost certainly need a rewrite.

– Your social media and blog will need to adopt the new approach.

– And any offline advertising such as newspaper ads or postcard campaigns must include some mention of the advantages of choosing you.

– That applies even if you continue advertising low price for a while longer.

– Like I said, it’s not easy for a volume dental practice to embrace a new marketing approach.

– Everyone in the practice is busy, and there’s not a lot of time for all the writing.

– Not to mention all the planning, search engine optimization, and other work that goes into the new marketing strategy.

– Most dentists will do better to outsource their marketing and focus on their patients.

– That’s what Dr. Jonathan Gilbart of Hagerstown, Maryland, did.

– Here’s what he said.

– “I’ve had different companies in the past.

– “They’re good at this, they’re good at that, but they don’t put it all together.

– “I don’t have time to put it all together.

– “I want to focus on my patients and focus on what their needs are.

– “I like to tinker with the stuff, but to be honest, I’m not that great at it.

– “So, I wanted to find a company that could do everything, as far as marketing, for me.

– “I decided to make the leap of faith, and I’m glad that I did.

– “Because I’ve been very happy with SmartBox and their ability to take all the stuff, put it together, and handle that aspect so I can focus on my patients.”

– SmartBox helps dentists get the patients they want – better patients.

– Our industry-leading Patient Attraction System® positions dentists as the doctor of choice for the patients they want to attract.

– Get started by visiting smartboxdentalmarketing.com and reserve your free, no-obligation Practice Discovery Session.

– We’ll discu[...]