SmartBox Dental Marketing

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Patient Attraction Episode 1140

Have you ever asked yourself, “Did I get into dentistry to work this hard?” It wouldn’t surprise me if you have. Way too many dentists are wearing out their necks, their backs, and their tempers by spending too much time doing low-value, unrewarding dentistry. There’s a much better way to operate your dental practice, and the way to get there is to embrace quality over quantity. After the break, I’ll tell you how to apply that approach to your practice marketing to get more of the cases you love to handle. Stay tuned.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– I’m Colin Receveur, founder and CEO of SmartBox.

– In my previous podcast, I discussed why dentists are much better off hanging up their marketer’s hat and focusing on seeing patients.

– But I know that many dentists will keep right on wearing too many hats, handling too many aspects of their businesses, and working too hard.

– So for those who insist on doing their own practice marketing, I’d like to share a proven approach that will help you earn more while working less.

– The key is something called market segmentation.

– The basic idea is that your dental prospects aren’t all the same and won’t respond to a single marketing approach.

– Clearly, this applies to individual dental concerns, because few 20-somethings will care much about dentures or implants.

– Quite a few 60-somethings will care about prosthodontic work.

– But that’s not where the idea of segmentation stops.

– Dentists tend to segment their markets by ability to pay – without realizing it.

– Are you trying to get new patients by focusing on low price, insurance acceptance, and specials?

– Then you’ve targeted about 70 percent of your market, which sounds great.

– It sounds great until you realize you’re going to get price-shoppers, one-and-dones, and patients who want only the work that insurance will cover.

– Oh, your aching back, and neck.

– When your margins are thin, you’ll have to work a lot to make any money.

– But if you and your staff have the stamina, you can make a go of it.

– What would happen, though, if you focused your marketing on the other 30 percent of prospects?

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

– Because of that ability and willingness, they’re not going to respond to low-price or insurance-driven marketing.

– They’re looking for something else in their dentist and hygienist.

– No matter their particular dental concerns, they’re looking for a dentist they like, relate to, and trust.

– If you think about it, it’s no different than someone staying with the same hairstylist or barber for many years, even if they have to pay more.

– It’s not because the haircuts are better but because they like that stylist or barber, and they enjoy the experience of visiting the shop.

– The lifetime value of those customers is huge.

– It’s pretty much the same with 30 percent of your prospects.

– They’re looking for comfort, relationship, and acceptable outcomes.

– Your marketing has to convey that they’ll find what they’re looking for with your practice.

– You can use the segmentation approach to appeal to specific types of dental patients who represent higher case values.

– In my March 13th podcast, I mentioned the success that Dr. Thomas J. Feder of Belleville, Illinois, is enjoying since he’s been working with SmartBox.

– Here’s something else he told us.

– He said, “Our average case value has increased.

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

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

– SmartBox’s industry-leading Patient Attraction System provides Dr. Feder with a steady stream of more and better patients.

[...]

Dentists Should Take Off Their Marketing “Hats”

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Patient Attraction Episode 1139

There are all kinds of articles these days on how businesses can attract new customers. Like everything else, not all those articles are created equal. It seems like the majority are designed for businesses that want to sell their services to other businesses. That’s not the kind of advice dental practices need or can use. After the break, I’ll be back to tell you about the crucial distinction you must make between your practice and your competitors’ practices. Stay tuned.

– I’m Colin Receveur.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– I know thousands of dentists, and that’s no exaggeration.

– Out of those thousands of dentists, a handful have training in the principles of marketing.

– Yet the vast majority of dentists still try to handle their practice marketing on their own.

– That’s not necessarily a criticism of those dentists.

– I remember how many hats I had to wear until SmartBox grew to the point that I could hire trained professionals in different disciplines.

– I only wish I could have done it sooner.

– It was a huge relief when I took off those other hats, and I made more money, too.

– If you’re doing your own marketing, you should take off that hat.

– Differentiating yourself from your competitors is a time-intensive process.

– And it’s not the best use of your time.

– Differentiation is crucial because today, dentists are assumed to be competent.

– That’s both a blessing and a curse.

– If all dentists are competent, they’re commodities, and the only reason to choose one brand of commodity over another is price.

– It’s just like hunting for the lowest price on gas for your car.

– Don’t take offense at being labeled a commodity – that’s just how prospects think about dentists these days.

– If you’re going to attract the new patients you want rather than just getting what walks through your door, you have to give prospects reasons to choose you.

– That’s differentiation.

– When it comes to differentiating your dental practice from your competition, you can’t follow advice meant for completely different types of companies.

– As a dentist, you’re in the personal services industry just as much as you’re in the medical field.

– There’s not much that’s more personal than putting your hands inside someone’s mouth.

– Dentistry is a trust-based business, much more so than retail sales or business-to-business companies.

– You already have the assumption of competence working for you, but so do your competitors.

– So your differentiators need to focus on building trust and promoting the patient experience in your practice.

– Focus your marketing on those two factors, and you can make your practice a destination for the prospects you want.

– And prospects who care about more than price will become the patients you want to keep.

– But as I mentioned earlier, achieving that kind of difference takes time.

– And it won’t directly make you a single dollar.

– Attracting those better prospects and helping turn them into appointed patients is what SmartBox does for more than 550 dentists on 3 continents.

– Just ask Dr. James Kiehl of southern New Hampshire.

– He said, “Since we’ve implemented our SmartBox Patient Attraction System, we’re definitely getting the quality patients that I want to see come into my practice.” 

– SmartBox will keep a steady stream of more and better new patients coming into your practice.

– You get to focus on doing the dentistry – making money by seeing patients and solving their dental problems, not spending your time on your practice marketing.

– Discover what SmartBox’s Patient Attraction System can do for your practice by visiting smartboxdentalmarketin[...]

Is Dental Blogging Worth the Effort?

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Patient Attraction Episode 1138

In today’s online world, the importance of dental practice blogs ranks right up there with social media. But should they? The online marketing environment is constantly changing, and yesterday’s must-do’s turn into today’s don’t-do’s. There are some guidelines for blogs, including dental blogs, that will ensure your blog continues to produce as part of your overall marketing effort. I’ll share those recommendations right after the break. Stay tuned.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– I’m Colin Receveur, founder and CEO of SmartBox.

– At SmartBox, we’re firm believers in the power of dental practice blogs.

– But only in the context of an integrated dental marketing system.

– Our team of expert writers provides content for most of our dentists’ blogs.

– So we have to stay abreast of the latest findings in what makes business blogs work – and what is basically the kiss of death.

– An article that appeared in late 2017 gathered feedback from over 1,000 bloggers.

– Not all of what they found applies to dentists’ blogs.

– You’re not writing an entertainment blog, after all.

– But there are some things that should serve as food for thought.

– First, around two-thirds of bloggers said that posting daily, or even multiple times a day, was very effective.

– That sounds great until you realize that the average blog length is now over 1,100 words.

– Try sitting down and writing a 1,000-word article, and see how long it takes you.

– The vast majority of dentists would struggle writing one article a week, much less one a day.

– In fact, the bloggers who report the most success say they spend around 6 hours for each post.

– And the average amount of time for regular bloggers to write a post is over 3 hours.

– Devoting that much time is something dentists simply can’t afford.

– After all, you make money by seeing patients and solving their dental problems.

– But dental blogs don’t need daily postings – once or twice a week is generally fine.

– So it makes sense to outsource your blog writing to a professional who “gets” dentistry and dental patients.

– Here are some tips that your blog writer needs to be aware of.

– Bloggers report that posts with more than one image attract more readers.

– Given the length of posts these days, that just makes sense.

– When it comes to online reading, keeping readers’ attention is crucial.

– Graphics and photos break up the “wall of text” and help hold attention.

– There’s considerable evidence to suggest that stock photos are generally less effective than real photos.

– However, SmartBox’s experience is that well-chosen stock photos are very acceptable on dental blogs.

– Your writer should have access to a good stock photo library.

– And be sure that his or her rate per post includes the images because stock photo costs can add up quickly.

– Once your blog has a good number of posts, consider having your writer update selected posts periodically.

– Updated posts are treated as new content by Google, which can help your search engine results page ranking.

– Now, I mentioned earlier that dental blogs are effective only when they’re part of an integrated marketing system.

– So paying someone just to write blog posts is probably a waste of your money.

– If you’re looking for maximum return on investment in the form of more and better patients, choose SmartBox’s industry-leading Patient Attraction System.

– Dr. Michael Abernathy, the founder of Summit Practice Solutions, is a fan.

– He said,  “I can say with all confidence that Colin Receveur knows what he’s doing to leverage the internet to help dentists attract more and better patients.

– “We use him, [...]

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Patient Attraction Episode 1137

One of the problems dentists face these days is that all dentists are assumed to be competent. Any given dentist will have trouble attracting patients without cutting prices, offering specials and discounts, or emphasizing insurance acceptance. But when dentists take steps to stand out from the crowd, prospects have more reasons to select the right dentist for them. Giving back to the community is a great way for dental practices to stand out. And it comes with a number of other benefits. After the break, I’ll tell you why being socially responsible is good business for dentists.

– I’m Colin Receveur.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– Dentists don’t think much about their brand.

– Your brand is more than just the name of your practice, a tagline, and your logo.

– A brand is snapshot that conveys the essence of what you are and what you offer.

– It takes time, attention, and a lot of thought to create a successful brand.

– And you have to be able to back up what your brand represents.

– In the last 10 years or so, consumers have begun to indicate a preference for doing business with brands they respect.

– One of the factors that commands respect these days is when companies give back to the public good.

– A number of dental practices take part in annual events such as Mission of Mercy and Give Kids A Smile.

– If you’re not participating in socially responsible events, you should seriously consider taking part.

– Those events raise your profile in the community and increase your name awareness.

– They also lend value to your brand.

– Your office can participate in nondental charitable events such as fun runs and health fairs.

– A majority of millennials strongly prefer doing business with socially responsible companies.

– Beyond brand and name recognition, you can leverage socially responsible community events to improve your search engine results page ranking.

– If your local paper or TV station mentions your practice’s name and provides a link to your website, that’s good for your SEO.

– That’s known as earned media, and it increases your authority, in Google terms.

– You can also do your own “coverage” on your social media, touting your practice’s involvement and charitable giving.

– Keep the buzz going, encourage sharing, and follow up with additional posts.

– This may sound like a lot of work, but remember that the millennials who become your patients next week can remain your patients for decades.

– From a sheer profit standpoint, giving back is good business.

– You can get more patients – and arguably better patients.

– A patient you keep long-term is one you don’t have to spend marketing dollars to replace.

– Beyond revenue aspects, being engaged in the community can help you retain staff.

– You may find that the millennials and Gen Xers you employ enjoy giving back.

– Keeping your staff’s engagement level high is one of the keys to keeping good people.

– Giving back is something you can do to differentiate yourself from the competition and increase brand awareness.

– But you can’t do charitable events constantly.

– There’s a better way to differentiate yourself, and that’s with SmartBox’s Patient Attraction System.

– SmartBox works with more than 550 dentists on 3 continents to help them get more and better patients.

– We provide a steady stream of new patients so you can focus on doing the dentistry.

– Dr. Jonathan Gilbart of Hagerstown, Maryland, found that his time was much better spent doing the dentistry than doing the marketing.

– He said, “I wanted to find a company that could do everything, as far as marketing, for me …

– “… and put it all together without me having to spend a ton of time lear[...]

The Mighty Delta Dental Has Stumbled

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Patient Attraction Episode 1136

Historically, Delta Dental has been the heavyweight of dental insurance companies. Delta had things pretty much its own way for a long time. But now the mighty have fallen, so to speak, and the California Dental Association is responsible. The impact of this will extend far beyond California, and dentists need to know how it will affect their practices. I’ll be back after the break to tell you what it all means and the steps you should take to protect your practice.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– I’m Colin Receveur, founder and CEO of SmartBox.

– In December 2017, the California Dental Association submitted a revised, proposed settlement agreement in a class action suit against Delta Dental.

– The suit was filed in 2013 in response to Delta proposing to cut its California Premier

Provider rates by 8 to 12 percent.

– Arbitration between the CDA and Delta arrived at a settlement amount of about $35 million.

– But an error was discovered in the calculations for the settlement amount, and the CDA and Delta agreed to additional negotiations.

– The new proposed settlement tops $65 million.

– Now, regardless of how you feel about Delta or state dental associations, there are three things here that dentists should take seriously.

– The first is that individual dentists are pretty much at the mercy, such as it is, of the dental insurance companies.

– That’s certainly not news to you, but I wonder whether you’ve realized the implications.

– If your practice depends on dental insurance to any significant extent, your revenue can take a huge hit very quickly and with almost no warning.

– The second is that the trend in dental insurance is to shift costs more to patients.

– The result is fewer dental patients seeking care or more of them needing to make financial arrangements through your practice to pay for the work.

– That’s either a decrease in income for you or a somewhat longer time before you’re paid.

– And the third thing is that insurance reimbursement rates overall for dentists are trending downward.

– And the CDA’s victory, while important, is basically a blip in that trend.

– If you as a dentist can’t successfully fight the insurance companies, what are your choices?

– A few dental practices have decided not to accept insurance any longer.

– That probably sounds like a dream or a nightmare, depending on your circumstances.

– And it’s not a workable solution for all dental practices.

– The other, and much better, option is to make dental insurance pretty much irrelevant to your success.

– Now before you think I’ve lost my mind, let me explain.

– A significant segment of almost every market doesn’t care about dental insurance.

– That segment is about 30 percent of your prospects.

– Those better prospects don’t care about low prices or discounts, either.

– Those prospects have the ability and the willingness to pay more for the right dentist.

– Being the right dentist isn’t about having the best hands in the business.

– It’s about your prospects coming to like you, trust you, and regard you as the best and only logical choice to solve their dental problems.

– It’s possible for almost all dentists to use their online marketing to position themselves as their prospects’ preferred choice.

– It still surprises me how few dentists even try.

– I don’t know, maybe they’re just too used to the traditional way of marketing dental practices.

– That’s on low price, discounts, specials, and insurance acceptance.

– Of course, you can see where I’m going with this.

– Traditional dental marketing is a recipe for financial disaster if the current insurance trends continue, and they will.

– The[...]

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Patient Attraction Episode 1135

The stars have aligned, and the signs are favorable: 2018 can be a great year for you and your dental practice – if you take steps now. This isn’t the year for same-old, same-old practice marketing. There’s another market segment that is more fun, more fulfilling, and more profitable than what you’ve been getting. When we come back, I’ll tell you who those better dental prospects are and why you absolutely need them in your chairs. Stay tuned.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– I’m Colin Receveur, founder and CEO of SmartBox.

– It’s no secret that the last 8 years haven’t been kind to a lot of dental practices.

– But now, things look to be turning around somewhat.

– Spending on dental services is trending up for at least the last 2 years.

– That’s a sharp contrast from the years when dental spending was pretty much flat.

– The stock market has had a tremendous run of growth, and unemployment is at near-historic lows.

– Against that upbeat news, dental competition is increasing.

– Insurance reimbursements are decreasing.

– And only time will tell what effect the recent tax overhaul will have on the economy.

– The reviews are mixed so far.

– If things work out as forecast, dentists should be even better off.

– If not, dentists need to be prepared.

– So if you’re going to take advantage of the positive economic indicators to get your share of success, it’s prudent to take action now.

– The marketing tactics that worked, more or less, during the lean times aren’t what you want to use during good times.

– Dentists cut their prices to keep their chairs filled during the bad times.

– They worked more and earned less per case.

– Why would you do that when times are good?

– The secret to success as a dentist is to work less and earn more, not the other way around.

– But you’ll need to take a different approach to attracting the patients you want rather than just the patients you get.

– The prospects that represent a much higher lifetime value to your practice make up about 30 percent of your market.

– When your appointments consist of far more loyal patients than one-and-dones, you’re doing dental marketing right.

– And 2018 can be your best year ever.

– Dr. Thomas J. Feder of Belleville, Illinois, knows something about best years.

– He said,  “The last 6 to 8 months have been very exceptional.

– “I’ve had more new patients than I’ve ever had.

– “My income for the year last year was up, and this year, the way it’s going, it’s going to beat that by several percentage points.

– “We’re doing a lot better this year than we did last year, and I was extremely happy with last year.

– “If I had it to do over, there’s absolutely no doubt I would join SmartBox.”

– What SmartBox did for Dr. Feder’s practice, we can likely do for yours.

– Our industry-leading Patient Attraction System works 24/7 to provide a steady stream of more and better patients.

– You get to focus on actually doing the dentistry rather than trying to market your practice.  

– Discover what SmartBox’s Patient Attraction System can do for your practice.

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

– Invest 25 minutes in the ongoing success of your practice.

– We’ll show you how we position you to get more and better patients.

– After the session, we’ll send your free Patient Attraction Roadmap as well.

– Act now to make 2018 your best year ever.

– Join me for our next podcast.

– Until then, keep moving forward.

The post Make 2018 Your Best Year of Dental Practice appeared first on SmartBox » The Patient Attraction Podcast.

The post Make 2018 Your Best Year of Dental Pra[...]

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Patient Attraction Episode 1133

Dentists in the United States sometimes chafe under the advertising restrictions imposed by their state dental associations. But if you look at our neighbors to the north, you’ll see just how good you have it … if only by comparison. What would you do if the rules didn’t allow you to tout your experience or to post testimonials? After the break, I’ll be back to tell you what U.S. dentists can learn from one Canadian dentist’s experience. Stay tuned.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– I’m Colin Receveur, founder and CEO of SmartBox.

– The Alberta Dental Association and College, or ADA&C, takes a dim view of a lot of things that American dentists take for granted.

– In December 2017, the Association sanctioned an Alberta dentist for advertising.

– The one-year suspension and 175 thousand dollar fine was imposed for ethics breaches, primarily in his advertising.

– Now, this story isn’t nearly as straightforward as it might sound.

– You see, the ADA&C is all for advertising, but not if it makes one dentist sound better than another dentist.

– Dentists in Alberta aren’t allowed to tout their experience or even use the word “experienced.”

– Apparently, that would make one dentist sound superior to another.

– It’s okay if a dentist is superior because of a particular technique or piece of equipment.

– But it’s not okay if he or she has decades more experience in, say, implants or cosmetic dentistry.

– The ADA&C isn’t fond of patient testimonials, either, because testimonials  “often are emotional; there is a subjective nature to them that is difficult for us to validate or verify.” 

– And before-and-after pictures are apparently misleading to dental prospects when used in advertising, but it’s okay to use them in the office with a patient in your chair.

– Coupons are fine, as long as they don’t have expiration dates.

– No, seriously, any coupon by an Alberta dentist has to be good forever.

– The Competition Bureau stated, “A balance must be struck between competition and ensuring Albertans have all the information they need to choose a dentist.”

– From the outside, it looks as if the Competition Bureau is coming down a bit too heavy on dentists.

– Now, I’m not bringing this up to point out how good U.S. dentists have it when it comes to advertising.

– The point is that differentiation is essential to successfully marketing your practice.

– The ADA&C seems to be focused on making all dentists seem the same to patients.

– It always surprises me how many U.S. dentists do the same thing to themselves.

– They advertise the same way as their competition – on price, discounts, coupons, and insurance.

– There’s nothing special about any of that, and that means there’s nothing special about that dentist.

– Market your practice like that, and you’re just another dentist.

– And all dentists are presumed to be competent these days.

– Why on earth would you want to be “just another dentist”?

– And why on earth would you want to get mostly price-shoppers, insurance-driven patients, and one-and-dones?

– Those patients have absolutely no loyalty to your practice, and you’ll spend a chunk of money on marketing to replace them.

– Exercise the freedom you enjoy under our system to stand out from the great mass of dentists.

– Of course, you’ll need to change your marketing approach, but the results are more than worth it.

– SmartBox works with more than 550 dentists on 3 continents to help them get more and better patients.

– Our industry-leading Patient Attraction System works to position our dentists as the best and only logical choice for their prospects.

– Dr. Travis Watson of Marietta, Georgia, decided to go for better patients with [...]

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Patient Attraction Episode 1132

In September 2017, dentists across Washington state had a huge wake-up call, and it wasn’t a pleasant one. Those dentists were members of Delta Dental of Washington, and they met to vote on amending the bylaws of Delta Dental. The vote was overwhelmingly one-sided, but the aftermath was even more one-sided. And not good for the future of dental insurance. After the break, I’ll tell you how to make the dental insurance industry pretty much irrelevant to your practice.

– I’m Colin Receveur.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– It’s no secret that Delta Dental is basically the 800-pound gorilla of dental insurance.

– And not only does an 800-pound gorilla sit wherever it wants, it pretty much does whatever it wants.

– That’s what Delta Dental of Washington’s dentists found out last September.

– Those dentists closed up shop to hold a vote on amending Delta’s bylaws.

– The goal of the vote was to force Delta to be more transparent in its operations …

– And to be more patient-focused …

– And to be more responsive to the Washington state member dentists.

– The outcome of the vote was never in doubt, with more than 9 out of 10 dentists voting to confirm the changes.

– That’s a landslide and a half margin of victory.

– Unfortunately, Delta’s board of directors didn’t like those changes and vetoed almost all of them.

– Now, bear in mind that the board members each receive over a hundred thousand a year for part-time service.

– Nice work if you can get it, yes?

– And the CEO gets 2.75 million dollars a year.

– But the board was unwilling to limit administrative expenses to 6 percent.

– That would have left 94 percent for paying claims – basically the level that Delta bragged about in 2011.

– Delta’s board also didn’t like the idea of an independent review board to handle claim disputes.

– Let’s put it this way – for a nonprofit entity, Delta sure seems to be emphasizing profit.

– Of course, if you’ve had dealings with Delta and other dental insurers, that probably doesn’t come as a surprise.

– Which brings up the question of whether dental insurance is good for your practice.

– That might sound nuts.

– After all, don’t all dentists accept insurance?

– The short answer is no, not all.

– Some practices have made the decision to go insurance-free.

– And surprisingly, those practices generally seem to be doing fine.

– It’s possible to ditch dental insurance and actually make more money.

– But it takes a significant shift in your thinking about how to get new patients through your doors.

– You need better patients to say goodbye to dental insurance and make it stick.

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

– Those patients are around 30 percent of almost every market.

– They’re not motivated by low prices, specials, and discounts.

– So you have to shift your marketing approach to give them what they’re looking for.

– Dr. Thomas J. Feder of Belleville, Illinois, needed better patients, and he chose to work with SmartBox.

– Here’s what happened.

–  “Our average case value has increased,” he says.

– “We get quite a few patients from our website, and people are coming in looking for dentures and implants.

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

– Sounds like a good problem to have, yes?

– You can put your practice in position to ignore dental insurance, and thrive.

– Visit smartboxdentalmarketing.com and reserve your free Practice Discovery Session.

– That’s free as in no cost, no obligation of any kind.

– We’ll show you a Patient Attraction System that can double or even triple your practice.

–[...]

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Patient Attraction Episode 1131

If your dental chairs are always full, congratulations! Your practice marketing is working well to attract new patients. But if you’re working more and enjoying it less, something’s wrong. And if you’re working more but not making the kind of money you should be, something’s really wrong. Dentistry should be both enjoyable and profitable. When it’s not, it’s time to examine the kinds of patients your marketing is attracting. After the break, I’ll tell you how you can attract the kinds of patients who will make dentistry the great profession it should be. Stay tuned.

– I’m Colin Receveur, founder and CEO of SmartBox.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– All across the country, too many dental professionals wake up in the morning with the same thought.

– They wonder why they got into dentistry in the first place.

– Hopefully, that’s not you … but since you’re still watching, it probably is.

– If you’re truly tired of dentistry, nothing I can say will change that.

– But if you’d really like to recapture the joy you used to have in dentistry, and get paid well for your efforts, keep watching.

– Because together, we can change the practice of dentistry for you.

– That’s a tall claim, so let’s start with what’s not going right for you.

– You’re getting a lot of new patients, but they’re not the patients you need.

– Here’s what I mean by that.

– If you were getting the kinds of cases you really enjoy doing, you’d feel a lot better about going to the office.

– If you were getting well-paid for the work you do, you’d be enjoying life more.

– But you’re not, and you’re not.

– The reason you’re not getting what you need is almost certainly the nature of your marketing.

– If you’re getting low-value, price-shopping, insurance-driven, one-and-done patients, it’s because your marketing speaks to them.

– You’re probably marketing the way you see your competitors marketing: on low price, specials, discounts, and insurance acceptance.

– Don’t take my word for it; review what your marketing offers to your prospects.

– You get who you market to.

– Now, I don’t blame dentists for marketing that way.

– It’s how just about every dentist goes about getting new patients.

– You’re all competing for the same pool of prospects in your market.

– And it’s not a whole lot of fun.

– But as I mentioned in the beginning, dentistry should be both enjoyable and profitable.

– The solution to the problem you’re facing is to market successfully to the prospects who don’t care about discounts and insurance.

– That’s around 30 percent of most markets.

– Those are better patients, not because they’re more deserving of care.

– They’re better because they have the ability and willingness to pay more for the right dentist.

– And as a rule, they’re extremely loyal to the doctor they choose.

– That’s what SmartBox does.

– Our industry-leading Patient Attraction System helps more than 550 dentists on 3 continents get more and better patients.

– Not only do our doctors get more patients – they also get more profits and more freedom.

– Just ask Dr. Michael Abernathy, the founder of Summit Practice Solutions.

– He said,  “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.

– “I can say with all confidence that Colin Receveur knows what he’s doing to leverage the internet to help dentists attract more and better patients.”                                                                                                                  

– Discover what our Patient Attraction System c[...]

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Patient Attraction Episode 1130

If you’re like most dentists, you’re not fond of the selling process. That’s understandable. You didn’t go to dental school to learn to sell. Good thing, because you almost certainly didn’t learn anything like selling in school. You’ve had to make it up as you go along, or try to follow someone else’s selling model. And no matter what you do, you get too many “no’s” even from patients who desperately need the care. But what if you don’t have to do any selling because your patients are ready to say yes before they become patients? Does that sound like a fairy tale? Stick around. After the break, I’ll tell you how to get to yes way more often than you do now.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– I’m Colin Receveur.

– Selling dental case solutions to patients is usually a frustrating business.

– All too often, new patients respond with suspicion rather than acceptance.

– To some extent, we can blame bad dentists and corporate dentistry for the problem.

– More and more news stories are surfacing about dentists who recommend unneeded treatment – not just in corporate practices, but even by private dentists.

– There are even more stories appearing in the media about botched dental treatment, sometimes with horrific results.

– You know, and I know, that these cases are outliers.

– The general public probably knows that, too, on one level.

– On another level, honorable and capable dentists become tarred with the same brush.

– It’s not fair, but there it is.

– Dentists are having to work harder to sell themselves and their case solutions because of the actions of a relative few.

– Dentistry is a trust-based profession at its core.

– You need to trust the person who’s going to put hands and sharp instruments into your mouth and do things to your teeth and gums.

– Anything that impairs that trust makes it harder to get to yes.

– If you follow this train of thought through to the end, you’ll realize that becoming the trusted dentist to your prospects is more important than ever.

– That’s a hard thing to convey effectively in newspaper ads, on radio or TV, or in postcards.

– These days, the place to begin building trust and rapport with your prospects is the internet.

– Well over 90 percent of people begin their search for a dentist online.

– That’s where they’ll first see your name and begin to form an impression.

– Every bit of your online marketing has to work together to convey to prospects that you’re the right dentist for them – not just the lowest-price one.

– Prospects need to view you as relatable, likable, trustworthy, and expert.

– They need to come to see you as the best and only logical choice to solve their dental problems.

– That takes time, consistency, and lots of “touches” with your prospects.

– Your website, your blog, your social media, your patients’ testimonials, and your own doctor videos have to focus on the same goal.

– That goal is to convince prospects before they ever set foot in your practice that they can trust you and believe you.

– When you accomplish that goal, your new patients are predisposed to believe you when you tell them what care they need.

– They’re also predisposed to agree to pay because they can’t see themselves price shopping the doctor they’ve already invested in.

– The process I’ve just described is the essence of what SmartBox’s Patient Attraction System accomplishes for our dentists.

– We position them as the best and only logical choice for better patients, those with the ability and willingness to pay more for the right dentist.

– We help more than 550 dentists on 3 continents get more and better patients.

– And we help those dentists get to yes way more often.

– Are you interested in seein[...]