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Patient Attraction Episode 1254

– I’m Colin Receveur, CEO of SmartBox.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– The longest contractual relationship that most dentists will ever have is a home mortgage.

– That’s generally a very tolerable relationship because you know that with every payment, you’re getting a greater and greater ownership stake.

– And paying off that mortgage is a very freeing experience.

– A long-term contract with a dental marketing firm that doesn’t deliver results is not a tolerable relationship.

– Not delivering isn’t the same as not getting hits, clicks, likes, and follows.

– Any minimally competent marketing company can get you those.

– But the only metric that matters is new patient butts in your chairs.

– New patients pay the bills and add to your retirement savings, not all that other stuff.

– Don’t get me wrong – hits and clicks are good and necessary, but they’re not enough.

– If you’re not getting enough actual return on your investment, you feel like you’re throwing away your hard-earned marketing dollars.

– Even worse, you feel like you’re not getting anywhere with your practice.

– Some dentists will bite the bullet and pay the outrageous cancellation fee to end the contract.

– Others suffer in comparative silence, waiting for the contract to expire.

– I think that dentists don’t have to suffer from bad marketing or  lock-in contracts.

– That’s why SmartBox has introduced 6-, 12-, and 18-month marketing contracts for our dentists.

– We understand that every dentist’s situation is different and that 1 contract length isn’t right for everyone.

– But what is right for every dentist who wants to earn more, work less, and enjoy life again is getting more patients who represent higher value to the practice.

– That’s what SmartBox delivers for hundreds of dentists on 3 continents – a steady stream of better dental patients.

– Better patients are usually fee-for-service patients who don’t much care about price or insurance acceptance.

– They care about finding a trustworthy, relatable dental expert to solve their problems, and they’ll pay what it takes.

– When your new patient stream includes a lot of better patients, you don’t have to work so hard or so long.

– In fact, you can even have the time and energy to enjoy life again.

– After all, what are you really working for – to exhaust yourself making money, or to have the time and money to enjoy life away from the practice?

– If it’s to enjoy yourself, then you’ll need to work less and earn more.

– Better dental patients will allow you to do both.

– Dr. Jeffrey Tocci of Wellesley, Massachusetts, has this to say about his relationship with SmartBox. 

– “I’m in a comfortable place with a very good, comfortable company helping us achieve those goals.

– “It’s been great. So excited, I just happened to call up my team and upgraded our services to the next level. 

– “That’s how impressed I’ve been.” 

– What SmartBox is doing for Dr. Tocci, we can do for your dental practice.

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

– After the session, you’ll receive your free Patient Attraction Roadmap as well. 

– It’s yours to use however you wish – there’s no obligation.

– And along those no-obligation lines, you can choose the contract length that fits your needs.

– Join me for our next podcast.

– Until then, keep moving forward.

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Patient Attraction Episode 1253

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– I’m Colin Receveur, CEO of SmartBox.

– If you’re like most dentists these days, your practice is slammed with patients.

– You might be working longer hours or even staying open more days to meet the demand for services.

– If you were in practice during the aftermath of the Great Recession, your patient numbers are probably pretty reassuring.

– They shouldn’t be reassured, because as the last economic downturn proved, that flood of patients can dry up to a trickle almost overnight.

– Every economic boom is followed by a contraction.

– There’s no telling when the next contraction will happen or what will trigger it.

– There’s also no way to know whether that contraction will be mild or major.

– In the event of a major downturn in the economy, what will happen to your dental practice?

– As we saw back then, when there’s a severe contraction, companies lay off or terminate employees in large numbers.

– No more paycheck, no more dental insurance, no more dental work.

– When a breadwinner becomes unemployed, the available funds are used for basic needs.

– Health care, including dental care, can become something of a luxury.

– There goes your patient base, and if you’ve staffed up to meet the current demand, you may be faced with letting some people go … or taking a pay cut yourself.

– The current “ground” under your practice is composed largely of low case value patients.

– But it’s not the only ground in your market.

– There’s firmer ground that won’t be affected by an economic downturn.

– The higher ground is composed of better dental patients with considerable discretionary income and savings.

– They’re not driven by low price or insurance.

– Better dental patients have the ability and the willingness to pay more for the right dentist.

– That means you can work less and earn more.

– You won’t be stuck on the dental treadmill of routine, boring, low-value cases.

– Here’s a pro tip – the right dentist for better patients isn’t the discount dentist.

– Dr. Ryan Shepherd of Albuquerque, New Mexico, didn’t have time to figure out how to attract dental patients, but he found a solution.

– He said, “After I did one of the SmartBox webinars, I really felt confident that you guys knew what you were doing …

– “… and that you could take me from point A to point B with virtually no pain on my part and relatively little involvement on my part.

– “And that’s important to me because I don’t have time to become an expert; I’ve gotta be a dentist, I’ve gotta be a business owner.” 

– Dr. Shepherd’s dental practice is on much firmer ground now.

– Your practice can be, too.

– Visit smartboxdentalmarketing.com and reserve your no-cost, no-obligation Practice Discovery Session.

– Invest 25 minutes of your time in a phone call that will allow your practice to thrive in good times and bad.

– After the session, you’ll receive your free Patient Attraction Roadmap as well. 

– It’s yours to use however you wish – there’s no obligation.

– Don’t leave your dental practice on quicksand when you can take and hold the high ground in your market.

– Join me for our next podcast.

– Until then, keep moving forward.

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Patient Attraction Episode 1252

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– I’m Colin Receveur, CEO of SmartBox.

– I talk with dentists nearly every day, and I consistently hear the same thing from them.

– Their practices have become pressure cookers.

– Those dentists are sprinting between operatories because their schedules are slammed.

– They’re working more hours and even staying open more days in some cases trying to keep up.

– And yet, they’re not really making all that much money in exchange for countless hours spent hunched over the chair.

– There are several factors driving dentistry’s high-pressure environment, and they’re all related.

– The first is the rise of corporate dentistry.

– The chain practices and large dental groups have efficiencies of scale that very few dentists can hope to match.

– Their overheads are far lower than yours, so they can afford to be the low-price leaders in your market.

– The second factor is the move by dental insurance companies to shift costs to patients.

– Wages haven’t come close to keeping pace with the increased cost of providing dental care.

– Patients without much discretionary income but with dental insurance are looking for the lowest price.

– That’s exactly why corporate dentistry is siphoning off new patients.

– The third factor is record numbers of new dental school graduates who owe an average of $260 thousand in student loans.

– Those cash-strapped dentists are fuel for the corporate machine, which is offering huge sign-on bonuses and tuition repayment programs.

– But some new dentists are able to obtain venture capital to start up their own practices, increasing competition even further.

– And like other dentists in your market, they offer low prices, specials, discounts, and insurance acceptance.

– So, to sum up – there are a lot more people looking for dental care, but only at the lowest price and with insurance acceptance.

– And you run, and run, and run during your workdays while you make not enough money on each patient.

– If this sounds like a self-defeating trap, that’s because it is.

– But there is a way out, and Dr. Raleigh Pioch of Salem, Oregon, found it.

– He said, “I thank my lucky stars I discovered the way to break free.

– “For me, my practice is the path to true freedom.

– “I want to be free to live a full life and have the money to do it!

– “And it’s hard to be ‘free’ if you’re stuck behind a chair 24/7.”

– Dr. Pioch became a SmartBox dentist and escaped the self-defeating trap.

– In fact, he increased his collections from $800 thousand to $3.2 million in just 6 years.

– SmartBox works with hundreds of dentists on 3 continents to help them escape the dental pressure cooker.

– We provide a steady stream of better patients so our doctors can focus on doing less dentistry for more money.

– SmartBox dentists work less, earn more, and enjoy life again.

– Discover what SmartBox can do for your practice.

– Visit smartboxdentalmarketing.com and reserve your free, no-obligation Practice Discovery Session.

– After the session, you’ll receive your free Patient Attraction Roadmap as well.

– There’s no obligation – it’s yours to use however you wish.

– Dentistry doesn’t have to be a high-pressure job, but until and unless you market for the patients you want, it will be.

– Join me for our next podcast.

– Until then, keep moving forward.

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Patient Attraction Episode 1251

– I’m Colin Receveur, CEO of SmartBox.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– Following the Great Recession of 2008, dentists were struggling to keep their chairs filled.

– The massive unemployment caused families to prioritize food, clothing, and shelter over dental care.

– Now, the U.S. is near or at full employment, and the dentistry business is booming.

– And the patients are back with a vengeance.

– However, just because someone is employed and has dental insurance doesn’t mean they have money to spend on dentistry.

– Wages haven’t come close to keeping pace with the increased cost of providing dental care.

– So it’s not surprising that dentists are getting a flood of low-value new patients.

– That’s not to say you can’t make money in this scenario.

– But with dental insurance companies cutting reimbursements, your margins will be thin.

– So you’ll have to see a huge number of patients to compensate.

– That’s happening now – the dentists I talk with say they’re practically on roller skates, flying between rooms to keep up.

– When it comes to long-term success, this is the wrong track.

– It’s too hard on you, your staff, and your equipment.

– It keeps everyone on staff working too long for too hard for too little.

– It doesn’t provide enough return for all your efforts.

– And it keeps you chained to your practice.

– Dr. Michael Abernathy, founder of Summit Practice Solutions, has this to say.

– “If you’re not working towards something that’s going to give you freedom, what in the world are you working towards?

– “I’ll tell you: MORE WORK.

– “There’s a better way. You just need the blueprint to build it.”

– The better way is to get better patients, patients with the ability and willingness to pay more for the right dentist.

– Better patients aren’t overly concerned with low price or insurance coverage.

– They’re generally fee-for-service and more than happy to pay.

– Typically, they’re also very loyal to their chosen dentist, so their lifetime value to your practice is huge.

– However, you won’t get better patients with your current marketing approach.

– You need an integrated system to position you as the only logical choice for the better patients in your market.

– SmartBox works with hundreds of dentists on 3 continents.

– We provide a steady stream of better patients so our doctors can focus on doing the dentistry and more of the dentistry they love to do.

– SmartBox dentists can work less, earn more, and enjoy life again.

– The takeaway is that low price, discounts, or insurance don’t attract better dental patients.

– Shifting your marketing to appeal to the better prospects in your market pays dividends.

– Dr. Thomas Feder of Belleville, Illinois, discovered just that after he became a SmartBox dentist.

– “Our average case value has increased,” Dr. Feder said.

– “People are coming in looking for dentures and implants.

– “The practice is now overwhelming our dental lab.”

– Discover what SmartBox can do for your  dental practice.

– Visit smartboxdentalmarketing.com and reserve your no-cost, no-obligation Practice Discovery Session.

– After the session, you’ll receive your free Patient Attraction Roadmap as well.

– It’s yours to use however you wish – there’s no obligation.

– Better dental patients are the cure for working too hard for too long for too little.

– Join me for our next podcast.

– Until then, keep moving forward.

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Patient Attraction Episode 1250

– I’m Colin Receveur, CEO of SmartBox.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– Dentists today are viewed as being competent unless proven otherwise.

– That’s both a plus and a minus.

– It’s a plus because no dentist is automatically assumed to be more competent than another.

– It’s a level playing field, so to speak.

– And it’s a minus because it gives prospects no reason to choose one dentist over another except for price and dental insurance acceptance.

– That’s how dentists get into price wars where only the practice with the deepest pockets wins.

– And when you get right down to it, nobody has deeper pockets than the corporate dental practices.

– It’s just like Walmart, which has greater financial resources and unbeatable economies of scale compared to small retailers.

– When did dentistry become the equivalent of small stores competing with Walmart?

– This is absolutely not how you should conduct what’s routinely ranked as one of the 2 best professions in the U.S.

– Because, let’s face it – in a fight between a small store and Walmart, the big guy always wins.

– The only way that the small shop competes successfully is to attract a different customer base.

– That’s the kind of people with greater discretionary income who aren’t driven by the lowest price.

– It’s people with money who can afford to be choosy, even when it comes to their teeth.

– That’s why your online reviews are so crucial.

– Reviews are social proof in this internet age.

– They’re proof for the better prospects in your market that you’re more than just another dentist.

– Reviews help to establish you as the trustworthy, relatable dental expert that better prospects are looking for.

– The more highly positive 4- and 5-star reviews the better, because your star rating is a snapshot of you and your practice.

– If your star rating is 4.2 but a competitor’s is 4.8, many prospects won’t even read your reviews.

– Research has shown that most people trust online reviews as much as they trust recommendations from colleagues or friends.

– Managing your online reputation is vital for getting more new patients.

– But you and your staff probably don’t have time to continually monitor your online reviews.

– Enter SmartBox’s  RAVE Reputation Management System.

– RAVE automatically solicits reviews from your existing patients following each appointment.

– RAVE publishes your reviews to popular review sites such as Google and Yelp, where they factor into your website’s search rating.

– Your practice is immediately notified of all new online reviews so that you or your staff can quickly deal with any negative reviews.

– RAVE is the smart solution to protecting your online reputation.

– You can learn more by visiting the RAVE review site at ravereviewsystem.com or by calling SmartBox’s Digital Practice Consultants at 502-509-1413.

– Your online reputation is vital to your continuing success – particularly if you don’t want to go head-to-head with the Walmart of dentistry.

– Join me for our next podcast.

– Until then, keep moving forward.

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Patient Attraction Episode 1249

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– I’m Colin Receveur, CEO of SmartBox.

– Let me start out by asking something outrageous.

– What if you could thrive by seeing just 6 dental patients a day?

– That probably sounds like a fantasy.

– Most dentists these days are drowning in patients.

– Every patient they see, during the course of each overly busy day, is a small step on the road to retirement.

– Now, I don’t want to imply that any dentist will see 1.7 million patients during a career.

– But the way things are now, the vast majority of dentists will see far too many patients.

– They’re taking small steps because most of their patients don’t represent much value to the practice.

– They’re seeing routine cleanings and exams, drill-and-fills, and insurance-driven patients who only want what insurance will cover.

– Those patients are very small steps on a long journey.

– But back to that fantasy of seeing just 6 patients a day – it’s not a fantasy.

– It’s the everyday reality for more and more dentists who are saying, “Enough!”

– They’ve had it with being on the dental treadmill.

– They’ve had it with feeling chained to their practices.

– They’re fed up with not having time for family, friends, or themselves.

– They’re tired of aching backs and necks.

– They’re tired of practicing routine, unrewarding dentistry.

– They’re tired of being tired.

– So they’ve decided to take giant steps on the journey to retirement.

– Dr. Sean Hanson of Salem, Oregon, decided to lengthen his stride, so to speak.

– He said, “I will be able to spend more time away from the office, and that’s really my biggest thing.

– “Not that I don’t like working and not that I don’t like my job …

– “… but if I know that I have good doctors here and good hygienists and good staff members, then if I’m here, I’m just another pair of hands.

– “Ultimately, I can go and take a week vacation with my kids and take them to Europe or go somewhere farther away than just California.

– “That is ultimately the goal: that I’m not spending my 40s and 50s slaving away doing dentistry.”

– Dr. Hanson’s initial giant step was to partner with SmartBox.

– Our industry-leading Patient Attraction System® works 24/7 to get our doctors a steady stream of better dental patients.

– Those are the fee-for-service prospects in your market, and there are a lot more of them than you might think.

– With higher case values, you don’t have to work so hard.

– When you’re viewed as the dentist of choice for fee-for-service patients, you can pretty much name your own price instead of lowballing like your competitors.

– Just ask Corey Hurcomb of Tulip Tree Dental Care near South Bend, Indiana.

– He said, “For SmartBox, what really was interesting to me was to see that you can set it up until the person feels like you’re an expert.

– “They look at it from a holistic approach.

– “It’s not just search and optimization, it’s not just pay-per-click, it’s not just the website revisions, not just SEO, it’s not just social media.

– “It’s the whole combination.”

– Discover what SmartBox can do for your dental practice.

– Visit smartboxdentalmarketing.com and reserve your no-cost, no-obligation Practice Discovery Session.

– After the session, you’ll receive your free Patient Attraction Roadmap as well.

– It’s yours to use however you wish – there’s no obligation.

– It’s time to lengthen your stride and take giant steps on your journey to retirement.

– Join me for our next podcast.

– Until then, keep moving forward.

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Patient Attraction Episode 1248

– I’m Colin Receveur, CEO of SmartBox.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– Dentists everywhere in the country are enjoying a boom in the number of patients wanting services.

– The economy is near full employment, and more people have both income and dental insurance.

– So it’s understandable that people are getting routine cleanings and exams.

– People are getting their teeth fixed.

– But relatively few people are spending more on dental care than what insurance will cover.

– So, dentists are providing services to a packed schedule of low-value patients.

– That would be fine if dentists were robots, but they’re not.

– They’re flesh-and-blood human beings with human limitations.

– A lot of the doctors I talk with wonder how they’re going to keep up the frantic pace.

– They’re also wondering whether they’ll be forced to slow down or even quit due to neck or back injury.

– Look, I get it – if you’re young and healthy, you can probably keep up with demand for quite awhile.

– But why should you?

– Did you become a dentist to work too hard for too long for too little?

– Of course not – you became a dentist to do good, challenging work, to change lives, and to make a really good living.

– Is that what you’re doing now?

– Or are you seeing nothing but drill-and-fills, routine exams, and the occasional crown?

– This isn’t what you wanted – why are you tolerating it?

– Maybe you need an “Aha!” moment.

– Dr. David Maloley of Colorado had his moment, and here’s what he had to say.

–  “You can stay stuck in 1975 and say, ‘This has always worked for me,’ but the climate has changed.

– “My radio results have fizzled over time, my print results have fizzled over time.

– “The 2 things that really provided all the flow of patients to my practice last year was the internet and referrals.

– “My thought process was scratch what’s not working and double down on what is working.

– “For me, it was an obvious choice to connect with SmartBox and all of your insights on marketing …

– “… because what does every dentist want?

– “They want to do the dentistry that they want to do, not because they have to do it and get on a treadmill.”

– Imagine what it would be like to do the dentistry you want to do and to have the time to do it right.

– Imagine being able to work less, earn more, and enjoy life again.

– As with Dr. Maloley, that can be your experience when you partner with SmartBox.

– We provide a steady stream of better patients so our doctors can focus on actually doing the dentistry they love to do.

– Better patients have the ability and willingness to pay more for the right dentist.

– They’re not motivated by low price or what insurance will cover.

– SmartBox’s industry-leading Patient Attraction System® can position you as the dentist of choice for the better patients in your market.

– And that will utterly transform your dental practice.

– Visit smartboxdentalmarketing.com and reserve your no-cost, no-obligation Practice Discovery Session.

– After the session, you’ll receive your free Patient Attraction Roadmap as well.

– There’s no obligation of any kind, so the roadmap is yours to use however you wish.

– You can transform your practice, and SmartBox will help you do it.

– Join me for our next podcast.

– Until then, keep moving forward.

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Patient Attraction Episode 1247

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– I’m Colin Receveur, CEO of SmartBox.

– Dentists all over the country tell me that the economic recovery has been a mixed blessing.

– True, those dentists are making money.

– But it’s also true that they’re working way too hard to do it.

– The doctors I talk with tell me they’re practically running between rooms trying to keep up.

– That might sound like a gold mine, but it’s not.

– Those dentists are seeing mostly insurance-driven, price-shopping, and one-and-done patients.

– They’re working too hard for too long for too little.

– That pace, and the number of hours spent hunched over the chair, can take a toll on necks and backs.

– Quite a few of those dentists are wondering just how long they can keep this pace up.

– And yet they insist on wearing their “overwhelmed dentist” hats.

– The truly sad part is that all this is completely unnecessary.

– Dentistry shouldn’t be a high-volume proposition, and it doesn’t have to be.

– Dentists who advertise low price and insurance acceptance actually create this situation for themselves.

– There’s an old saying – you get what you market for, and those dentists are living proof.

– Low price and insurance isn’t the cream of the dental-prospect crop.

– There are better prospects out there who aren’t motivated by getting the lowest price or what their dental insurance will pay for.

– These are prospects who have the willingness and ability to go fee-for-service to get what they want.

– Meet or surpass their expectations, and you will likely have a patient for life.

– Not only is their initial case value higher, but their lifetime value to your practice is orders of magnitude greater.

– With better patients in your chairs, you need far fewer to make even more money than you’re making now.

– Just ask Dr. Travis Watson of Marietta, Georgia.

– He told us, “A consistent goal that we have is to continue to have the new patients come in that are high quality …

– “who are interested in comprehensive dentistry and really just want something better for themselves, and aren’t just what we call single-tooth type situations.

– “They’re more of the fine cases that we enjoy doing, so that’s always going to be a goal for us.”

– Imagine doing more of the cases you love doing rather than taking what walks through the door.

– Imagine having the time to enjoy dentistry again instead of having to rush to your next case.

– Imagine having the ability to actually get away from your practice for a real vacation.

– These aren’t just pipe dreams.

– SmartBox is making this scenario a reality for hundreds of dentists on 3 continents.

– We provide a steady stream of better dental patients so our doctors can focus on actually doing the dentistry.

– SmartBox doctors can work less, earn more, and enjoy life again.

– Discover what SmartBox can do for your dental practice.

– Visit smartboxdentalmarketing.com and reserve your no-cost, no-obligation Practice Discovery Session.

– After the session, you’ll receive your free Patient Attraction Roadmap as well.

– It’s yours to use however you wish.

– It’s time to take off the “overwhelmed dentist” hat and embrace the better life that better dental patients can provide.

– Join me for our next podcast.

– Until then, keep moving forward.

Having trouble watching this video? Click here.

Patient Attraction Episode 1246

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– I’m Colin Receveur, CEO of SmartBox.

– Every one of the thousands of dentists I’ve talked with swears that their front office does a great job appointing new patient callers.

– SmartBox has the hard data to show that’s not true.

– For an entire quarter, we recorded every single incoming call to all our dentists at a particular service level.

– Then we carefully analyzed those calls.

– The results were shocking.

– In many cases, fewer than 30 percent of callers were appointed.

– More calls went unanswered during business hours than were answered.

– Many callers who could have been appointed weren’t because of poor phone technique by the front office.

– Many calls were answered, but the callers hung up after being placed on hold for too long.

– Now, you’re probably thinking, “That doesn’t happen at my practice!”

– How would you know?

– You’re spending your very crowded and very rushed days in operatories, not hanging out in the front office.

– I’m not saying anything against your staff or anyone else’s.

– I’m sure they’re great people doing the best they can.

– But every new patient caller who isn’t appointed is a total waste of your marketing investment.

– Even worse, you’re losing out on the high case value of the better patients in your market.

– Those are patients who don’t much care about price, insurance, or discounts.

– They can and will pay more for the right dentist.

– They tend to be fiercely loyal to the dentist they choose, which means high lifetime value to your practice.

– And they’re slipping away over the phone.

– Like I said, we decided to do something about this problem, and our Patient Attraction Phone Training and Certification course was born.

– Our proprietary, self-paced, dental practice-specific training is light years ahead of generic customer service training.

– SmartBox’s online training program incorporates everything your staff needs to become new patient-appointing powerhouses.

– Dr. Travis Watson of Marietta, Georgia, is a big fan.

– He said, “We have had tremendous results from working with SmartBox and Colin.

– “It has been fun.

– “The relationships we’ve formed have been great.

– “The favorite things that have kept me excited is the fact that we can monitor the calls coming in, listen to the calls, and really help our front desk grow in terms of verbal skills.

– “Because it’s one thing to get the calls, but you’ve got to convert those calls.

– “That has helped me coach my team a little better.”

– You can stop losing better dental patients over the phone.

– Our Patient Attraction Phone Training & Certification is available as one of our amazingly affordable Practice Perfection Suite products.

– For more information, email us at [email protected] or call 502-509-1413.

– Better dental patients are out there in your market.

– Make sure that every last one is appointed when they call your practice.

– Better dental patients are the key to working less, earning more, and enjoying life again.

– Join me for our next podcast.

– Until then, keep moving forward.

Having trouble watching this video? Click here.

Patient Attraction Episode 1245

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– I’m Colin Receveur, CEO of SmartBox.

– I think it’s safe to say that the U.S. economy has recovered from the Great Recession.

– Numbers are up overall while unemployment is nearing record lows.

– With this ongoing boom, more and more people are looking for dental care.

– That sounds great until you consider what the vast majority of prospects want.

– They want the least amount of care at the lowest price.

– And they want the lowest price because, despite recent small gains, wages have been pretty much flat for more than a decade.

– People are working, but they can’t afford a lot of dental care because the cost of dental services has far outgrown their ability to pay.

– Crowds of low-value patients pretty much define the dental rat race … with bad cheese.

– The dentists I talk with tell me they’re practically running from room to room.

– They’re not just booked, they’re overbooked.

– A lot of practices have extended their hours or even remained open an additional day to cope with the flood.

– So they’re working too hard for too long for too little in return.

– This is a lousy way to run a dental practice – unless you have no outside life.

– Dr. Scott Watterson of Jackson, Michigan, has a life, and he wants to focus more on that.

– He said, “I have 4 kids and a wife and we’re all busy, but sometimes being busy practicing dentistry is not what I want to be busy doing.

– “I coach soccer, I am involved with my kids’ lives, I value my marriage, and we spend a lot of time together, but not enough.

– “And so, at the end of the day, at the end of life, I want to be able to look back and say I spent the time I needed to with those that mattered most.

– “I feel SmartBox is going to make a big difference in my practice moving forward.

– “And so, that’s what my goal is.”

– Does that sound like a pipe dream to you?

– If so, I understand.

– You’re probably too caught up in the rat race to look up and see that there’s more out there.

– There’s an old saying – when you’re up to your butt in alligators, it’s hard to remember that your original intention was to drain the swamp.

– So, we’ve got rats, and alligators, and dentists who are half killing themselves for not enough in return.

– Enough, already.

– Let’s end this.

– SmartBox provides a steady stream of better patients to our doctors so they can focus on doing the dentistry.

– But they get to do the dentistry on many more better patients.

– Those are patients with the ability and willingness to pay more for the right dentist.

– Better patients make up about 30 percent of most markets, so it’s not like there’s a shortage.

– With better patients providing much higher average case value, you don’t have to work nearly as hard to make more money than you are now.

– And that gives you time for living and enjoying life.

– If you’re ready to quit the dental rat race, here’s what you need to do.

– Visit smartboxdentalmarketing.com and reserve your free, no-obligation Practice Discovery Session.

– We’ll schedule a 25-minute phone call with you at a convenient time.

– The results from that call will allow us to create your completely personalized Patient Attraction Roadmap.

– Your free, no-obligation Roadmap will give you recommendations for thriving in your market.

– You don’t have to let the rats win – in fact, you don’t even have to race anymore when you partner with SmartBox.

– The “cheese” is a whole lot better, too.

– Join me for our next podcast.

– Until then, keep moving forward.