SmartBox Dental Marketing

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Patient Attraction Episode 1093

If your website stats show that you’re attracting a lot of visitors, but your phone’s not ringing with prospects wanting appointments, you’ve got a disconnect in your dental marketing. Your marketing was good enough to get them to your site, but something happens once prospects arrive. That’s bad news – once a prospect leaves your website, the odds that they’ll return go down. After the break, I’ll tell you how to keep your prospects engaged until they’re ready to choose you to solve their dental problems.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– I’m Colin Receveur.

– Dentists spend a lot of their hard-earned marketing dollars getting prospects to their websites.

– But if those prospects don’t contact the practice for an appointment, those marketing funds are wasted.

– There’s too much competition out there for any dentist to let prospects slip away.

– If your marketing was good enough to get prospective patients to your website, the problem lies with the website itself.

– There are any number of ways that your website can let new patients slip through your fingers.

– The most common is that the website is all about you rather than being about solutions to patients’ problems.

– Too many dentists make their websites all about their training, the services they offer, and their equipment or techniques.

– Your prospects don’t care about that.

– That may be hard to hear, but it’s true – dental prospects care about solutions to their problems.

– They want to eat without discomfort, smile without embarrassment, and not worry about offending with their breath that nothing seems to help.

– The value proposition you’re offering isn’t what they’re looking for, so they leave your website – and they probably won’t be back.

– The solution is both easy and hard: make your site all about how you and your staff can improve your prospects’ lives.

– Of course, you’ll have to let go of some ego in the process, but frankly, I think you should.

– Dentists today are presumed to be competent, meaning that most prospects can’t tell the difference between them.

– It’s not your training or credentials that will get you new patients, it’s providing proof that you’re the best choice to solve their dental problems.

– A patient-focused website with lots of supporting patient testimonials provides that proof, and it gets you a lot more new patients.

– The other major way that dentists’ websites go wrong is that they don’t convert their prospects.

– Conversion means that prospects opt in to receive something of value.

– Generally, subject to your state laws, that something will be a report, a case study, a coupon, or anything else that will lead prospects to give up their email addresses.

– The object of conversion is that prospects agree to receive further communication from you.

– That allows you to follow up with “drip” email content specific to each prospect concerning their dental needs.

– Releasing that content on a carefully determined schedule keeps you in front of your prospects until they’re ready to choose you to be their dentist.

– So, if you want to convert more website visitors to appointed patients, there are 2 disconnects you have to fix.

– The disconnect between what your prospects want and what your website delivers, and the disconnect between their arrival on your site and their eventual buying decision.

– However, correcting those issues is a big ask of any practicing dentist.

– Revising the focus of your entire website is very time-consuming.

– Creating the series of condition-specific emails and sending them out at predetermined intervals is even more labor-intensive.

– But there’s a way you can keep doing what makes you money and get more new patients [...]

They’re Coming for Your Dental Practice

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Patient Attraction Episode 1092

Hey, did you know that there are 66 dental schools in the United States? Those schools are expected to graduate more than 6,000 new dentists every year. Bottom line is that the number of dentists practicing in this country is increasing year over year. That means more competition

 for almost every dental practice. Is your practice ready for the onslaught of new dentists? After the break, I’ll tell you the best way to prepare your practice against those hungry new dental graduates.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– I’m Colin Receveur.

– According to the ADA’s Health Policy Institute, the number of dentists in the U.S. will continue to grow through 2035.

– New dental school graduates will outpace the dentists who retire or leave the profession.

– Those new graduates will be coming for your practice.

– Oh, maybe not now, or even in the next year or 2.

– But it’s inevitable that dentists in almost every market are going to face increased competition in the years to come.

– It amazes me how many dentists know this on some level, but take no action to prepare their practices.

– They keep on doing what they’ve always done.

– Do that when there are more competitors in your market, and you’ll get less than you’ve always gotten.

– I think part of the reason more dentists don’t act now is that they haven’t put the pieces together.

– See, new dental school graduates don’t all run out and open new practices.

– Quite a few of them are going to work for corporate dentistry.

– This generation of dentists doesn’t see anything wrong with working for someone else, at least at first.

– And the dental practice chains are courting those graduates with tuition payoffs and huge sign-on bonuses.

– Financially, working for corporate dentistry for a while makes sense.

– These new dental school grads are saddled with an average school debt of 260 thousand dollars.

– Starting salaries for corporate practices run around 125 thousand dollars.

– So a new dentist can pay off that school debt fairly quickly and stash some money in the bank.

– Your new competition won’t be just new dental graduate practices.

– It’ll be new corporate dental practices fueled by those new graduates.

– And those chain practices can beat you up all day and both sides of the street on price.

– But there’s another aspect of increased competition that a lot of dentists aren’t looking at.

– And that’s the dilution factor when it comes to your marketing.

– Let’s say you’re in a market where you have 9 direct competitors.

– There’s a decent chance that the prospects you want to attract will see your online and offline marketing.

– Chances are less good that prospects will fully review the websites of 10 dental practices before making a decision.

– Google says that people consult an average of 10.4 sources of online information before making a buying decision.

– Add 5 more competitors to the market, and the impact of your marketing is severely diluted.

– The odds are really good that prospects will make a snap decision after reviewing only a few websites.

– So you’re putting out all these marketing dollars and getting less.

– You could increase your marketing spend, but that just means you’re spending more to pretty much stay where you are.

– So doing more of what you’re doing isn’t going to work.

– You need to switch up how you’re going about attracting new patients.

– The key is to establish an online presence that gives your prospects exactly what they’re looking for.

– And does it in more online places and better than any of your competitors.

– Your website need to provide superior information about dental problems and so[...]

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Patient Attraction Episode 1091

Do your new dental prospects dicker with you over price? Do you find yourself cutting your prices because the competitor down the road is advertising a special for the same procedure? Is this really why you went to dental school – to become the Walmart of dentists? I don’t think so, and when we come back, I’ll tell how you can get paid what you’re worth – and have more fun doing what you love. Stay tuned.

– I’m Colin Receveur, CEO of SmartBox.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– Dental patients aren’t all created equal in terms of their value to your practice.

– You might think that’s a “Doh!” statement, but it bears looking into.

– On one hand, you’ve got a lot of prospects who really don’t care which dentist fixes their teeth.

– To this group, one dentist is as good as another.

– Why? Because today, dentists are viewed as being competent, period.

– Most dental prospects don’t understand the difference between a DDS and a DMD.

– And they don’t care whether, or where, you got postgrad training in cosmetic dentistry, or periodontal treatment, or whatever.

– You’re a dentist and you’re presumed to be able to provide adequate treatment.

– To these patients, the only things that factor into choosing one dentist over another are price, availability, and insurance acceptance.

– Don’t get me wrong – you can make a go of it with these patients, and many dentists do.

– But it’s actually costing those dentists money that they may not realize they’re spending.

– It’s much cheaper to keep an existing patient than to market to attract a new one.

– Are you getting a lot of these price-driven one-and-done patients?

– Then you have to constantly advertise to keep your new patient pipeline filled.

– For a lot of dentists, these low-value patients are the wide majority of the cases they handle.

– Are you one of those dentists?

– I hope not, because there’s a much better way to make a really good living as a dentist.

– Let’s start by comparing that group of patients with the other group – better patients.

– Better patients are about 20 to 30 percent of most markets.

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

– They’re looking for more than competence and low price.

– These patients are looking for a trust-based relationship with a dentist and a dental practice.

– They’re concerned far more about their experience in your practice than they are about price.

– These better patients are people who stay, pay, and refer.

– They’ll willingly pay what you ask for various procedures, and they won’t price-shop you.

– How many of these better patients do you have in your practice?

– What would it do for your bottom line if you could greatly increase that number?

– I’m pretty sure it would transform your practice.

– Here’s the thing, though – you won’t get those better patients by advertising price, availability, and insurance acceptance.

– Those aren’t strong motivators for your better patients.

– You need to give them reasons up front to like you, trust you, and regard you as a dental expert.

– Today’s dental prospects overwhelmingly begin their search for a dentist online.

– It takes time and a very strong online presence that speaks to the needs, wants, and fears of the prospects you want.

– Attracting better patients is a process rather than an event.

– Most dentists don’t have the bandwidth to create and maintain that kind of online presence.

– It demands a very large amount of specific, trustworthy, and expert dental content.

– That’s a big part of the reason why most dentists are getting low-value patients.

– SmartBox works with more than 550 dentists on 3 contine[...]

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Patient Attraction Episode 1090

SmartBox works with more than 550 dentists on 3 continents. I’m happy to report that maybe a handful of them are still working too hard, or too long, or for too little. We’re working on that. But there are tens of thousands of dentists out there who are doing exactly that – working too hard, for too long, for too little. It’s a combination that will make a dentist old before his or her time. But there is a solution, and when we come back I’ll tell you how to make dentistry fun and much more profitable. Stay tuned.

– I’m Colin Receveur.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– Dentistry is a profession that changes lives for the better.

– It should be rewarding both personally and professionally, and for many dentists it is.

– But when you’re bent over the chair 40 or even 50 hours a week doing routine cases, it can be hard to feel gratified.

– When dentistry becomes an endurance contest, you’re doing it wrong.

– Here’s why that happens.

– The vast majority of dentists still market the way dentists have marketed for decades.

– They chase patients by advertising on price, discounts, and specials.

– The result is that they attract patients who are driven by those considerations.

– Those dentists wind up with a stream of low-value cases with little or no loyalty to the practice.

– With low case value, dentists work longer, harder, and for less.

– Those one-and-dones can chew up your marketing budget and for not nearly enough return.

– It’s far cheaper to keep an existing patient than to have to recruit a new prospect.

– So dentists have to keep chasing the same class of patients in the same way to pay the bills, pay the staff, and maybe put something away for retirement.

– It’s the slow path to success at best.

– For many dentists, it’s a path to an unhappy life.

– It shouldn’t be that way, and it doesn’t have to be.

– There’s a proven method of getting not just more patients, but better patients.

– It focuses on the 20 percent of your market made up of people with the resources and willingness to pay more for the right dentist.

– Those better patients aren’t driven by low price, discounts, and coupons.

– They’re primarily interested in 2 things.

– The first is an ongoing, trust-based relationship with a dentist and his or her practice.

– The second is a superior experience as a patient in that practice.

– Of course, any practice that wants to keep its patients also has to deliver the results that patients want.

– But if you can establish that relationship, provide a superior experience, and deliver results, you likely have those patients for life.

– How many of those better patients are you getting in your practice?

– If you’re advertising like most dentists, probably not all that many.

– To get those better patients, you need a system that works 24/7 to position you as the only logical choice to solve your prospects’ dental problems.

– Basically, you need a Patient Attraction System.

– SmartBox’s industry-leading system helps its dentists stand out from the great mass of dentists.

– It takes them out of price wars and gets them more and better patients.

– Those are patients who stay, pay, and refer.

– Just ask Dr. James Kiehl in New Hampshire.

– When he became a SmartBox dentist, he told us, , “Some of the advertising I’ve done in the past was more offer-driven, free exam, X-ray kinds of things.

– “When you bring patients in that way, you’re chasing them with the next offer or they’re chasing you for the next offer, all the way down the line.

– “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. 

– Are yo[...]

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Patient Attraction Episode 1089

Did you know the failure rate of dental practices is only about 2 percent? That’s reassuring, until you stop to think that there are many ways to fail. True, the economy seems to be booming right now, so failure may not be on your radar. But there’s a very real possibility that many dentists won’t be able to sell their practices for what they need to fund their retirements. You might be one of them. Stay tuned – after the break, I’ll tell why dentists’ retirement plans are threatened and what you can do about yours.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– I’m Colin Receveur, CEO of SmartBox.

– There’s an old saying that the past is prologue.

– And the fairly recent past was a huge recession that depressed dentists’ incomes for 7 years.

– It was only in 2015 that dentists’ incomes stabilized, but that’s not the same thing as increasing.

– You’ll recall that quite a few dentists found their retirement plans put on hold by the Great Recession.

– The value of their practices plummeted, and they couldn’t get the price or the terms they needed to retire as they’d planned.

– You might think that the Great Recession can’t happen again, and you might be right.

– But economic downturns don’t hit every industry equally.

– Right now, the profession of dentistry is unusually vulnerable to another recession.

– And a wide array of economists are warning that we’re overdue for the next.

– Why are dentists particularly vulnerable right now?

– Because there are 3 major forces in play now that weren’t nearly as powerful prior to the Great Recession.

– Those 3 forces are corporate dentistry, new dental school graduates, and declining insurance reimbursements.

– Let me clear – those forces existed prior to 2008, but 9 years later they’ve gotten stronger and more interconnected.

– There are far more corporate dental practices than there were 9 years ago.

– Those practices offer a haven for an increasing number of debt-laden new dental school graduates.

– The corporate chains are luring them through debt-repayment offers and sign-on bonuses.

– Once those graduates have paid down or paid off their debts, they’ll still represent increased competition.

– Some will continue to work for a chain practice, while others will open new corporate practices.

– Some graduates will go to work for large group practices, and the last will open their own private practices.

– Any way you look at it, the private dentist is facing steadily increasing competition for the foreseeable future.

– And this is happening at the same time that dental insurance companies are cutting reimbursements like never before.

– With more of the payment burden shifted to patients, they’ll seek out the lowest-cost provider.

– A race to the bottom on price seems inevitable, and corporate and large group practices are the best positioned to win that race.

– Those 3 forces are more strongly in play now than at any time in the past.

– But the impact of the recession of 2008 to 2010 hasn’t faded for most people.

– At the first sign of economic trouble, many individuals and families will begin to hoard money.

– They’ll be concerned about the possibility of loss of income – again.

– So they’ll defer or even cancel needed care.

– We’re already hearing reports that the number of canceled appointments are increasing.

– Add economic uncertainty to the mix of corporate dentistry, new dental school graduates, and declining reimbursements, and dentists are facing the perfect storm.

– No matter how close or far away your retirement may be, you’re looking at having to change your plans.

– Just like all those dentists during the Great Recession.

– This is the short version of what you’re facing, but I[...]

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Patient Attraction Episode 1087

There’s a difference between making a comfortable living as a dentist and having an income that will allow you to take time off, do the things you love to do, and enjoy life even before retirement. If your practice seems to be stuck in low gear, and you just can’t figure out how to shift it to second gear, much less third, you’ll definitely want to watch this podcast. I’ll be right back to tell you how to accelerate your practice’s collections.

– I’m Colin Receveur, CEO of SmartBox.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– Dentistry is a great profession.

– It consistently ranks in the top 2 professions in the U.S. based on earning potential, working conditions, and other factors.

– But I don’t think it should be a job that consumes the dentist, because there’s more to life than keeping your nose to the grindstone.

– Out of the thousands of dentists I know, there are way too many whose noses are getting shorter all the time.

– Those hard-working doctors just aren’t getting ahead.

– They’re keeping the lights on, the bills paid, the staff employed, and their families taken care of.

– But all they have to look forward to is day after day after day of the same.

– A lot of those dentists haven’t had a real vacation in years.

– They operate solo practices and can’t afford the hit to their income from taking time off.

– They need every patient they can get.

– Basically, their practices are stuck in low gear and they don’t want to lose momentum.

– No matter what they do, those dentists can’t find a way to grow their practices even though many of them operate in lucrative markets.

– And they’re very frustrated and lie awake at night questioning whether they made the right decision.

– There’s another, smaller group of dentists who are doing better.

– Those doctors are seeing reasonably steady growth in their collections.

– They feel secure in their decision to become dentists and are able to take some time off during the year.

– The surprising thing is that a lot of those dentists work in markets that you wouldn’t think of as prime opportunities.

– But even those more successful dentists often find themselves looking for another gear for their practices.

– Finally, there’s a much, much smaller group of doctors who are killing it.

– Collections are up month over month, and their margins are great.

– Those successful dentists can take several vacations a year, and they sleep like babies.

– What makes the difference between these 3 types of dentists isn’t how good they are clinically.

– It’s not the quality of the staff they employ.

– And generally, it’s not the market they’re in.

– The difference is in the quality – the value – of the patients they attract.

– The dentists who are struggling are attracting low case value patients with little or no loyalty to their practices.

– Those dentists are constantly advertising low prices, discounts, and specials just to keep their sales pipelines full.

– But with their small margins, they’re not getting ahead.

– Which of these groups do you fall in?

– If you’re not killing it with your dental practice, you should be.

– If you’re tired of spinning your wheels AND you’re dedicated to growing your practice, here’s what you need to do.

– Go to PatientAttractionBlueprint.com and schedule your Practice Discovery Session  call.

– We reserve these call for dentists who want to see a Patient Attraction System that can double or even triple their practices.

– You can get more patients, more profits, and more freedom, which is pretty much the definition of a higher gear for your practice.

– Join me for our next podcast.

– Until then, keep moving forward.

The post Does Your Dental Pr[...]

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Patient Attraction Episode 1086

Corporate dental practices pose a severe challenge for many general dental practices. With their economies of scale, a general corporate practice can undercut private dental practices on price and generally offer greater availability. There’s a growing trend toward one type of specialty corporate dental office that could pose the same challenge for implant practices. After the break, I’ll you how general dental practices and specialty practices can meet and beat corporate dentistry’s threat. Stay tuned.

– I’m Colin Receveur, CEO of SmartBox.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– If you offer dental implants in your practice, let me ask you a question.

– Do you think you could compete on price against a specialty corporate dental implant practice?

– If you answered yes, how long do you think you could wage a price war against that practice?

– Unless you have incredibly deep pockets, the answer is almost certainly not long.

– You might think that you won’t have to worry about specialized corporate dental practices in your market.

– You’re probably wrong about that.

– To take just one example, ClearChoice Dental Implant Centers have 32 offices and 70 clinicians in their nationwide system.

– They advertise that they’ve done more than 40,000 cases.

– And they offer some version of teeth in one day at a fixed price to their patients.

– The writing is on the wall for dentists who are willing to read it.

– Corporate dentistry is coming after the individual, big-ticket revenue streams of private practices.

– With corporate dentistry’s economies of scale, private practice dentists will struggle to maintain their cash flow from those streams.

– And that’s a hit that not every practice is going to be able to withstand.

– If you want to ensure that your dental practice doesn’t become another corporate casualty, you need to act now.

– It’s possible to segment dental patients into 2 broad groups: those who are price-driven and those who aren’t.

– The price-driven patient is corporate dentistry’s target.

– Their advertising primarily focuses on price and convenience of appointments.

– In the case of dental implants, that probably would appeal to 80 percent of the market.

– That leaves the other 20 percent, and those prospects should be your marketing targets.

– Corporate dentistry has one major liability that by its very nature it can’t overcome.

– It can’t and doesn’t engender patient trust.

– If that corporate dental implant patient has a problem, he or she isn’t guaranteed to see the same doctor.

– Most likely, the appointment will be with the first available clinician.

– The 20 percent of implant patients who aren’t motivated by price are strongly motivated by trust.

– That patient segment has the resources and the willingness to pay more for the right dentist – one they relate to, trust, and regard as a dental expert.

– For most dentists, attracting those better patients will require a shift in their marketing focus.

– Price-driven advertising won’t work, so you need to give your 20 percent of prospects reasons to choose you instead of a competitor to solve their dental problems.

– You won’t accomplish that through postcard campaigns or newspaper ads.

– But you can position yourself as the trusted dental expert by using SmartBox’s industry-leading Patient Attraction System.

– Not only can you get more patients, but you can also get better patients that will position your practice to withstand competitive threats.

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

– Go to PatientAttractionBlueprint.com and schedule your Practice Discovery Session call.  

– You’ll learn how you can double or even triple [...]

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Patient Attraction Episode 1085

Dentistry is a helping profession. It’s probably one of the areas of medicine where people’s thanks are heard most often. That’s because dentists can directly and quickly make a difference. Dentists intervene to alleviate pain, restore teeth, and give people back their smiles. You’d think that dentists would be eager to go to work every day. But way too many dentists out there are just tired of it all. When we come back, I’ll tell you how to rediscover the fun of dentistry while also making it pay well. Stay tuned.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– I’m Colin Receveur.

– I know thousands of dentists, and some of them are loving what they do.

– They can’t wait to get to their practices in the mornings.

– Those dentists come home from work feeling very satisfied that they’ve helped to improve the lives of their patients.

– And when they’re not working, they have the energy to enjoy life rather than trying to recharge their batteries for the next work week.

– But like I said, I know thousands of dentists, and I know that too many of them aren’t enjoying what they do.

– I think that’s a real shame.

– After all, dentists spend 4 long years in dental school and rack up huge debts just so they can make a difference in people’s lives.

– They put in long hours and shoulder a lot of responsibility.

– In exchange, they get to make a real difference in patients’ quality of life – and get paid for doing it.

– Dentistry should be a very rewarding profession and if it’s not, dentists are doing something wrong.

– I have an idea what that might be.

– See, the dentists who are loving what they do are getting a lot of the cases they love to handle.

– One of them, for instance, is the go-to dentist for implants for a big chunk of the Midwest.

– He probably does around 400 implant cases a year.

– Not only is that financially rewarding, but he gets to make a huge change in the quality of life for his patients.

– Does that sound like you?

– Or are you primarily getting an endless parade of low-value, low-interest dental patients?

– Are you doing mostly exams, fillings, some crowns, and the odd root canal?

– There’s nothing wrong with that – you’re providing valuable service – but it can be disheartening.

– If you’ve ever dreaded the next day’s roster of patients, I understand.

– If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “I’m better than this,” know that I agree with you.

– You can and should be enjoying what you do, while doing good work.

– Dr. Thomas Feder of Belleville, Illinois, rediscovered the fun of dentistry after becoming a SmartBox dentist.

– He told us,  “Our average case value has increased.

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

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

– Not only is Dr. Feder seeing higher average case value, but he’s also been able to cut back on the number of hours he works.

– And his retirement is back on track.

– You can have what Dr. Feder enjoys.

– The difference is that he’s a SmartBox dentist.

– Our industry-leading Patient Attraction System is delivering more and better patients for more than 550 dentists on 3 continents.

– If you’re serious about your success and enjoying what you do, go to PatientAttractionBlueprint.com and schedule a Practice Discovery Session call.

– We reserve these calls for dentists who want to see a Patient Attraction System that can double or even triple their practices.

– You can get more patients, more profits, and more freedom.

– And you can enjoy what you do for a living while making a really good living.

– Join me for our next podcast.

– Until then, keep moving forward.

The post When Dentists Are Tired of It All appe[...]

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Patient Attraction Episode 1084

I’m the son of a very successful dentist in the greater Louisville, Kentucky, area. I also happen to know thousands of dentists. And one thing I’ve learned is that almost all dentists hate trying to sell their case solutions to patients. That’s not surprising, really. Dentists love solving dental patients’ problems, but doctors are kind of at sea when the patient is the problem. There’s a way you can enjoy presenting your case solutions, and I’ll be right back after the break to tell you what it is. Stay tuned.

– I’m Colin Receveur, CEO of SmartBox.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– You know, sometimes I feel sorry for salespeople.

– Particularly the ones who have to make a lot of cold calls.

– It doesn’t matter how good the product or service is that they’re selling or how well it would solve a customer’s problem.

– If the initial pitch doesn’t capture the prospect’s interest, the call is going nowhere.

– After the pitch, there’s a process of developing trust between the sales rep and the customer.

– People in general are suspicious when they’re hit with a sales pitch out of the blue.

– Part of the reason why so many sales calls fail is that there’s no trust established between the sales rep and the customer.

 

– The lack of trust between patient and dentist is a big part of the reason why selling case solutions is so difficult.

– Think about it – someone has consulted your practice for the first time.

– After an examination and imaging, you tell them that they need to spend 2,000, 5,000, or 10,000 dollars on dental work.

– Even if you take the time to explain your findings, discuss the likely outcomes of not taking action, and offer the best solution to their problem, they’ll likely balk.

– I can’t say that I blame them.

– The need to spend that kind of money is a lot to take on faith.

– And patients understandably need to know that they can trust the dentist to have their best interests in mind.

– Building trust takes time, and it’s something that’s easily destroyed.

– We can blame corporate dentistry to some extent for eroding trust between patients and dentists.

– The horror stories of poorly done work, unnecessary work, and overbilling have been all over the media.

– Consciously or unconsciously, patients have learned to be suspicious of dentists’ motives.

– But you don’t have to “sell” your case solution if your prospects view you as the trustworthy dental expert.

– That’s what Dr. James Kiehl of New Hampshire discovered after he became a SmartBox dentist.

– He said, “With the Patient Attraction System, a lot of the new patients already are very knowledgeable about what they’re looking for.

– “Just the other day, I had a patient come in specifically wanting to talk about implants, and he had heard us talk about implants and was ready to move forward.

– “That’s been nice, to have them come in already pre-educated as to what we do here.” 

– There are 2 takeaways from Dr. Kiehl.

– One is that his patient attraction efforts provided that prospect with expert, authoritative, and trustworthy information about his dental problem and the solution.

– The other is that the prospect viewed Dr. Kiehl as the right dentist for him.

– Trust was already established, the “customer” understood the value of the service, and Dr. Kiehl didn’t have to sell a damned thing.

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

– Now, not every patient will come in educated and ready to move forward on needed dental work.

– But you can get a lot more new patients that you don’t have to sell on treatment.

– If you’d like to get more and better patients, and you’re seri[...]

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Patient Attraction Episode 1083

Some dentists go through 4 years of dental school and all the work involved in starting their own practices for the sole purpose of making money. In my experience, those dentists are fairly rare. If you’re like the vast majority of dentists, you got into dentistry to help people while also being paid well for what you do. With that said, it’s strange how many dentists market their practices as if money is the only thing that matters. After the break, I’ll tell you how to market what really matters and how you can earn more money by showing prospects what’s in your heart.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– I’m Colin Receveur.

– I know literally thousands of dentists, and almost all of them are good people.

– They genuinely enjoy helping people by solving their dental problems and improving their lives.

– They also enjoy making a good living, providing for their families, and providing employment and benefits for their staff.

– Yes, dentistry is a business, but I’m a firm believer that business should also have a heart.

– I practice what I preach – SmartBox was honored by being named a 2017 Best Place to Work by Inc. Magazine.

– To put that in perspective, SmartBox was 1 of only 233 companies nationwide to earn that honor.

– And since the award is based solely on anonymous employee feedback, it means that the people who work for SmartBox are highly engaged in helping dentists.

– I made sure that our prospects heard the news about SmartBox.

– Because, let’s face it – who would you prefer to work with?

– A company that treats customers as numbers, or one that is invested in helping your practice grow and succeed?

– There’s a lesson here for dentists.

– Let me start by saying that I think dentists should be financially successful.

– But if your primary motivation is to help people, why would you advertise in such a way as to put the emphasis on money?

– Granted, many people struggle to afford dental care, so advertising low prices, discounts, and coupons isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

– But if that’s the main thrust of your marketing and advertising, you’re missing the most important part of dentistry.

– And that’s what lies at the heart of your dental practice.

– Again, dentists should be successful as the result of their efforts to help patients.

– But believe me, I can tell the difference between a practice that’s primarily concerned about patients and one that’s concerned mostly with making money.

– So can your prospects.

– What message do you want to send to the people you’re hoping to have as patients?

– And what message are you actually sending in your marketing?

– That’s more important now than ever, because dentists are universally viewed these days as being competent.

– That means that one dentist is pretty much as good as another.

– You have two ways to differentiate your practice from the all the other dental practices in your market.

– You can be the discount dentist, or you can show your prospects that you’re a caring, trustworthy dental expert.

– If you take the first approach, you get more price shoppers, insurance-driven patients, and one-and-dones with no loyalty to your practice.

– If you take the second approach, you get more patients with the ability and willingness to pay more for the right dentist.

– Those better patients are about 20 percent of a given market, and those are the patients who will allow you to do good while doing well.

– Positioning yourself as the best and only logical choice to solve prospects’ dental problems is a process that takes time.

– You’ll need to ensure that all your online and offline marketing, even the price offers, work together to show your practice’s heart.

– That’s the essen[...]