The Dental Marketer

‍(If you DO want to work with Studio8E8, be sure to mention this podcast/ episode!)

Reach out to Studio8E8 here: https://s8e8.com/affiliates/tdm?utm_source=tdm&utm_medium=affiliate&wc_clear=true

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Hey what's up guys? In this Monday Morning Marketing episode, I'm joined by our good friend, and website expert, Joshua Scott. Joshua breaks down his four essential website attributes that contribute to a seamless and engaging patient experience. From intuitive navigation and captivating visuals, to personalized content and convenient appointment booking systems, we explore how these elements can elevate your online presence and attract more patients to your practice. We also discuss the rising concern for ADA(American Disabilities Act) compliance, and how you can stay in the clear if this is a concern in your area!

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Join our conversation for actionable tips, trends, and must-haves to enhance your dental website's user experience and drive success in the digital realm!

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You can reach out to Joshua Scott here:

Website: https://s8e8.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuascott/

Email: [email protected]

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Other Mentions and Links:

‍Swell

Google Ad Words

LocalMed

Next Health

Practice by Numbers

ChatGPT

Don Norman

Modento

HIPAA - Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

Birdseye

ADA - American Disabilities Act

ADA Compliance Company - Equally.ai

Dentistry IQ

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If you want your questions answered on Monday Morning Marketing, ask me on these platforms:

My Newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/

The Dental Marketer Society Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2031814726927041

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Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)

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Michael: Hey, Josh, so talk to us about websites. How can we utilize this, or what advice or suggestions or methods can you give us that will help actually attract new patients through our website?

Joshua: Hey, Michael, always great to be back for another mm m. TripleM, mq, I dunno what you call it,

Michael: m squared

Joshua: times three m and m and m Monday morning Marketing.

Uh, but no, I, I wanted to kind of come at this, uh, from a little bit of a different conversation that we've been having with our clients lately. They actually started as a conversation with our team. It actually kind of started post covid conversation with the team. Some of the trends we were seeing and then has, Build out with our client base, but it's really a conversation behind your website's UX design.

And what that means is a user experience design. And so when you get into kind of agency and design world, especially with, with digital products, mobile products, you're gonna hear people talk about the ux, like, what's the UX like? Or, I really enjoy the ux and what that means is, You're not just putting something out there for function, you're putting something out there that's designed with the user in mind.

So I thought we would talk about that for a little bit. Some areas we're seeing that and then actually kind of hit at the end, maybe some ADA compliance that just kind of seems to be at odds with that. But we can talk through it a little bit. Okay, man. Yeah, let's dive into it. So, um, uh, just me doing a little research, uh, Don Norman, is the one who really kind of coined the term user experience.

He's a cognitive scientist. and he said user experience encompasses all aspects of the end user's interaction with the company, its services and its products. And so when you're putting out a website, Anymore. I mean, this is the digital version of your practice. Like before people step in the door to this physical practice, they are on your website.

This is how people experience you, that patient experience, that new patient experience. And so it's your ux. Really designing a site without a mind is about the feelings and emotions users experience when interacting with your website. So if you think about that right now, kind in this post covid world, think about it from a, a convenience.

Lens, right? Like we all now are interacting with our healthcare providers. We're interacting with our pizza, like our Friday night pizza place through, through text. You know, I mean, I'm placing an order online and then I'm getting a text. Hey, your order's been submitted, you know, be here in 15 minutes. And then as I'm pulling it up, I get another text.

Your order is ready. Come, come in and pick it. Pick it up. So we're all interacting with our favorite companies like this. And so thinking about that user experience from that type of convenience, user friendliness, part of it, I think is number one. So, convenience, uh, user friendliness, the journey.

And really just what do you want people, like, what do you want them feeling when they get off of the website? that's the question to ask. You can build a website that's SEO forward, uh, you can build an a, uh, website that is like going to convert for Google AdWords. But I think you also, an equally important question in that is what do you want that patient to feel?

Mm-hmm. Is it frustration because they've had the, like, input stuff into a form four, four times? Or is it because they were two clicks away from making an appointment and they go, wow, that was easy.

Michael: Mm-hmm. Gotcha. Okay, so let me ask you personally, what do you want to feel? Yeah, your dentist, like your people that you go visit.

How does that work?

Joshua: yeah, when it comes time to actually convert on a transaction. Whether I'm ordering pizza on Friday night or whether I'm scheduling a healthcare appointment. Yeah, I want it to be easy. I want it to be straightforward, Michael, you know, when you're on those like websites and it just feels like it's from like 1995 when you're trying to like, like the form that comes up.

Mm-hmm. You're like, wait, what is this thing? It doesn't have auto fill. Like you've gotta type in everything. Um, You know, you drop down, like, like your country gets a dropdown menu and it's, and the United States is all the way at the bottom when 90% of your users are in the United States. Yeah. You know, those types of things.

And, and you go like, that's not that big of a deal. It just is, you know, like we're talking about as least amount of friction as little time, convenience, friendliness as possible.

Michael: Where do you see the drop off? Then if you can give us like a, a number on that where it's like, okay, man, they almost made it.

To submit that form, but you lost them here.

Joshua: Yeah, that's a good question. I don't know that I have data on that. I think some of this, and one of the things I wanted to talk about was really kind of the four, I think, convenience pieces of a website right now, kind of post covid and, and I think some of this, to answer your question is cuz the first one is, is about online scheduling.

Like I think. We're just at a place now, like, man, you've gotta have online scheduling on your site. and when you ask like, what's the drop off? I think if you're using a lot of these premier, uh, partners out there, like Local Med Next Health, you know, practice by numbers, some of these guys, I think they've built really good user experiences into those apps.

So, you know, I don't know that you're gonna have that much of a problem, but if you're using, a different one, I, I don't even know a good example right now, but, here's one of the things I recommend, right? Like if you implement online scheduling, go through that process yourself and schedule yourself an appointment to see how it feels.

I, I've seen so many practices implement things like this, and then they're like, I don't know, like I'm like, you're getting 18 texts within a 48 hour period of time. Is that what you wanted? Well, why? I didn't know that. And I'm like, well, right. But like put yourself through that process. Tweak it, edit it.

Make sure it's saying what you want it to say. Make sure it's doing what you want it to do. But you know, online scheduling is huge. You're gonna see an increase in your website, effectiveness, uh, you're gonna see an increase in new patients. It's just all these things. Now, um, there's actually stats and, and reports out there that are saying online scheduling.

It's actually reducing no shows, which is everybody's argument. Like, oh, if I, if I do online scheduling, no shows are gonna go up. On the whole, once you get that implemented and you build systems around that nohow go down, it saves staff time. You're gonna get better insights into your data online. Uh, and it's mobile accessible.

People can make an appointment right on their mobile phone. So my first one there was, was online scheduling. Get that implemented.

Michael: Gotcha. Okay. I like that, that you mentioned you gotta build systems around it because, you know what I mean? We always just thought like, yeah, you have that button on there and that's it.

Yeah. Uh, but it's the. The follow up process in the systems. Awesome. So what are the next

Joshua: stuff? Yeah, the the next one is, is, I mean, there's, there's four of these really, but it's, it's implementing these integrations to make this a more friendly and convenient experience. The second one's chat, you know, adding a live chat feature, uh, dentistry iq, so it can double the amount of website visitors scheduling an appointment.

you get this online schedule app, but if you add text, those online appointments go up twice as much. It's just facts from dentistry iq, uh, and I think, you know, 63% of millennials right now say that they prefer chat over phone calls. Again, that's just in the world we're in. If you have to pick up the phone to call an actual human, we feel like it's an inconvenience, you know, like, like, man, why am I, why are they making me do that?

So, you know, I think implementing chat into your site, just making sure I, I'm not a fan of the automated chat bots. I still don't think they sound human. So I think you still gotta have somebody like on that and monitoring it. But again, like we're talking about optimizing your website for that ux. If you have online scheduling, but you don't have chat, you're potentially leaving half of those conversions on the website.

Mm-hmm. So I think that's an important piece.

Michael: Okay. So chat and not so much like the AI chat is what you're saying, right? Like actually have somebody on there at 11:00 PM like where it's like, Hey man, the beer bottle just broke my tooth. What do I do? Or, or what are you thinking?

Joshua: Well, you could set up like hours around it, you know, and, and when people are available to monitor it and you can kind of turn it off and on for sure.

Um, but yeah, you know, I mean chat, g p d as, as good as it is, um, I don't know that we're quite there yet for answering those, those questions and, and plus I, we, People just have still an expectation that chat means there's another human there. Um mm-hmm. You know, responding to them. so I think that's a big one.

You know, patient forms is my number three and, and I'm bringing these up man, cause I'm actually not a partner. Like, I don't partner with any of these companies. and we, we integrate, we've built integrations with all of them, you know, into our, our web experiences. But I'm not from Meto or Local Med or, yeah.

You know, Nexel, like promoting it. I'm just going, no guys, these are really, really important tools that we see the analytics behind it. It, it's huge. And so, you know, I think Patient Forms is a third one. Uh, you know, we're now, it's like it's tipped more than 50% of patients want online forms before they get to an appointment.

Uh, nobody wants to sit there with the clipboard and fill stuff out. And then, you know, the other thing too is like, what online forms are doing is it's really consolidating stuff into, you filled it out one time. I don't know how many, uh, healthcare appointments you've been to where it's like, You answer the questions on the phone, then you get the form and you fill it out again.

And each form has like your mailing address on it. You know, so like the new patient form, you gotta like write out your whole mailing address. Then the health history form, you gotta write out your mailing address again. Yeah. And then the HIPAA form, you gotta write out your mailing address a third time.

And it's like, why are we, I get to the point where I'm, I'm so irritated writing out my mailing address. and so online forms reduce that. Uh, it improves accuracy again, like if your front office is just swamped. Man, putting some of these efficiencies in place will help them a ton. Okay,

Michael: gotcha. So patient forms online.

Joshua: Yeah. Yeah. And, and then the last one man was just reviews. Um, you know, and I know we all like know the importance of reviews now, but really just building that into your web experience. Again, it's that user, um, that UX first, seeing social proof, giving pa your patients a chance to, you know, one, the two clicks away from leaving a review as well.

yeah, I don't know. I don't really need to go into the. The importance of reviews. I think we're all there now in 2023, but Swell BirdEye, these are both companies that do an amazing job with that. And um, so, so I think as you're thinking through the UX of your site, the first question, big picture was how do I create a easy, convenient, friendly user experience for my patients?

Here are four tools I think will help you do that if implemented. Right. and then before we go here, I can talk about ADA a compliance a little bit. Okay. Yeah,

Michael: man. Let's, let's dive into that a little bit because I know, um, I think that's coming up a little bit more often now. I don't know, do you see that or?

Joshua: We do. Um, and, and just to be clear, when we're talking about ADA compliance, we're talking about American Disabilities Acts, not the American Dental Association. And so it's really about, uh, we see it more in bigger cities and honestly specifically San Francisco. So, um, for whate and. and we've, we've actually seen a little bit in Dallas too, uh, and maybe one in New York, but it's, I think it's, what happens is it's where somebody else has a lawsuit brought against them for their website not being ADA a compliant, and then all the other dentists in the area freak out about it.

And then we get it like emails from our clients like, Hey, are we ADA a compliant? And so the, the question to that is really three levels of it that I want to give you. So ADA compliance is about making your website. Compliant for Americans with disabilities. And so that includes things like color, font size, the color of the font on the backgrounds, how big the buttons are, things like that to help, you know, people with disabilities navigate a site.

the truth is that is often at odds with. The experience, the aesthetic experience, the brand experience we want to create with a website. Mm-hmm. And so the quick answer is our websites and I, and most people out there have done a base level job of creating a website that's a d a compliant. So we kind of go, here are the factors.

We think we want the buttons to be a certain, you know, a size on a phone. We want it to scroll. When it comes to like, you know, you put text over a photo. Is that ADA a compliant? Probably not. You know, they want white text on a black background or white text on a dark blue background, something like that so people can read it easy.

So there's a couple solutions and one of 'em, you can get an a ADA widget that actually lives at the bottom of your site. You can click on it and then you can actually adjust anything you want. You can adjust colors, you can take the pictures out, you can increase the font sizes. So it gives your users the ability to come on and go, wow, this font size is way too small and increase it.

Mm-hmm. Or, I'm having trouble reading that text over the photos. Let me take those out and replace 'em with solid backgrounds. So that's one option. The downside is they start messing around with this stuff and it, it makes your website look jacked up. I mean, we, as a team, we were, we were messing around with some of these sites on a Monday morning.

With this ADA compliant widget, and it's like, it, it can really, I mean, you wanna laugh and have a good time, it can really make your website look crazy. yeah, so it's, it's kinda, but that tends to, I think it's like 30 bucks a month that tends to solve most people's issues. If you're in an area where you're just hyper aware of it, hypersensitive you, you've got lawsuits happening left and right.

Like if you were in San Francisco, I would tell you there's even a third level of working with, uh, some of these agencies. They will custom design this, like they'll take this widget and customize it for your site. So it's not just applying like blanket parameters, it's actually like increase the font. It increases the font in scale overall.

So the website actually still looks nice and is functional. And they typically provide consultation and even legal protection. Typically those packages are like 3,500. but they, again, they customize the a d a, uh, whatever parameters on your site. So your site still looks good if they have to adjust that.

But it also offers some legal protection as well.

Michael: Well, do you guys, the Studio 88, do that customize.

Joshua: we actually will provide that to our clients as a, um, if they get into that, we basically connect them with that company, with that agency. And, and Michael? I, I don't know it off the top of my head.

I kind of, you know, we were chatting about this for a minute before the show and I was like, yeah, I can talk about it. I can send you who we work with. You can maybe put in the show notes. Yeah,

Michael: that, yeah, that'd be awesome. That'd be, especially for our San Fran. Yeah. I don't know why it's only happening out there, but you know what I mean.

Or Dallas too, but,

Joshua: San Fran and California, man, it's a whole different world and I think when it comes to, um, governing Yeah, so it's, they just tend to, to have different regulations than sometimes the rest of the country. Yeah.

Michael: It's crazy, man. But awesome. So you've given us a lot to think about, especially when it comes to much just building systems to make it efficient, right?

To make it. More human with the chat feature. Uh, patient forms, efficiency, and then the reviews. Obviously reviews are super duper important no matter what, right? That's that, that's that proof that you're talking about that we're gonna need no matter what. And then, um, putting the systems around, the online scheduling.

Awesome. Josh, man, we really appreciate this. If anybody has any questions or they wanna reach out to you, where can they find you?

Joshua: Man, best place for me. Uh, if you wanna hit me up on Instagram, uh, it's at Joshua Scott. I'm still in that account still. Check it. DM me, tell me you heard the episode. I'll, I'll, you know, shout out you back.

Uh, you can also visit us online at s eight e eight.com. That's the letter s, the number eight, the letter E, the number eight.com. And uh, you can reach out to us there as well.

Michael: Nice man. And guys, check out Studio 80 eights websites. They're, uh, we were talking about this right before we got on in. You guys are all about the user, right?

Use your experience first, especially the design. Everybody, pretty much everybody listening right now kind of knows about like, okay, we've heard of Studio 88 and how elevated you guys are, right? So, um, I highly recommend people if they want, can they just schedule like a free, I don't know, like, Hey man, check, check out my stuff.

Can you, can you check it out? For

Joshua: free. Oh, yeah, yeah, definitely. That's actually part of our kind of, uh, initial consultative phone call is just like going through like, what are you doing? Like, what's working, what's not working? What, what's your budget been? You know, we look at the website, look at the seo, kind of do an analysis so that we go into it.

We, we actually can give advice too. A lot of times what I tell people is I'm like, I hope you at least walk away with some advice on this phone call, whether or not you want to use us or not. Even if I'm my second opinion, you're like, this company's telling me X, Y, Z, and I'm like, Yeah. Uh, x, y, Z is right.

So, you know, if you need the second opinion on it, like we, we can do that as well. I like that.

Michael: Yeah, Josh told us. Yes. So we're gonna do it. Gotcha. Awesome. So guys, that's gonna be in the show below. Definitely schedule your free comprehensive assessment, um, and check it out. So thank you so much, Josh for being with me on this Monday morning marketing episode.

Joshua: Always a pleasure, man.

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Guest: Jay LetwatBusiness Name: SunbitCheck out Jay's Media:

Website: https://sunbit.com/

Email: [email protected]

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Other Mentions and Links:

Fico

Beyoncé

T-Mobile

Burger King

Cheesecake Factory

Starbucks

Vantage

Experian

iPad

Gimbels

Target

Care Credit

Lending Club

Terminator

EBITDA - earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization

Flip the Script - Oren Klaff

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Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer

Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍

Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society

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My Key Takeaways:

• Expensive treatment plans can build a wall of resistance in a patient's mind. Be sure to address these fears, and provide customizable options for financing.
• Sunbit approves approximately 85% of patients who need care for financing options. That's more than double the average!
• Nobody budgets for a $3,000 dental procedure out of the blue. Be sure to stress that patients don't have to pay all of this at once!
• The credit approval system in the US has largely been untouched since the 60's. It is about time to update the process and allow more accessibility.
• The patients that are scared away by price will mostly likely never return. Having great finance options will help them feel safe and included!

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Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]

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p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/ company, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.

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Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)

Michael: All right. It's time to talk with our featured guest, Jay Lewa. Jay, how's it going?

Jay: Everything is great, Michael, how are you?

Michael: I'm doing pretty good, man. I'm doing pretty good. I appreciate you coming on. If you don't mind me asking. I know, I know. But like for our listeners, where are you located?

Jay: Based in, uh, Los Angeles. Based in Los Angeles. Yeah, that's where our headquarters are at.

Michael: How are you liking this

Jay: rain? It's kind of new to me, to be honest with you. I've, I've only been in LA for five, six years. Um, so it's new in the sense of la but like, I'm originally from the Midwest in Chicago, so it rains and snows and could snow in, you know, August could rain in, you know, March.

So we used to kind of the four seasons here, people start to panic a little bit when the rain comes or when it gets cold. It's kind of funny, but, uh, but it's nice, it's fun. Yeah.

Michael: Yeah, we do. Yeah, we, that happens a lot all the time, but Awesome man. Okay, so then tell us a little bit about your past, present.

How'd you get to where you are today?

Jay: Sure. So I've got about 20 years of experience, um, mainly on the technology disruption side. So I did a lot of consulting early on in my career. A lot of performance improvement, compliance work as well. Uh, then kind of moved along into the technology space and, and where I really have spent my time is in a lot of, um, startups or growing, uh, technology companies that have kind of passed the startup phase in which they have a unique technology and they need the ability to market that technology to the masses and, and typically, It's a company that, is really changing the game.

It's really, really disruptive. So what I love to do and what I'm doing now at Sunbelt is we're taking a disruptive technology in the pay over time space. And what we're trying to do and what we're doing it successfully is gaining significant market share in many different vertical markets, including the one that I manage, which is, uh, the dental patient financing space.

Michael: Okay, so break it down to me Sun Bit. I'm under the impression Sun Bit is a bank

Jay: or no? No, we are, we are a technology company. So we have the, uh, technology that allows or enables folks to get approved at a very high level. the technology enables us to approve about 85% of all people that apply for financing.

And, and if, I'm not sure how familiar or not you are with specific financing, but usually that number is in the 40% range, 35, 40% range. Particularly now in a, in a. Recessionary sort of environment, inflationary environment, it typically tops off at 30, 35%. We're more than double that. And a lot of it is really because of the technology that we use, a lot of ai, a lot of machine learning.

Cuz at the end of the day, what we're really doing, it's basically a math problem, right? Because you go to a bank, when you're a small business, let's say, and you go for a loan, Most people get rejected for a loan, for, for many reasons, may maybe their, their overall credit isn't good. They haven't been in business that long because the bank doesn't wanna take a risk on you, right?

Banks don't like taking risks. what we do is we're able, using our technology to provide folks all throughout the credit spectrum, you know, not so great credit. Mid-level credit, very high end credit. We're able to get all those folks the patient financing they need when they walk into that doctor office.

And so we allow through the technology, more people to say yes to treatment. And that's ultimately what we're doing. We use, we have, uh, banks, that kind of administer the loans, but at the core, our focus is on the technology. Because it's really a technology problem, like, the ability to have someone who is, you know, a good person, but they may have subprime credit, Historically, those folks don't get credit, right? You go to to Target or Walmart or Nordstrom's or wherever. If you're subprime, you're not getting a credit card. When they ask you if you'd like to, you know, get a red card or get a Nordstrom card, right? What we're saying and what we're doing is we're enabling folks both at the low end of, of FCO and at the very high end, full spectrum.

They can get the credit they need on the dental space as well as other verticals that we work with. And we're comfortable that we're going to get repaid and we do it in a fair and transparent way and cost effective for the patient or the customer. And you can only really do that. With like mathematical formulas, algorithms, ai, et cetera.

This isn't, uh, you can't do it via spreadsheet like, like the banks do, and like some older, uh, patient financing companies that have been around for 30 years. Gotcha.

Michael: Okay. So I know you wanted to show something, right? Like a demo? Sure. Real quick. Sure. Of course. Sure. The demo is for what? Like for the patient doing

Jay: it?

Right. So what we do, maybe I can explain it a little bit. So mm-hmm. What we do is we do point of sale financing. So let's say you, um, haven't been to the dentist in a few years. You go to the dentist, they give you a comprehensive oral exam, they say, Michael, thanks for coming in. Appreciate it. Here's a list of seven things our doctor, uh, the dentist thinks you need to get done.

Right. And those seven things have. Each, you know, a treatment and a cost, right? And at the end it's like, let's say $4,000. And they say, well Michael, how would you like to pay for the $4,000? And you're like, holy cow, I didn't budget for that. I don't have $4,000 in my pocket. Cuz it doesn't matter whether you have great credit you, you make a lot of money in your job or you don't.

No one budgets. For unexpected medical expenses, like you can't go on your personal Quicken and, and, and say, okay, 2024, I'm gonna budget $3,000 for dental. Doesn't work that way. So what happens is that patient generally either says no to the treatment that they need, or they do kind of like a partial kind of, you know, French menu sort of thing where they say, okay, I'm gonna grab maybe the cavities here.

You know, I'll, I'll take this $500 treatment here. But the other $3,000 doesn't really hurt me so much today, so I'm gonna go home and then when it really hurts me, maybe I'll come back. Right. And that's dentistry for the last 50 years, What they call case acceptance. So the ability of, let's say you, you have those seven things and it costs $4,000 and let's say you're only able Michael to, um, pay for 400 of that.

Well, your case acceptance is basically 10%, right? $400. Divided by the 4,000 that you should have, uh, that you was prescribed to you, right? Which is terrible, which means 90% of your needs are not met, right? Mm-hmm. And you're walking out the door and probably never coming back. So that's kind of historic dental.

So what we do is the patient comes in, they get qualified very quickly, and we approve nearly nine out of 10 folks. Without doing any kind of hard credit check, we do a soft credit check and the process is very simple, very clean. we like to think that it's like an un refinancing sort of transaction.

It's almost like buying a coffee at a Starbucks drive-through. We want the experience to be not the same experience you get at a bank or from some old time patient finance company that, you know, maybe may still do it on, on pen and paper. Okay? Mm-hmm. So, That's kind of the preface of, of what we do. and I can, I can show you the kind of the process, how it works, because it's very, very different than anything you've seen or folks in the dental market for the past 20, 30 years.

They've generally never seen it, and they usually have a very positive reaction to it. Like, you know, where have you been all my life? And can we talk and, and, you know, use this at your, at your practice. Yeah.

Michael: Could we see it? Could we see how it Absolutely. How it works and stuff. And so absolutely. For absolutely.

Sure. Sure. Our listeners listening right now, if you want to go on the show notes below, you can watch the video version of it and we can see it right now. Sure.

Jay: so right on my screen, you see iPad. Okay. And that's the iPad I have in my hand right now. Okay.

So we provide this iPad. To every dental office, and it could be more than one iPad, just depends on how many people, what kind of patient flow you have. So the first thing the, office team does is they will select their name. Okay? So again, this is a demo. Michael, who do you wanna be today?

Michael: Beyonce always.

Jay: Excellent, excellent choice. Who? Who doesn't wanna be Beyonce after all? Come on. Yeah, you click on Beyonce, then you click scan card, then we take the driver's license. Right? And it doesn't matter which state it works in all states. On the back is a barcode, right? So you take that barcode and what I do is I just scan that baby right there automatically.

What happens is, and again this is in real time, I'm not, you know, slowing it down, speeding it up, takes my home information. Patient types in their phone number and email. They continue and then you simply ask the patient, Hey patient, is this your updated info? They usually say yes. You click copy to form the patients a agrees to check their options.

And just like that you've been approved for $6,100. This is the approval process. Wow. That's it. We're done. Okay? Mm-hmm. So now there's a ton of things that happen in the background, right? But that's invisible to the practice, invisible to the patient, right? And again, this kind of goes into how we're a technology and data company.

So a couple things here. One, you were approved for 6,100, we're approving every single patient. With a FCO score of 500 or greater. So when you, when if in terms of F ICOs, 500 is a very, very low F ico, right? Mm-hmm. But we're able to approve them because of our unique and flexible model. If you approve from 500, it equates to typically 85 to 87% of all patients that apply. So going back to the dentist example, the the office example, you know that. Eight and a half outta 10 people that walk in the office have the ability to get qualified for finance and can get the treatment they need.

So that case acceptance number I gave you before, whether it's 10, 20, 30, or 40%, it shoots up dramatically so they can actually walk out being happy because they're, you know, dental problems are solved. Okay. So the first thing, high approval, second thing, we never do a hard credit check. So in the us, typically when you are.

you know, when I signed up for T-Mobile mm-hmm. They do a hard credit check, which impacts your credit. It's not fun. Right. We do a soft inquiry to get to this point. So all we do is, get basic information. It doesn't impact your credit score whatsoever, but the kicker is, even if you decide to move forward with the loan, we still do not do a hard credit check.

So it has no impact. Your credit has no impact. If you apply or take the loan initially, which is again, very, very unique. And again, it kind of is because of our kind of technology backbone. And the last thing is we approve up to $20,000. So I'll just show you one more screen. Mm-hmm. So let's say for instance, your treatment plan is 2100 bucks.

So you click 2100. And then what we have here is basically. A menu of options like, you know, burger King, have it your way. Other, partners of our, of ours call it the Cheesecake Factory Menu of options here, we usually have three to six options here, right? We highlight the one that's the most affordable.

So, hey, patient, you don't have to pay $2,100 today. Again, sigh of relief, right? You can pay 48 months, 48 to over 48 months, 56 bucks. In this particular case, it's a dollar down payment. Again, eight APRs vary. It could be 0%, um, or higher. In this particular case, let's say it's 12.99, you see everything very clearly delineated.

There's no tricks, there's no penalties. Uh, we don't do any kind of deferred interest. If you're familiar with that, maybe the patient wants 0%. We have 0% options too. And so the idea is, and they just kind of select what they want. They kind of go through, the process. Make sense. Go the z

Michael: go to the zero present one real quick.

Sure, no problem. Okay. Okay. Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha. So it, it all changes throughout the, you're not set with the percentage then?

Jay: Correct. So the, the idea is, The patient gets to choose what's best for them, right? We don't wanna make a judgment call, right? We don't wanna be judgmental, period in life, right?

We don't know what shoes the other person's sitting in, but particularly the dental office. I mean, you don't know whether somehow someone is dressed and, and we shouldn't be making that. Let's let the patient decide maybe they're comfortable with 121 bucks a month. But maybe they're not. Maybe $56 is more comfortable for them.

We let them decide, and that's kind of the power of the solution. There's again, three to six unique offers that they're getting, and they choose what's best for them. That's kind of part of the secret. If you give a product that's customizable to the individual, They're gonna like it more, and oh, by the way, they're going to pay us back at a higher rate, right?

Which lowers the defaults, which again allows us to loan to more people. here's something like I learned early on. So payday loans, right? Terrible, horrible, predatory, four, 500% terrible. Mm-hmm. Well, why? Why are they four or 500% It's not because the money costs four or 500%, right? I mean, you can get a loan from a bank now even with high interest rates.

12%, 13%, right? But the reason is because maybe five out of 10 people don't pay it back. So the five that do pay it back are paying for the five that don't pay it back. So that's why the interest rate is high. But if you can create a product that's customizable down to the individual you have a greater amount of people that pay you back.

It's kind of like a self-fulfilling thing. You can continue to loan to more and more people so that your approval rates continue to be higher and higher and higher and satisfy more patients. And that's been kind of our goal from day one. We want people to pay back. So we, have developed unique offers for every individual.

Michael: Mm-hmm. Can they customize also the down payment due at

Jay: checkout? Yeah. Yeah. So they can, for instance, you can, um, Let's look at here. Let's say they wanna lower the $56 a month. Let's say it's still too high. Mm-hmm. You would just go click here and say, okay, I wanna pay 500. What? What? I just wanna make sure remember the 56 30?

Mm-hmm. So let's say they wanna make a $500 down payment, right? Because they wanna lower the monthly payments. You click update and then magically what happens? It's $42 a month. So totally customizable, and a lot of people do that, and we want them to do what's most comfortable for 'em. I don't wanna dictate what's best for them.

I, I don't know what they want, but they know what they want. So let's give them the option. when you go to the Starbucks drive-through, do they tell you what coffee to get? No. You know, you can get 10 different variety, 20 different, uh, variations of a macchiato. That's why they're successful.

Michael: Yeah. Interesting. Jay. Okay.

so a couple questions I have when it comes to the technology, because you said this is new, right? Disruptive technology, nobody's doing it in the industry or, no, I mean,

Jay: every, their, their patient financing has been around.

For 25 years. but historically, even today, it's very much FICO driven. So if your FCO is 6 81, you get the credit you need. If it's 6 79, you get decline. It's like a straight number. Right? And there's companies that provide those numbers. There's. You know, uh, vantage, and there's various, you know, uh, Experian, TransUnion, et cetera, to provide the number.

So most of the companies historically just do that. And there's not really any technology there, right? That's mainly how banks are like old school patient financing companies that have been around since like 1990. That's what they do. But, but think about this example. let's take you and I, today.

Our FCO scores are six 50, right? Both of us, like it looks like we're the same, right? But what if a year ago, yours was 600 and mine was 700, Who's the greater risk? We're not the same. Six 50 is not the same. You're a much better risk than I am because you're on your way up, you're trending. And I'm on my way down.

So our offers might be a bit different and they should be a bit different. We can't be treated the same. So we look at thousands of data points. It all basically, and we're not getting any kind of secret information. This is, we're doing a soft data inquiry, right? So we're getting kind of condensed data.

and then we take that data and we use it to model basically we measure it against our, our AI model. And then it spits out the information. Okay, approve, not approve. If we're gonna approve them, how much are we gonna approve them for? What's the a p r? you know, then again, what's the e fee, if there's a down payment, et cetera.

So it's that uniqueness that enables us to up with an offer that could be very different than someone else. So typically, a lot of the folks that we're approving people aren't touching with a 10 foot pole. Why? Because historically, if you're measuring things by fico, it's just not real accurate for installment loans of 18 months or 24 months.

Mm-hmm. So we have confidence that we're gonna get paid back. And in terms of our, you know, numbers, people do pay us back, at great rates. So that's, I think, the difference. It's. Everyone is a bit different in the world. every American is different. When they apply for credit, they're different. And you have to have a product that takes that into consideration.

We're not like just a score, right? We're, we're made up of, of thousands of different, you know, uniqueness characteristics, whether you're, I'm not talking about finance, but just in general, we're all different. Mm-hmm. So you need to have kind of a scoring system, a mathematical model that takes that into, into consideration.

Michael: now when it comes to, when it comes to this, I know you mentioned soft data, our data pools mm-hmm. And what's behind the soft

Jay: data pool? So basically how it works is.

These credit agencies basically charge money, right? To companies that would like to pull your data. Of course, it's with your authorization. So I, I don't know if you remember on, on the iPad there's clear authorization that says you, you know, agree to having your, uh, credit soft pulled. So basically it's like a condensed credit file.

Mm-hmm. Okay. So, If you get that condensed credit file, that soft inquiry, it doesn't have any impact on your credit score, If you get a hard credit check, which by the way, nearly all the patient finance companies use, why do they use it? Because it has much more granular data, And they basically take the granular data, they feed it into their kind of limited model and, and they say approve or not.

Our technology takes the condensed, takes the more limited data, and then we feed it into our proprietary model, and it gets us to an answer that's satisfactory such that we don't need the hard credit check. And oh, by the way, hard credit checks are terrible. Like, like if you're, you know, if you're buying a house or an apartment.

it hurts you, it's questionable in terms of how much and and how long it's, it hurts you on in terms of your report. Mm-hmm. But it clearly hurts your credit for a period of time. So we avoid that. We avoid the friction in the office staff because of that. And again, they're regular people, just like the folks that are walking in.

They don't wanna offer a product or service that's going to hurt their patients. Right. That's just not human nature. So it reduces the friction. So when they use, um, you know, when they're working with us, you know, some that working with, you know, with the iPad, they can be comfortable that it's only a soft inquiry.

And so that helps us get a lot more utilization than, than the company that they used before. You know, we got to their office. Yeah. Does that makes sense?

Michael: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. I know a lot of the times like. When, I remember when I was trying to build up my credit, like it was in the 600 s and I'm like, oh man, I, any little thing, hard inquiry.

Oh yeah, you get outta there, right? Like, I didn't want that

Jay: terrible Yeah. Kind of thing. Yeah. Like, I'm, I'm like, I'm like paranoid. Like I, I have, you know, um, those free credit services and I look on the report because you, you wanna check it like you, you, or if you're in the process of buying a house or whatever, or a car, you, you don't want your hard credit check.

But even if you're not, like in general, there's really no reason like, When I, I was telling a story when I got to, when I moved to LA and I went to the T-Mobile store, they took down my information and before they even asked me what package I wanted, they were like, oh, we need your social security number cuz we need to do a hard credit check.

And I'm like, why? Why do you do a hard credit check when you don't even know what, what I want? Like what if I want prepaid? Mm-hmm. Like, I'm gonna, I would maybe pay you the cash. Now, that's not what I wanted, but they're like, no, we have to do a hard check. It's like, no, well you really don't. Just that they don't have the technology in place to kind of determine the credit worthiness of that customer.

And we do. So that's why, it's a soft inquiry and we're, I believe, the only company that does it throughout in terms of the app, the, uh, approval process. And then when they actually take the loan. Still, no, our credit check. Wow.

Michael: Okay. So I never thought about that, Jay. I always thought it was like a people problem instead of a technology problem when it came to like being approved.

Jay: It's not, it's, it's, it's, I'll tell you, it's like a co it's a complex math problem, right? It's like this guy who has a six 10 fico, let's say has a job she has a job, they have money in their checking account, But based on historical, credit worthiness standards, They are not getting any credit card whatsoever, right?

Because it's been told by them that it's not happening. But we look at it very differently. Like if it's a $2,000 installment loan and it's over 24 months, the question is, does this person have a hundred dollars? And they're checking account every month cuz we're pulling out of their checking account.

And the answer is generally yes, but it goes against. All the kind of the credit, decisioning that's been going on since like 1950. I mean, I brought something here, which kind of cool. So you're, you're from the West coast. This is a credit card application. There's a store called Gimbals based in, I believe, Philadelphia.

Open in 1880, close in like 1987. This is actually, we kind of see it here. This is actually a credit card application from 1967. Pristine condition. Okay. Yeah. So what's interesting about it is if you look at the question that's kind of small, prince, I'll read, if you look at the questions, the same questions of what's your income, do you rent versus own?

Are you married versus single? this is 1967. So what have credit card companies and patient financing companies done? All they've done, this is the same 1967 application. They've just digitized it. They're asking the same questions. I guarantee you, if you go to an office that has another patient financing solution or you go to Target or you go somewhere else, they're going to ask you married versus single.

What's your income rent versus zone? These are questions literally 60 years old, and they're still asking, this is basically what you see today is digitized. So it's, there's like a lack of innovation that has taken place that actually hasn't taken place, right? And, and specifically patient financing in 30 years.

Literally nothing. Literally nothing. And so what we're doing is we're focusing on the technology and solving the math problem. And helping a heck of a lot more people get approved and get the dentistry they need. And that's why we're growing so rapidly. Gotcha.

Michael: So then I like that part where you light bulb, I mean like it, it opened my eyes.

It's true. It, we just put it on a computer and now we're kind of like presenting people and we don't really see the need to change until you kind of showed us the demo. I have a question. True. When it comes to the risk on this, let's just say, okay, six 10, right, credit score, I'm gonna pay you back. And then we do the sun bit thing and then we're like, okay, boom, I'm gonna pay 58 something.

He pays the first one, then he kind of skips on the second one, third one, oh no, it's starting to go down, right? It doesn't look good. Who runs the The risk there?

Jay: So. we do non-recourse loans, which means we take full risk. let's say you're, you're, you're at the dental office and you do a, a $2,000, uh, transaction for, I dunno, bridge, crown, et cetera.

Two days later, we send those funds to the office, then we sit back and we wait for the patient to pay Huss if they don't pay for whatever reason. That's my mistake. You guys are sitting on the money within two business days and we will never claw back those funds. So we, we are taking the risk.

And as you can imagine, that being said, you know, we have a very heavy duty data analytics, you know, risk fraud, et cetera, group that manages this risk. And obviously there's a lot of, Techniques that we use in the process to kind of minimize this. But we also have a huge collection group. So we have a customer, uh, care center, 160 people in Las Vegas.

Our employees, we manage it top to bottom and we call it like collections with kindness. So it's really, really important for us. To maintain those relationships because we have al also customers that are fixing their cars, uh, getting a new set of tires, new batteries, and those same cu customers are our dental customers as well.

So there's a lot of, cross vertical, uh, customers. We have even more when you think about it. Remember, we're not, we're not financing powerboats, right? It's not like someone goes and says, I'm gonna buy a $30,000 powerboat and then I'm not gonna pay it. Right? These payments on average could be 70, 80, 90, a hundred bucks a month.

So generally when that's the case, plus the process is good. It's very clear they, you know, we only work with, you know, great partners. they may be late by a day or two, so we'll call them up and say, Hey, what's going on Very nicely. And generally no one wants to ruin their credit for 70, 80, 90 bucks.

Mm-hmm. A month. Now, if it's a $30,000 power boat, That's kind of a different calculus, right? You may want to say, I want the powerboat and I don't wanna pay for it. Right? And it kind says okay, kind of. I understand kind of the logic there. I don't agree with it, but I understand it. But in dentistry and auto and the other verticals we're in, typically it's, it's high frequency, lower dollar, monthly payments, and generally people are paying them uhhuh.

Michael: That makes a lot of sense. So then, Into practice. Let's just say somebody's listening and they're like, oh, cool. Sun bit. Right? I'm gonna check 'em out. I'm gonna try it. But they already have like Care, credit, lending Club, Verity, right? All these other ones. Is this just another add-on? Like do we just add it on?

Or what do you recommend? Do we take others? Would it even make sense to have other ones on anymore? Cause we have some bit.

Jay: Yeah. It wouldn't because we, we like to say we are the waterfall because we're approving folks from 500. So every single patient that has a 500 FICO and higher. We're approving. So again, it's 85 to 87% generally.

So that's higher than all those solutions combined. Right. Even if you kind of stack 'em up. Mm-hmm. Um, so when we go to an office, we believe, and I think it's been proven by, you know, we've got 9,000, uh, locations in dentistry that we believe we have the best. Financing product out there for patients, bar none.

the process is better. The approvals are better. So if an office has multiple products, well, here's a question. I mean, if they have multiple products, why do they have multiple products? Right? It's like, it's the old saying, like, if you have two quarterbacks, you have no quarterbacks, right? They have, they have four products.

Cause they had one, right? And then they had two didn't work, then they had three. It didn't work and they had four. They use us and generally they eliminate everything. that they typically use in the results are better because we're eliminating a lot of friction. The office staff loves the tool we have.

we have a appreciation program for the offices as well. We have a Sun Beast program, which, you know, they can get, you know, uh, for just doing the regular course of their work. They can get, you know, gift cards, et cetera. Uh, we also do some fun stuff as well, but in, in general, we are the primary financing provider of all the offices that we're in.

Michael: Gotcha. Sun Beast is the appreciation program. Correct, correct. Oh, okay. And that's with like the

Jay: practices? Correct. So we have, right. So if you think about it, you know, we're, we, we've got right now 40, I, I wanna say 50,000 sun beasts because we have an application and, and then when we train an office, they download the application and then we, you know, send them cool things like they're just different promotions and things like that.

They can learn that we have like a, you know, a sun bit tip of the week, things like that. We want to. Train appropriately so that the office team members are really, really comfortable. We also wanna make it fun. Like we don't wanna be, you know, the boring finance company. Like we wanna be the guys that are helping people doing it the right way, not charging any crazy fees or anything like that.

We don't do any kind of, you know, deferred interest. we think we can be the good guys, be profitable, and, Help a lot of patients get the treatment that they need. Gotcha.

Michael: What are the, what are

Jay: the fees? So the fees in, in general, they're risk based. I won't go over like in detail, but in general, the fees are pretty much the same, very, very similar on a blended basis as what they're paying today.

The difference is they're gonna get double the amount of approvals and. They're gonna have more people apply. So it's very common that they see our practices and our groups and our DSOs. We've got, you know, large groups, mid-size groups, single location groups. Um, it's very common that we see three x four x, five x, the amount of production with Sun Bit.

Then whatever they're using today, because again, it's so easy in the high approvals, but the cost is basically about the same as what they're paying today.

Michael: Gotcha. Yeah. And I noticed like it's never, that's never really the issue when it comes to like, uh, presenting or when it comes to accepting this, right?

Like let's just say, yeah, I'll take some bit, right? Or I'll take another third party. What's the issue is more like the patient's accepting it, right? And the one barrier is like, oh my gosh, you're not approved. You can't, even if you wanted to accept that, you can't. Right. So that's a barrier lifted with some bit, both.

In your experience, what's the best way we could present this to a patient?

Jay: It's a great, that's a great question. That's a great question. It's something that we, we talk about quite a bit in our training. So what we like to say is, Have the iPad, do the talking, right?

Show them the product, say, hey, you know, when you go through the treatment plan, you know, you do the comprehensive oral exam, you do the treatment plan, you're sitting down with the tc and the TC generally says, or the office manager says, Hey, You know, it's $2,500, but you don't have to pay everything today.

Let me get you qualified. Takes 30 seconds. No hard credit check again. Cuz what happens is it's such a pressurized experience and it's happened to me too. Like even like prior, prior to Sunbelt, family member needed some significant dental work. It was like seven, $8,000. And you're like, you gasp. You're like, oh, man, that's like crazy, right?

Mm-hmm. It's not cheap. It's, it's not getting cheaper. It's getting much more expensive. So what happens is the person goes with, you know, sits down with the tc, they hear that number. All of a sudden there's like a wall, right? There's a wall that's built. It's panic. You're, you don't know what to do on one hand, you need to get the work done.

On the other hand, it's a crap load of money. And you're like, what do I do here? And you've stopped paying attention to whatever that other person is saying because all you're thinking about is the, the little thoughts in your head, like, how am I gonna pay for this, right? Mm-hmm. And again, it doesn't matter if you're making 300,000 a year, a hundred thousand a year, 50,000, it doesn't matter.

It's a lot of money, right? No one budgets for this. So when the TC can put the patient at ease and say, Hey, I know this might be a, a large sum, but hey, you don't have to pay for everything Today. We have a patient financing solution that approves, 85, 80 7%, let me walk you through. It takes 30 seconds, no hard credit check.

And then usually what happens is there's like a sigh of relief. The wall gets removed, there's a bit more openness, right? It's, it is very much like human psychology or, and it's, and that's what I've kind of, it's, it's very interesting and. The wall gets, uh, broken down and the patient is able to communicate clearly with the TC and the TC with the patient.

And once they do, they show the demo or they show the the iPad. It's a very easy, simple, understandable process. And, and that's generally the best way to do it. just want to kind of let the iPad do the talking. Yeah, I like that. And present it. But you gotta, you gotta present it like it doesn't, we can't approve loans.

If the iPad isn't presented right or if, yeah, you have to basically understand that hey, 40 to 50% of patients that walk in the door have less than a thousand dollars in their checking account, right? Mm-hmm. And if you wanna truly help patients, right? This is a huge impediment to case acceptance, right?

Like money. So if you can help them, then help them with this. You can get them more treatment, which is I think, the goal of everyone that's working in the office. Including the, the

Michael: dentist. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. It is the goal. I mean, but that's the thing we have to remember, like to present it right. Um, all the time to the patient.

Yeah. But I like what you said, how, how it's human psychology. It's true. Even if get approved, cuz for example, let's just say you have the cash and you don't get approved. Sure. You, you're, you're in a negative flow now, right? You're like, of course. Of course. I didn't get approved. That's what I thought.

You know what? I'll, I'll, let me talk, talk to my husband, my wife about it. You know what I mean? I'll get back to you, blah, blah, blah. But when you're approved and you're like, oh, I never get approved. I'm approved.

Jay: Exactly. Wow. Look, Michael, I've seen people cry. Mm-hmm. Tears of joy when they get approved.

I've seen it multiple times. I've gotten hugs before and like, it's, it's very weird. Like it's, it's, it's a beautiful thing, but it's very strange for it to happen because it's so infrequent. But you understand, We're not doing brain surgery here. Let me just put that out in front.

But we are helping people with their oral health, which, which impacts the rest of their body, And if we can help people, Full spectrum of folks that normally can't get helped. It's amazing. And you're right there. There's two sets of what happens here. They get approved and they generally haven't gotten approved before.

In some cases, they're super happy, but the alternative is in the past, when they get declined from other providers, they do not come back to the office. You know, it's like the Terminator when he says like, I'll be back. Yeah. He never comes back to the coffee shop at the end. And you remember he, he never comes back.

Mm-hmm. Right. So it's, it's kind of a gr it's, it's really a gratifying thing that you wanna help these folks, and this is a great tool for case acceptance, you know, increasing the production of the office and helping patients get the treatment that they need.

Michael: By any chance, Jay, do you have any like, stats on how this has improved, like any specific practices, you know what I mean?

Of course.

Jay: Yeah. I mean, we have, we have lots of case studies. I mean, we've, we've seen cases of, you know, ebitda, Significant ebitda, uh, improvements, significant production case acceptance. We've seen sometimes 30, 40%, uh, increases. significant. Um, because again, if you're offering something that approves nearly everyone, you're going to get great results, right?

Because keep in mind, from the office perspective, if you offer and someone gets declined, just like the patient won't come back, the office staff. Won't offer it anymore. So that's what's typically happened. So there's, you know, there's, there, there, you know, a large competitor out there that's been around forever, but a lot of people don't use it because they have, been declined.

You know, the office has declined folks, so they just stop offering it. But, so even though they've stopped offering it, that doesn't mean that the patients walking in the door don't have needs. Right. They of course have needs, you're just not offering it to them.

Michael: Interesting, interesting. Okay, so Where can we reach out to you if we have any questions or concerns? Sure.

Jay: So, um, the best way is, uh, sun.com, slash dental. can also email me. So I manage the dental practice at sun j y sun.com and happy to, help anyone that, whether it's, again, whether it's a single practice, you know, single practitioner, Multiunit group or large d s o we work with, um, all of them.

again, we wanna help people. We wanna do it the right way. And, and really that's why we're, we're growing at the rate that, that we are.

Michael: Nice. Awesome. So guys, that's all gonna be in the show notes below, so definitely reach out to Jay and Jay. Thank you for being with us.

It's been a pleasure and we'll hear from you soon. Great. Thank you

Jay: very much, Michael. Appreciate being on.

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This Episode is Sponsored by: Dandy | The Fully Digital, US-based Dental LabTo check out Dandy's FREE KPI E-Book click here: https://www.meetdandy.com/learning-center/ebooks/dental-industry-kpis/‍For a completely FREE 3Shape Trios 3 scanner & $250 in lab credit click here: https://www.meetdandy.com/affiliate/tdm !

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Hey guys, welcome back to our Monday Morning Marketing series! Today, Shane Simmons and I are lunging into the untapped potential of your online presence. In this episode, we explore the crucial importance of tracking where your patients are coming from, and the nuts and bolts of how to do it! Getting well versed in your patient traffic flow will help you to make informed decisions to optimize your digital marketing efforts. Nobody likes to question whether or not their website is actually doing anything, right? Well, let's discover how we can make yours a valuable tool for growth, guiding you towards a thriving practice in the digital age!

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Step into my conversation with Shane Simmons this week, and we'll learn the vital intricacies of websites together!

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You can reach out to Shane Simmons here:

Website: https://www.crimsonmediagroup.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crimsonmediamarketing/

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Other Mentions and Links:

Google Analytics

Site Map Lookup

Swell

Installing Conversions with Google Analytics Video

Google Tag Manager

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Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)

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Michael: Hey Shane. So talk to us about websites. How can we utilize this, or what advice, suggestions, or methods can you give us that will help us actually attract new patients through

Shane: websites? Yeah, Michael, I mean, our website, I think this is too many times. We look of it and we think of it as just kind of like a digital billboard for the practice, and we know it's there.

It's a necessity, but. A lot of practices we talk with don't really know what they're getting from their website or how patients are finding them. And so that's really what I wanna focus on today and, and the first piece of advice, and probably the most critical piece of advice that I would give anyone when they're reviewing their website or building a website for their practice is, Make sure that you have the proper tracking set up and in place.

And what I mean by that is there are things that you can set up in Google Analytics and uh, Google Tag Manager for anybody who's heard of that. Where if somebody fills out a form on the website, you can actually go into your Google Analytics account and you can set up what are called conversions, where Google will show you, you know, how many form submissions you had on your site in the last.

30 days where those form submissions actually came from. So what was the first touchpoint? Did they go, uh, to a Google organic search and that's how they got to the site and filled out a form. Did they come from a Facebook ad? Did they come from an insurance referral? You can start collecting that data.

So each and every month, like what we do at our agency is we review that data with our clients and say, you know, hey, we had 20. You know, form submissions from Google Organic. We had 15 from Facebook ads, 10 from Google Ads, so on and so forth. And so that's the first thing is make sure that you have conversion tracking set up so you know that your website is doing what it's supposed to be doing.

And then if it's not, then that's when you can go in and start to make some changes in corrections. So that's number one. The second part about the tracking is, uh, call tracking. And so I make, tell everybody you have to have call tracking on your website, so you know, again, where are your patients coming from?

Are they coming from Google? Are they coming from a referral or insurance, whatever the case is. Have some form of call tracking set up. That way you know where those patients are coming from and the, and the blowback that sometimes very few, but some people will give us on that is, well, if I change the number on my website to a call tracking number, I.

Is that going to throw off my patients? And the answer to that question is we have dozens and dozens of accounts who have call tracking set up, and we have not heard one message about somebody saying, this isn't your phone number, or you had the wrong phone number on your site. Because in the world we live in on our mobile phones, people just click that call button and that's it.

Right? They're, they're not memorizing their dentist's phone number anymore, so don't worry about that. It's imperative that you know where your. patient base is coming from. So that's number one is, is call tracking and form tracking on the site. Michael. Um, the second thing that I'll go into is your site structure and making sure that your structure is set up properly.

So the way that I kind of put this in dental terms is if you were going to place an implant, uh, you had the tooth extracted and all of this, and you're ready to place that implant. You'd wanna make sure that the bone structure is there and is healthy for an implant. Same thing goes for your website. You need to make sure that the structure of that site is correct before you start sending traffic to it, doing SEO and all of these different things.

And so, What site structure boils down to, in nerdy terms, is making sure that you have one H one header on your website. You can Google this, it'll, it's really clear, but it's basically the first biggest heading on your site. That's your H one header, and that's the most important header on the site because that tells Google what the page is about.

Then under that H one header, like for your subsections on a page, Those would be your, what you call H two headings. And then you have H three. So it's like a bullet point system of prominence down to, you know, maybe the, the least prominent on the page. You need to make sure that that's set up correctly.

Because if you have multiple H one headers on a site, which we've seen in many dental, uh, practice sites before, or, you know, uh, that structure is, is all over the place. It confuses Google at the end of the day, and anything that confuses Google is going to hurt your presence online. So make sure that you have the proper site settings, uh, set up.

You can do a site map lookup. Um, it's a free tool online that you can use and see that you have that, uh, set up properly. And then the third thing that I'll touch on here, Michael, before we kind of open it up for questions for you is, you may wanna look into having a web chat on your site. And, and this is something that.

Uh, we really like using with, um, some of the different vendors that, that we work with to have a web chat put on there. That way your team can get notified anytime. Somebody may have a quick question on there. Maybe they wanna know if you're a network with their insurance, whatever the case is. It's all about convenience for the patient at the end of the day.

That's why we love having web chat, online scheduling, all of these tools where thinking about, you know, if you were the patient, what would be the most convenient way? For them to get an appointment, at your practice. And that's really what you need to do is put yourself in the, in the shoes of the patient.

And if you do that, you have, you'll form, um, a web form chat on your site. If you have online scheduling on your site, you have that hierarchy set up properly, like we talked about in that site structure, and you have that call tracking and form tracking set in place. You're gonna notice a big difference in how your website is actually generating patients for you, rather than just feeling like your site's there just to be there.

Michael: Mm-hmm. Gotcha. So these are three really, really key, uh, factors important. One thing I wanna rewind back on is where you talk about proper tracking needs to be set up in place. How do we even get started with this? So if you could, I guess, like. Walk us step by step. We're on Google Analytics now. We, we set it up or I'm pretty sure that's a lot of people have it set up or they ask their agency to, to see it.

Now how do we kind of look into it?

Shane: Yeah, so once you have Google Analytics installed on your site, which everybody listening to this should have Google Analytics on their site. It's a free tool and it's, it's a great tool to use to give you insights. Once you have Google Analytics set on your site, um, that's when you'll want to go to something that's called Google Tag Manager.

And so, uh, Google Tag Manager basically allows you to put a snippet of code on your website. On certain areas where conversions would happen. So if somebody were to fill out a form on the site, once they fill out that form, Ideally they should go to what we call a thank you page, where a screen loads and it says, you know, thank you for filling out the form.

We'll be contacting you soon. And on that thank you page within Google Tag Manager, you can copy and paste a piece of code that basically tells Google if somebody sees this page. They have filled out a form on the website, and that's a conversion. And what Google does is it installs cookies on that person's browser so it knows where that person came from, whether it was from a Google search or from Facebook or Instagram, whatever the case is, they know that.

So then it's gonna give you that data back. That said, this form submission. Was through, uh, you know, a Google search. So that's the first thing and is in Google Tag Manager. The second thing that you can do, and I I think this is really underutilized in Google Tag Manager, is you could actually, uh, put uh, like a tag on a button on your page, um, and then take appropriate actions from there.

So what I mean by that is, let's see, we have a video on the homepage of your site and you wanna track how many people watch that video. who interacted with it, these type of things. You can actually, within Google Tag Manager, just put a piece of code on that button where people click to watch the video, and it will give you direct feedback of, this is how many people in the last 30 days, watch the video, here's where they came from.

And then what you can do is then use that to retarget them on Facebook or Instagram maybe, where if they saw your video on your page, you can then start to put, you know, patient reviews in front of them and things like that. So, There's so many things that you can do in Google Tag Manager, obviously, you know, our agency, uh, helps practices with that and we set that all up for all of our clients.

But if you're, somebody who wants to try to do that on their own, um, go to YouTube, type in, um, installing conversions with Google Analytics or Google Tag Manager, and there are step-by-step, you know, walkthrough videos there. If you have some experience in, uh, backend web development, um, you may be able to do that yourself.

Gotcha.

Michael: Okay. So where do you recommend we put these Google tags? So you said specific conversion pages. So if you're making a website or somebody's looking at their website and they're like, man, I don't even know. I just asked my agency and they give me a report, or they tell me this, but I don't even know where would you recommend you put these tags on there?

Shane: Yeah, great question. So first off, make sure that you've tagged any, if, if there's form submissions happening on that site or that landing page, make sure that you're tagging those form submissions and that's going to a thank you page. That way you, you know, that's the, the lowest hanging group. The easiest thing to tag right there, a new lead is anybody that fills out a web form.

That's number one. Um, if you have online scheduling, which as we know, a lot of practices do have that now. You can tag the button there. in the online scheduling, so you can see how many people actually clicked to schedule online. We would recommend tagging that. We also tag anytime someone has clicked on the phone number on the site.

Even though we have that call tracking in place, we still like to know how many people, actually clicked the number on the site and where they clicked it at. And then the fourth part there is if you have any video content on the site. Tag that as well, so you know how many people are actually watching those videos and engaging with it.

Um, if anybody, because if you spend thousands of dollars to maybe get, you know, videos done and nobody's watching them, you're not really using that investment to your advantage. Maybe that video needs to be placed somewhere else on the site, or maybe it's not clear. Maybe there's like a small play button and it's not clear to the person that that's a video.

So all of that data will allow you to see how can we get this video in front of people easily where they know, you know, it's a video that they should watch when they come to our site. And you can start to track that. So those are the areas, the thank you page or contact us page. Um, once they've filled out a form, online scheduling button, if they've clicked that phone number, tag your phone number and any video content that you may have on a webpage, those are four right there that if you start tagging those, it's gonna give you a great amount of feedback.

Michael: Gotcha. And so if we ask our, let's just say our marketing agency or company, Hey, let me see the numbers for this, right? What are we looking for when it comes to like, oh man, nobody's filled out web forms. Or like, there hasn't been that many people clicking on phone numbers or onsite, or they don't even provide that.

What are we looking for to ask when it comes to this particular question with analytics?

Shane: Yep. Yeah. So the first thing you wanna look at is for any calls that we've had to the practice, um, you'd want to take a look at those calls. Where do those calls come from in your online marketing? So you'd like to, you know, get a report so you can see Google Organic calls versus, you know, if you're running Google Ads or Facebook ads, how do those calls break down?

So that would be the first thing. Um, second thing that you would want to ask for is, For any of our contact form submissions on the site or online scheduling, what are the analytics like as far as where patients are coming from when they're filling out that information. So that would be, uh, an important aspect there because I.

If you see that you're getting, you know, 80% of your form submissions are coming from referrals or existing patients, and you're spending thousands of dollars on online ads and you're not seeing, you know, very many conversions, then that's, you know, a red flag to know, okay, maybe we need to shift our focus or the campaign, whatever the case is there.

So knowing where those, um, form submissions, contact form submissions. Actually came from is a great, you know, insight to ask your agency if you're working with someone. And then the easiest way is just be able to look at the site and say, okay, I see how many visitors we had that came to the site. I see how long, you know, the average person spent on the site, all of this data, but.

What you really wanna look for is where's the acquisition, where are they coming from? And they should be able to provide you a report where you can see, where your patients are actually coming from, um, in the practice. And, and the rule that we have at Crimson Media is ideally if you're, you know, you want Google Organic to be your number one source of new patient traffic.

Then any sort of digital ads you're running. And then third would be, um, referrals or existing patients who visit the site directly. That's kind of the hierarchy that we like to see, um, as far as where patients come from.

Michael: Gotcha. That's a good rule, man. Okay. And then when it came to web chat on our site, which one would you recommend where you're like, we've seen fantastic results from this, and if you can let us know, which one would you say like, there's lots of kinks to

Shane: work out.

Yeah, we've, I mean we've seen a lot of them. Um, I would say our go-to and favorite one to use is through Swell. Um, so if you use swell for your online reviews, which is where most of our clients, we use them as well, full transparency there. but they have a, a web chat as well, and a lot of people don't really know that, I don't think.

Mm-hmm. And so, We've had a lot of success with swells, web chat, um, very easy to install for your agency, and, uh, has some great prompts and things in there that you can build in. And I think it's just overall the smoothest, interaction for the patient too. Some of these web chats out there that I've tested and demoed have been just a little.

Glitchy, uh, and they just aren't very user-friendly, whereas the one that we've used was swell. It's just very user-friendly, it's clean looking, and we've had a lot of success with, with those, but there are so many out there you can research and see what one is best for you. But that's been the, the one that's been most successful for us.

Awesome.

Michael: Shane, I appreciate your time and if anyone has further questions, you can definitely find 'em on the Dental Marketer Society Facebook group, or where can they reach out to you directly?

Shane: Yeah, they can, as you mentioned, dental marketer Facebook group, we're always hanging out in there, but you can also go to our website, crimson media group.com.

If you come in, if you book a, you know, a free marketing strategy, um, call with me. Uh, let me know that you came from the dental marketer, Michael, and, uh, we'll hook you up with a special surprise. Yeah, that's

Michael: a cool thing. Everybody listening gets a very comprehensive strategy. When you book it with Crimson Media Group.

So guys, go ahead and do that. It's gonna be in the show notes below. And Shane, thank you for being with me on this Monday morning marketing episode. Thanks, Michael.

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Today we're going to introduce a game changer in the dental practice management software world...
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Guest: Rania SalehBusiness Name: Oryx Dental SoftwareCheck out Rania's Media:

Website: https://www.oryxdentalsoftware.com/

Email: [email protected]

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Other Mentions and Links:

Invisalign

Kois Center

The Making Of

Orange is the New Black

Zoom

Pearl

Dr. Sana Yusuf

‍The Happiness Advantage - Shawn Achor

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Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer

Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍

Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society

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My Key Takeaways:

• Do your best to educate patients, and then let them decide whether or not to move forward with treatment. This will give patients a more inviting atmosphere!
• Your brand reputation starts before patients even enter your practice. Be sure your forms and online presence is as updated and clean as your practice!
• Sometimes a visual representation of risk areas is just what patients need to understand the treatment plan.
• Promoting patients with NO dental problems is a great way to attract new patients!
• Don't focus on just the negative areas in a patient's mouth, be sure to show them what is looking great too!

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Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]

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p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/ company, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.

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Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)

Michael: Ranya. How's it going? Doing great. Thank you. That's wonderful. I spoke with you and I met you in the first making of Demo Startup retreat, and you gave one of the best speeches there, not because of like, you know, oryx obviously it's wonderful and it's great and everything like that.

But because you touched a lot of our hearts, my heart, my wife's heart, everybody's heart, right? And I kind of wanted to backtrack a little bit and tell us a little bit about your past from that point on your present. How'd you get to where you are today?

Rania: So I started as a general dentist. Uh, practicing right outside of Washington, DC and I was an associate for a couple of years, then decided to have my own practice, and that worked well for me.

So it grew into a larger practice, multiple locations. I was doing really well. I was really happy, and I got pregnant with twins, had to be on bed dressed, and my practice went downhill very quick. and I couldn't understand why that was happening. And I started looking into our systems and into what the associates are doing, and it was all the same.

So the same associates, the same front desk, the same marketing. Uh, how did we go from doing so well to doing so poorly? And I realized that we weren't implementing the systems the same way we were when I was in the practice. And I realized that a lot of the system were just in my head. I wasn't translating that to everyone.

Um, and I started creating a little system just to, uh, put my practice back on track. Um, and I had gone through the Coy Center, so I loved John's systematic approach. I loved how you can look at the patient, gather some data, and you always come up to the same diagnosis. Started showing it to other people. They liked it, and this is how Orx was

Michael: created. Nice. So you are the one who created it cuz of the pain points that you were experiencing? Yeah,

Rania: in a way with a large group behind me, but Gotcha, gotcha.

Michael: If we rewind a little bit, Rania, um, talk to me about your process of becoming a dentist.

Rania: So, um, my parents are dentists, so it was kind of an easy choice. Uh, my brother is an orthodontist, my sister is a pediatric dentist, so they always, my parents always pushed us towards dentistry. Like it's the best profession. it was a bit of a no-brainer for me to go to go

Michael: into dentistry.

And so you came into dentistry and then from that point on, you always thought to yourself, I'm gonna own my own practice. Or how did that come up? Um,

Rania: yeah, I dunno. No. I started as an associate not really knowing what I was doing. And, uh, I went to a very insurance heavy practice. and I didn't like the systems.

I didn't like how fast paced, extremely fast paced it was. Um, I didn't agree with some, some of the treatment protocols that we had, but I was in a way doing my job. Mm-hmm. Uh, And that was like maybe 2007 when the economy was collapsing, everything was going so bad and we didn't have access to podcasts, like cures to the dental startup, to all that information about opening a practice.

And of course, the owner of the practice I was at was always discouraging me. Like, it's a lot of money. I didn't know you could take a loan from the bank. Mm-hmm. Like we didn't have access to all that information, so I was always discouraged to, to open my own practice. Um, but then when I started going to the coy center and I'm like, I want to implement a different level of care, I found it was really, really hard to do if and to change systems if you are doing it in someone else's practice.

and this is when I decided like, That's it. I'm opening a startup and I don't know how Yeah.

Michael: To any of it. Were you looking for immediately a startup, like from the ground up or were you looking for an acquisition?

Rania: I looked for an acquisition a little like for a short, wide, um, and I didn't find any good fit.

there weren't that many in the area where I was like, right outside of Washington, DC I didn't want to drive too far. so I'm like, okay, I'll just do a startup and I'll do it the way I want. And everything I looked at was like, now you see all these amazing startups, super modern, like on the grade decor.

But when I did my office and looking at offices, they were very ugly. And I couldn't picture my, I mean, it's silly like now if I'm evaluating a practice, I, I would look at numbers, I would look at product, I would look at a lot of different things. But back then I was just looking, oh, I, I really hate this space.

Michael: so you were looking more at the outside of it, the interior design, things like that. Yeah. I was thinking

Rania: like, if I want to create that vision for a practice, if I want my. Patients to have this amazing experience, it has to be done in a really nice space.

Michael: Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's true. And then, so fast forward a little bit more.

You mentioned you started running your dental practice and was it around the time where you're like, okay, my practice is going down, was when you gave birth to your twins?

Rania: No, so, so I started the practice and, um, I'll backtrack a bit. Uh, as I said, like I had the vision for the practice. So a friend who's an architect, had also a vision of how a practice should be, and they had a really amazing location.

Uh, we were featured in architecture and magazines. Google Ads were not very popular at the time, so we started, so Google ads, we got so busy, so quick, like we were, uh, breaking even by the second month or third month we were profitable. Very early on, we hit a million on the first year, we were doing really well and this is when my brother came and started doing one day of Ortho with me.

That turned into several days of, uh, a month, and then my, we had, um, a periodontist come and join us, uh, my sister-in-law. Mm-hmm. And then we had, uh, and the practice started growing into having associates. Then I started looking at another location. and after that I got pregnant. I had to be on bed dressed, and this is when the office started losing a lot of money.

Okay. It was not a hundred thousand alone that we were losing.

Michael: Wow. Why? What was going on? Where it was specifically losing? So,

Rania: um, the way we had the system in our practices, I was doing a lot of the exams and treatment planning. and then the patients would see different providers for the treatment. So they would see some of my associates fulfilling.

So, so I was in way screening the patient. Mm-hmm. if someone needed ortho first and then some Pero treatment and then maybe, A couple of implants, if it was a cosmetic case and we're, we're going through all of that, I would coordinate the whole case and they were going through the department.

and if they were fillings and, uh, some smaller treatments, some of the, uh, younger associates were doing, if they were more complex treatment, it was the more senior associates doing that. So, so we had all of this organized and I fear that when I wasn't in the practice, that piece went missing. So I was in a way the project manager.

Yeah. Yeah. and when that went missing, uh, we were looking at patients and new patients were coming in and it, and they were just seen in hygiene and see you in six months, were gonna watch this, this, and that, and that's it. So people were not, presented with a comprehensive vision for their treatment and for their health.

So, I think that was the biggest difference.

Michael: Gotcha. How long did that last For? A few

Rania: months. and then I started asking my associates to come to the hospital. So half my bedrest was in a hospital bed. Really

Michael: horrible. So it was, I'm sorry, you were in bed rest for how long? The whole

Rania: pregnancy. Oh wow. Like on week 12, I think I went on bed dress until I delivered.

Michael: Really? Yeah, it was, uh, man, Ryan, that's pretty tough. Like that's a lot. You know what I mean? Like, uh, yeah. That, and then on top of, how much were you stressing out when you saw these numbers?

Rania: Lot. You know, at the time I was watching Oranges, the New Black, and I was thinking to myself like, Jane is easier. At least you socialize with other people

Michael: is easier.

Rania: You know, you're not worried about the practice. Choose and bed dress. Maybe Jane.

Michael: Oh. it's funny how our mind thinks though, when you're thinking that, you're like, my gosh, it's going down. And so you're stressing out about that. You're stressing out about, I mean, your, your pregnancy. how are you guys and your husband and everybody, how's like the family handling everything in this situation?

Especially since you're, you know, orthos your family too and everything like that.

Rania: So like everyone was trying to help anyway they could. Uh, Because we did well early on I had some resources in the bank, but like seeing this depleted month after month was really stressful. And we were try, like I would speak to the office manager and she's like, I.

Our numbers are good. We're still getting the same, uh, amount of new patients. We're still very booked. And we s like I started looking at every piece of the puzzle, where aren't we doing well? And then I started looking at the treatment plan. So this is when I started inviting the associates. Let's review every chart and I would go through it systematically the way I learned at the COI Center.

So let's look at the four different areas your gums. Uh, your, teeth hugged, bite, jaw, joint, and smile. And I would give a patient a summary of their health in the four different categories. And this is where it sparks ideas for the patient. Where if I would say a patient might not be thinking about Invisalign, I might say something like, uh, You mentioned that you are happy with your smile.

I see a little bit of crowding, but since you're happy, we're good with that. And they might think about it and say, oh, you know, this bothers me a bit. Mm-hmm. Can it be done quickly, and this is where the Invisalign conversation comes, or I. Sometimes patients might have these very large restorations that they're not very concerned about, but maybe they're grinding also, or they have some bite issues.

So I would look at that and I would say, um, you have these structurally compromised teeth, because of these large restorations. It could be a concern because of your grinding or because of this. So that puts you into a higher risk, and now it's up to them if they want to do it or not. And most of them would do it.

So this was the type of conversations I was having with the patients that were my associates were not having, and this is going through the very systematic exam. and this was basically the basis of orex is I took the co exam. There is very systematic, very standardized, not like if you examine your patients that way, if you present to them the findings in these four different areas, it becomes.

A lot easier for them to say yes, to your treatment. And it becomes, and they become more aware of their health. in a way you're educating the patient, uh, and you're giving them the power to make more informed decisions. So I told you about this. Now it's up to you. Do you want to. Replace these structurally compromised, fillings, um, with crowns or onlays, or do you wanna wait and see?

Mm-hmm. It's your decision, but I'm giving you all the information that I can to make better decisions about your health, but ultimately it's up to you. I think this is the reason my practice true, and I realize that a lot of dentists don't go about mm-hmm. Treating their patients that way. and this is what Orex does, is it basically helps dentists do a very systematic examination in seven minutes and it generates a report for the patient.

So everything I was telling the patient is in one report. That they can go think about review. yeah, like one thing that we do is we always examine four problems and we never reward hun. And even for very healthy patients, it's good to t them, like your gums and bones are exactly where we want them to be.

At your age. Your teeth are doing great. we don't have any issues. You had two feelings in the past and we don't see any other issues. Your python judgment are great. You're happy with your smile, so we're really proud of this and we find that these are the people that take this report and put it on social media and share it with everyone.

And these grow the practice more than the patients with a lot of problems. Because at first I would print that report and hand it to patients that had a lot of issues thinking they need to go review it, process it, understand what's going on to say yes to treatment. realized that the promoters are the one that got like the A plus.

Michael: Great. Yeah. Yeah, that's true. Okay, so then. When you were teaching this to your associates, could they have just gone to the COI Center and learned it on their own? That way you didn't have to stress out so much?

Rania: Yeah, I mean the, the COI Center is amazing and it's a long journey. but even John would tell you the issue he was having with a lot of the students coming through the co center is, it's a lot of information that you get and it's.

And a lot of paperwork that people go to the practice and go and fall back into their own habits. It's a lot easy. Like you go, you, you learn something and you are so excited about it, and you're like, Monday morning we're gonna start inventing this. And Monday morning you have this emergency coming in and you have this unhappy patient and this insurance that got rejected and now this person wrote a bad review and mm-hmm.

You're dealing with all of this and Tuesday is the same and. That's it. Yeah. Okay. By next week you forgot everything and you forgot that you wanted to implement this. Um, that's true. Yeah. So having it in your software where you don't have to think about it almost forces you to be more organized and more systematic.

Michael: Mm-hmm. Yeah. I was speaking with Dr. Sauna Yusif. Um, and she tells me her favorite thing about orex among many other things. But is the, the wheel, the new patient wheel, and I'm assuming that's what this is, right? Yeah. Is where like they get the comprehen and then they're able to actually take it home or see it and say like, okay, look, this is everything going great where I need improvement.

You know what I mean? They get their whole visual of it. Is that what that is?

Rania: Yeah. Yeah. It, it's a personalized risk assessment. So patients started calling in the wheel. So, so that became the name. And, uh, we would get patients calling the office and saying, I want the exam. That gives me the wheel, because like patients, and especially the happy ones that have, it's all green, as I said, would, would take it to the office and show, show patient, uh, show their coworkers.

Look, I got, I was just at the dentist and look at this and it's, it's a really nice presentation and it, we found that printing it out adds more value because patients are happy about it. We put it in a really nice folder. They take it, they show it to other, uh, to coworkers, to friends, to family members.

And people are, how come my dentist never gives me this? and they would just, call and ask about it. Yeah,

Michael: it's, it's almost the same concept that you were, that John was talking about, right? Like, you, we tell you all this information, you're excited, and then life happens, right? So same thing, kind of like you tell the patient all this information, maybe they're thinking about it, they get home, kids got hurt, they're in trouble, they gotta pick 'em up at school, h, husband, wife, all these things, right?

Work. And they tend to forget about it. But if they have that thing there, you know what I mean with them, and super simple and easy for them to read and, and share. It's better. It's better. It's on top of mine for sure. For

Rania: sure. And a lot of times they're sitting in your office and they're not truly listening.

Mm-hmm. Like, I wanna get outta you. Mm-hmm. Like, just go on with it. And they go home and, and I've had so many patients that said, okay, okay, okay. And then they go home and they're looking like, uh, is scaling and truth planting scam? Yeah. And because by now we're telling them this is what you need, but now they have this information and they're reviewing that information, so.

it's really a good way, but also, like, one thing that we don't really think about is the medical legal perspective. anything you say to the p anything that is not documented does not exist. Mm-hmm. And this is doing all the documentation for you. So you do your exam, we auto generate your progress note.

We also auto generate that that goes to the patient. So that's almost their consent form. We also have consent forms in this system. But, but in a way, we told you that you needed that restoration and you decided not to do it. We told you you have an infection, you didn't come back for the treatment. so it's all documented.

Michael: Gotcha. So then the new patient visit, how long does that normally take with this for you?

Rania: So we time dentists doing the exam seven to 10 minutes.

Michael: So it's really like,

Rania: it's way more comprehensive, but it's very systematic and the exam is, would expand and collapse the way you need it. So if you say, uh, The patient has, um, jaw problems.

The, uh, the T M J exam is gonna expand, but if the patient answered no to, to all the jaw questions, and you have like no problems, it's gonna collapse. So, and this is how you want it to be, to go quick on patients that have no issues, but to really dig deeper with patients that have more issues.

Michael: Yeah.

Okay. So that's really good. So then rewind a little bit, you went, explain this to your associates, you created this process. How long did it take you to start? All right. ORIC is live now. It's, it's happening everybody. So,

Rania: on the twin first birthday is when I showed it to John. Oh, okay. For the first time, like, I created something that I want to share with you.

can I come and see you? I actually, a friend facilitated this. It's not that easy to get access to John.

Michael: Yeah. People gonna contact him. Hey John. Yeah.

Rania: Like, now I forget. Like now I can text day. It was, um, and John gets. Pitched these ideas every day. So he wanted to be polite and he's like, okay, let's do a Zoom meeting.

Like that's before Zoom was popular. I think it was something else like go to meeting or something. Mm-hmm. And he's like, don't fly to Seattle, because he was like 90% sure he was gonna say no. People pitch him crazy stuff every day. And I present this to him and he goes, I love it. Let's do something out of it.

He's like, what do we do next? Mm-hmm. And I'm like, I didn't think it through. I didn't think. Yes.

Michael: Yeah.

Rania: And I'll back to you. And this is how the company really started. because before it was just, Forms and, I asked my husband to develop a couple of things to make it easier, but nothing was integrated into our system.

Michael: Gotcha. Okay. And then, so how old is Orex?

Rania: so we started the company in 2016. took about two years to have the first version, and it was only patient forms at the beginning, and then we did the clinical. And then we created the full software,

Michael: the cloud, all in one platform, cloud. Mm-hmm. Based management software.

Nice. Okay. And then, so right now, are you still rono working in your practice clinically? No. You sold it or I sold it.

Rania: Oh man. When did you sell it? Soon after we started the company. It was taking way, like most of my time and most of my focus. Mm-hmm. So,

Michael: How did you feel selling it? Were you like, is this, could I just do associates and do one clinical

Rania: or, I thought about that and I realized I needed to focus.

You know, having people think it's so easy to have associates and run the show from from afar. Yeah. But I tried it when I was on bed dressed and it's not that easy and it still takes you a lot of time and dedication. You cannot be on a beach or doing something else and have people working at everything goes smoothly.

So I realized I had to decide, do I want to focus a hundred percent on Orx or 50% on orx, 55% on a practice. And I saw the potential in Orex. So, so I decided that it was the right choice. What made it really easy is one of the associates that came to work with us, um, was a perio pro. and he was an amazing clinician.

And like at first when I thought about selling the practice and I spoke to, uh, a broker, everyone he presented to me, I was, I'm not too sure. I'm not too sure. But then when, Dr. Han said I'm interested in buying, it was a very easy decision. Like, he's gonna take great care of my patients, so

Michael: and so he bought it.

Okay, nice. So since then it's been, Man, all in with Oryx. and what I like about Oryx too is, You are open to everybody, right? DSLs and everything, but it's Yeah. Based off of a private practice, right? Where it's like, this is who created it for solo practitioner. Right. Like the private practice too, who can, can make it happen.

Rania: Yeah. I think I, I was recently looking at, the practices that we get and our fastest growing segment is the startups.

because for a startup it's really a no-brainer. I mean, no one is, no startup is going with the server, I hope. Mm-hmm. And they're getting on the tools that they need in one practice management software. They're getting the clinical and they're also getting a company with a forward vision. So, Anyone that looks at, at our software three years ago would think it's a tool to be new software now.

So we're constantly evolving. Like we just added AI for radio graphs. every month we have a lot of new releases. Mm-hmm. Um, up to this date we spend most of our, money on development and engineering. So, We didn't think, okay, now we have a great product. Let's do all marketing and all sales, which most companies do.

we still do a lot of development. I still think, that the software could be

Michael: a lot. Like a lot of research and development in that process. Interesting. Talk to me about that ai, you, you're starting to implement that into.

Rania: Yeah. Yeah. So, so we had a, uh, recent partnership with Pearl ai. we worked on the integration and we made it native.

Uh, and I'm very careful with any integration I do because, Everyone wants to partner with everyone, but then, yeah, and then these integrations are clunky and they don't work and they're not part of the flow. So a big part of the decision with, which AI company we go with was, Who's gonna put enough resources to have a very, very seamless integration.

Like, I don't want you to click on an image and take you to another software, and now wait for it to load. And now look and now see if mm-hmm there's decay or where the bone level is. I want it to happen immediately. and Pearl was one of the companies that worked with us, around that vision, and they were willing to put.

Enough resources. So for each partnership, you need the two sides to be willing to put, enough engineering hours to make it an amazing integration.

Michael: Yeah. No, wow. That's fantastic. That's news for me. I didn't know that. Pearl's fantastic. Like I spoke with Kyle not that long ago, and he's, highly about it, so we looked into it and it's, they're doing amazing things over there too.

Yeah. So for both you guys to be partnering up, it's gonna be, it's new, you know. It's like, um, I guess like innovative, but at the same time, like it's uh, I mean, you know, it hasn't been done, so it's fantastic. Yeah, you're right. You are doing a lot of development in Oryx. I like that. So then what have you seen with startups right now where you can give us some good advice as far as within their year one to year five?

Where maybe they did go with the server. Maybe they are paying an IT company, but also like they're also doing marketing, all this other stuff and they're kind of feeling like they're hitting a, a roadblock here somewhere. So,

Rania: I dunno, like if you started with the server, it's not a good idea because if you're thinking to, it's not gonna grow with you the way you want.

I mean, this is not the trend, this is not how the industry is moving I see a lot of the young startups thinking about having multiple locations, about growing. you need to start on cloud for that vision to happen. So, and we already have seen like, started with us two years ago now are on their third or fourth location, like Wow.

Already. So I see that everyone is moving a lot faster than things were moving when I had my practice. in terms of marketing, I see that a lot of startups focus at the beginning on the external marketing and then they rely a lot on orgs for their internal marketing. and I always think about it this way, a and this is kind of what I did in my practice in the very early days.

So the first 90 days we were spending 10 to $20,000 on AdWords, which was cra like Google did an article on us. Yeah. It was, back then it was crazy. Not a lot, much money. Yeah. Now it's more the trend. But back then was like, who's that crazy dentist? Yeah. Spending all that money. But this is what got patients in the door.

And then having a great experience is what got the patients to come back. and I find with orgs, like they go, they do their online scheduling. It's already an amazing way of doing things. Um, they complete their patients forms. They're very interactive. We surveyed patients and they said that they thought that the office is more technologically advanced and they had more trust in the dentist before even visiting the practice.

just because all the forms are picture based, very, very interactive. So patients are already getting that great experience. and then when the patients come in, they have this amazing exam. They have the report, all the, tools that they need are integrated. So it's very easy to pay. They're getting a tax to pay.

they're signing their consent forms before coming online. So they feel that this experience carries through and these great experiences is what leads to giving the office a five star review. and it keeps growing that way. so we see a lot of our users telling us that Orex helps with their vision because it's that organized and it gives that patient that amazing experience start to finish.

Michael: that's really good. Wow. Okay. So then, Orx right now is basically for everyone, but especially if you're looking to do a startup, it's the best starting point for you right now.

Rania: I believe so. I believe, uh, not because I created it, but I believe it has a lot of tools that are so helpful for someone starting out.

So let's say I was starting out and I hadn't gone through the Coy Center, I have on that. On the co information is already embedded in the software and it's all, updated every year. so if I'm doing an exam on a patient and I'm not sure about some diagnosis, I click on the information I can, and I have all the literature where this came from.

So if a patient challenges me, like. Why are you recommending this treatment? I would just copy and paste the articles, like this is the latest literature, that's why we're recommending this treatment. if I want to send something to the insurance company, I have the latest literature, I have the diagnosis already pre-attached, and we pre-attached the radiograph.

So like the whole system makes it so much easier. but for a new dentist, You're getting a software that is preloaded with the latest literatures on the forms that you need on the consent forms. Like basically a practice in a box. Yeah. And then you can customize it to what fits your needs and what fits your vision.

But I think the clinical stuff there is in the software that's worth, yeah.

Michael: Thousands of dollars. That, and that's what I get when I'm talking to you too, is like, I feel. You're really honed in on the, well, obviously cuz you created it, right? But like on the clinical side, the practical side, right? Like the, where it's like this is what is gonna facilitate your guys' job way much more times a thousand compared to like, we have a better online scheduling button, you wanna click it and it can be on the top left laptop.

Right. You know what I mean? Like that's like, okay cool. I'd rather have that, you know what I mean? The clinical side of it, which is interesting. Very, very refreshing.

Rania: Yeah. I think I'm more passionate about the clinical side because that's what I know, that's what I live and grieve. But I'm also very passionate about systems.

And you see this in the practice management software throughout. So if you talk to one of, uh, of the other team members that were office managers, they would talk a lot more about that side of things. Mm-hmm. Um, And I think creating systems in your practice very early on would avoid some of the problems that I had.

So if you're checking in a patient, there's a checklist for checking in a patient and if everything is checked, The appointment turns screen so you know that, the predetermination was sent, or the eligibility was checked. We checked the insurance, the patient is confirmed. I have all the information that I need pre-appointment, and I could customize the list to what my practice is.

Same thing. If I'm checking out a patient, the appointment turns dark gray when everything is done. Uh, so I don't have to go to the front end, ask Olivia, did you collect the payment? Did you schedule the next appointment? Did you do this? Whatever is my checkout checklist. I know it's done when the appointment is dark gray.

So at the end of the day, I wanna look at my screen and see it's all dark gray and. Blood pressure drop, so I know everything was

Michael: done. You're like, maybe gel isn't that good right now. You know,

Rania: easy, like, you know, these little systems and coming from the clinical perspective, like if you start thinking about it, I'm sending an insurance claim, everything auto attaches, like why am I having Mary in the front go and.

Grab Tracy and ask her which one is number three. I need to attach it for Crown because we have, the radiographic system native to us. We know that this is the radiograph for number three. So now if I have a root can add that I'm sending to the insurance company, I'm auto attaching all of this. So we remove a lot of the barriers.

Michael: Yeah. Increase more efficiency. Than anything else. Yeah. For you, Rania, I mean, I, I'm gonna ask a lot of, uh, Orex users this, but like for you, what was the thing that excited you the most right now from this point on to before? I know like every time there's something new that comes on, you're like, oh yeah.

But right now, from this point on that you absolutely love utilize from Orex.

Every

Rania: month I have a new feature that I love and sometimes I even forget some features that we, and I'm like, oh, we have this. It's so cool. Uh, but I honestly think the risk assessment that we is the most valuable tool. just because gives you so much information about the patient. It. Excites your team.

Like now your team understands why you do what you do. The team member reads this and at the front, you know how you get sometimes some team members that feel, oh, this doctor is pushing more treatment than they should. I don't like that. And now they understand or they're, they think they're trying to save the patient by saying, it's okay.

You can do a filling, you don't need that crown, or mm-hmm. Let's do a trophy instead of the scaling. now your home team is on the same page. I find that, like, this is amazing for the team members because they understand the risk of the patient. It's amazing for the patient because they're educated and they're happy and they're referring you more, uh, patients, and it's easier for you because it makes you proud of your practice.

Like this is what you're communicating to your patients. So I think that's the strongest tool or the one that I'm the most proud of. Yeah,

Michael: the wheel, what the patient's term coined it, right. And they call it the wheel, but yeah, they call it theum, which is cool. Like, you know what I mean? They get it, they kind of give you the own nickname and then they're like, yeah, I wanna see the wheel.

So I think that's fantastic too. If people wanted to see it, let's just say it right now. There's people who are like, oh man, I don't have orx, but what is the wheel all about? Can they go mind that somewhere?

Rania: Yeah. I mean on our website or external software.com, and they can book a demo there.

Rania Saleh DRAFT: okay.

Michael: Yeah, guys, go do that.

Thank you so much, Ranya, for being with us. It's been a pleasure. But before we say goodbye, can you tell our listeners where they can find you if they have any more questions or concerns?

Rania: yeah, sure. Uh, [email protected] and I'll answer you

Michael: Uhhuh. Awesome. So guys go in Tolo, reach out to her, and at the same time, schedule a free personalized demo with Oryx.

Check out the wheel, but check out every single thing that Rona's talking about, everything that they're developing, that they're doing, uh, for your practice. So I highly recommend it's gonna be the first link in the show notes below. So go check that out. And Ronya, thank you for being with us. It's been a pleasure and we'll hear from you soon.

Thank you.

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I'm excited to announce that the Pediatric Dental Marketing Course is officially open for enrollment!This comprehensive course, developed by Minal Sampat and myself, is tailored specifically for pediatric practice owners and their teams. It is designed to turn your pain points into stepping stones for success, and to help you become the trusted dental home for countless children in your community. Head over to our site to enroll now! https://pediatricdentalmarketingcourse.com/

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Welcome this week's MMM! In this episode, I dive more into ChatGPT and how it can revolutionize your dental practice's rewards program and enhance patient retention. Join me as I explore the innovative ways that AI-powered ChatGPT can assist you in creating personalized and engaging loyalty programs that keep your patients coming back for more. From tailored incentives to effective point systems, discover how leveraging ChatGPT's expertise can take your dental practice to new heights, fostering lasting relationships with your valued patients. These outlines might be the next step to building an exceptional rewards program that not only boosts patient loyalty but also ensures their oral health remains at its best!

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Drop in on this week's episode to walk through step by step how to utilize ChatGPT to increase retention!

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Other Mentions and Links:

ChatGPT

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Prompts that I use in the video:

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PROMPT:

I'm a dental practice. What are some reasons why patients might stop using my services? What can I do to address these issues and keep patients engaged?

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What ChatGPT said:

Patients may stop using a dental practice's services for a variety of reasons. Here are a few, along with potential solutions:

1. Cost: Dental care can be expensive, especially for procedures not covered by insurance.

• Solution: Provide transparency about costs upfront, offer flexible payment plans, and work closely with insurance companies to maximize benefits.

1. Inconvenient Location or Hours: If your office isn't easy to get to, or doesn't offer appointments outside of normal business hours, this could deter some patients.

• Solution: Consider expanding your hours of operation, offer weekend or evening appointments, and ensure your location is easily accessible by public transit or has sufficient parking.

1. Negative Experiences: A bad experience during a visit, such as painful treatments, can scare patients away.

• Solution: Focus on patient comfort, use gentle techniques, provide clear explanations about procedures and manage patient expectations to minimize discomfort and fear.

1. Poor Communication: If patients feel that they're not being heard, or don't understand their treatment options, they may seek care elsewhere.

• Solution: Encourage open dialogue, listen carefully to patients' concerns, provide clear explanations and present all treatment options.

1. Long Waiting Times: Spending too much time in the waiting room can lead to frustration.

• Solution: Streamline office processes, implement efficient scheduling, and communicate clearly with patients if delays are expected.

1. Lack of Personal Touch: Patients like to feel valued and appreciated. If they feel like they're just another number, they might leave.

• Solution: Show genuine care and interest in your patients. Remember personal details, make the environment welcoming, and ensure all staff members treat patients with warmth and respect.

1. Outdated Equipment or Techniques: Patients might feel uncomfortable if they perceive that your practice isn't keeping up with the latest dental technologies or methods.

• Solution: Regularly update equipment as needed and continue education for you and your staff to stay abreast of the latest dental techniques and treatments.

1. Lack of Comprehensive Services: If patients have to go elsewhere for certain procedures, they might switch to a provider that offers comprehensive services.

• Solution: Offer a wide range of services, or establish partnerships with specialists for easy referrals.

In addition to these solutions, consider surveying your patients regularly to identify any unmet needs or areas for improvement. Also, maintain a strong online presence and positive online reviews, which can help attract and retain patients. Providing a consistent, positive experience will encourage patients to stay with your practice long term.

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PROMPT:

Are there any loyalty or rewards programs that I could offer to incentivize patients to continue using my services? What rewards or benefits would be most appealing to my target audience?

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What ChatGPT said:

Yes, loyalty or rewards programs can be a great way to encourage repeat business and foster patient loyalty. Here are a few ideas:

1. Points Programs: Patients could earn points for every visit, which they can redeem for a discount on future treatments. You could also give bonus points for referrals or for scheduling regular six-month check-ups.
2. Referral Rewards: You could offer discounts or even free basic services (like cleanings) for patients who refer new customers to your practice.
3. Membership Programs: For a monthly or yearly fee, patients get access to certain services at discounted rates. This could be particularly appealing to patients without dental insurance.
4. Family Discounts: Offering special rates for families or couples could incentivize people to bring their entire family to your practice.
5. Special Promotions: Regular promotions on certain services can help to keep patients engaged. For instance, a teeth whitening discount during the holidays, when people want to look their best for family photos.
6. Birthday Perks: A small gesture like a free service upgrade, discount, or even a non-dental gift on a patient's birthday can make them feel appreciated and special.
7. Patient of the Month: Spotlight a patient of the month and offer them a special perk. This not only rewards the patient but also fosters a sense of community among your clientele.

As for which rewards would be most appealing, it can depend on your patient demographics. A survey could help you understand what your patients value most. Younger patients might appreciate discounts on cosmetic services like whitening, while older patients might value discounts on restorative work. Families would likely appreciate discounts for children's services. Regardless of the specifics, the goal should be to make patients feel valued and that their loyalty is appreciated.

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PROMPT:

I need you to create a comprehensive "loyalty program" that has all the features stated above. This loyalty program needs aid and address the issues and reasons why a patient would stop using my services.

What ChatGPT said:

Absolutely, here is an example of a comprehensive loyalty program named "Smile Rewards."

1. Smile Rewards Membership

Annual or Monthly Subscription

Patients can join the Smile Rewards membership for a yearly or monthly fee. Benefits of membership include:

• Two free check-ups and cleanings per year, which encourages regular dental visits.
• A discount of 10% to 20% on all other treatments, making your services more cost-effective.
• Priority scheduling and shorter waiting times, addressing the issue of long waiting times.
• Family packages available for a discounted rate to encourage whole family dental care.

2. Points for Visits & Treatments

Earn Points on Every Visit

Patients earn points for every visit, regardless of the type of treatment. The number of points could depend on the cost of the treatment. These points can be redeemed for discounts on future treatments, encouraging ongoing engagement.

3. Birthday Bonus Points

Celebrate with a Gift

Members receive bonus points on their birthday, which can be used to further discount treatments or get a free dental product, such as a professional toothbrush or whitening kit.

4. Referral Rewards

Recommend and Earn

When existing patients refer a new patient, both receive a reward. The existing patient could get extra points, and the new patient could get a discount on their first treatment. This helps encourage patient referrals and grow your client base.

5. Special Promotions

Seasonal Discounts & More

Members get access to special promotions throughout the year. This could be discounts on teeth whitening during the holidays, or discounts on other services during Dental Health Month. You could also consider having occasional 'double points' days.

6. Patient of the Month

Recognition and Reward

Each month, spotlight one patient as the "Patient of the Month." The selected patient could receive a unique reward such as a free service upgrade, additional reward points, or a gift card to a local business. This not only rewards the patient but also fosters a sense of community.

7. Access to Latest Services & Technologies

Stay Ahead with Smile Rewards

Members get early access to any new services or technologies you introduce, ensuring they feel they are receiving the best and most up-to-date care.

By offering a comprehensive program like Smile Rewards, you address common reasons why patients might leave while also providing incentives that encourage loyalty and ongoing engagement with your practice. The result is a program that adds value for both your practice and your patients.

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PROMPT:

I need you to come up with compelling, enticing rewards that patients receive when they decide to redeem their points. These have to motivate/ encourage/ excite the patient.

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What ChatGPT said:

Absolutely, here are some enticing rewards that you could offer when patients decide to redeem their points:

1. Free Teeth Whitening Session: A smile can be transformed by teeth whitening, and offering this as a redeemable reward is a great incentive that can significantly enhance a patient's confidence.

2. Electric Toothbrush or Water Flosser: Offering high-quality dental products like a professional-grade electric toothbrush or water flosser is a practical reward that patients will appreciate and use daily.

3. Free Oral Hygiene Products for a Year: Imagine not having to worry about buying toothpaste, floss, or mouthwash for a whole year. This would be a useful reward and a constant reminder of your practice whenever they use these products.

4. Cosmetic Dentistry Discounts: A significant discount on a cosmetic dentistry procedure like veneers or bonding can be a strong motivator for patients interested in improving the aesthetic appeal of their smile.

5. Denture or Orthodontic Discounts: For those needing these treatments, a substantial discount can be a major relief financially and encourage them to proceed with necessary treatments.

6. Spa or Wellness Center Gift Cards: A relaxing day at a local spa or wellness center could be a compelling reward that adds a personal touch.

7. Dental Insurance Premiums for a Year: If feasible, covering a patient's dental insurance premiums for a year would be an exceptionally enticing reward.

8. Advanced Dental Hygiene Session: A session with a dental hygienist who would provide personalized advice on how to take care of their teeth and gums based on their oral health would be both educational and beneficial.

9. Limited Edition Dental Products: Offering limited-edition dental care items like themed toothpaste or toothbrushes can be fun and exciting for patients, particularly for younger ones.

10. Complimentary Sedation Dentistry: For patients who experience dental anxiety, this reward would allow them to undergo necessary procedures in a more relaxed manner.

These rewards provide a mix of practical benefits and luxury experiences. They not only encourage patients to continue using your services but also promote good oral hygiene habits and overall wellness.

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PROMPT:

Can you make the rewards less about dentistry and more about lifestyle? My target audience are mothers who have a family. Between the ages of 25-55. They live in a suburban area. Income range is 50k to 150k.

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What ChatGPT said:

Certainly, it sounds like the rewards you're looking for should be more family-oriented and cater to a suburban lifestyle. Here are some ideas that may appeal to your target demographic:

1. Spa Day Packages: A relaxing day at a local spa, possibly including services like massages, facials, or body treatments. This would allow them to take some well-deserved time for self-care.
2. Local Restaurant Gift Cards: Gift cards for popular local restaurants would give them an opportunity for a family dinner or a night off from cooking.
3. Subscription Box Services: This could include a year's subscription to a popular meal kit service, a book club, or a monthly craft box for their kids. These services offer both convenience and entertainment value.
4. Local Entertainment or Activity Passes: This could include tickets to local theme parks, zoos, or museums. They would provide a fun day out for the entire family.
5. Fitness or Yoga Class Passes: A package of passes to a local yoga studio or gym can help them focus on their health and wellbeing.
6. Gardening Gift Sets: If they have a garden, a gift set with high-quality gardening tools, seeds, or decor could be appreciated.
7. Home Cleaning Services: Free professional cleaning services for their house. This provides convenience and frees up their time for other activities.
8. Cooking Class Vouchers: For those interested in culinary skills, vouchers for cooking classes in a local culinary school or online could be enticing.
9. Online Shopping Vouchers: Gift cards for popular online retailers can give them the flexibility to choose something they need or want.
10. Professional Family Photo Shoot: A free session with a local professional photographer could provide cherished family memories.

These rewards should provide meaningful experiences and conveniences to moms living in a suburban area, fitting well within their lifestyle and interests. Remember to regularly update and refresh the rewards based on feedback to keep the program appealing and relevant to your audience.

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PROMPT:

Now please make a very detailed and comprehensive Loyalty Program. Make sure it includes the rewards. The features. The benefits.

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What ChatGPT said:

Sure, I'll consolidate the elements we've discussed into a detailed, comprehensive loyalty program designed for your target demographic:

Program Name: "Family Smile Rewards"

1. Membership Enrollment

Patients can sign up for Family Smile Rewards by paying a yearly or monthly subscription fee, providing immediate access to benefits. Family packages are available at discounted rates to encourage comprehensive family dental care.

2. Points System

Members earn points for every visit. The number of points depends on the cost of the treatment, incentivizing regular dental visits and treatments. Points can be redeemed for a variety of lifestyle-oriented rewards.

3. Birthday Bonus Points

To celebrate their special day, members receive bonus points on their birthday. This offers an annual boost in points that can be redeemed for rewards.

4. Referral Bonuses

When existing members refer new patients to the practice, both the referring member and the new patient receive a points bonus. This encourages the growth of your practice through word-of-mouth.

5. Special Promotions

Members gain access to special promotions throughout the year. These might include double points days or bonus points for trying new dental services, encouraging regular engagement with your practice.

6. Patient of the Month

Each month, highlight one member as the "Patient of the Month." This selected member receives bonus points, fostering a sense of community and adding an element of fun competition.

7. Early Access to New Services & Technologies

Members receive early access to new services or technologies, ensuring they feel they are receiving the most up-to-date dental care.

Rewards

Points earned through the Family Smile Rewards program can be redeemed for a variety of lifestyle-oriented rewards that cater to a suburban family lifestyle. Rewards could include:

1. Spa day packages at local establishments.
2. Gift cards for popular local restaurants.
3. Subscriptions to popular meal kit services, book clubs, or children's craft boxes.
4. Passes to local family entertainment venues such as theme parks, zoos, or museums.
5. Fitness or yoga class passes at local studios.
6. Gardening gift sets for home gardening enthusiasts.
7. Professional home cleaning services.
8. Vouchers for local or online cooking classes.
9. Online shopping vouchers for popular retailers.
10. A professional family photo shoot with a local photographer.

By creating a program that incentivizes regular dental care, fosters a sense of community, and offers appealing, lifestyle-oriented rewards, the Family Smile Rewards program can help to promote patient loyalty and retention, and ensure your practice continues to thrive.

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PROMPT:

Provide more detail and information on point 1 for the patient

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What ChatGPT said:

1. Membership Enrollment

Joining the Family Smile Rewards program is simple and straightforward. Interested patients can sign up directly at the dental office or through an easy-to-use online portal. A yearly or monthly subscription fee is required to activate the membership.

Two types of membership are available: individual and family. The individual membership covers all benefits for one person. The family membership extends the same benefits to all immediate family members, making it a cost-effective choice for households with multiple members needing dental services.

The family membership is designed to encourage comprehensive dental care for the whole family. It can cover spouses and children living in the same household, ensuring that everyone has access to quality dental care and the rewards of the program. A family membership also simplifies the process of managing dental appointments and rewards points as everything is consolidated under one account.

The cost of the membership has been carefully set to ensure that it provides significant value to patients while also supporting the sustainability of the program. The fee covers the benefits such as free check-ups and cleanings, discounts on treatments, and access to special promotions and rewards.

Once the subscription fee is paid, members immediately begin earning points on all dental visits and treatments, and have full access to all member benefits. The membership is automatically renewed at the end of each subscription period to ensure seamless access to benefits, but members have the option to cancel at any time.

By joining the Family Smile Rewards program, patients not only invest in their dental health, but also gain access to a variety of benefits and rewards that enhance their lifestyle. The program is designed to provide exceptional value and encourage lasting relationships between the dental practice and the families it serves.

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PROMPT:

Provide more detail and information on point 2 for the patient

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What ChatGPT said:

2. Points System

The cornerstone of the Family Smile Rewards program is the points system, which enables members to earn points each time they visit the dental practice. Here's how it works:

Earning Points

Every time a member visits the practice, whether it's for a regular check-up, cleaning, or a more complex procedure, they earn points. The number of points earned is based on the cost of the treatment or service received. For example, a basic dental cleaning might earn fewer points than a more extensive procedure like a root canal.

Tracking Points

Points earned are automatically tracked and updated in the member's account after each visit. Members can easily check their points balance online or via a mobile app. Additionally, an update on the points balance will be included in appointment confirmation and follow-up emails.

Point Expiration

Points earned do not expire as long as the membership remains active. This means members can accumulate points over time until they have enough to redeem for the reward they want.

Redeeming Points

Once members have accumulated enough points, they can redeem them for a variety of lifestyle-oriented rewards. These rewards are designed to fit into a suburban family lifestyle and provide a range of options to cater to different interests. Members can select from rewards such as spa packages, local restaurant gift cards, meal kit subscriptions, local activity passes, and more.

This points system offers an easy and straightforward way for members to gain additional value from their regular dental visits. By tying points to visit frequency and treatment cost, it encourages members to maintain regular dental care and proceed with necessary treatments, benefiting their long-term oral health.

The more frequently a member visits the practice, the faster they'll earn points and the sooner they'll be able to redeem them for fantastic rewards. It's a win-win for both their dental health and their lifestyle.

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If you want your questions answered on Monday Morning Marketing, ask me on these platforms:

My Newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/

The Dental Marketer Society Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2031814726927041

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Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)

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Michael: Hey, what's up guys? Welcome back to the Dental Marketer Podcast. This is another Monday morning marketing episode. And let me share my screen cuz we're gonna be talking about chat g p t again. And in this one I want to share with you guys a new, uh, there's many, many ways we can utilize, chat g p t, right?

And, and we discussed it in the previous one. And in the previous one we kind of showed you how to make a whole Instagram. Content calendar literally for the year, but I showed you guys for the first, uh, two months, right, that you can pro how, how to create the description and everything like that. And you guys gave us fantastic feedback on that.

And so I'm back at it again with another one here with you guys. and this one, um, I'm using the model G P T four, and you can use whichever model to be honest. But G P T four is a little bit more advanced. And the prompt here where we're gonna be talking about is building a loyalty program. And so I asked it.

I said, I'm a dental practice. What are some reasons why patients might stop using my services? What can I do to address these issues and keep patients engaged? And this is what chat G P T said, patients may stop using a dental practices services for a variety of reasons. Here are a few along with potential solutions.

Number one, cost. Dental care can be expensive, especially for procedure is not covered by insurance solution. Provide transparency about cost upfront. Offer flexible payment plans, and work closely with insurance companies to maximize benefits. That was the first thing you gave me. Two inconvenient location or hours.

If your office isn't easy to get to or doesn't offer appointments outside of normal business hours, this could deter some patients. The solution it gave me is consider expanding your hours of operation. Offer weekend or evening appointments and ensure your location is easily accessible by public transit or has sufficient parking.

Three negative experiences. A bad experience during a visit, such as painful treatments can scare patients away. The solution focused on patient comfort, use gentle techniques, provide clear explanations about procedures, and manage patient expectations to minimize discomfort and fear or poor communication.

If patients feel that they're not being heard or don't understand their treatment options, they may seek care elsewhere the solution, encourage open dialogue, listen carefully to patients' concerns, provide clear explanations and presentation and present all treatment options. Number five. Long waiting times.

This is a big one actually. I think even for me, it's a, spending too much time in the waiting room can lead to frustration solution, streamline office processes, implement efficient scheduling, and communicate clearly with patients if delays are expected. Six. Lack of personal touch. Patients like to feel valued and appreciated.

If they feel like they're just another number, they might leave. The solution it gives us is show genuine care and interest in your patients. Remember personal details. Make the environment welcoming and ensure all staff members treat patients with warmth and respect. And in seven outdated equipment or techniques.

Patients might feel uncomfortable if they, if they perceive that your practice isn't keeping up with the latest dental technologies or methods, the solution. Regularly update equipment as needed and continue education for you and your staff to stay abreast of the latest dental techniques and treatments.

And finally, number eight, it gives us lack of comprehensive services. So if patients have to go elsewhere for certain procedures, they might switch to a provider that offers comprehensive services. The solution offer a wide range of services or established partnerships with specialists for easy referrals.

And then it goes on to say, in addition to these solutions, consider surveying your patients regularly to identify any unmet needs or areas for improvement. Also maintain a strong online presence and positive online reviews, which can help attract and retain patients. Providing a consistent, positive experience will encourage patients to stay with your practice long term.

So this is it. I asked it what are some reasons, and these were the eight reasons it gave me for why people would stop using my services if I was a dental practice. Top three was cost, second was inconvenient, location, or hours. And the third one was negative experiences. so this is something you can use, right, that prompt.

And then I went on to ask it, are there any loyalty or rero rewards programs that I could offer to incentivize patients to continue using my services? What rewards or benefits would be most appealing to my target audience? Now, I wanted to ask the first thing first, like the first prompt, right? Like, what can I do to address these issues?

What are some reasons why people might stop using my services? And you'll see why. So we figured out why, right? But let's just say you're a practice owner and you're like, you know what? I got pretty much this stuff covered. I offer flexible payments. Uh, we're open on Saturdays, sometimes Sundays, whatever, right?

We have good experiences. Our waiting times are great. All this stuff. Now we want to think of rewarding, right? Create a loyalty program, build strong retention. And so I asked it are there any loyalty or rewards programs that I could offer to incentivize patients to continue using my services? What rewards or benefits would be most appealing to my target audience?

And for those of you guys listening on the podcast, if you want, this is all in the show notes below, it's in the video, in the show notes below on our YouTube channel. Uh, but at the same time, I'm also gonna put it in the show notes below the actual, uh, copy and description of everything you're, you're listening to right now.

So once I asked at that prompt, it said Yes, loyalty rewards programs can be a great way to encourage. Repeat business and foster patient loyalty. Here are a fewer ideas and it gives me seven ideas. Number one, points programs. Patients could earn points for every visit, which they can redeem for a discount on future treatments.

You could also give bonus points for referrals or for scheduling, regular six month checkups. Number two, referral rewards. You could offer discounts or even free basic services like cleanings for patients who refer new customers to their practice. Three membership programs for a monthly or yearly fee.

Patients get to access certain services at discounted rates. This could be particularly appealing to patients without dental insurance. Number four, family discounts. Offering special rates for families or couples could incentivize people to bring their entire family to your practice. Five special promotions.

Regular promotions on certain services can help to keep patients engaged. For instance, teeth whitening discount during the holidays when people wanna look their best for family photos. Number six, birthday or anniversary perks. A small gesture like a free service upgrade, discount, or even non-dental gift on patient's birthdays can make them feel appreciated and special.

Seven. Patient of the month Spotlight a patient. Of the month and offer them a special perk. This not only rewards the patient, but also fosters a sense of community among your clientele. Then it goes on to say, as for which rewards would be most appealing, it can depend on your patient's demographics. A survey could help you understand what your patients value.

Most younger patients might appreciate discounts on cosmetic services like whitening, while older patients might value discounts on restorative work. Families will likely appreciate discounts for children's services. Regardless, the specifics, the goal should be to make patients feel valued and that their loyalty is appreciated.

Now, I then asked it. I need you to create a comprehensive loyalty program that has all the features stated above. This loyalty program needs, to aid and address the issues and reasons why a patient would stop using my services. So now I'm meshing those two things that I asked and the results that it gave me together, and this is what it gives me.

It says, absolutely. Here's an example of a comprehensive loyalty program named Smiles, rewards number one. Smiles Rewards membership. It's an annual monthly subscription. Patients can join the Smile Rewards membership for a yearly or monthly fee. And benefits of the membership include two free checkups and cleanings per year, which encourages regular dental visits, a discount of 10% to 20% on all other treatments, making your services more cost effective, priority scheduling, and shorter waiting times, addressing the issue of long waiting times and family packages available for a discounted rate to encourage whole family dental care.

That was the number one. Number two points for visits and treatments. Earn points on every visits. Patients earn points for every visit regardless of the type of treatment. The number of points could depend on the cost of the treatment. These points can be redeemed for discounts on future treatments, encouraging ongoing engagement.

Birthday bonus points. Celebrate with the gift members, receive bonus points on their birthday, which can be used to further discount treatments or get a free dental product such as a professional toothbrush or whitening kit. I also like anniversary bonus points. That's just, I'm gonna put my own take to that because you know, you're kinda like celebrating, Hey, you've been with us for a year.

You've been with us for two year. You're rewarding that, right? Their loyalty. Number four, referral rewards recommend an earn when existing patients refer a new patient both receive a reward. This existing patient could get extra points and the new patient could get a discount on their first treatment.

This helps encourage patient referrals and grow your client base. Five special promotions, seasonal discounts, and more. Uh, members get access to special promotions throughout the year. This could be discounts on teeth whitening during the holidays or discounts on other services during dental health month.

You could also consider having occasional double point days. I believe there's a lot of apps that do that where it's like, Hey, double points on this day on a Tuesday, right? Because that's like their slowest day on that restaurant. So you can do that here too. Six patient of the month. Recognition and reward Each month, spotlight one patient as the patient of the month.

The selected patient could receive a unique reward, such as free service, upgrade, additional reward points, or a gift card to a local business. This not only rewards the patient, but also fosters a sense of community. Seven access to the latest services and technology. So stay ahead with Smile's Rewards, it says, members get early access to any new services or technologies you introduce, ensuring they feel they are receiving the best and most UpToDate care.

By offering a comprehensive program like Smile's Rewards you address common reasons why patients might leave, while also providing incentives that encourage loyalty and ongoing engagement with your practice. result is a program that adds value for both your practice and your patients. Now, this is good so far, what chat G p T has provided, but I wanted to get more specific.

So I said I need you to come up with a compelling, enticing reward that patients receive when they decide to redeem their points. These have to motivate slash encouraged slash excite the patient. And it gives me, once I asked that, it gave me 10, enticing quote unquote rewards that you could offer when patients decide to redeem their points.

I think some of the points are great. Some of, I mean, some of the rewards are great and some are not so realistic, and so I'm just gonna let you know what they are. It does provide like a description, but I'm not gonna read the descriptions. You guys can see it here if you want. So number one was free teeth whitening.

Session number two was an electric toothbrush or water flosser. Number three was free oral hygiene products for a year. Now that one says, imagine not having to worry about buying toothpaste, flosser mouthwash for a whole year. This would be a useful reward and a constant reminder of your practice whenever they use these products.

Maybe that could work. I don't know. Right. I just thought that one was interesting. Number four, cosmetic dentistry discounts. Number five, denture or orthodontic discounts. Number six, SPA or wellness centered gift cards. That's good. Number seven, dental insurance premiums for a year. that one says if feasible, covering a patient's dental insurance premiums for a year would be an exceptionally enticing reward.

Number eight at advanced dental hygiene session number nine, limited addition dental products and number 10, complimentary sedation dentistry. And then it says, these rewards provide a mix of practical benefits and luxury experiences. They not only encourage patients to continue using your services, but also promote good oral hygiene habits and overall wellness, which is good, but I feel like you know what?

You got them in the door already. They're there. You wanna build good retention. I don't know. I, I, I wanted a different type of reward, right? Me personally. So I then went to ask Chad d p t, and I gave it this prompt. Can you make the rewards less about dentistry and more about lifestyle? My target audience are mothers who have a family between the ages of 25 to 55.

Pretty broad. They live in a suburban area. Their income range is, income range is 50,000 to 150,000. Now this is what it gives me. Certainly, it sounds like the rewards you're looking for should be more family oriented and cater to a suburban lifestyle. Here are some ideas that might, that may appeal to your target demographic, and it gives me 10.

Number one spa day packages, A relaxing day at a local spa, possibly including services like massages, facials, or body treatments. This would allow them to take some well-deserved time for self-care. Number two, local restaurant gift cards. If cards for popular local restaurants would give them an opportunity for a family dinner or a night off from cooking three subscription boxes services.

This could include a year subscription to a popular meal kit service, a book club, or a monthly craft box for their kids. These services offer both convenience and entertainment value. Four, local entertainment or activity passes. This could include tickets to the local theme parks, zoos, museums. They would provide a fun day out for the entire family.

Five fitness or yoga class passes. A package of passes to a local U yoga studio or gym can help them focus on their health and wellbeing. Six. Gardening gift sets. If they have a garden, a gift set with high quality gardening, tool, seeds or decor. Could be. Appreciate it. Seven Home cleaning services, free professional cleaning services for their house.

This provides convenience and frees up their time for other activities. Eight. Cooking class vouchers. For those interested in culinary schools, vouchers for cooking classes in a local culinary school or online could be enticing. Number nine, online shopping vouchers, gift cards for popular online retailers can give them the flexibility to choose something they need or want, and 10.

Professional family photo shoot, a free session with the local professional photographer could provide cherished family memories. And then it says, these rewards should provide meaningful experiences and convenience to moms living in a suburban area fitting well within their lifestyle and interest.

Remember to regularly update and refresh the rewards based on feedback to keep the program appealing and relevant to your audience. And I agree with that. I think putting these one to 10. And to like emailing it out or just, you know what I mean? However you communicate with your patients, if you want to email it to them, be like, guys, we're gonna, this month we're gonna pick one of these rewards.

What do you want? We're creating a poll and they physically will pick right. Your patients. And then they're, you know, you create more of like, oh my gosh, we're doing number four. Local entertainment or activity passes. The people who actually picked out are gonna want it. This is more to me like, okay, yeah, this, this works.

Obviously you wanna adjust that prompt to the more specific and targeted you can be With chat g p t, the better. So if you tell that like we have mothers who are, our main demographic is mothers who are 35 to 50. Their income wage is exactly a hundred to 120. Their husbands working corporations. Uh, they go on vacation once a week, stuff like that.

Like, or once a month, once a year. If you can put things in like that, it will be more specific, the rewards. But this is what I gave it, and that's the rewards gave me. So then I said, now please make a very detailed and comprehensive loyalty program. Make sure it includes the rewards, the features, the benefits.

And it did, as you can see, right? It, it gives you the program name is Family Small Rewards, the membership, enrollment, the Point Systems, number two, three birthday PO bonus points, four, referral bonuses, five special promotions, six, patient of the month, seven, early access to new services and technology. And then boom, it gives you the rewards.

this is one thing I want you guys to pay attention to, especially when it gives you bullet points. If you can get bullet points or numerical things like this, it's perfect. So it says, number one, membership enrollment, boom, right? Patients can sign up. Now, this is basically an outline right here. What you can do now is just say, provide more detail and information on 0.1 for the patient, and it does membership enrollment, number one.

Joining the Family Smile Rewards Program is simple and straightforward. Interested. Patients can sign up directly at the dental office or through an easy to use online portal, a yearly or monthly, and it goes on and on, and it gives you a whole comprehensive, detailed thing on membership enrollment. Now all you have to do is copy this it says Send message, and then now you wanna put number two, so it says, provide more detail and information.

On point number two for the patient, which is the point system, and there it goes. As you can see, it's giving you a more detailed, comprehensive, for the patient. Right? Uh, I guess like information on point number two, which is the point system and then it goes, how can you earn points? How do you track your points point expiration?

Does that exist? Redeeming points? How does that go? Right? point expiration is simple points earned do not expire as long as the membership remains active. This means members can accumulate points over time until they have enough to redeem for the reward that they want, and it continues. And then all you have to do is put that in a sheet, Google Doc, and then copy that, and then put number three, and then you continue.

Continue. And guess what guys? You've created your loyalty program. That's how you do it. That's as simple as that. I mean, this literally can only take you 30 minutes or less. And you can create a comprehensive loyalty program for your practice, detailed specific, just for your practice, to increase patient retention, to increase membership signup programs, right?

Because this could go with every patient or it could just go with people who are part of the membership program, right? And that's how you can kind of. Siphon people, a lot of the insurance, uh, wheel that they have. Um, but yeah, I wanted to share this with you guys on how you can create it, how you can use chat g p t in a really, really great way.

I'm gonna put this in the shell notes below so you can copy the prompts, um, adjusted to how you want to do it too as well. Um, and let us know, let us know what you think about this episode. If you want another one, we'll be happy to bring back, chat g p t on our Monday morning marketing episodes and we can give you more of these.

But I hope this really, really benefits you guys, and until next time, we'll talk to you in the next episode.

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I'm excited to announce that the Pediatric Dental Marketing Course is officially open for enrollment!This comprehensive course, developed by Minal Sampat and myself, is tailored specifically for pediatric practice owners and their teams. It is designed to turn your pain points into stepping stones for success, and to help you become the trusted dental home for countless children in your community. Head over to our site to enroll now! https://pediatricdentalmarketingcourse.com/

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Guest: Kyle RothBusiness Name: Encompass Dental TransitionsCheck out Kyle's Media:

Website: https://encompass-ihc.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkyleroth/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-roth-dds

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Other Mentions and Links:

Invisalign

LVI Las Vegas Institute

W Hotel

Cerec

McDonald's

Henry Schein

Benco

Patterson

UNC Chapel Hill

FaceTime

Green Lights - Matthew McConaughey

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Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer

Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍

Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society

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My Key Takeaways:

• Try having the majority of your services done in-house! Referring might sound easy, but patients don't want to travel down the road to get work done.
• You do NOT need to be at the cutting edge of technology. Investing in new technology is important, but don't get carried away with every brand new toy.
• Annually, it's much easier to ramp up a 600k practice to 1.2 million, than it is to grow a 1 million dollar practice to a 2 million dollar practice. Keep this in mind if acquiring a practice!
• Small towns can be a gold mine for opportunity with patients! You may have more practice buyers in a city location though.
• Internal marketing is vastly underutilized in dental practices. Have a system for marketing to your patients!

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Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]

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p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/ company, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.

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Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)

Michael: Kyle, how's it going?

Kyle: It's going great. How are you doing?

Michael: I'm doing pretty good, man. Thanks for asking. If you could tell us a little bit about your past, your present, how'd you get to where you are today?

Kyle: Well, that's a long road, but, uh, I graduated in, uh, 1999, which is a long time ago now, but, uh, My, my plans were to buy a dental practice and pretty much going to be working at that one dental practice my entire life.

And it really didn't work out that way at all. It, uh, lots of things happened. Lot of good things happened. some not so good, but most of the things were really good. got outta school and we ended up. we either started from scratch or purchased 36 practices. And, uh, also in the middle of all that I was selling a few practices and, uh, we had some brokerage help.

Which was not the best of help. And I thought with, I have a, uh, actually I've got a financial background before dentistry. Hmm. Uh, I, I thought that maybe we could do better than, than the help that we got. We could hold the hand of the dentist going through the, uh, procedure, going through the, uh, the sale, the transition, and, uh, help them financially.

And, uh, we did, so we became a broker. At first it was more of a hobby and now we're probably one of the top five biggest in the country. So it's, uh, it is been a lot of fun. Nice.

Michael: What's the name of the company?

Kyle: company is Encompass Dental Transitions.

Okay.

Michael: Okay. Nice man. But let's rewind a little bit. Okay. In 1999, you graduated and you planned to buy one dental practice. Correct. Did you always want to, or was there even before that you're like, I just wanna be an associate, or, no, you always had the plan of buying your own practice.

Kyle: I, you know, when I graduated, if you were gonna get in private practice, you would go out there and just as soon as you graduated, open a practice.

Uh, some people worked as associates, but most of 'em didn't. They just, if they knew what they wanted to do. They went and bought something and, and things have changed a little bit too with the banks, right? I mean, they were really anxious to, to land. I got my first loan halfway through senior year. I mean, I still had to take board exams and everything.

I could have failed. Mm-hmm. But, uh, we started building a building from scratch in 1999. And, uh, it finished not too long after I graduated.

Michael: Yeah. No, that's good. And then you said you, there's a lot of good things that happened and not so good things. Talk to me about the good things that happened.

Kyle: Well, the, the, the good things were, you know, I, I, the, the first office I had meant to be high end, super high end for, for this area. We had stuff that nobody had. Uh, and it was a very cool, Practice. We were not gonna see any insurance. It was gonna be all a hundred percent fee for service. And it was working pretty well at first, September 11th, got cracked pretty hard all of a sudden, because of all of the drama unfolding with September 11th.

the patients didn't come to the practice anymore. We were like, oh God, we're either gonna become, we're gonna have to see some insurance companies, or we're gonna let some people go. And I couldn't, I didn't have the heart to let people go. So we started seeing some insurance, a whole lot of it. and even in the meantime, we were seeing some Medicaid until I got busy.

I said I might as well see a little bit. So I did, when it was such a big deal, the newspaper came to us and said, why are you seeing Medicaid? Nobody does that. And I just said, well, I've gotta be busy. I'd rather learn and, and be, be paid something even though it's not a lot of money, it's something, uh, rather than sit around and watch TV and wait for patients to come.

But what happened is the office was getting torn up a little bit, cuz it wasn't always the best type of patient coming in. Mm-hmm. Things were disappearing and getting torn up a little bit. So I've, I said I've gotta come up with a solution to this. and what I came up with is just moving all of the Medicaid patients into a completely different office somewhere, and then making my single office by itself, or fee for service and, and, uh, private patients, ramping it up, making it as nice as I possibly could.

But what happened is that Medicaid patient, a Medicaid office that I did open, Was slapped. I mean, because nobody in my town took it at all. But we had, from day one, we had two doctors in there six days a week. And it was, even to this day, it was the most profitable practice I've ever had. Uh, so I, I got two practices and I'm going, okay, now the, The shines and the bekos and the, Patterson Dentals were like, Hey, there's another empty office around the corner here.

You wanna do that one too? And I'm like, not really, but let me take a look at it. And I'd look at it, I'm like, wow, we could open the third office. So we just kept doing that. Um, I became a part-time professor over at UNC Chapel Hill, and my students would always ask, Do you have an office in whatever town?

Let's, let's say it's, uh, 20 minutes away and I'd say, well, no. I don't necessarily have a an office there that you can work at when you graduate, but I could build one. So I'd build an office. They'd go in there, they'd work in it, they'd build it up, and I'd always give them first opportunity to buy from me.

The office they built up and buy it at a discount. So, you know, I'd, I'd have 3, 4, 5, 6 offices, then it'd go down, I'd sell a few, appeal a few off to new grads, and uh, it went, went on like that forever. So I didn't plan that business model, but, That's what seemed to have worked out. And, uh, it was good. I mean, if you want to hear the bad stuff, uh, we did a mobile dental unit.

We thought we could go to some small towns with this mobile dental unit. Mm-hmm. So we built the, the nicest mobile dental unit, probably on the earth. It was, uh, three operatories. It had a amazing sound system. It was wrapped in, uh, photos of North Carolina from the, from the coast to the mountains. And we had a place where we could stick magnets in all the little counties and, uh, cities that we went to in the, in the, uh, state.

And, uh, but it was more or less a disaster. we would, I have a, a bunch of small town government people reach out to us and say, Hey, that would be amazing if you would come to our town. I said, well, how do we get the message out that we're gonna be there at a certain day, certain time. They said, make some flyers for us.

We'll have it already when you come. We'll, we'll advertise for you. And we'd get there and there'd be nobody, it was just, completely dead. And it, it would cost us about $2,000 to roll that thing out, basically to pay a doctor, uh, staff fuel. we'd, we'd spend $2,000 going to a town and in some cases there wasn't a single patient.

We sat there all day and nothing. So there were, there were a few disasters along the way. the name of the bus itself was Smiles for Miles. Um, but it, it, it quickly became frowns for Miles. I mean, that's what some of my staff would call it. But, uh, there was that.

Michael: Okay, man. Wow. Would, would you do that again or would you ever do a mobile unit or No, no.

I,

Kyle: I, I wouldn't. It could be done, but you have to have the staff on there that love it. I mean, we went into some poor neighborhoods, super poor neighborhoods and I loved it cuz we went and we had, we worked on kids through Medicaid and stuff and uh, you know, they would, the kids would, they had a hard life man.

Like some of them would say, Hey, we couldn't sleep last night. There was gunshots all night long in our neighborhood. And uh, but it was amazing cuz we bought them pizza and we, we'd have a little party. And all the kids have the time of their life getting stuff that they don't normally get. but it, it was a labor of love and not everybody's yeared for that, you know?

Yeah. Going to a different town every day. It's, it's, uh, it's tough.

Michael: Yeah. No, I get you, man. I get you. But, so then rewind a little bit. I mean, you made it sound so easy, Kyle, like, where you're like, oh, we just bought something and then sold it and bought another practice for my student and sold it. Is it the.

Kyle: Well, I, I, I'll tell you, it was easier when I, when I graduated. Mm-hmm. For sure. Things were easier. I didn't have as much competition. I really didn't, uh, especially in North Carolina. North Carolina was one of those states that people that wanted to move here had to take the North Carolina board exam, and you'd have the good old boy network that wanted to keep people out.

So they'd go in there and there, there'd be somebody from, let's just say, New York. they would take the exam and then you'd see these good old boys administering the exam saying, nice work, son. But try again next year. You didn't quiet Megan. You know, and, uh, you know, and I think the, the board got a lot of heat eventually, and they can't do that anymore.

So now we've got, we have, uh, dentists coming from. Everywhere. Everywhere and every time there's an article in the magazine saying that the Carolinas, Raleigh, and Charlotte are one of the top places in the country to live. You've got more and more. So it's now it's bumper cars of dentists, everybody's right down the street next to each other.

It's all fighting for the same dollar and it's, it's tough. Yeah.

Michael: So right now you currently have four, right?

Kyle: Yes.

Michael: Up and running. Are you planning to sell more

Kyle: or no? I, I'm really not. I want to, I'd love to just keep it as is right now. inevitably we're gonna buy some more stuff. I've, I, I've seen a few little bargains out there recently that nobody else wants.

Kind of the ugly duckling, you know? some of these places still have paper charts, you know, they, they've got a dark room. And when every, anybody that's graduated in the last 10 years, they see paper charts and a, uh, dark room. They immediately give it to Heisman and they're on their way out the door.

and I don't want to buy those, but eventually the doctor's like, Hey, I need to retire. What do I need to do? What I wanted to tell 'em is, yeah, you really needed to add digital years ago, paperless, all of those things. But at this point, I can give you x number of dollars. And I can pay you cash and, you know, I'll take over and I'll renovate everything.

so I do, and more often than not, I can offer them anything and they just want to get out, you know, they're done. it's fairly easy to take a lot of those. A lot of those are completely fee for service. They haven't modernized anything. They may have shagged carpeting and, By that time they've got, um, yellow stickies all over the waiting room saying, no smoking, no cell phones, no this, no that.

And it's, so we just gut the whole thing. We renovate the entire place, put some modern stuff in there, even if we have to buy it used and we can get it going. And we open it up to insurances too, because a lot of these guys, their office has been dying over the years because it's a hundred percent fee for service.

And when some of their old clientele passes away or moves, there's nobody there to take the place, you know? So we are opening up to the better insurance companies. We are doing marketing. Some of these guys don't even have a, a website. Uh, so we're having to do a lot of things to bring, bring people in the door, but just.

The beautiful renovations that we do, people come in that have been coming there for 10 years and they go, oh my God, this is gorgeous. And then they tell five friends, and then those people come in. So it's, uh, especially in some of the smaller towns, it's still fairly easy in, in the big cities.

It's, it's, it's a challenge, but it's still very doable. Yeah.

Michael: So whenever you see a bargain, Kyle, you look at it, it's a bargain. You're like, I can't let this pass up. You buy it. And you kind of do that, the B R R R R method, right? Like you're like, bye, I am gonna like, or I dunno if you refinance and all that stuff, but like, you rehab it, you make it look really nice and then you sell it or you're more like, okay, no, I'm,

Kyle: keep it, no look really nice.

Then we, we hire some hardworking associates and put 'em in there and we, we try to mentor them as much as we possibly can, and when we get the numbers up, we make the phone ring. We do everything we can do to make that phone ring and ring and ring and start scheduling. Uh, a lot of those guys, a lot of the older doctors too, keep in mind they weren't diagnosing anything.

So some of it existing patients, if you just get in there and diagnose all those ratty old amalgams that are fractured 17 times, but they're still in the mouth, they need to come out. So some of it's like, it's, it, it's a. Crown and bridge Factory immediately when you get some of those places, you know, it's, it's, you don't wanna overwhelm the people who thought they were good all these years by going, yeah, you probably need about five crowns.

Well, my former dentist didn't tell me anything. Everything was good. You know, I, I don't wanna say anything and I don't wanna throw the guy under the bus, but the guy should have been diagnosing these things over the years and doing them. So some of it's just doing the work. Some of it's doing some advertising.

keeping more in-house, try trying to find a way to keep everything in-house. The old school way is they, they'd refer everything, anything they didn't wanna do, they referred it. Mm-hmm. But no, it's, it's, it's harder. You have to learn how to do endo. You have to be, do some basic implant placement, some ortho, all those things.

People don't want to be sent all over the town to get work done. They wanna be able to get it done right there. So we do everything we do to keep everything in house. Gotcha.

Michael: how do you make the phone ring, like constantly? Like what is your guys' method?

Kyle: Well, it's, there's a lot of things that go into it. Um, we, we have a marketing person that's all she does is social media and, uh, some mark other types of marketing, but, just a good website, paying for AdWords. we do, uh, internal marketing too. Everyone has a good experience. We make sure to, to ask them.

Just say, hey, without, without sounding desperate to say, Hey, we wanna take care of good people just like you. So if you can send your family and friends, we'll take good care of them too. You know it, uh, People forget about the internal marketing. It's probably more important than the external stuff. And it's free, but you gotta do it.

And it's, people will start doing it and then they kind of fall off and they don't do it anymore. But it's super important. Yeah.

Michael: Okay. So it's like a little of everything, right? You kind of invest in, in that. So then how do you find a good bargain?

Kyle: Well, unfortunately, the, the bargain finds me more often than It's just like it gets presented to me. They're like, nobody else wants this practice. Do you want it because it's ugly? It's an ugly duckling. But because we've done it so many times, I really can walk in and if, if the chairs, the units, the lights are all functional, the compressor, the vac, all of those things are in good shape, even if I have to recover the chairs.

I will look to try to sell them, but I know they're not gonna sell. but I just look at all of the opportunities. I like hygiene. To me, that's one of the biggest telltale signs of a good practice. People brag like, oh my God, I've got two hygienists. And if you want to get, get in and get your teeth cleaned as a new patient, it's gonna take six months.

Then it's like, uh oh, CHCH. I can see that I'm going. That's an opportunity. Even if you look at the doctor's schedule, like I said, he's got nothing on his schedules cuz he doesn't want anything on his schedule. You know, there's a lot of things to be done, but he doesn't wanna do 'em. So he is just going, know, with each hygiene appointment, you know, the recare appointment.

He's just going, Hey, how you doing? We'll see you in six months, you know? And it's, that happens more often than you think. When the guy is getting really, really close to retirement, he don't wanna do anything anymore.

Michael: Yeah. Gotcha. Okay. So mainly the bargains kind of go to you. What, so then let me ask you, Kyle, what's your area of expertise like right now?

Kyle: You mean in the brokerage world? Yeah,

Michael: or just like, yeah, what you would, if I were to go to you, what can you help

Kyle: me out with? Well, I, I can help you out with a lot of things. I can help you. If you're looking to purchase a practice, I can tell you what to look for. we can help you in your search too.

Like if I know somebody wants to be in Austin, Texas, we can send an email blast to everybody in that area. Uh, we do have connections. We've got strategic partners also that have, uh, email addresses and phone numbers of every doc in that area. So we have access to that. We can help them look. We could even go through that office if they needed us to, if we're, if we're in that area, or at least a walkthrough, somebody can walk through with a phone, with a FaceTime.

Mm-hmm. And show me what the practice looks like. Show me what the street, the, how busy it is on the road, the signage and everything. I can look at the, look at the books and I can, I can pretty much tell you if it's gonna be a good purchase opportunity or not, and I can look at the trajectory based on. the collections over the last few years, and I can look at the expenses, but also when they're selling the practice, same thing.

We've done this so many times, that it's, we can do it in our sleep. Really, hundreds and hundreds of practices over the years. know all of the equipment and how we differ from a lot of brokers. There's a lot of brokers that are accountants attorneys, and they're good with numbers. Don't get me wrong, but they don't know old equipment from new equipment.

And because we had 36 practices and a lot of everybody's old equipment over the years, we know what's good and what's not good, you know? that's the way I guess, that we really can help people get started. Uh, we have the bankers that are, uh, very dental friendly. We've got attorneys that are dental friendly.

We've got accounting, uh, we've got an accounting, uh, firm that works with just dentists and doctors. We're able to steer like a new grad in the direction they need to go with all the proper professionals. Uh, and, and even getting started themselves. We've got people within my company, my C E O O on the side, will help some of the people get started with checklists of all the things they need to get accomplished.

So she'll do that on the side. Just to help people that have never been through the process before, because it is the first time I lost quite a bit of hair the first time. It's a, it's a nerve-wracking thing and you gotta think some of these people have never worked anywhere. Mm-hmm. I mean, they're, they're going straight through school, through high school, undergrad, dental school, and then straight into a job somewhere.

And, they may have worked at, uh, McDonald's over a summer sometime, but a lot of them, they've never even done that. Mm-hmm. So they don't know payroll, they don't know personnel, they don't know, purchasing, there's, there's so many different things that you've gotta learn really quick.

It's doable. It's just, it's, it's, it's a lot of work. It's a little bit of a stress at, at, at first, uh, till you get started. Nice.

Michael: Okay. Okay, man. So I, I appreciate that, that everything you guys do to help out with that like acquisition, to find the place and everything. What are some good purchases then?

What are some like things we can be looking out for when it comes to, this is a bargain, this is something good. And then what are some, I guess, Things we need to look out for. That can be tricks. For example, I remember the doctor I worked for here in, um, Paris, California. She had multiple practices, but I can tell like when she brought me on to just market, she's like, I gotta get these numbers up to look good right now.

Bring in you pa. And so was she trying to deceive it or, I don't know what was happening. You know what I mean? In that scenario, at that time,

Kyle: Well, it's, was she going to sell the practice

Michael: to you? No, not to me. She was just gonna sell the practice once I was bringing in new patients.

And it's like they, we just gotta make it look like there's a lot. And then I heard, I overheard that with the consultant and I was like, okay, that's why I'm here. then, sure. You

Kyle: know what I mean? For ramp up the numbers so that she can get a good sale. That's, that's exactly what you're there for.

But, You're getting paid for it too, you know? Mm-hmm. But there's a lot of people, you know, it used to be the $400,000 office. If you put an associate in there, uh, there was no owner operator, just an associate in there. $400,000 was the typical break even point. Uh, but now it's more like $600,000. Uh, the breakeven point after they pay the associate after they pay everything, uh, there's really nothing.

So when you go to purchase something like that, the banks don't love, those three to $600,000 practices. They don't like it at all. some of them are still willing to, to loan on that, but you kind of have to have a little proven track record as an associate in order for them to trust you. Like if they can see you're personally.

You're generating a a million dollars on your own, then they're gonna feel a little bit more comfort in that. If they see you on a daily basis working as an associate, you can provide some information that shows you know what you're doing. That makes it a little easier. the million dollar practices, the banks will loan on that all day long, but to me it's tougher to grow a million dollar practice into a $2 million practice to double it.

Then to take a $600,000 practice and make it 1.2, that's super easy to do that. Hmm.

Michael: Talk to me about that. Then. How can we make it for the, cuz we have a lot of listeners who are like not hitting a million yet. Right. Then we have some who are wanting to get to the 2 million, obviously. Right. Right.

So how do

Kyle: we do that? How do I do it? It's, first of all, like I said, it's advertising external, internal. Having the right equipment. I don't think you need to lead the technology curve. you don't need to be the first in line to buy all the, these toys, but some of the toys as they get a little older, are getting very inexpensive and they still do their job.

Like the a Cerac machine from four years ago, I promise you works just fine. It it, you know, there might be something newer and fancier. The older stuff. We put a billion crowns in with the Cerac machine. They work, then they work. Now it's, it's just maybe not the top of the line. It's, uh, so what do we do?

We, we keep everything in house. The procedures in house. We're not referring everything out. We work off hours. I used to, in my office, I'd be there seven to three. And at, uh, two 30 I had another doctor come in and he'd work into the evenings, uh, working. Saturdays, Sundays, whatever it takes. If you're in a busy shopping center that's loaded with people on Saturday and Sunday, why wouldn't you have some hours then?

I know it's a little bit harder on the doctor, but that's, that's what associates are for. I, I'd put them in there. Then, you know, get some people to wor willing to work some off hours and the numbers will come. They will. Gotcha. Okay.

Michael: That's good, man. So then these are the things we wanna look for. When it comes to a good purchase, then if, if we're looking for a bargain.

You said, you mentioned before, the specific steps, right?

Kyle: Yeah. Well, if you're looking for a bargain, look for something that's only open Monday through Thursday. Old school. Look for something that's just B for service, but it's dying. It's dying on the vine. Look for an office that's, it's just ugly. They haven't put anything in there.

They haven't redecorated in 25 years. Old equipment. Uh, don't be afraid of the old stuff. It's paint and flooring and lighting and, uh, digital equipment is just not that expensive. Yeah, if you're gonna buy a CT machine, it's a little bit more expensive, but a used digital pan, it's almost free now because people are putting the cts in.

Is, is the CT necessary? Depends what you're doing. If you're placing implants, it'd be nice to have that. but anyway. Yeah.

Michael: Okay. And now I, Kyle, I've heard two types, types of things when it comes to startups and acquisitions. I've heard people make startups, right, because meaning like I build it out, right.

Um, not even to shell it out, it's just from the ground up. I build it out because I can't find anything that I want in the PO location that I want or something like that. Right. It's my brand. Right, right. And then I've also heard. Someone say, you will always find what you want in an acquisition. You usually need patience and then you run outta patience and then you just decide to make up your own startup.

Right?

Kyle: Which one? Well, I'll tell you, I, when I first started this, I did new starts all the time cuz it was just easy. Even if I was in a small town somewhere, I'd find a shell do all the building cuz I, I like doing the building anyway. And we, we built ours more like we would, we would take a lot of design ideas from the W Hotel, some really cool stuff, super modern inside, no clutter, uh, as little clutter as possible.

Lots of room, high ceilings. Uh, we even like the, the shopping centers with the super high ceilings, exposed beams and plumbing and stuff. Uh, we had great music. Music was part of, uh, what we did. Some really cool, uh, l e d lighting. We didn't do overhead fluorescence ever. Everybody had, in fact, we didn't even have lights on the chairs.

Everybody had overhead lights, little headlights. The, uh, assistants, hygienists and doctors all had that stuff. So it was just a very soothing feeling when you walked into our offices. And, uh, it was kind of cool, you know, but, um, getting back to the point. for a new start now it's you're, you're spending at least $500,000 to maybe have two operatories and not have a single patient.

and like I said, it's harder. back when I was doing the new start, I would advertise and the day we opened, we'd have at least, half of the office was booked right away. But as I got a little older, it got harder and harder and harder to do. And almost all the time now I buy an existing practice because with, even with as much experience as I have in all of the hookups, I get stuff for very inexpensive compared to a lot of people.

so even with all the hookups, it's difficult to do a fresh start. It's, I'm not gonna say it's impossible, but I tried to buy an existing cash flow. Uh, from day one.

Michael: Okay. If people were to go with you guys, do we also get to be a part of those hookups

Kyle: or, you know, I, I've tried for a long time to get them to pass on the exact prices and they're not willing to, to give those prices, but they certainly will give you better than a rack rate.

You know, like if, if you just go in and call, uh, one of the big dental companies. they're gonna give you what they give everybody else. You know, it's a standard rate, what they're gonna give to you. I can get people some discounts. it's definitely gonna be better and I can point 'em in the right direction with, like I said, accounting with banks.

Save a little bit of money here and there. But, also people that will help negotiate your fees if they're with PPOs. I've got people that'll do that for you. I've got people that, um, with credit card, that work with credit card processing to give you the best possible rate. We've got lots and lots of people that we can refer to that are professional, that save people money, let's put it that way.

Mm-hmm.

Michael: Okay, man, that's good stuff. Good stuff. All right, so then these next questions just to get into the head of someone who isn't totally involved on the clinical side anymore. Right. I know it was like, it's been four years, you said, right? Right. Since you've done this full-time, so from this point, What would you like to see more from a dentist, from your perspective?

Kyle: Right. Uh, one thing I miss from the new dentist is there's a lot of younger dentists that I don't see at the big dental meetings anymore. It used to be a thing where you wanted to get some trainings in continuing education, you'd take your whole staff. for instance, we went to L V I. you know, L v I, Las Vegas Institute.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. We'd take the entire staff and we'd learn together and we'd learn to sell together. So it was, when we do, we'd presented a treatment plan. I didn't have to present that treatment plan because I didn't go there by myself, learn by myself. Everybody is presenting it before I even walk in the door.

You know, the, the hygienist is, looking in there and going, okay, this is what I think he's gonna propose. This is what I'm think, I think would be great for you, some veneers, whatever it might be. So I'd walk in the room and everything is been laid out before I even walk in. I don't have to sell anything.

The patient's basically turning around and going, Hey Doc, I'm gonna get. Uh, veneers is on, uh, you know, tooth number five through 11 or whatever. Mm-hmm. And, uh, it, it's, I still think it's important for the entire team to be involved. Uh, I don't think that's gone away. I see a lot of people getting their continuing education online, and it's not the same as working on a, a pig skull or something, learning how to do.

Implants or extractions or whatever. I think it's still, super important to go take lots and lots and lots of continuing education. I think that's the single thing that made me. Able to grow as fast as I did. As we were crazy about ce, we continually, we took every course on the earth and because every time we'd go out there and take a course, we'd come back and we'd make more money.

We were more successful. And when the patient looked to us and said, Hey, do you do this procedure? We go, yes, we do. We're not gonna have to send you anywhere. We're gonna do it right here. So,

Michael: yeah. Do you think, um, maybe like. The lockdown, COVID kind of had a big push on that, the transition

Kyle: where it's like huge, huge.

Everybody got kind of, I don't know. They're, they, they were okay with just learning from their computer, learning from their phone, but I will tell you it's not the same. It really isn't. Yeah.

Michael: Yeah. I agree. That interaction, that p people to people, right. Also like mm-hmm. Camaraderie and everything like that.

It's, it's, it's different. It's whole different. You need that face

Kyle: to face. Can I? There's more opportunity in, you know, everyone loves the cities now. Everybody's in the city, city, city, city. everybody wants a practice in the city. Some of the small towns are the best opportunities ever. Now, granted, when you go to sell that practice in the small town, it's more difficult.

Uh, but everything is cheaper during, uh, if you bought something in a small town right now, All of your labor is cheaper, your supplies are gonna be the same, but you're, it, it's a little bit harder to find a doctor to work there, the associate doctors to go into small towns, it's really difficult. But if you do get somebody, maybe you give that doctor, um, an opportunity to buy in.

He's got some skin in the game, then probably he's not gonna leave. those small towns, you can still kill it relatively quickly because you just don't have that much competition, you

Michael: know? Yeah. That's interesting you say that. Like I, I just got off the, an interview with a, a doctor in a rural area and he was saying how like a patient got upset and then. I asked like, oh, what are you go, did they leave? Do they immediately go? He's like, no, the closest person is three hours. They, they have no other option but to come to me. You know, so that's right. They have that pow or not power, but like, you know what I

Kyle: mean? Right. But, and, and the other thing is it, it was easy for me to go into small towns because when I would do, when I would renovate an office there in the small towns, There was no dental office that looked like ours.

None. Mm-hmm. So people would be blown away when they'd come in and they'd, they'd immediately get on their phones and take pictures and send it to all their friends and, yeah. So it's, uh, it looked like a club in there really. I mean, it was very, We'd have stone walls and all the operatories with, um, a nice, uh, l e d light on it.

And the music was good. And it was just like people would come and hang out. They just wanted to be there, you know? Yeah.

Michael: That's nice. That's, that's what you wanna like, kind of make a atmosphere like that. That's right. Right, right. Now Kyle, what do you really dislike or hate about dentistry?

Kyle: What do I hate about it?

Well, obviously the lack of ability to get employees right now, especially hygienist, I think is a, is a nationwide problem. Right. Uh, and the dentistry used to be amazing. Like to make a living out of dentistry, you really didn't have to do much. I mean, when I first graduated, it was a four day work week. and you really, you could refer things out.

Uh, anything that you didn't wanna do, just refer it out. there were lots of things that were just a lot easier. Um, so things are, not only are they way more expensive, and I will tell you that the profit margin used to be fantastic in dentistry. Mm-hmm. And you can make a lot of mistakes. It can still be fine, but now you've got to, you've gotta make less mistakes.

You've gotta be, you have to have a little bit more financial knowledge now. Now it doesn't, it's not good enough to be a good dentist. You've gotta be a little bit of a businessman too, and a little bit of a salesperson. I know it's a, sales is a dirty word and the, and the, in the dental business, but you are, you're selling cases, you're not, everybody needs veneers.

Very few people need them. A lot of people want them, but, um, it's changed a little bit. It's just a little bit more difficult, I guess. It's still a good living. It's still a great job. It's, we just had it maybe the best ever. You know, I think we graduated might have been the best, uh, 20 years ever.

Really?

Michael: Yeah. Okay. Nice. And then, so right now, what do you love about

Kyle: dentistry? what I love about dentistry. There's some things that are pretty cool, like the artificial intelligence that's reading x-rays now, okay? If, if you took bite wings and somebody had several, incipient lesions, some of them were into the dentons, some were close.

If you gave those x-rays to 10 different dentists, you're gonna get 10 different answers of what needs to be done, right? But now they've got some artificial intelligence that's reading X-rays and it's gonna be more consistent, I think. I think the, uh, everything is getting easier. Implants, everybody's trained on implants now.

Mm-hmm. Uh, they've even got some robotics. Like even if you're not trained, you can have a hands across the different part of a world, guiding you and, and, and doing, uh, implants. So the technology's really cool. I think that, that the education is better than it's ever been. so there's a lot of good things in dentistry.

It's financially, it's a little bit more difficult, but there are some really, really interesting technological things that are gonna make dentistry easier and better. You're gonna become a better dentist. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And things can be done on the spot. They're gonna mill that crowd on the spot. Yes.

They've been doing that for a long time. But hopefully everything gets just a little bit faster and, uh, you're able to insert it, cement it, be done with it that day so people don't have to keep coming back. Yeah,

Michael: yeah. No, yeah, you're right. Convenience, right? Well, the AI software, you're talking

Kyle: about's gotten so much easier.

Ortho's gotten easier. You can do six miles Invisalign. Uh, there's so many of the things that used to be left to the specialist and now the general dentist can do it. But the general dentist kind of has to do some of those things just to keep stuff in house anyway. So you have to do those things, but at least they're making it easier for you to do them.

Gotcha.

Michael: Is there any specific company you've seen recommend when it comes to that type of software, like AI software?

Kyle: No, actually I don't, I, one of my friends sells it, and I can't even tell you the name of her company off the top of my head. She was just telling me all about it, and I'm just like, I think it's the greatest thing ever because it is true.

Like I'll have associates come in and they'll diagnose completely different than me. Anytime I see that little lesion getting just about touching the entin, I'm gonna, I'm, I'm gonna go ahead and, and put it as something that I'd need to restore because. Usually when I get in there, it's deeper than it looks on the x-ray.

so I would rather err to side of caution and get that done and not be the guy that missed it. but I would love to see people, diagnosing the same, uh, all across the board, you know? Mm-hmm.

Michael: Mm-hmm. Gotcha. So then any final piece of advice? Or suggestions or recommendations you want to give to people who are looking to either do their own practice acquisition or startup?

Kyle: Yeah, I guess don't look too early because people will come to me and they're, you know, they're a year from graduating. They're like, Hey, I wanna start looking at dental offices. And I tell 'em, there's no reason to look at them right now. I mean, The doctor's not gonna wanna show you if you're a year out.

Uh, and I'm not really, cuz you know, you're competing against a lot of people that wanna buy this office. So take your time a little bit. Study up on it though. Learn. You've gotta read a little bit about if you've never managed people before, what you can say to people, what you can do, because it's, um, there is a learning process to all of that.

It's, uh, identify? All the people that you're gonna use for accounting, payroll? there's a lot of things that you need to start thinking about. Who's gonna, who's gonna handle this for me? know what type of office you're gonna have. what are you gonna, what do you want to not specialize in, but what do you want to make it your thing?

I think it's a, it's good for every office to identify one particular part of dentistry. Where it's their thing. and I'll give you an example. Some people like dentures. Most dentists hate it. But if you could get really, really good at dentures, be quick with them. They stay in the person's mouth even sometimes without, an implant to latch onto you keep, became really good at, dentures.

You'd have business forever because doctors would be sending you that stuff here. I got a denture, I don't wanna deal with it. Take it. there's so many dentists I know that haven't done a denture since they graduated, so take it, make it your own. And, um, you know, I think that's one of the most important things that they need to be thinking about.

Michael: Nice. Okay. So I feel like you lived a lot in the sense of like, there's a lot that you've done, right? So, When it comes down to it, man, like just out of, I'm just curious, out of my own, you know, being nosy. what are some things where you're like, man, I should have avoided this. This is what hit us hard.

This is what made me go the extra mile. What are some things that were

Kyle: like that? Well, I, I got cocky in, in, I had my ass handed to me a few times. I don't know if I'm allowed to say that on here, but, uh, I'm like, I'd go into a busy area where there was a lot of dentists, but I. A great new building opened up.

It was not a dental building or something. I wanted to make it, my building. There was a lot of traffic there and I said, oh, I can do this. And it's, it just got harder. I, it just, um, there are some surprises out there. And if you're not careful, then you get caught with cash calls. You know, you may have purchased a practice already, but whoever's doing your payroll goes, uh, doctor, um, we don't have enough money in the account this month.

do you, can you write me a personal check? And, uh, that stuff will wake you up in a, in a hurry. So I made a few errors getting too cocky, uh, for my own good thinking, I can handle anything. I'll tell you one of the, in order for the associates to make an office good in a lot of places, they have to immerse themselves in the community.

You can't just expect patients to fall out of the sky. you have to have a business card when you are out for lunch. If they see you in scrubs or whatever, Hey, what do you do for a living? I'm a dentist. Oh, I need a dentist. Boom, you've got your card, you're handing it out. And we would try to go out to lunch as a team often, and get the word out that we're here.

And I try to get a lot of associates to go to fundraisers to make them, you know, go to the local church, go to this, go to that. And they, most of the time they can't be bothered to, to do any of that stuff. But I, I will say that don't expect patients to fall out of the sky in, in that particular case, you know, it's, you've gotta work on it yourself.

so I've learned a lot over the years. Don't buy a mobile unit unless you're really prepared and you've thought it out. Cause that was a disaster and we lost a lot of money on that one. so other than that, it's, um, fortunately we've been very, very successful and there's been very few places that we got caught on cash calls.

I will say it's, it happens more than it ever has. But it's, it's not fun to go through. So just, just be careful and watch every dollar. Don't listen to the salespeople that come and they try to sell you this and that, and just get the very basics. If you can buy used equipment, you can buy 20 year old chairs and recover them, and the patient will never know.

They'll think they're brand new chairs, so anything you can buy that's in great working shape, there are spare parts for that stuff. Buy 'em. You don't need to buy all brand new stuff, buy stuff with a good warranty. Mm-hmm.

Michael: Good. Hey, that's good. Awesome. Kyle, thank you so much for being with us, man. It's been a pleasure.

But before we say goodbye, can you tell our listeners where they can find you?

Kyle: Yes. We're at, uh, our website is encompass ihc.com. Inter integrated healthcare ihc.com. Also they can find me. It's, uh, Dr. Kyle Roth on Instagram. Uh, it's just Kyle Roth on Facebook. We're on LinkedIn. We're, we're everywhere on social media, but Instagram's the best place to keep up with us.

It's just Dr. Kyle, k y l e Roth, or o t h, our website. But, uh, Instagram is where it's going, where it's, you know, there's stuff going on there all the time. We do helpful videos for new grads. For people that are selling. Uh, we do fun stuff. We travel around the country. I've got an entire marketing team in Tiana Albania that helps me out with a lot.

so they'll be communicating with you if you need anything. They help out a lot. A lot Cool people. I've met a lot of the, uh, dentists over there in Albania too, and they're actually getting involved with us too now. So it, it's pretty cool. We've got a lot of strategic partners and also. If any of your, viewers have, uh, they know a dentist that's getting ready to sell, we pay really handsome referral fees.

Uh, if they send us that information, they tee it up for us an introduction, and we sell that practice. We, we pay a really, really nice referral fee. So there's that. Nice.

Michael: Okay. So guys, as you know, that's all gonna be in the show notes below. So check it out. And Kyle, thank you for being with us. It's been a pleasure and we'll hear from you soon.

Kyle: It's been a lot of fun.

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Welcome to today's MMM! In this episode, I'm exploring how ChatGPT, the cutting-edge language model, can revolutionize your dental practice's content strategy and competition analysis. I'm diving into the world of AI-powered curation and discovering how ChatGPT can curate a comprehensive content plan tailored to your practice's unique needs, ensuring engaging and informative materials for your audience. I'll be walking through it with you step by step, with the prompts I've been using for ChatGPT, and the detailed output it provides! With this tool, you can hone in on exactly what your competition is excelling at, and how you can gain a competitive edge in attracting new patients.

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Tune in to unlock the potential of AI in mapping out your dental practice's success!

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Other Mentions and Links:

ChatGPT

Yelp

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Prompts that I use in the video:

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PROMPT:

"How can a dental practice effectively use social media to attract new patients?"

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What ChatGPT said:

Social media is a powerful tool for businesses, including dental practices, to attract new patients. Here are some strategies you can use:

1. Educational Content: People are always looking for trustworthy advice online. Create and share educational content related to dental health on your social media profiles. This could be in the form of blog posts, infographics, or short videos. For example, you can post about the importance of regular dental checkups, how to brush properly, or what to do in case of a dental emergency.
2. Promotions and Special Offers: Social media is a great platform for announcing special promotions, discounts, or offers. This can incentivize potential patients to choose your practice over others.
3. Patient Testimonials: Sharing patient testimonials can help build trust and credibility. Always get permission from your patients before sharing their stories online.
4. Before-and-After Photos: Showcasing the results of your dental procedures can be very impactful. Make sure you get consent from your patients before posting their photos. Also, ensure you comply with all relevant healthcare privacy laws.
5. Local SEO: Use location tags in your posts to improve local search engine optimization (SEO). This can help people in your area find your practice more easily.
6. Engagement: Engage with your followers. Respond to their comments and messages in a timely and professional manner. You can also run contests or ask dental-related questions to increase engagement.
7. Consistency: Consistency is key on social media. Post regularly and maintain a consistent brand voice across all your platforms.
8. Paid Advertising: Consider using paid social media advertising. Both Facebook and Instagram offer targeted advertising options that can help you reach potential patients in your area.
9. Collaboration: Collaborate with other local businesses or influencers for mutual promotion. This can help you reach a wider audience.
10. Professionalism: Despite the informal nature of social media, it's important to maintain a professional image. This includes being mindful of your responses to comments and messages, as well as the content you share.

Remember, social media is about building relationships. It can take time to see results, so be patient and persistent.

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PROMPT:

Provide for me content ideas that implements each of these points. My dental practice name is "Dr. Tooth". This will be for Instagram. Provide 30 unique, engaging content ideas that I can use for 30 pieces of Instagram posts.

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What ChatGPT said:

Absolutely, here are 30 Instagram post ideas for "Dr. Tooth", each aligning with the strategies mentioned:

1. Educational Content: Post a carousel breaking down the correct brushing technique with graphics and step-by-step instructions.
2. Promotions and Special Offers: Announce a "New Patient Special" offering discounted first visit for all new patients.
3. Patient Testimonials: Share a video testimonial from a patient who had a great experience at Dr. Tooth.
4. Before-and-After Photos: Show a before-and-after photo of a patient who had a successful teeth whitening procedure.
5. Local SEO: Post a beautiful photo of your clinic with the location tagged, inviting people to visit Dr. Tooth.
6. Engagement: Post a trivia question about dental health and encourage followers to answer in the comments.
7. Consistency: Share a fun fact about teeth or dental health every Monday for "Molar Monday".
8. Paid Advertising: Post a professionally taken photo of your clinic with a warm, inviting caption promoting Dr. Tooth, then boost this post.
9. Collaboration: Share a post from a local health food store that ties into dental health, tagging them and promoting mutual businesses.
10. Professionalism: Share a team photo of your staff at Dr. Tooth, showcasing the friendly and professional team that patients will meet.
11. Educational Content: Create a short, informative video about the dangers of gum disease and how to prevent it.
12. Promotions and Special Offers: Announce a "Toothsday Tuesday" discount where all checkups on Tuesdays are at a reduced rate.
13. Patient Testimonials: Share a quote from a patient who expresses gratitude for the fear-free dental experience at Dr. Tooth.
14. Before-and-After Photos: Share before-and-after photos of a patient who had orthodontic treatment.
15. Local SEO: Share a photo of a local landmark with a caption about loving the community you serve.
16. Engagement: Run a photo contest asking patients to share their brightest smile, with the winner getting a free cleaning.
17. Consistency: Post a gentle reminder every Friday for parents to check their children's brushing habits as part of "Flossy Friday".
18. Paid Advertising: Promote a post about a particular service you offer, like dental implants, targeting individuals aged 40-60 in your local area.
19. Collaboration: Post a shared promotion with a local gym, where their members get a discount at Dr. Tooth and vice versa.
20. Professionalism: Share a behind-the-scenes photo of your clinic, showcasing the cleanliness and state-of-the-art equipment.
21. Educational Content: Share a fun infographic about the anatomy of a tooth.
22. Promotions and Special Offers: Announce a "Whitening Wednesday" where teeth whitening procedures are discounted.
23. Patient Testimonials: Share a handwritten thank-you note received from a patient.
24. Before-and-After Photos: Show a transformation of a patient who had veneers done at Dr. Tooth.
25. Local SEO: Post a photo of the sunrise or sunset in your city, with a caption about the early/late hours you offer at Dr. Tooth.
26. Engagement: Post a poll asking followers if they prefer electric or manual toothbrushes, and then share the results.
27. Consistency: Share a picture of a healthy snack every Saturday and explain why it's good for dental health as part of "Snack Saturday".

1. Paid Advertising: Create a sponsored post targeting parents, emphasizing the kid-friendly environment at Dr. Tooth and your expertise in pediatric dentistry.
2. Collaboration: Share a picture of a healthy meal from a local restaurant, and explain how the ingredients promote good dental health.
3. Professionalism: Post a picture of a dental conference or seminar attended by the Dr. Tooth team, highlighting your commitment to continual learning and staying updated in the field.
4. Educational Content: Post a carousel explaining the process of a root canal treatment and debunking common myths around it.
5. Promotions and Special Offers: Announce a "Senior Sunday" discount, where seniors get a special discount on all treatments every Sunday.
6. Patient Testimonials: Share a video of a patient expressing how a cosmetic dental procedure at Dr. Tooth improved their confidence.
7. Before-and-After Photos: Showcase a before-and-after case of a successful dental bridge procedure.
8. Local SEO: Share a picture of your team participating in a local community event or charity.
9. Engagement: Run a fun quiz about dental history or famous people's teeth, asking followers to comment their answers.
10. Consistency: Post a motivational quote every Monday to kickstart the week on a positive note, including a subtle reminder about oral hygiene.
11. Paid Advertising: Run a sponsored post featuring your painless tooth extraction service, targeting people with dental anxiety.
12. Collaboration: Arrange a live session with a local nutritionist, discussing the best foods for dental health.
13. Professionalism: Share a post on World Dentist Day, expressing gratitude for your team and dedication to your patients.

Remember, the key to social media success is consistency, engagement, and providing value. Rotate between these different types of posts to keep your feed interesting and engaging.

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PROMPT:

Give me copy for each of these post on Instagram.

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What ChatGPT said:

Absolutely, here's a draft for each post:

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1. June 1 - Educational Content: "Swipe left to discover the perfect brushing technique! 👉🦷 Remember, two minutes, twice a day keeps the cavities away! #DrTooth #DentalCare"
2. June 2 - Promotions and Special Offers: "We love meeting new smiles! 😃 For the month of June, all new patients receive a special discount on their first visit. Book your appointment now! #DrTooth #NewPatientSpecial"
3. June 3 - Patient Testimonials: "Hear from our happy patient, John, about his experience at Dr. Tooth. We're always here to make your dental journey comfortable and pleasant! #TestimonialTuesday #DrTooth"
4. June 4 - Before-and-After Photos: "Brighter smiles are just a treatment away! ✨ Check out these stunning before-and-after results from our teeth whitening procedure. #TransformationTuesday #DrTooth"
5. June 5 - Local SEO: "Beautiful day in our neighborhood! ☀️ We're proud to serve this wonderful community. Come by and see us at Dr. Tooth! #LocalLove #DrTooth"
6. June 6 - Engagement: "Trivia Time! 🧐 Do you know which animal has the most teeth? Drop your guesses below and we'll reveal the answer tomorrow! #TriviaTuesday #DrTooth"
7. June 7 - Consistency: "Kicking off the week with a #MolarMonday fact: Did you know that no two people have the same set of teeth? Your teeth are as unique as your fingerprint! #FunFact #DrTooth"
8. June 8 - Paid Advertising: "Welcome to Dr. Tooth - your home for happy, healthy smiles! 😊 We're dedicated to providing you with the best dental care in town. Come in and see us today! #DrTooth #Welcome"
9. June 9 - Collaboration: "We've partnered with @LocalHealthFoodStore to bring you this delicious and tooth-friendly meal idea! 🥗 Your diet plays a huge role in dental health. #HealthyEating #DrTooth"
10. June 10 - Professionalism: "Meet the team that makes your smile brighter! 😄 We're committed to giving you a comfortable and positive dental experience. #TeamDrTooth #Professionalism"
11. June 11 - Educational Content: "Gum disease is more common than you think, but it's also preventable. Swipe left for tips on how to keep your gums healthy! #GumDiseaseAwareness #DrTooth"
12. June 12 - Promotions and Special Offers: "Introducing Toothsday Tuesday! 🎉 All checkups on Tuesdays are at a reduced rate this month. Book your appointment now! #ToothsdayTuesday #DrTooth"
13. June 13 - Patient Testimonials: "At Dr. Tooth, we aim to make every visit comfortable, even for our patients with dental anxiety. Thank you, Mary, for this lovely review! 💌 #PatientLove #DrTooth"
14. June 14 - Before-and-After Photos: "Braces off and confidence on! 😃 Here's a look at the amazing transformation one of our orthodontic patients went through. #TransformationTuesday #DrTooth"
15. June 15 - Local SEO: "Isn't our city just beautiful? 🌇 At Dr. Tooth, we're proud to be part of this amazing community. #LocalLove #DrTooth"
16. June 16 - Engagement: "Who's got the brightest smile? 🤩 Share a photo of your smile with #DrToothSmiles and you could win a free cleaning! Let's see those pearly whites! #Contest #DrTooth"
17. June 17 - Consistency: "It's #FlossyFriday! Parents, remember to check your children's brushing and flossing habits. Healthy habits start young! #DrTooth #KidsDental"
18. June 18 - Paid Advertising: "Reclaim your smile with dental implants at Dr. Tooth! We offer a safe and comfortable procedure with stunning results. #DentalImplants #DrTooth"
19. June 19 - Collaboration: "Health is holistic! We're excited to partner with @LocalGym to offer their members a special discount at Dr. Tooth, and our patients receive a discount at their gym too! #HealthyLiving #DrTooth"
20. June 20 - Professionalism: "A glimpse behind the scenes at Dr. Tooth! Our state-of-the-art equipment ensures we provide the best care for your teeth. #BehindTheScenes #DrTooth"
21. June 21 - Educational Content: "Do you know your tooth anatomy? Swipe left to learn more about what makes up your teeth! #ToothTrivia #DrTooth"
22. June 22 - Promotions and Special Offers: "Make your smile shine with our #WhiteningWednesday offer! Get a special discount on teeth whitening procedures every Wednesday this month. #DrTooth #TeethWhitening"
23. June 23 - Patient Testimonials: "There's nothing we love more than hearing from our happy patients! Thank you for this heartfelt note. 💙 #PatientLove #DrTooth"
24. June 24 - Before-and-After Photos: "The power of a great smile! Check out this amazing transformation through veneers at Dr. Tooth. #Veneers #DrTooth"
25. June 25 - Local SEO: "We're here for all the early birds and night owls in our city! 🌅 Offering extended hours to fit your busy schedule. Come see us at Dr. Tooth! #LocalLove #DrTooth"
26. June 26 - Engagement: "Let's settle the debate: Electric or manual toothbrushes? Cast your vote in the comments below! 🗳️ #ToothbrushDebate #DrTooth"
27. June 27 - Consistency: "Welcome to #SnackSaturday! 🍎 Did you know that apples are not only delicious but also great for your teeth? They're like a natural toothbrush! #HealthyEating #DrTooth"
28. June 28 - Paid Advertising: "At Dr. Tooth, we make dental visits fun for kids! 🎈 Our kid-friendly environment and gentle care make check-ups a breeze. #PediatricDentistry #DrTooth"
29. June 29 - Collaboration: "Dental health starts with what you eat! We've teamed up with @LocalRestaurant to bring you this tooth-friendly meal. Bon appétit! 🥙 #HealthyEating #DrTooth"
30. June 30 - Professionalism: "Always learning, always improving! 🎓 Here's a snapshot from a recent dental seminar our team attended. #LifelongLearning #DrTooth"

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I hope these provide a good starting point for your Instagram posts!

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If you want your questions answered on Monday Morning Marketing, ask me on these platforms:

My Newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/

The Dental Marketer Society Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2031814726927041

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Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)

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Michael: Hey, what's up guys? Welcome back to another Monday morning marketing episode, and I wanna show you guys how you can utilize chat, G p t, uh, to improve your practice, specifically social media or your marketing. And I wanna share my screen here with you. So if you're listening on the podcast, you can definitely listen to it.

I'm gonna say the prompts and everything like that and what you need to utilize. But at the same time, if you have the time, scroll down and look at our YouTube and, and, and look at the video that I'm sharing with you guys. That way you can, um, follow along and just copy, literally copy exactly the prompts and then see the schedule.

And at the same time, I'm also gonna put all the words, the transcription and everything in below, uh, in the show notes as well. So, If we go into it What matters about chat G P T is it's a conversation, right? So it's not like a so much of a search engine. You get more of a precise thing, and here it's all about prompts, meaning like what you tell it.

So the first prompt I typed in was how can a dental practice effectively use social media to attract new patients? This is what it told me. Social media is a powerful tool for businesses, including dental practices to attract new patients. Here are some strategies you can use. Number one, educational content.

People are always looking for trustworthy advice online. Create and share educational content related to dental health on your social media profiles. This could be in the form of blog posts, infographics, or short videos. For example, you can post about the importance of regular dental checkups, how to brush properly, or what to do in a case of a dental emergency.

Number two, promotions and special offers. Social media is a great platform for announcing special promotions, discounts, or offers. This can incentivize potential patients to choose your practice over others. Number three, patient testimonials. Sharing patient testimonials can help build trust and credibility.

Always get permission from your patients before sharing their stories online. And I'm assuming that goes like within deep uh, stories, right? Maybe they're talking about their past, how they used to feel confident and stuff like that, and now they feel more confident cuz they're small and stuff. So number four, before and after photos, showcasing the results of your dental procedures can be very impactful.

Make sure you get consent from your patients before posting their photos. Also ensure your comply with all relevant healthcare privacy laws. Number five, local s e o. So use location tags in your posts to improve local search engine optimization. S e o. This can help people in your area find your practice more easily.

So use the location tags right the very top of, uh, wherever you're at, specifically Instagram, right people will click on that, right? People search like, That location area, that shopping strip or whatever, and they find you. Number six, engagement.

Engage with your followers, respond to their comments and messages in a timely and professional manner. You can also run contests or ask dental related questions to increase engagement. Number seven, consistency. Consistency is key on social media. Post regularly and maintain a consistent brand voice across all your platforms.

Eight paid advertising. Consider using paid social media advertising. Both Facebook and Instagram offer targeted advertising options that can help you reach potential patients in your area. Nine. Collaboration. Collaborate with other local businesses or influencers or mutual promotion. This can help you reach a wider audience and 10 professionalism.

Despite the informal nature of social media, it's important to maintain a professional image. This includes being mindful of your responses to comments and messages, as well as the content you share. Remember, social media is about building relationships. It can take time to see results. So be patient and persistent.

And this is what it told me. chat, g p t, it told me this. 10 points from that one question, and the question was, how can a dental practice effectively use social media to try to track new patients? Now, I know you're probably like, okay, what can I do with this information?

This is where it gets Awesome. Okay. The next prompt I asked for it is provide for me. This is what I told Chad, g p t Provide for me content ideas that implements each one of these points. My dental practice name is, and you can put your dental practice name, but I just put Dr. Tooth. This will be for Instagram.

Okay. I made it specific. And then I said, provide 30 unique, engaging content ideas that I can use for 30 pieces of Instagram posts. So that means 30 unique ideas right now. From that prompt, this is what it told me. Absolutely. Here are 30 Instagram posts ideas for Dr. Tooth, each aligning with the strategies mentioned.

Number one, educational content. Post carousel, breaking down the correct brushing technique with graphics and step-by-step instructions. Two. Promotions and special offers. Announce a new patient special offering discounted first visit for all new patients. Number three, patient testimonials.

Share a video testimonial from a patient who had a great experience at Dr. Tooth. Number four, before and after photos show a before and after photo of a patient who had a successful teeth whining procedure five. Local seo. Post a beautiful photo of your clinic with the location tagged, inviting people to visit Dr.

Tooth or your practice, right? Practice name number six, engagement. Post this trivia question about dental health, and encourage followers to answer in the comments. seven, consistency. Share a fun fact about teeth or dental health every Monday for Molar Monday. Number eight, paid advertising. Post a professionally taken photo of your clinic with a warm, inviting caption promoting Dr.

Tooth, then boost this post gives you the instructions on Instagram how to do that. Number nine, collaboration. Share a post from a local health food store that ties into dental health, tagging them and promoting mutual businesses. Number 10. Professionalism. Share a team photo of your staff at Dr.

Tooth showcasing the friendly and professional team that patients will meet. Number 11, educational content. Create a short, informative video about the dangers of gum disease and how to prevent it. 12. Promotions and special offers announce a Tuesday, Tuesday discount where all checkups on Tuesdays are at a reduced rate.

Number 13, patient testimonials. Share a quote from a patient who expresses gratitude for the fear-free dental experience at Dr. Tooth. Number 14, born after photos share before and after photos of a patient who had orthodontic treatment. 15, local s e o a photo of a local landmark with a caption about loving the community you serve.

Number 16 engagement. Run a photo contest asking patients to share their brightest smile. With the winner, getting a free cleaning number. 17, consistency Host a gentle reminder every Friday for parents to check their children's brushing habits as part of Flossy Friday. Number 18, paid advertising.

Promote a post about a particular service you offer like dental implants. Targeting individuals aged 40 to 60 in your local area. Number 19, collaboration Post a shared promotion with the local gym where their members get a discount at Dr. Tooth and vice versa.

I like that one. It's good for ground marketing. Number 20, professionalism share behind the scenes photo of your clinic, showcasing the cleanliness and the state-of-the-art equipment. Number 21, educational content. Share a fun infographic about the anatomy of a tooth. Number 22 promotions and special offers.

Announce a whitening Wednesday where teeth whitening procedures are discounted. Number 23, patient testimonials. Share a handwritten thank you note received from a patient. 24 before and after photos show a transformation of a patient who had veneers done at Dr. Toth. Number 25, local s e o. Post a photo of the sunrise or the sunset in your city with a caption about the early late hours you offer at Dr.

Tooth. Number 26 engagement. Post a poll asking followers if they prefer electric or manual toothbrushes, and then share the results. Number 27, consistency. Share a picture of a healthy snack every Saturday and explain why it's good for dental health as part of snack Saturday Now. Here's where it stopped.

It only gave me 27, and then I wrote, keep going. And then it said, absolutely, here are more ideas for your Instagram posts. Then it gave me 28, 29, 30. It gave me all the way through 40. So it gave me more than 30 than what I asked for, which was fantastic. So now you have 40 pieces of content you can create and post.

Right now you have ideas. This is what I'm gonna do. And then it says, remember, the key to social media success is consistency, engagement, and providing value. Rotate between these different types of posts to keep your feet interesting and engaging. It's interesting, right? It's engaging those, uh, ideas that it just provided for us.

Now, I asked chat, g p t Make a content calendar that covers months, June and July. Have it include all the content ideas above, make it into a table for me. And that's exactly what it did. If you look date one or date post type and content idea, and then it's said date, June 1st, post type, educational content, content idea, post a carousel, breaking down the correct brushing techniques with graphics, blah, blah, blah.

It literally, everything we just went over it created a table, a calendar for me on how to do it, and I can just copy and paste this into an Excel. And around June 24th, it stopped and then I said, keep going. That's all you gotta say is just write it, write to it, keep going. And then it says, certainly let's continue the content calendar.

And it continued all the way until I had to write, keep going twice, all the way until July 31st. Then it says, this calendar provides balanced mix of informative promotion on engaging content that should help to attract new patients and retain existing ones. Now I'm gonna put the screenshots to this calendar in the show notes below so you guys can check it out.

And I'm also gonna put all the, um, Content ideas that I mentioned in the show notes below too. So you can scroll down and, and literally copy them. I want you to copy them then I wrote, okay, cool. I want this to be easier for me. I got the ideas now I want you to write the descriptions for me, right?

That way I don't have to think about it. All I can think about is just creating the photo, the video, and that's it. Not even the scripts or anything like that. So then I wrote after it gave me the content calendar. Give me copy for each of these posts on Instagram, meaning gimme the description. And it did that too.

It said, absolutely. Here's a draft for each post. June 1st educational content. Swipe left to discover the perfect brushing technique and it gives you emojis. Remember, two minutes, twice a day, keeps the cavities away, and then you can hashtag your practice in dental care. June 2nd, promotions and special offers.

We love meeting new smiles emoji. For the month of June, all new patients receive a special discount on their first visit. Book your appointment now. Hashtag your practice. Hashtag new patient special. June 3rd. Patient testimonials. Hear from our happy patient, John, or whatever patient about his experience at Dr.

Tooth. We're always here to make your dental journey comfortable and pleasant. Hashtag testimonial Tuesday hashtag your practice Number four. June 4th before and after photos. Brighter smiles are just a treatment away emoji. Check out these stunning before and after results from our teeth Whining procedure, hashtag transformation Tuesday.

Hashtag your practice. June 5th, local s e o. Beautiful day in our neighborhood emoji. We're proud to serve this wonderful community. Come by and see us at. The practice name, right? Hashtag local of hashtag your practice. And it continues to give you all of the descriptions. I ask it to continue, right? It stopped around June 16th, and then I just type, continue it, gave it to me all the way till June 30th.

And you can continue to say, continue give it to me for July. Right now. I'm gonna put this in the show notes below too as well, the description, so you can copy the description for June. But feel free to ask more. Gimme your descriptions for July if you want, in chat, g p T. Now, as you know, Instagram also has Instagram stories, so instead of me, you know, I guess like, okay, let me just repost what I just posted on Instagram stories, which we kind of tend to deal sometimes, right?

We look at our post that we just posted, and then we decide to redo that on Instagram stories. I asked chat d p t, now what do you recommend I do for Instagram Stories? And then he gave me 10 things. It says, daily dental tips. Use stories to share quick daily dental tips q and a sessions, host regular q and a sessions where you answer common dental questions.

Um, you can collect these questions ahead of time through a story using Instagram's question stickers. Number three, behind the scenes show what the day in the life at the practice that you work at looks like. Showcase your team, your office, the safety and the cleanliness procedures you follow. Number four, patient testimonials with their permission.

Record short testimonials from patients after their appointments and share them on stories. Five special offers and discounts. Number six, polls and quizzes. Use Instagram's poll and quiz and emoji sliders stickers to engage your audience. Number seven, team highlights. Introduce your team members through stories.

Share phone facts about them or have them share why they live working at the practice. Number eight, product highlights. If you sell any products like toothbrushes or you know veneers or anything like that, use stories to highlight these. Number nine, countdowns. If you have an upcoming event or a special promotion, use the countdown sticker in your stories to build anticipation.

And 10, like I said in the beginning, you can also always repost, right? Share posts from your patients or other local businesses. If a patient tags you, your practice in their store, you can repost it on your store it with their permission, right? And then it says, remember to utilize Instagram features like stickers, texts, and filters to make your stories engaging and interactive.

And don't forget to frequently check and respond to any dms, direct messages or interactions that results from your stories. Now, it gave me the ideas on what to do, so then I asked it. I asked Chad, g p t Provide me content ideas that implements each one of these points for my Instagram stories, provide 30 content ideas.

And it did. This is certainly here are 30 Instagram story content ideas, incorporating each of these points. Number one, daily dental tips. Share a tip on the correct way to brush teeth with the animated graphic or quick video demonstration. Number two q and a sessions. Announce an upcoming q and a session and use the question sticker to co start collecting queries.

And it continues. And it goes on, and it goes on and it goes on and it gives me all these ideas. 30 ideas. And then I told it, combine the Instagram stories and Instagram posts on the content calendar that covers months, June and July. Have it include all the content ideas above and make it into a table for me.

And it did that too. So now I have content ideas with descriptions, everything right to start me off for June and July. That's it. I'm sure you can do this for the whole year if you want. I just said June and July. And I'm gonna put all this in the shell notes below so you guys can check it out, copy it, get more ideas, spark further ideas for you.

Uh, it's fantastic. And this is how you can utilize chat g p t guys for your marketing. Just one idea. Notice how we got specific and said Instagram. Now, real quick, I wanna share one last thing, if you're still here with me. One last thing with Chad g p t. Uh, there's many things you can do with it, but I wanna show you this right here now.

I wrote how we can check out our competitors and their weaknesses. So here's the prompt you want to ask Chad, g p t. Here are the names of my top competitors in providing dental care. Now near me, I wrote the dental practices names here. Um, now you can put the competitor one. Competitor two, competitor three, right.

I put competitor one in Inland Empire, California Competitor two in Upland, California, competitor three in Upland, California. It's near us, generate an analysis of their strengths, weaknesses, and market position. And it did this. It says, certainly, here's an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, and market positions of your top competitors and providing dental care.

And it gave me the names of them. And then this says number one. Their strengths. They have high quality dental services with a focus on patient sat satisfaction. They have experience in skilled dental professionals, state-of-the-art facilities and advanced technologies, comprehensive range of dental treatments and services.

And then it gave me their weaknesses. Limited online presence and digital marketing efforts, relatively smaller patient-based compared to competitors. And then it gave me their market position. They're known for providing excellent dental care in the Inland Empire area. They have built a solid reputation among their existing patients, but may need to focus on expanding their reach and attracting new patients through effective marketing strategies.

And it provides me with the second competitor, their strengths. Well established dental practice with a long history of serving the upland community. Diverse team of dental specialists, catering to various dental needs, strong emphasis on patient education and preventative care, active engagement in local community events and sponsorships.

This means they do ground marketing. That's one of their strengths. Weaknesses, limited evening and weakened appointment availability, potentially impacting patient convenience. The next one, somewhat outdated website design and online user experiences. So just already with these two, I know I need to up my digital marketing and I need to have a great, great website and be available right when they're not.

The next one gave me their strengths, and then it gave me their weaknesses too. Limited social media presence. This is our third competitor. Limited social media presence and engagement. Relatively fewer patient testimonials and online reviews compared to competitors. And then it goes on and tells me their market position, right?

They have an opportunity to further leverage their technological, advantage and actively engage with patients through social media to strengthen their market. So it even gives you recommendations for each of these competitors. Now you can utilize this right? You can utilize this and know exactly what you need to start honing in on.

And then I said, please provide a list of marketing channels used by my top competitors. Analyze their messaging, targeting, and customer engagement strategies to identify areas of improvement and gain a competitive advantage. it did that too. It told me. Hey, their website, they're messaging, this is what they need to do.

Their marketing channels, this is their website and ground marketing. And the second practice does ground marketing. I can see that because it, that's one of the main things it told me. This is what it needs to work on. For example, the first one says website, right? It tells me their website, their local directories.

It tells me their local directories. They're listed on popular directories. They're messaging, targeting, and customer engagement. Um, their messaging focuses on promoting their high quality dental services, personalized patient care, and patient satisfaction. Targeting. They primarily target local residents in the Inland Empire area who are seeking reliable dental care customer engagement.

They could enhance their customer engagement by utilizing social media platforms actively responding to patient reviews. That means they don't, and implementing a patient referral program to enca encourage word of mouth marketing. So it even tells you, Hey, a referral program here. it continues to do that with each competitor.

Right? And then it gives me the areas of improvement. They need a better enhanced online presence. All of 'em. They need better content marketing. They need patient referral programs. They need online appointment scheduling. This means if you have online appointment scheduling, if you're, if this is one of your competitors, boom, you'd be in business Patient engagement.

They need better patient engagement. So this prompt, I wanna give you guys this prompt right here. Here are the names of my top competitors research, who your guys' top competitors are, right? Just go on to Yelp, go on to Google, type in dentist, hear me. The top three will come up and then put it in here.

Don't, you don't have to put these right here in here, but put your top competitors in there and then generate an analysis of their strengths and weaknesses and market position. Then you'll know, okay, this is what we need to start focusing on, mama. maybe ground marketing. We need to focus in a little bit more on our website.

Whatever, right? It'll tell you. It will tell you Chad g p t, and then from that point on, hone in a little bit more what marketing channels are they u utilizing more? How are they utilizing it? Where are there weaknesses that we can gain a competitive edge over? then boom, it will tell you. So guys, this is just two ways on how you can use Chad g p t to improve your practice, right?

To start the trajectory in a, in a really, really good way to utilize it as your assistant, to utilize it as your marketing person or or marketing person's assistant. Many, many ways you can use it. If you have any more questions. I'm always testing it out, always coming up with tons and tons of new prompts.

Definitely reach out to me in the show notes below, or you can join the Dental Marketer Society Facebook group. It's a free Facebook group in there. It's where I share more of this stuff. But yeah, utilize this. A lot of this is gonna be in the show notes below, especially the one where we talked about social media or Instagram for, uh, dental practices.

So thank you guys so much for tuning in and I'll talk to you in the next episode.

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Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society

Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/[Click here to leave a review on iTunes]

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Guest: April LeePractice Name: Flash DentspaCheck out April's Media:

Website: https://www.flashdentspa.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flashdentspa/

Email: [email protected]

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Other Mentions and Links:

University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine

SBA Loan

Jim Carrey

Excite Real Estate

Bank of America

Chase

Wells Fargo

Open Dental

Kasper

Yapi

Dr. Kareem Osman

PatientPop

Energize Marketing

Morpheus 8

Indeed

Profit First

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Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer

Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍

Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society

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My Key Takeaways:

• Spending limits on bank loans can sometimes be a good thing. This may help you keep on track and not overspend in some areas!
• Offering incentives to other local businesses and the customers they send your way is a great way to bring in new patients!
• Having staff that LOVE being there is when you know your team culture is on track.
• Always show support and relatability to your staff and associates. They are people too, so they appreciate the personability!
• Make sure to read into contract terms, especially regarding termination, so you don't get stuck with a contractor you'd rather not work with!

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Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]

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p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/ company, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.

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Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)

Michael: April. How's it going? Hi.

April: Good. How are you doing? Thanks for having me.

Michael: No, thank you for being on. We were talking a little bit before those balloons in your background have been holding up for how long? Like a month and a half?

Yeah. How much did those cost?

April: Uh, I bartered.

Michael: Break it down at me. What'd you do in order to get that?

April: I gave free whitening and I asked the balloon girl to do that for me.

Michael: Did you know her beforehand or no?

April: No, but she told me she did balloons and I was like, Hey, I'm having a grand opening. I don't have money, but I can do this for you.

Michael: Yeah, normally. Okay, so. You went in there, asked her, or how did that work out? Like did you just ground mark it? What'd you do? Oh,

April: she was a patient, um, she just scheduled a cleaning with me and, uh, she was like, I got charged $3,000 for a cleaning. And I was like, you're like, Young, like, you don't need this.

Maybe like you have a little gingivitis. And I was like, yeah, we'll just do this simple cleaning. And then, she said, oh, do you know anybody who needs balloons? And I was like, oh, like what do you do? And she was like, oh, my side gig. I do like balloon for events and I'm, it's hard to give up cuz it's really good money.

And I was like, Great, then. Yes. Me.

Michael: Yeah. Cause they're nice and they're still holding up, you know what I mean? So you just had your opening a month ago, month and a half ago. A month and a half ago. All right. So we'll dive into that in a little bit. But before that, tell us about your past, your present.

How'd you get to where you are today?

April: Uh, I've been through a lot of interesting routes. So I graduated in 2017. And then I worked for a corporation. I went to Houston. So I graduated from Pittsburgh. I went to Houston, worked for a corporation. It was a chaos. And then a week after I moved, hurricane Harvey hit Houston.

Yeah. So, uh, I walked into an office where there was no office manager. Uh, I had two assistants who were interns and then front desk, she quit that day. Treatment corner quit that day. because we had 40 patients. I'm a new grad and I had a molar root canal, and they put me with two interns and no manager.

So I was like, I, this is horrible. Like I can't do this. And Hurricane Harvey, I took a break for like a week, um, trapped in the house. And just crying every day for a little while and I was like, yeah, this is not something that I signed up for. I don't think anybody goes to dental school to be like, I wanna war for corporation.

Sounds awesome. But it's really honestly the only place they'll actually hire new grads. So I went in, dove in and decided that I. Have to be independent. So that's when I started looking at turnkey. I started asking around to see if there's anybody selling the office. And I was, um, I'm a big like. Believer in God and I was praying and fasting.

Um, I think Ramadan's going on today, but um, I am a Christian and I still fast and pray, uh, just because part of being able to stay focused on God and I had a picture of my business partner. And so I reached her out on Facebook. I said, Hey, like, I don't really know you, but you were in my picture. So, can you meet?

Uh, I know you graduated a year before me. We happened to go to same dental school. So she's like, sure. And then we met, and then I said, do you wanna open up an office? And she's like, no, not really for, like, maybe I'll wait two years. I'm not ready for it. And I was like, well, what if I tell you that I'm, I know how to do like the beginning stuff right now, and if we get an office, maybe we can get it together.

And she's like, well, I'm not ready for it. But I, I'm open and finally found an office, someone that I work for called, like it was a connection through a connection. And then she called from Boston and um, she said, oh yeah, I'm like selling an office. I'm visiting Boston, but I actually live in Seattle and this office has been open for a year.

And um, I said, Hey to my partner, Hey, do you wanna come, um, check out this office? Cause they're selling, it's only been a year open. And then we went visited, we met the doctor who owns it. she had to move because family issues. And when we bought it, we bought it in like we did the SBA loan. Cause you can't do a startup loan with them.

So the only way that you could do is SBA loan. We did that and purchased a practice, started nine months out of dental school and did a partnership practice acquisition. And, um, first three months, obviously it's just like new learning stuff. Uh, we didn't have any staff we hired the first day. They all, what happened was the doctor who was in there as an associate beforehand, he was trying to buy it, but his credit wasn't good enough to get approved.

So when he realized that he wasn't good enough to get approved to purchase a practice, he told the entire staff, I'm leaving. You guys need to quit because this is getting sold. And the doctor freaked out because they all quit the next day with the patients on the schedule and she had to do a red eye flight in.

And we came in to just like be an assistant for her and. You know, just help her out. She had to put indeed like, can you somebody help me today? And we were hiring that day, same day the doctor was working, we're all working. And that's how it started with the first day in our new office. And, um, is hard because You really have to trust that other person. And we really had an amazing partnership of that trust. I worked two days, she worked two days, and then we both, um, worked at different places just to make our income so that we're not losing money in our office. we paid ourselves like a normal salary, like daily guarantee that other doctors would, and.

After a while, I've always had a heart to grow the office, but when you're not on the same page, after about three years, me constantly pushing to say, Hey, can we grow to another office? And the other partner is not ready, then like, then I have to branch out. Mm-hmm. So when I decided that I'm going to probably be closer to my family.

My family's in Florida, and then. Sell that office and start something new or keep the office, but it ended up being that I had to sell the office and move here last minute because of the whole purchasing this office and signing the lease and everything, and I couldn't do it remote anymore. Hmm. Yep. So I had a dream back in 2020 and it was like a really crazy dream.

all you dreamers out there like dreams mean so many different things and some dreams you cannot forget. And this dream was, I was eating, it's just so funny. Um, I was hanging out and I saw Jim Carey and I was like, Jim Carey, like, what are you doing by yourself? You're like, really famous. Like, you're h here eating by yourself.

And um, he was like, oh, no one wants to come and eat with me. And I was like, well, I'll come hang out with you. Like you're my, one of my favorite comedians. And, um, I'm just sitting there chit chatting with him in the dream. And he said, uh, yeah. Here if you have any questions, here's my phone number. And he gave me his phone number.

This was May 15th, 20, right at the brink of Covid. And I woke up and I was like, what is this phone number? I was like, what is this area code? Oh, I remember the area code is 7 27. And then I look it up, I was like, 7 27 area code. And it was St. Pete. And I was like, where's that? And um, I was like, oh, it's kind of close to Tampa.

It's like in Florida. What, how convenient, are the odds? And, um, I said, oh, well, Jim Carey, Florida. I just looked it up. And then boom, like May 16th, 17th was the first day he had an opening for his gallery at Ocean Gallery down SAP Beach right here. and I was like, oh, that's weird. Like, well, that's just weird, right?

Mm-hmm. And, And then, so I was just like going on roaming out through the day, just kind of shocked by that dream and just walking around the park to, uh, quarantine myself from everybody else. And, I already told you, I'm a big believer in God. that 7 27, it was like written in red, which is like Jesus wrote and read in the Bible.

And like when he spoke, it was always in red. And then Jim Carey initials same as Jesus Christ initials. And also he had a YouTube video that told a story about him being an artist. And he also drew a face of Jesus in the video. And I'm just like shocked by every little moment and my little crazy self still trying to like suppress it because I wasn't ready to sell my office.

Then a broker called me out of nowhere from Orlando and she said, Hey, are you looking to find an office? And I was like, no, not over there. And um, I was like, how did you even get my information? And he said, oh, uh, I don't know. It's in our directories. So I realized that they're also a branch of Texas, uh, brokers and they did our first branch in.

Orlando, and I've actually never reached out to them, but they happen to have my phone number and they said, um, yeah, uh, where do you wanna look? And I said, Tampa, I'm open to it. It's like a city. And then two months in, they said, Hey, are you open to going to St. Pete? Because it's really hard to find a location in Tampa.

And I was like, well, Honestly, if it weren't for that dream, I probably would've said no. But because of that dream, like, fine, you can start walking. And when, um, they started looking and, uh, found a location, it was all the signs matched up. So I decided to sign and then bill this office.

Michael: And now you're in the office?

Yep. Okay. We'll, we'll jump into the bailout process, but let's rewind a little bit. You were in Houston and you worked as an associateship in Houston or an associate at Houston?

April: So I was a partner of the business that I owned in Houston.

Michael: Yes. Oh, what part of Houston or where? So, um,

April: we were in Cypress, Texas.

Okay. And, uh, so my bi, my business partner and I bought it together and then decided to form a partnership. we created an LLC together with our both separate LLCs. It just makes it a lot easier to keep things together so that the assets. When something happens, it doesn't hit our personal assets like that.

It has to go through a company corporation that owns office. Then the other LLC that hits our DMD corporation. Then it can get our assets. So we just wanted the, that safety there. Mm-hmm. So we decided to do that and then had it for four and a half, five years.

Michael: Oh, wow. Why, if you can give us some points of why it didn't work out.

I mean, uh, there's, the trust is still there. I'm assuming you guys are

April: still friends, right? Oh, yeah, definitely. I love her so much. Um, kind of because I signed this office and then I knew I had to go to Florida and last minute I told her, I was like, this buildup process has been so crazy that I was like, I gotta go.

And then she's like, what? And then I was like, yeah, uh, I kinda literally have to go and like, Two weeks. So I handed her over and I said can you take care of it? And she was like, it was really sad cause she was crying. I was crying because she's like, it feels like we're getting through a divorce. And I was like, I know.

It really is. It really, it really is because like works through such hard times together. The way that she took me on board with Oh gosh. Like she has such a big heart. Like what actually happened was I was a new grad, right? And she's already practiced a year ahead of me. When you do an S B A loan, they require you to have certain months of statement that you have enough money in your bank account to give you that loan.

And my bank account was super fresh with money coming in because I was a new grad. And, um, these, this money that's sitting in there has to be proven like four months of it not changing the status. Like you're not getting money randomly gifted to you or anything like that. And I didn't have that status because I would just graduated and that made, the bank, made it so hard that I can't be on to buy this practice.

But she and her husband, he had stocks that he owned. and stocks can be liquidated really quickly. And they had money cuz she's been graduated for like over a year and then, um, and it's like crude in there, it's not really been, hasn't been moving. And last minute I showed her, I was like, Hey, I only have like $32,000 in my bank account right now.

They need $30,000 down for me to start. It was like a 10% of what the practice was gonna cost for us to buy. And bank was like, we're not taking that money cuz it's too fresh. Like we don't have records of like, Four months of it being stable in there and hasn't changed. And so what she and her husband ended up doing was, well, we got a wire this last minute.

Like we have two days to do this and I'm trying to get gifts from my parents to get like the money or something. Cuz that's the only way that they'll allow me to have the money. Mm-hmm. If, if a gift and then you don't return it back. So she ended up just putting all that money, they liquidated it gifted to me, and then we put $60,000 down to start and they had that much trust to like the husband sold his stocks to do that for me.

Mm-hmm. And like that's a whole nother level of like trusting somebody who just randomly Facebook messaged you. and then, I mean, they knew, I was like, I have this money. I just like, They're not taking it. So obviously I wire them back to them afterwards. Um, and that's how we got started.

Michael: Okay. That's good.

So then, I know you said you wanted to grow, but she wasn't ready.

April: She said it was too much of a headache.

Michael: Talk to talk to me about that. Why, why did you want to grow? Was there a. Does she want to just, um, I guess hyper focus on the current practice that she had and then build it, maybe drop insurance, all that stuff?

Or was it more like you were just like, all right, we're, let's just keep going. Let's go do another one. Another one. And is that like your future too with this one? Yep.

April: Mm-hmm. Oh, yeah. This, um, I finally think I've kind of solidified some of the reasons why I'm doing it. Um, I did wanna grow. I was like, Hey, can we grow to like 10 offices?

And she's like, one's a lot. And she, she is like, I'm a little bit older than you. She's like four years older than me. She's like, it's a lot. she's more of an introverted personality, extrovert, but at the same time, didn't have like the A D H D, like hyper personality like I do. So like I have a lot of energy roaming around all day long.

So she was like, I can't, like, This one office is enough. Mm-hmm. So, and I'm over here going like, I want like 20. So that just kind of didn't really settle with, um, that's when I, I had to, we had to realize, I was like, Hey, eventually I'll probably end up branching out or like giving, letting you take care of this entire office by yourself.

Michael: Gotcha. So do you still own, uh, part or are you still a partner with the other practice or? No, it's a hu hundred percent hers. That's hers now. Okay. Gotcha. Gotcha. Okay. So then you decided, uh, let me ask you a question real quick. You said you spoke with the branch of brokers in Texas. Who are they? Uh, ex excite.

Ex excite. Okay. They have a branch now in Florida.

April: Orlando Uhhuh? Mm-hmm.

Michael: Okay. Okay. How is it working with him? Um,

April: well, the guy that I work with, he got fired, but he ended up finding my awesome space. And I was like, so that transition after he found it was like perfect. But then like that transition after was like an issue and I was like, there was a lot, what was the issue?

Um, they didn't get the address right. So permitting was a little bit, I got a different address after I finished permitting. Ah, gotcha.

Michael: Okay. So let, let's dive into that a little bit. Let's dive into your business like, You went with who? For a loan?

April: I did Bank of America.

Michael: Okay. What were the terms of that loan?

April: Um, I got approved I think like $550,000. And um, I, it's like, cuz during the approval, like I still had my other office, so like they couldn't approve me for a lot because of my. guarantor part of the other office. So that's what I got so I got that loan May, 2021 and I, uh, maybe right before, but now I opened this December, 2022.

Like that's how long of this buildout was, like the whole journey of itself. Um, So they told me that I just have to do like two years of just letting them see every monthly and then try to make sure I'm not failing. Mm-hmm. And also, Wells Fargo was another one that, um, I was just thinking about. Chase doesn't do startup loans, but Wells Fargo does startup loans and right when I was going between Bank of America and Wells Fargo, Wells Fargo got a lawsuit.

For fraud. So I was like, well, I guess I'll go with Bank of America cuz I don't wanna really go with a bank that got, uh, lawsuit. So I just black and white. I'm a very black and white person, so I just chose Blink of America. my interest rate was pretty low. It was during Covid, so it was very low at that time, just like houses were really low.

except. The whole construction part took like extremely long time. So, but I love Bank of America. Um, my guy was really great and the reason, my biggest thing I love about Bank of America was they didn't let me spend money on some of these areas that I was wanting to spend money. And it was like the biggest blessing that you can think of.

Sounds weird, but they wanna make sure that they protect you from just being, sorry. Like women, we shop more than I think men. stereotypical thing, I think, don't quote me on it, but I do see a lot of women shopping a lot more and men are sitting outside, um, waiting until they're done. Um, that's how my dad did.

But then when you're on a kick to spend and you're like, yeah, I bought this, bought this, and I do it myself, right? I'm like on a kick to buy Christmas presents and all of a sudden I'm spending without filtering. I, I act like I have all the money in the world, and then I spend, and then no one stopped me.

Mm-hmm. But when you're on a kick to keep spending, then like Bank of America is like that. Husband's like, stop, like. No, no, like that's not a good spending, right? They're like, why are you spending this? They ask me these questions and some people have a personality of like, oh, don't ask me why I'm doing this.

I'm independent. I'm on my own, like, Um, they know what they're doing. They've done this many times and they know probably why dentists, most of 'em don't go to business school and most of them like to spend and, um, we see shiny pretty things and we like it and we wanna spend it. So they put that stop on me and.

They still allowed me to spend it in ways that I really needed things. So they'll just like shift the money around saying like, this is how much you can spend here. We can allocate this here and, and that will be actually good for, me able to just not overspend and then spend all my loans. Then I have to spend it out of my cash.

Michael: Gotcha. So you like that, you like it when they were there telling did you go on and you're, you're kind of right. Like even I'm guilty of that. Like I'll be good at like saving and then when for some reason if I'm on a kick, I can, anybody can just, Michael, you got it. Right. What is up with that? So, uh, let me ask you, your build out, how much was that?

April: My buildout was start, it started at three 10 and then it ended at. Probably, I wanna say like three 50. Okay.

Michael: Talk to me about your buildout process. How, how did that go?

April: Oh, it was hell.

Michael: Why

April: contractors don't have this thing called, Calendar. So they move it at their own free space on, I was just like, wow, like we're always on a time and dentist or like, let's get this done out, done out.

we're very efficient people. Cause that's how in the clinic we are. But uh, like. I'm sure who, everybody who's renovated a house or part of whatever construction you've ever went through, know that contractors don't have a calendar. So that's the same in a dental space or a commercial space. So I kind of went through quite a bit of hell with, um, three of the contractors dropped me when I first started, so I was doing this in.

Houston and I had a designer, um, their, my designer was awesome and he was getting, like, I had three contractors who I was negotiating with, and then two of 'em were non-dental and they're like, yeah, we can do it. And um, later on, one of 'em dropped me and then the other one, she was like, yeah, we can do it.

And then the other guy was a dental contractor. Uh, he quoted me a lot higher, so I was a little bit hesitant. But then also he, one, he said he was gonna do the engineering and architect with his team cuz he has a whole team. Um, he doesn't have to hire an independent contractor. And then he said he was gonna do it two weeks later.

my designer's like, Hey, have you heard back that if you got your engineering back? And I was like, no, not yet. I'll just give it a little bit more time. And then two weeks after, he's like, Hey, we should have heard this by now. And so I reached out to him and he's like, oh, well, because I know that you were negotiating with other contractors.

I quit that process. And he tell me, and he's like, I only wanna do this if you're gonna work with me. and my designer got really mad. He was like, what the heck? He wasted a month of your time and didn't tell you. And he's like, go look for a different contractor and work with him.

Found out that one of 'em that I was working with, uh, the guy who I was mainly working with got fired and she got fired and then they quoted me three times higher. At the end when they did the engineering, they hired an independent contractor for, uh, engineering. And then they were like, yeah, this is gonna be like three times more than what we initially quoted you.

So that's when I was like, I've wasted so much of my time, my lease and loan. I mean lease is like the free lease is almost done, and then I have to get up and I have, I told my partner, I was like, Hey, I actually think I have to be there in person and get this going because it's been like four or five months that I've just been sitting here and not been able to do anything.

So, I have to go. So that's how we had to part ways. And I had to look for a job within two weeks. Um, and I got a job last minute. Some like they needed, um, a corporation. It's a pretty good corporation actually. It's like more, it's a doctor owned and they took me on and then, I moved, I got an apartment.

And this all like happened flip Floop in two weeks. Mm-hmm. I got here and started looking for like people who are dentists and said, how did you build yours out? Who's your contractor? I found a contractor, Florida's really old school, and so there's not a lot of like little like. Details to like a contract.

So when I showed that to my designer, he was like, yeah, this is like not safe. Okay. So we, I hired a consultant, like a, he's also a contractor in Houston who built one of my friend's office. He consulted with my contractor and read, did the, redid the contract. Mm-hmm. Then, um, that took a while because they were not, Communicating efficiently.

Cuz my Florida contractor's pretty old school. So he's like, yeah, it's just over here. And then nothing in detail really. So he's like, this is not great. So then they ended up, you know, making it a more detailed and he's a good guy. So I had known that, I would probably jump with him from the beginning.

But you just met that person you don't know, you know? Mm-hmm. So I wanted to protect myself and be safe through everything. Got, I signed a contract with a contractor and then the permitting took five months. It took four. Wow. Yeah. So all this time my free lease is going and um, and now I have to pay rent and I had to talk to the landlord saying, Hey, like, I literally haven't even broke ground in this place yet.

So, you know, they still, it's business, right? They still need money. So I decided to take it out of my TI money for the loan. Mm-hmm. Because I am very anti taking out my own money to run a business. That's not what my undergrad business classes has taught me. They said, use other people's money to run the business and don't take off your arm and a leg to run it.

so that's why I try to stay within the amount Bank of America gave me and not have to cash out my own money. in the end I'm the one taking the toll and losing that. so. I took it out of my TI money. Obviously had to learn how to budget really well at that point. So I equipped five op ops, like all ready to go.

And usually I think startups, they start at like two and then build more out. Mm-hmm. But I also had a hard time from my start, um, my first acquisition. That we were equipped for three, and every time we tried to equip for four, it was like a big block that we couldn't get past because it was like, it would have to stop our working day and we would have people coming in doing construction, and it was too much of a headache and I didn't want any of those blocks and then if I was gonna grow, so I decided to just equip all five and then try to budget it and make it work.

Michael: So there's a lot going on. You mentioned, um, you hired a consultant, what was his name? Tim Nelson. Tim Nelson. And he's a contractor?

April: Yeah. He builds offices in Houston, Texas. And he is, Seriously like a dad and he cares so much about me. Obviously it costs, but it's worth it, especially when I'm having a meltdown and not know my contractor terms or what should be done.

Right. Because I didn't go to school for that. Mm-hmm.

Michael: Can I ask how much it costs?

April: Uh, it was like 5,000.

Michael: Oh, okay. In total, or like per month or something?

April: No, he, he just did a contract negotiation for me. He just was a consultant who contracted, who talked to my contractor to make sure everything was like all the t's across, all the dots are placed. Yeah,

Michael: that's pretty helpful. That's really helpful actually. Right. Especially.

April: Right. And I didn't know this town, like I was like, I don't know anybody here. Yeah. Like whatsoever. So he's at least making sure these contractors are following the rules and doing the proper things instead of, um, saying shady stuff because I don't know, and then I'm screwed over.

Michael: Yeah, no, definitely, definitely. How much is your rent?

April: It is about 5,000. Okay. So with the internet included? With internet included in n n N.

Michael: Oh, okay. Gotcha, gotcha. Uhhuh. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So when did rent start for you, and then when did you have to, when did you officially open

April: rent? Started for me in November, of 2021. I opened December, 2022.

Michael: Oh my gosh. So you've been paying rent that whole time, like with nothing, not seeing one patient.

April: Yeah. But remember the guy I told you who was fired? Mm-hmm. From the brokerage? He, um, his name is Wale. He was just like the humblest guy and he got the best negotiation you can to get.

Ti money. I can't remember how much t money was, but he tried to get the best space, location, everything. I really wish he finished through with me because afterwards it just got pretty bad. A little bit. Yeah. And, but he held my hand through the entire thing cuz he cared so much about me as a person.

And he's like the type of person who. Cares about all his people and if you're his homie, he's like, got your back.

Michael: Gotcha. Okay. Okay. So then now that you're open, what have you learned? What are you doing for marketing and advertising? What's your best roi? What systems do you utilize? Things like that. Uh,

April: Startup is so hard.

Like acquisition is take compared to startups. So all those people who started startups, like props to you. Um, I would say it's about 20 times harder than an acquisition. So no lie. Mm-hmm. Like acquisition, there's a reason why people try to do acquisition so they don't have to do the dirt work, but.

Startup, you have to know everything. Like literally everything, nothing's set in place. Um, I'm using open dental. That's what I'm used to using in Texas. It's like a big Texas thing. Apparently it's not a Florida thing, really. Um, that's my E M R system. I use a communication system called Casper. I really like them.

And, uh, I used yappy before, but Casper, um, Dr. Osman and he, I think that's Oser. Mm-hmm. Kareem the one. Yeah. He's the one who, um, got me on board. Really personable also, like, because I played around with Ypi before, they ended up having a lot of things that I needed. Um, there's just one thing I think they're working on that would make it pretty solid.

and I think it was like the treatment planning part that. Other like services might have driven planning, but every other communication thing about them has been great. And then what else

Michael: do I use? Are you talking about YPI right now or Casper, when every other communication. Okay. So, so I

April: used the YPI before in Texas.

Gotcha, gotcha. Got you. Got you. But Casper's a little bit more. Mm-hmm. Like upkept with everything.

Michael: Okay, gotcha. Except for their treatment planning you said? Or you, or you like it. So they don't have it. Oh, they don't have it yet. Or

April: they're supposed to bring it on this after this first quarter. So we're, we're getting there and I'm hoping that it'll be, eventually we'll get that portion.

Gotcha.

Michael: Okay. Okay. So you're using, what are you doing for marketing and advertising?

April: Oh, I have so many marketing things right now. marketing's one of those things that it's not like you got it and you're done type of deal. I feel like you have to try every little thing based on the demographic and the region you're in to see which one works best.

So initially I started, I used patient pop. To do. I used it in Texas and they were fine, but here they're really not doing anything. they're supposed to do your seo, but I haven't seen anything done. and they bind you to a contract for a year that you cannot get out of, like you cannot get out, like rent the contract a million times, cannot get out of it.

So, After one year. Um, I'm done using them. And then I've also took on energized. Cause I was really desperate after being open first month for, to bring patients in cuz nobody knew we existed. Mm-hmm. And then, um, it was good for the first month. And then I was having issues for the second month and I actually contacted them saying like, Hey, this is not worth my money.

so I What issues were you having? Like, nobody was showing up. Like they, they said like 50 50 was show, like 50 show, 50 no show. They're like Facebook funneling and like, um, social media funneling, but it was like 10% show maybe. And then like 90% just would, we never see them. So, but I think like after my conversation, they're working on it and I'm really hoping they're working on it.

But I've had that, and I have another local guy who does Facebook funneling. He's pretty good at what he does with other clients except dental. I found out that it's the most expensive per click. Um, he's like, I don't understand why your ads are so expensive. Because he's like, I've been doing this like for all my clients, but every dental one is like per click.

It's very expensive. So he's running that for me. Um, I purchased, a machine called Morpheus eight, which, so this office is not a family dentist office. It's like dental office, cosmetic driven, and it's a spa. Hmm. So I have an aesthetician. And trained her to, um, be able to do Morpheus, um, it's like a microneedling with radio frequency.

And when I got the machine, they also automatically came with four months of marketing for the aesthetic part, and I'm doing Google ads. Mm-hmm.

Michael: Okay. Is that working pretty well

April: or. Google. So that's why I'm trying to stay out of. Facebook has a certain population and for maybe for a general practice it would be fine, but with an aesthetic practice, cosmetic driven practice, the clients are hi, like a really big hit or miss.

Or they don't show. Um, most of them just don't show. And then, um, cuz they're like all price shopping and they want like, everything done for free. So I just, I think Google Ads, I'm gonna allocate that to spend on it. Uh, once my contract, um, is done with some of these companies. Got,

Michael: so your contract's already done with patient pop?

No. Oh no. So you're, you're still paying patient pop. Energize and a Facebook funnel guy. Yep. Oh man. How much is all that?

How much is patient pop? Patient

April: pop is like a thousand

Michael: a month. Yeah. Okay. And then energize five a thousand a month. Uhhuh. And then the Facebook funnel guy,

April: uh, he's like two grand a month. Okay, so now we are breaking it down. So it's like 8,000 maybe on marketing. Yeah,

Michael: 8,000 on marketing. Okay. So then once the year's over, where do you see yourself spending saving?

What are you gonna start doing more kind of thing. So

April: I really start to see the value in community and getting people who are influencers in the market to come in. So we kind of. I help them out a little bit here and there and then in like, trade in with, um, their post or being able to promote us.

I try to go to these events to connect because word mouth is huge and, um, especially in a small town like this, uh, like people call this a huge city, but I feel like St. Pete's pretty small. like I'm coming from Houston. Mm-hmm. So, It's also helpful coming from such a big city coming in here because in a really big city it's hard, like marketing's really hard.

in a smaller city, I think it's more doable. Um, A lot of people here are like local and they're pretty like hippy. And as long as you show face and then you actually show that you're a real person, they trust and want to come. And then word of mouth. My biggest thing right now is also like I'm trying to figure out different ways to, avenues to market regarding, um, some of the people are finding us through Google.

A lot of, some people are finding us through Instagram. When they would see their friend post repost, I would have events so. Not, I would have, I think I had the grand opening, so I'm having another event, uh, next month. And then just to get every other local vendors coming in to do their local thing, they got their own connections, like these business owners, and then provide the facility here, space for them to do that.

At the same time, like it's just brand marketing right now at this point. And then, um, branding myself, Another thing I'm doing, which I, I'm on a kick to do it this coming week. I've had, my staff and me we're going over to salons and because salons very, they work with patients all day, people all day long touch their hair all day long.

They talk about little stuff. So getting, giving incentive to those, um, People who barbers and people who cut hair to trade in for one of my service. But the service that I trade in, in for them is their lip service to their client. So I will get them in for free Botox, like, I'll be like, Hey, I'm gonna do a free Botox for you first time.

Have you ever done it? Okay, we did great. If so, whoever you send over and they come here, you get like $50 off your Botox treatment. So then you send like a certain amount of people by the time you send them over and they get treatment done, then you end up having, all these covered.

Then you're gonna get free Botox again. Yeah. But it's also just like bringing in traffic.

Michael: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. No, a hundred percent it's scrum marketing, like, so you. The best thing to do is when you go to these places is like make it make it like tangible. So like leave a signup sheet there with them, right?

Sure. So you're like, Hey, what's up man? Like, well, can I have some of your information? And then they're like, yeah, sure. Here's some of my business cards. Right? Then you're like, okay, can I give you some of our information too? And at the same time, this is what I wanted to do just for you. Right? And then you let them know.

What you wanna do, your incentive and then say, here, I'll leave a signup sheet. I can come back next week for people who wrote their name and number down, I'll give them a call. Right. But it's actually like something there on their mirror where p patients are like, what? What is? And then they're like front of mind, right?

They're like, oh, they're giving, you wanna sign up for this? You know, maybe give the patients an incentive too. Like, hey, everybody who comes in is like a percentage off or, I don't know, right. Something. Right. Um, makes it easier for them to refer and then makes it easier for the patient to come on into. If you wanna do that many incentives, it's

April: up to you.

Oh no, I, we don't have that going for our patients too right now. Mm-hmm. Like, hey, every person that you refer, you get like $50 off for your own treatment

Michael: or whatever. I think that would be a fantastic, like if you guys targeted salons all next week, that'd be beautiful. Yeah, you do really good. So then one last questions I wanna ask you, April, is throughout this process from the moment, I guess you decided to leave till today.

What's been some of your biggest pitfalls or fails?

April: Uh, I signed a lease before I found a contractor. I. I think that was my biggest pitfall because if I have a contractor, first of all they can't gimme the price anyway because I don't have the lease signed. But it's still someone that you can have to be able to build your space cuz that wasted so much of my time and I think it took like wasted seven months of my time.

Mm-hmm. And then I was able to do permitting. My other biggest pitfall. That I am coming out of is staffing. I think from the start I have a lot of expectations, not a lot. These people don't know me, who work for me, um, who sign up in on Indeed, um, to work. But people just don't wanna work anymore. And if I'm not gonna be personable with them, then they're like, I'm out.

So I, at the beginning when I first opened, I had really, really, really difficult time with staff, situation. Uh, the front desk girl didn't show up for the first day open. And then my assistant, she came in saying she wants to be an esthetician, except she was doing nothing for about two weeks and I couldn't figure out what she was doing.

And then I finally brought in an office manager and then office manager. When I brought her on that day, that assistant said, You know, I know you need her, but I don't work when there's a manager in the house, so I'm out. So I was just like, what kind? Like, but it's also like, I guess I was naive cuz I never had issues with staff before in my old office.

But coming here, they also don't know me and they're working for me and I have to take care of my staff, and I really probably came off pretty strong and couldn't take care of them the way that they would if it was an established office and they don't have a 5 million things to do. So I finally have a staff.

Who's sticking through the thicken thin. They also love being here. and that's huge. They like, They're like, it's so awesome being here. They love it. And they're like, it's fun. And I was like, oh my gosh. I'm like really thankful that you guys see me as family. And I was very transparent to them and be like, Hey, I have to make these goals.

I actually don't take any money home right now. I am hustling on the side, um, going at a emergency clinic and working their, um, night shift or going on a Sunday just because I also have to pay my own bills and I don't wanna take it away from the office of starting off. That cannot provide me. Otherwise we'll be scraping pennies every day.

So, um, they know that I'm also hustling. They know that I care a lot about them and just being really straightforward with them. Like, Hey, if we can't meet these goals, this is literally daily goal that I have to meet, uh, to just break even. And if not, then I can't provide you guys jobs and I would have to shut down and figure out stuff first, and then I'm hustling.

And, um, that transparency with, um, I am an employer, but I don't pretend to boss him around because nobody deserves to be treated that way. Mm-hmm. Um, they just all have mutual respect for one another. And also like, understand, so training is hard at first. We all expect everybody to be trained perfectly, but that training, um, they're people who appreciate it and they're willing to learn and they get really good at it.

And if they're not really good at what they do, then you shift them to a different spot in the office and do that. I wanna give jobs to people. I don't really wanna fire anybody. also if you know, not people, not everybody's good people, I also have to be really, and being able to pick up that too.

But I also focus on trying to. Be in their life and be their mentor through different journeys in life, not just in the office space. So that's really built that loyalty for my staff and, um, they're willing to do everything with me. That's

Michael: nice. That's really, really good. Awesome. April, thank you so much for being with us.

It's been a pleasure. But before we say goodbye, can you tell our listeners where they can find you?

April: Oh yeah, they can find us on Flashden Spa, F l a s h d e n t s p a, and you can email us on info flashden spa.com. And I've been actually helping quite a bit of startup people, uh, individually. So if you have questions, you can reach us out.

Michael: Awesome. So guys, that's gonna be in the show notes below, like always in April. Thank you so much for being with us. It's been a pleasure, and we'll hear from you soon.

April: Thank you.

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Welcome to today's MMM! Today are explore how utilizing AI can benefit your dental practice in reputation management, marketing, and content generation. We'll discuss how ChatGPT can help you craft responses to negative patient feedback, or emails that you don't quite know how to respond to. Using context such as "I'm a personal relations person, how would I respond to this negative comment?" is a great place to start for negative reviews! Additionally, we'll delve into how you can use ChatGPT to market your practice by requesting tailored messaging to reach the patients that you want. Finally, we'll explore how you can leverage ChatGPT to determine the most efficient ways to carry out tasks in your practice.

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To dig into these tips and more, catch my conversation with Dr. Justin Scott here!

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You can reach out to Dr. Justin Scott here:

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.virtualdentaloffices.com/

Practice Website: https://puredentalhealth.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/virtualdentaloffices/

Practice Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/puredentalhealth/

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Other Mentions and Links:

ChatGPT

Tonya Lanthier - Dental Post

HIPAA - Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

Otter AI

ChatGPT 4

Bar Exam

Bing

Rev Transcription

Descript

Adobe Premiere

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If you want your questions answered on Monday Morning Marketing, ask me on these platforms:

My Newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/

The Dental Marketer Society Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2031814726927041

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Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)

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Michael: hey Justin. So talk to us about AI and chat, G P T. How can we utilize this, or what advisor suggestions can you give us that will help our workflow efficiency or front office tasks within our practice?

Justin: we we're training the whole team to, to use chat, g p t especially the marketing department.

And we, we were using it to. I think that the best way to use it is for content generation, for thinking up ideas of what to say. If you're writing content, say for your newsletter or for posts for content. For any type of marketing sort of thing. It's really, really helpful. Even for reputation management, I'm, I'm using it a lot for responding to bad reviews or maybe even an email that comes through from a patient that uh, is angry.

It's like, how do I respond to this? Mm-hmm. Uh, What's the most professional PR way to respond to that? It's really good for that. I use it for HR questions. My staff member did this and uh, how should I deal with it? Or am I gonna get know labor laws pretty well? Legal questions, it's pretty good with that kind of stuff.

So I actually got rid of my HR legal monthly fee saving money. Uh, So it's already getting rid of jobs. Which a lot of people are, are afraid that it's mm-hmm. Gonna do. But uh, I, I don't think it does everything for you, but it, it does so much of the thought, like if I sit down to write down something, I, I can figure it out.

I took AP English, I'm, I'm pretty good with writing, but it would take me a really long time. It can write it like that. Yeah. I can say, write a blog post. Make it 500 words. Boom. I got you one. Okay. Well, okay. Change it to say this. Boom. It changes to that. Okay. Well actually I want it to be a thousand words.

And can you write it from, you, you can, do all sorts of crazy stuff like tell it to write it and the voice of the King James version of the Bible and it can do it for, for you like that. I mean, just anything that you want it to do. It can, it, it can pretty much do. Obviously there's no use case for dental office for doing that.

Cool. Yeah, yeah. But like today, I was using it to write a bio for myself, for my, for my website, for my new company, VDO. I'm writing a book, so I took my book and I pasted it on there and I said, take this information, write my bio. And then I wrote bio, but it, it didn't have my name cuz my book doesn't have my name in the, in the text because it's on the cover of the book.

I'm still writing it. So I was like, it's, my name is not Dr. Smith, it's Dr. Justin Scott. So can you replace it and rewrite it for that? Also, they entered some stuff that I didn't want, so I take that out and put this in did it and copied paste it and sent it to one of my my assistants and told 'em to add it to the website, you know?

Yeah. So changing and editing content makes it just so much easier to do.

Michael: Nice. Okay, man. So you said you use it for two things that kind of picked my interest was how do you respond to a bad review? Like what kind of prompts do you put in it? So it can sound like you when there's a review? Right. So,

Justin: you know, I say act as a whatever.

So act as a PR person and tell me what is the best way to respond to this review. And you know, sometimes you get a person that's complaining about all sorts of stuff. You may wanna give some contacts for the particulars of the situation, but it basically says, we're really sorry to hear that you didn't have a great experience.

but it's, it's tailored to the specifics of what it says. Mm-hmm. Uh, It's probably a lot easier cause I, I'm emotional. I, I'm gonna respond wait a second, you did this, you know, but that's against hipaa. You're not allowed to do that. So when I did one the other day, she was complaining about her case and saying, this is what happened.

This is what happens. And it says, well, according to hipaa, we can't discuss your case, but we'd love to be able to talk to you and figure out what's going on. We've talked to her a bunch of times, but this is for the. For the people they're reading it. This is for reputation management, so that someone's reading it says, Oh, they, you know, she had a problem, but they really cared and they wanted to take care of, and they offered to offer, you know, help to make sure that she solved it.

That's what people really care about that, that you're gonna help with that. So, but if you basically just say, can you, how would you respond to this review as a PR person? Or you can just say, how would you respond to this review? That's a pretty darn good job.

Michael: Yeah. Nice. Okay. I like that PR person, right?

Act as a PR person. And then the HR questions, what HR questions have you been? Like

Justin: asking, oh gosh. I mean, a staff member threat. I mean, I'm just making something up. Mm-hmm. Threatens threatened to harm herself at work, you know, and, There's all sorts of stuff.

I mean, we just go on to Facebook and read the crazy stuff that happens in dental offices, but how do you legally respond to that? I'm not an HR person. I don't know. Questions, obviously, it always says, well, I'm not a lawyer, even though it has passed the bar exam. Yeah, G4 has, so you have to pay 20 bucks for G B D four or you can use Microsoft Bing, which gives you access to, to G PT four.

The older ones, g PT 3.5, they didn't do as well on the law exam and stuff like that. But yeah, it's crazy how fast those things are learning and getting to be more useful and better. Uhhuh,

Michael: I didn't even know that it passed the, the bar exam.

Justin: What? It's got a long list of all the different tests that it's passed Now, some tests it's tried, it hasn't done as well, but legal law tests and also you have to use your brain like you have to read it.

You know, I'm, I'm not gonna, actually use it for legal advice, but it may like at least give me hints the right way, you know, so that I have an idea of something, you know, so. Mm-hmm.

Michael: Yeah. So then how are you utilizing it for marketing right now? Give us, like, if you can, a step-by-step process of this.

Somebody who just right now, God on Chad, like, I'm gonna listen to Justin tell me this, and hopefully it will, it'll do this result.

Justin: So I think the most easy thing is, for instance I actually did a podcast with another guy. We were talking about the best way to do it. If you're doing video, for instance, you, you're doing a podcast.

If I was doing a podcast, what I would do, the first thing I would do is I would transcribe it and you would transcribe it with a bunch of different softwares are out there that can do it. So Otter AI is one can transcribe things for you. Des d e s c r i p t is another AI software that you can transcribe it.

Just Debbie Premier. Rev.com. You can pay someone to transcribe it for you per hour or whatever. A couple bucks an hour. So you take that and then you past that into chat GBT and say, okay, write me a blog post about this conversation that we had so that I can put on my website and link this back.

So you do that. So now you got your blog posts. Now you say you put it back in, you say, okay, now write me a YouTube thing cause I'm gonna place this on my YouTube and, and put me some, some great hashtags in there. And also, what should I include in the comments section because I wanna make sure that I'm doing everything.

So it may say, Oh, well to, you wanna have some sort of email capture device. Like you wanna have a P D F that can be on there, that can be linked. So then when they watch this, now they can download that. Okay, make that for me too. Okay. Now take that and, and make me an Instagram post. Make me 10 tweets will link back to that uh, thing.

So you've got this pillar content of video, and then you take the transcript and you use it. And then you spread that all around using chat G P T on all the different social medias that you can go on. TikTok, you can go on different things. All of the different ones have different sizes that they want you to do things or you know, some you want to use more emojis and depends on what you're trying to target.

And you can ask it, well, if this is what I'm trying to target. How should I go about doing that? And I do that a lot cuz I'm not a marketing expert. I'm just asking chat, g p t. A lot of these questions, everything I'm telling you I've learned from chat g p T. so another thing is that learning, learning what the best way to do things are.

Just asking chat, g p t, what is the best way to do this? Or what is the best way to market this? Or what is the best way to measure this? What is the best way to do an AdWords campaign? What should I do first? Any kind of marketing that you need to do, it really does have great answers and ability to teach you to do those things.

So, yeah, I think content generation and being able to take that into slice it and dice it into every different firm and fashion is great. It's a lot of work. I have a, a couple of virtual assistants that I've trained to do all these different things, and that's what the VDO is about is uh, we hire virtual teams for.

Dental offices so that they can help them do things like marketing, social media, because the real key is consistency with content. And that it's engaging. And then the measurement because you have to measure the, the impact of your marketing. And that's a lot of work. And if you're practicing dentists like me, being able to do all that stuff is, is very time consuming.

Some people like to do it, but it's hard for me to, to be able to put all that together. I like them to aggregate it for me so that I can. Help direct it where I can. Yeah, that's what virtual

Michael: dental offices is, is like, it's uh, so for example, I'm a practice owner and then uh, I need a team to help create these campaigns.

Market provide strategies, right? Like run the Instagram for

Justin: me kind of thing. Yeah, so we train them to do that. We have our processes that we've already trained people to do, so then we hire people and it's very inexpensive because we're hiring them typically in the Philippines. So average cost for somebody is under 12 bucks an hour, you know, where you can't even hire somebody for less than $20 an hour to be your hygiene.

The center to work at the front desk these days in Atlanta at least. So we hire somebody and then we just train 'em to do the different things. That someone wants 'em do to help come up with social media captions. And, and the best way to do that is you use chat pt. I mean, naturally most people that you hire is not gonna be able to come up with great engaging content.

But chat, PT can and they can access it and use it. You don't have to be smart to be able to do it. You don't even have to have great English. You can just mm-hmm. Ask it to do it right. And you can even ask it in tag go log, which is the main language of Philippines, and it'll. Translate it to English for you very easily.

Nice. Okay. It's a great tool for us. We use it all the time with everything that we do.

Michael: Are you using it in your front, like your front office is using it right now or no?

Justin: We use it for like predeterminations answering patient emails. I think that it's, it's good for just general questions, you know.

But it's not great for like real specific questions for insurance and stuff like that yet. Mm-hmm. But. Give it time, it will. So it just needs to be trained, the right data sets. It's just, it's, it's based more on general data versus real specific data. So, but like marketing for instance, which is very general data, it's got a ton of stuff but specifics on insurance, dental specific insurance, it's, it's not as helpful, so.

Mm-hmm. But I've asked questions like, what is the c d t code for this? I mean, you could, you could just Google it, but it also will find stuff that you typically could just Google.

Michael: Because it's more like a conversation, right? Google gives you a ton of options, but this will give you like, here's what I think.

Yeah. And the best option, right? Like one and the best kind of thing. Like right. One that isn't

Justin: perfect. I mean, it's not perfect, but man, it's, it's pretty cool. Cuz it feels like a lot of times it's a lot more just straight to the point. You don't have to go clicking on random stuff and dealing with a bunch of spam.

Yeah, it's fine. Yeah. You haven't used this. You gotta try it. It's, it's awesome. I got psyched about it. When I started using it. I was like telling my mom and all these people, A lot of people were just like, what? I don't care about this, you know? Yeah. But I'm like, this is revolutionary. This is awesome.

Can you see all the things you can do with it? So it's the type of person that is attracted to this kind of thing. Some people just don't care, you know, they're like, whatever, you know? Mm-hmm. But uh, to me it's just like super exciting, super fun, nice play with.

Michael: Can you give us one other AI kind of tool we can utilize within the practice?

Justin: Let's see. AI tool that we can utilize in the practice. You mean with Chet or with some other type of ai? Some other type

Michael: of ai.

Justin: Let's see. I really like uh, the script which is a is a video editing app. So I talked about video editing, so if you're doing any kind of video, it's really great for transcribing the, the text and then if you need to edit things like for instance, the uhs and the ums that are coming up, anytime you're having a conversation with, I'm sure I've said it all the time.

I, last podcast I had 400 uhs and ums and filler words. So it automatically pulls up all the US ums and filler words. The, the likes and the A means and things like that, you know? Yeah. You know? Yeah, exactly. And all it's on a like a script, kind of like Microsoft Word or. Slides, you know, like the, the, the Google Slides or something like that, or PowerPoint and you just delete it and it deletes the whole scene.

So basically the way you edit the video is just by deleting words. You can copy, paste and move 'em around or correct the specific words. So I've been using that a lot. To do little videos. I made a really cool video that's a testimonial for one of my staff members so that I can. Help try to find an assistant.

Unfortunately the in-office assistants are really hard to find. One of the reasons I started the company is because it's so hard to find good people nowadays. so I'm actually actively marketing, creating video content just to try to track people to come apply for my job. I pace the. Dental assistant add out.

No one responds. And, and this is not just with me, this is industry-wide. I've talked to people that run like my, one of my friends is Tanya Lanier, who owns Dental post.com, which is the biggest well, she, she, she sold it, but she used to own dental post.com, and it's one of the biggest. Places where people post job ads in the country for dental offices.

And she says it's happening everywhere as well as I'm part of d e O, which is Dental Entrepreneur's Organization. I'm hearing about it from all over the, the country that one of the biggest problems is just recruiting people is

Michael: really challenging. Yeah. Yeah. That's a good way to help though. That's a good way to help to use that, you know what I mean?

Right. To create it the way you wanted to create it and, and, and put your spin on it. So. Awesome. Justin, I appreciate your time and if anyone has further questions, where can they contact you at? we have

Justin: a website ww dot, www.virtualdentaloffices.com with the S at the end, O F F I C E S. You can, uh, email me directly, d r justin pure dental health.com.

That's my, my dental office, P U r e D E N T A l H e A L t h.com. And we have Instagram for both of those as well. So yeah, reach out anyway. You'll find me Justin Scott. Awesome. So guys,

Michael: that's gonna be all we one in Atlanta I know, but that's gonna be in the show notes below. So definitely go check it out.

And Justin, thank you for being with me on this Monday morning marketing episode.

Justin: Cool. Thanks man. Have a great week.

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This Episode is Sponsored by: Dandy | The Fully Digital, US-based Dental Lab
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For a completely FREE 3Shape Trios 3 scanner & $250 in lab credit click here: https://www.meetdandy.com/affiliate/tdm !

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Guest: Amy MurrayBusiness Name: Dental Practice Management AgencyCheck out Amy's Media:‍

Website: https://www.dentalpracticemanagementagency.com/

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Other Mentions and Links:

University of Tampa

Eaglesoft

Indeed

DISC Assessment

Marissa Nicholson

Dental Intel

Braving Video - Renee Brown

Shrek

Unreasonable Hospitality - Will Guidara

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Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer

Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍

Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society

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My Key Takeaways:

• Try not to talk over your patients! Instead, be an active listener to really hear the issues and concerns they have.
• Resumes only show technical qualifications, so always request a cover letter from applicants to really hone in on values and personalities!
• Always acknowledge patients when they walk in the door! Even just a smile and a wave can make all the difference.
• Engaging workshops and motivating projects are essential to an effective team meeting system.
• Having a third party coach that can see your practice from a bird's eye view is a valuable asset!

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Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]

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p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/ company, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.This Episode is Sponsored by: Dandy | The Fully Digital, US-based Dental Lab
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For a completely FREE 3Shape Trios 3 scanner & $250 in lab credit click here: https://www.meetdandy.com/affiliate/tdm !

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Thank you for supporting the podcast by checking out our sponsors!

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Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)

Michael: Amy, how's it going? Good, how

Amy: are

Michael: you? I'm doing pretty good. Thanks for asking. If you don't mind me asking, where are you located

Amy: right now? I'm actually in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, so right outside of Denver.

Michael: Nice. Okay, wonderful.

So if you can tell us a little bit about your past, your present, how'd you get to where you are

Amy: today? Well, let's see. I've been in dentistry 25 years. Um, how much time do we have? So I've been in dentistry five years and it's pretty exciting. I started off as a dental assistant and then I moved my way over into administrative roles.

So I was a treatment plan coordinator, receptionist, financial coordinator. Moved myself up to an office manager, decided at one point in my life I wanted to go back to college and get my bachelors degree and become a dentist, and that didn't work out very well. I actually fell in love with the topic of sociology applied sociology's degree in as soon as I graduated from University of Tampa Dentistry Concierge in Tampa.

Absolutely loved it. Um, from there I had an opportunity to move to Colorado and became a technology advisor. So I'd go into dental offices, I would teach about eaglesoft conversions, um, digital CAD cam training. And then from there I started my consulting role, uh, took a little bit of a time, a break and works for a sleep apnea company for devices and integrations into practice.

And now I'm back dental coaching and consulting. Okay.

Michael: Wow. So you were able to, you did technology training?

Amy: I did,

Michael: yes. Okay. Wow. So that's interesting. A a lot of this. So then go back to applied sociology. That's what you started falling in love with more. Why?

Amy: Oh, well, I took a class in inorganic chemistry, not once, but twice.

And so we didn't agree with, I took a class cause I had to in sociology. My PE professor walked in and, uh, he didn't look like a normal professor. And so I, I sat back and I opened myself up to this class. And what I loved about it is that it allowed me to learn more about, race, ethnic background, gender, um, age.

And it really breaks it down into how societies work and how they function with one another. And it's so applicable as to what I do today. Okay.

Michael: Okay, so then, so what you do today, how does those two mesh together?

Amy: How do they correlate? Well, you know, every day as a dental consultant is something new. So in saying that, I have wonderful clients that I work with.

They're, they're, they're the best in the business, I feel. And what I love about them is they are female, they're male, they're different age brackets. They come from different backgrounds and they're personal influences. Their professionals, where they went to dental schools, where they did their undergrad.

And so having this sociology background, I can help in understanding how they wanna grow their business and also the element of their team member. Team members come from so many different backgrounds. It's like a melting pot. So to be able to really understand them and the ways of communication and how different cultures, genders, ages, blend, that's how you get a beautiful practice.

So that's how I see they've kind of correlated.

Michael: Mm-hmm. Okay. Gotcha. So this all kind of stems. From the, so how does that apply when you're hiring, I guess a team, you're finding a team member, you're looking for them. We don't, I mean, do we wanna look at their like, oh, okay. Tell me more about your upbringing, or how does that work?

Amy: So, you know, it's quite interesting. I love the hiring pro, uh, process that we do with the agency. Uh, we place an ad, it's typically on indeed, When, um, individuals are applying, we do ask for them to place a cover letter, because a resume only shows me where you work and what your job responsibilities are.

A cover letter is huge. That's you telling me with your verbiage, who you are, where you excel, what's your background. I, I love a cover letter. That's just wonderful for me. After I received that, I actually called the doctor, or I call the applicant, and the first question I ask them is, tell me a little bit about yourself.

Such a really simple question. However, it's a very powerful, whenever I ask that question, I'm not really focusing on the personal, I wanna hear about your business. I wanna hear how you've, you know, grown your career. Where are you at, things of that nature. Then I'll ask for them, what's important for you in a dental practice to be a part of a team?

What is important to you? So I capitalize on those things. From there, I actually ask them if I can send them what's called a DISC assessment. And the DISC assessment actually helps me learn what is the best way that they like to communicate.

Michael: Okay. So there's like a system to it, a strategy. Yeah, very much so.

When it comes to the cover letter to you, what are things you look at where this is a wonderful, like this is should be framed, cover letter or one that's like, this is nothing, this doesn't tell me anything.

Amy: Wonderful, wonderful. Uh, question. So in a cover letter, what I wanna look for is a, that you can spell.

That's huge. Right? And grammatically, you know, actually how to place those punctuations. Cause think about it, in our industry right now and dentistry, we do a lot of emails, we do a lot of text messages as well. So grammatically, uh, you wanna be on point. Also, you wanna have a beautiful tonality as well. I want something that's really strike me.

So what are the words that you're using?

What wrong, uh, verbiage and powerful words are you putting in there for me to be like, okay, this person actually has like, much better, much better, has stepped up the game. So that's what I look for.

Michael: Okay. Now, so it doesn't, there's no length that you're also looking for like, oh, it has to be like 10.

Amy: Oh, no.

Now I always say, show me what you have. Show me who you are and why is it that you are wanting to apply for this position?

Michael: Okay, that's interesting. So then you, after you decided, we rewind a little bit back to you, you went to apply sociology, you learned, and then you decided to go into some positions where you're, you know, teaching technology a rep and things like that.

And then you switched to consulting.

Amy: I did. Why I did, I was actually in a training class. I was training a, uh, software and I had this beautiful person named Marissa Nicholson join in on my training. I had no idea who she was. Uh, her client and her, um, team members. She took me aside afterwards and she says, oh my gosh, you had such a plethora of knowledge, not only about the software, you were giving tips and tricks about how to run an administrative role.

I said, yes. I said, well, that's what I used to do in my past. And she says, have you ever thought about dental coaching and dental consulting? I was flabbergasted. I said, wow, you think that I'm good enough for that? She says, I think you're amazing. Okay. And so we started working together at that point. And it's been a beautiful friendship and a professional relationship since then.

Michael: And so that was the kickstart, the inspiration, the motivation to go into that? Yes. Very interesting. Yeah. Now, when it comes to an administrative role, you said, because that's, I would say that's your forte. Wouldn't that be your area of expertise? Yes.

Amy: That, uh, preservation of culture in the practice.

Communication. Oh, yes.

Michael: Okay, so when it, well, two questions, but the first one, when it comes to an administrative role, break it down for us. What are some things we need to absolutely have to create that system for an administrative role? And then what are some things that are not as important that we feel maybe are highlighted too much in social media or other stuff?

Amy: Mm-hmm. That's a good question. Uh, I would say for an administrative role, what's super important is for somebody, To greet patients, answer the phone with a smile, put a smile on your face, you change your physiology. It's amazing the verbiage and the tonality that comes outta your mouth. So I always think that it's somebody who is charismatic, who's very positive, who wants to be there, and who wants to be a team member.

They want to learn from there. I would say open communication. I feel as though in our administrative roles right now, we don't have a lot of people that are considered active listeners. We have a lot of people that want to talk over, talk over the patient. The patients are calling you because they need you, and you need to be the active listener.

Ask powerful and appropriate questions. Make sure that you're hearing what the patient has to say. Repeat back to the patient what you heard them say to make sure you're capturing it so eloquently, and then take care of what the need is that the patient's asking for.

Michael: Gotcha. What powerful and appropriate questions can you like prep us for that normally happen?

Amy: Definitely. I always like to, first I thank patients who call, so if it is calling Dr. Speedo's office, you wanna greet them and you wanna say Thank you for choosing Speedo Family Dentistry. This is Amy, I can help you. It's powerful in that introduction because A, it identifies you know who I am. Thank you so much for choosing.

If you could choose anybody, and I'm the person that's gonna be able to help you. From there, I like to ask them. Well, typically at that point they tell me what it is that they need. Mm-hmm. So I'm quiet and so it's appropriate for me to ask the next question. I always like to ask, are you a patient of record?

And if they say Yes, I've been there before, that's awesome. If they say, no, I've never seen this dentist before. I said, that's great. Welcome to your new dental home. I'm very happy to take care of you. How can I best support you? Or how can I help you? Mm-hmm. And then from there, again, I'm an active listener.

I listen to what the patient says and what it is that they need. If they're calling for a traditional profi appointment cleaning appointment, or if they need to get in and have their emergency met, then I'm asking a more key question. What are you feeling? Can you describe to me what location of the mouth is it?

So I like to ask all those fun key questions. It's like an onion. You wanna pull back the layers and keep asking and asking until you get exactly what it's.

Michael: Nice. Yeah. I feel like sometimes Amy, I remember when I was in the front, sometimes it would be like I'm rushing it, you know what I mean? The phone drinking, somebody just walked in and I'm like, okay, even though we have another front office.

And so when it comes to asking questions, it, two things I feel like it made me realize is one. I'm rushing it. And then the second it's like, Hey, how's everything coming along? Is it good? Is it bad? I'm, I'm giving them options to answer instead of being comfortable with the silence. So how can we be better with, comfortable with, you know what I mean?

Like asking 'em a question and then shutting up. And then the second thing would be, um, how do we handle not rushing it?

Amy: Definitely not rushing am it's, it's hard, right? That's a double-edged sword, especially being in, um, a very busy practice. Uh, as an administrator, you have people walking in, you have people giving you handoffs from the back.

Uh, you have other lines that are ringing. I always like to say that when a patient walks in, you should acknowledge them, acknowledge them with your eyes, even if you're on the phone, acknowledge 'em with their hand, um, and smile. So they know you're gonna be with them momentarily. What's most important, especially if there's a new patient on the phone, you never, ever, ever want, stop that conversation.

That's why I initially asked in the beginning, are you a patient of record? Are you a new patient? If they're a patient of record and I have all these other things that are happening, I'm very candid with the patient of record and say, you're extremely important to me. Could you please tell me what I can do to help you?

And then if it's something that I can call them back, I will gladly take their number and let them know I will call you back in the next five to 10 minutes. You gotta hold it to your word though. Mm-hmm. You gotta call him back five to 10 minutes. If it's a new patient, I'll simply roll through and do what I need to do.

Um, I also would hope that I would have strong enough administrators and team members that are cross trained, that if I'm focused on something, they can also help. But I believe that if you just simply smile and acknowledge and let people know, they generally get that queue and know that you'll be with them as quickly as possible.

Michael: Gotcha. Okay. So it involves also like. Letting the team members know, kind of Right. Maybe would you recommend like having like a, a signal or something when you're feeling like, okay, I have too much going on, and, you know, or, or what do you think? Yeah,

Amy: yeah, you could actually, I mean, we use this for hygiene all the time with the agency, which I love.

We have, uh, different colored cards. So what that means is we have green, if things are going good, there's, there's no. There's, there's not a lot of time that are on this phone call. We have yellow. Yellow is like, Ooh, this is a little bit tricky. Patient's asking a couple of questions, and then we have Ray, oh my gosh.

They have a whole lot of things that they wanna get across to us. So what you can do is you can have those series of cards and as somebody walks up without you mouthing anything, miss what the patient's saying. You can easily slide over a card and, and so they know. Mm-hmm. Now that's a visual cue, and then they can know that if it's yellow or red, hey, I need to take care of this patient.

Our administrator is really focused.

Michael: Gotcha. Okay. I like that. The card situation. Yeah. I feel like whenever you're stuck in a situation when you're with a team and you're having a hard time, there should be like a signal or something. Okay. You know what I mean? Yeah. Yes.

Amy: Yeah. There totally should be. There should be.

So, yeah. Uh, we help our teams with that, so it's just a fun idea.

Michael: Nice. That's wonderful. And so then you also mentioned one of your area of expertise is maintaining the team culture. Mm-hmm. And so first, how do we even. Find the, like I, for example, I'm just gonna give you an example. Like if I go, Amy, I want my culture to be happy.

Do we do, how do we go from there? What do we figure

Amy: out? So of course I'm gonna ask you what does happy mean to you? Like, give me some more words. That's just a real general, um, description. So I said, give some more words, more specific. Are you looking for team members? Are you wanting to preserve something that people are excited to come to work day?

That you're gonna be excited to, um, I don't know, answer the phone every day, things of that nature. Right. So the way that we go about preservation for positive culture in a practice is we actually do what's called observation. With the agency, which I love because this allows us to be able to float from front to back.

We watch admin side, we watch our das with our doctors, we watch hygiene, and we do this because there's certain key words that we want to see how the teams are interacting with each other and then also with the patients. So that's huge. not only do we do the observations and we're very candid, we give great feedback, constructive feedback to our team members and to our doctors as well to accelerate that.

We also provide monthly team meetings. Which, uh, we, as the business coaches and consultants, we run those. And what I love about them is that we have an agenda. We do fun workshops, we focus on communication. We do disc presentation, so we'll take disc off of everybody and we'll do a fun presentation on that.

Um, we'll actually talk about better strategies of how information is given and received by team members as well.

Michael: Okay. So then when it comes to the observation part, what are some things you've seen that you can share with us? Like the three most common, this is what happens and this is the solution for why we can stop making that happen when it comes to a problem.

Amy: Yeah, so definitely one of the things that we like to observe is the handoff. Those are critical, right? We like to know exactly, uh, that. Hy I'm gonna use hygiene, for example, if that's okay. Mm-hmm. Hygienist is in with the patient, right? It's a very, uh, it's like a dance of a relationship, right? The, the patient is gonna tell the hygienist more than they're gonna tell the doctor sometimes.

So what we like to do is we like to have the hygienist, uh, after they do it, the tore of the mouth. That they specifically write down things and they also tell the patient, Hey, you, I'm a little bit concerned. I see some things here, but let's confer with the doctor. When the doctor comes in. It's important, doctor. It's still great for the hygienist to say, you know, uh, Dr. Sido, today we're seeing Mrs. Jones, and what I saw with Mrs. Jones was X, Y, and z. I'm curious about this. Could you please take a look at this and then to go in if there's perio concerns or anything of that nature? there, the doctor's gonna do their dance, but the doctor is listening to the hygienist.

That's the beauty of it, right? That the hygienist is actually pointing out areas. And from there, what I love is that the doctor is gonna confer. Yep. You know you are exactly right. I see what you're seeing. Let's go ahead and get this patient scheduled. I'll see you in the next week, two weeks. There's a time and urgency.

That's that appointment. So now the patient's, not the patient has heard what they need to have done. Not once, but twice. And then the third time is when they're handed off from the hygienist to the administrator. So the patient is now hearing what they need three times. This is a beautiful dance because us as humans, we don't listen to things.

We don't grasp them one time. So by the time we're ready to get appointed, we're now hearing it three times and we know that is an urgency because the doctor has placed that. That really helps in the scheduling of practice.

Michael: Mm. It helps finalize it, right? Yeah. Yeah. Like to, to get it in there. Interesting. So do you ever feel, Amy, when you're doing the observations like. Team members act or perform kind of thing in front of you, right? And then they go back to like, because I mean, somebody watching, somebody's watching me. So I'm like, I gotta turn it on. And then maybe like somebody else is like Amy, he really doesn't act like that around here.

He just, you know what I mean? Does that happen?

Amy: Oh, it happens all the time. Happens all the time. Um, a lot of times myself, uh, Marissa and Nicholson and Chris Hamal, the main coaches, uh, we actually don't do a lot of the observations. We have our administrators, we have two administrators, uh, Jamia and Alexa, who actually go in on our behalf because we know how our team members act.

So if it's a different set of eyes, they might get a different reaction as well. you know, we're humans, so we go straight into our automatic, it's what we know. And if we know that somebody's watching us, like you said, we can step up our game a little bit and then we kinda fall back. Um, we definitely go in.

We try not to let everybody know that we're coming in so we can actually see them in their natural, uh, capabilities and where they land. Some of the times it's inevitable. If they see us, they see us. Uh, but a lot of times what we do like to do is kinda go in on the stealth mode and a different set of eyes.

It might get a different return. So

Michael: yeah. Okay. That's interesting. So then how can we main, we figured out how we can find the culture. How do we maintain it?

Amy: Maintaining. So it's critical to have those monthly team meetings. A lot of offices, the moment you say, oh, let's have a meeting, all of a sudden people are like, no, I don't wanna have a meeting.

Cause it's just by PowerPoint or there's people complaining and that's no fun, right? Mm-hmm. Uh, so I always like to say team meetings need to be motivated. Be transparent with your team about your numbers. We use a great digital software platform, Intel, and I love dental Intel. It only works with certain softwares, however, it will take within that software and put it in a dashboard, um, metric.

so doctors are really transparent with their teams and you're gonna get the best outta your teams. Now, they're also held accountable for daily goals. For DR. And hygiene as well. from there I always like to do what I like to call personal and professional check-in, so gimme one one of each and everybody around the room does that.

And I love it because a lot of times our teams don't have time to get to know each other, so everybody shares something great that's happened with them personally and professionally. Very clear about numbers. And then I'll actually bring in a workshop. Workshops are huge. You can go on YouTube and actually Google different type of inspirational videos.

Brown is one of our. And you can pull from what she's saying and you can actually make that into a really small workshop. Ask your team powerful questions, have them work together and that is beautiful. Cause at the end of the day, you're preserving that culture cuz you're teaching everybody how to properly communicate.

Michael: Yeah. What have been some amazing workshops that you've done, Amy? Well, I

Amy: love disc. Disc is my favorite. When we make it really fun, we actually use the movie Shrek as a part of our disc presentation. Mm-hmm. Because, uh, you have the dominant person, you have the other person who's very interactive. You have the one that needs and the one that needs consistency. And, uh, so this has to be my absolute favorite. Second would be braving, uh, by Brene Brown. Mm-hmm. It's actually teaching everybody how to trust a team member and how a person needs to be what's called a vault. And when you tell somebody something who is a bolt, you know that they are gonna take whatever you say, to their grave.

And so I love that one as well. And it's really learning how to trust one another, which a lot of times is a work in progress. Huh?

Michael: Can you give us some steps right now on how we can tell our team, like you, you need to trust, you need to trust Suzy Bell, like, you know what I mean? How can we, yeah. What are some things we can do?

Amy: Well, definitely I always say if you have an upset with somebody, you have to go directly to that person, right? And you have to clear the air. A lot of times it's very difficult to do. We do teach people how to do that so they feel comfortable in their own skin and to be able to go to that person. We also like to talk about how in breathing that it's super important to know that. When you set that positive culture in the practice and you know that I can go and I can talk to this person, and this person is not going to, uh, take what I say, take it outta context, share it with other people, um, we teach them that you'll have a beautiful friendship and professionalism for the rest of your life.

Right, and it's really, it's learning to like and love each other. And that disc plays an important role because it's how, how can I read that person? Are they very direct? Are they mostly like a high, they're not. Listen, So it's really understanding the disc part and establishing those parameters and boundaries, um, for giving in, receiving information, and the, the three all work together, so Beautiful.

Michael: Nice. When you do these workshops and assessments, or even before that, what do you do when you notice there's a team member who you're like, you don't fit, man. Like, you just don't, you're. You're negative or something. Like what? What happens with that?

Amy: Ooh. Those are what I like to call crucial conversations.

Mm-hmm. Right? Mm-hmm. Uh, you even see it outside of the team meeting, you can pretty much pick it up pretty quickly, right. Um, what I like to do, always like to believe in the beauty of everyone. I will ask the doctor if it's okay for me to take that team member aside and really one-on-one. I'll ask the team member, are you doing okay?

That's the first thing I'll ask them. If they say, yes, I'm doing fine. Say, okay, well I've noticed that there's a little bit of, um, you're not being your best self. And what I mean by that is I see so much beauty in you. How Courtney does that sound right? Me? Just saying that I see the beauty in you. It's true though.

Cause look, I just said it to you and you smiled and you left. Mm-hmm. Right? Made you feel good. I see the beauty in you and I can see that you are so much more than what you're giving right now. So how can I get the very best out of you? And usually once I do that, even if you are the highest in their D category of dominant.

I can get a pretty good response back and I kinda figure out what's going on with them.

Michael: Gotcha. Also, you normally see that in the dominance. Like people who are like I, you know what Do you think it's that? Because it's like somebody else is coming into here and I run it kind of thing? Or, or no?

Amy: Oh yeah.

Oh yeah. Some of the highs, I love them. Each category has a special place in my heart, but the highs, they're gonna tell you what they need and what they want and everything else just doesn't really matter to them. It's okay. They have a special place in this world. to teach them to be more open and better communicators.

That's where I kind of land when I ask them those questions.

Michael: Gotcha. I have a question for you then, because I guess what do you do when, what is the best way, if you can tell, like the listeners, this will help facilitate the coach coaching consultant team or coaching consultant practice. So much easier if you do these steps.

If you don't, you're gonna put the blame on me, or you're gonna put the blame on somebody else. You're just not gonna see the results you want. What would help

Amy: with that? Well, I would say definitely, uh, look at a dental coach, right? They are, I know a lot of doctors are like, gosh, you know, I have, I have so many overhead expenses, and, and it can be costly.

I understand that. Hiring a dental coach is taking a third party person who is actually looking for the betterment of you for the betterment of your practice and keeping your team sustainable. And that's huge. I feel as though, uh, bringing somebody on board who has the outside perspective that can look in and be very honest with you.

I am honest with all of my clients. Good, better, indifferent at the beginning of our relationship. I tell them at times, you may not like what I'm gonna say, and I understand that I am looking out for the betterment for you guys to be successful. I always tell my my wonderful clients as well, I, I don't plan on being with you forever and ever.

Amen. I'm gonna teach you the tools and I want you to fly, and if you need me to come back to redirect, I'm gonna be there. but we are together for a period of time. So a lot of times doctors think, oh my gosh, I'm gonna get this consultant. They're gonna be with me forever. And sustainability and financial agreements, um, our agency doesn't operate like that.

Again, we will, uh, teach you how to fish and then we want you to go up and be completely successful and we'll always be your biggest cheerleaders.

Michael: Okay. So it's mainly like the communication that you want. All the time. Right to, yeah. Let them know like, hey, yeah. Be, because I remember we, we would have a lot of coaches and consultants, like even with Somewhere, I'm like, where do you come from?

Like, you know what I mean? Like, I've never heard of some of these before. Like I'm just like, where are you? Right? And so I never knew what they did in the sense of, oh, now we're just taking Medicaid or Medicare. You know what I mean? Now we're just doing something else. And I would see them kind of run through the door.

And I remember our office manager sometimes or other people, they'd be like, yeah, you know what, they don't know what they're talking about. Yeah. They're not gonna come in here and fix it. And I'm like, maybe if we were more flexible, it would've worked. Or maybe if they knew what they were, you know what I mean?

Kinda

Amy: thing. Yes, yes. It's very, very true. It's very, very true. I always love to give team members, I always like to let them know I am joining to help you grow. A lot of times when team members hear the word consultant or business coach, they automatically think that they're not gonna have a job.

And that's scary. So of course their defenses are already up. So when Chris, Marissa, or myself go into a practice, we always introduce us who we are. I give them my background. I always say to administrators, I used to do what you did. I know how important your role is. Mm-hmm. And I'm here to help you.

You had three things. Three things you love in this practice, tell me. And then they'll tell me. I said, okay, if you had three things that you wanna make better in this practice, what are they? And I asked every single team member that question, and let me tell you, nine times outta 10, they're all saying the same thing.

They might say it differently, there's a common thread. And that's when I typically take that common thread back to the doctor and I say, okay, so this is what I'm hearing. This is what I'm seeing. But I like to let the team members know that I'm there for them. I want them to grow and for them to be successful.

Michael: Mm. Okay. I like that. Three common things, you know what I mean? Yeah. Especially if they're all like, what's this one person? Then, you know, like, ok, then we gotta get rid of that one person. Whatever. Interesting. I'm kinda ok. Yeah. Yeah. So these next questions are just to get into the head of someone who isn't totally involved on the clinical side of dentistry, working every day in the mouth, right?

Yeah. What would you like to see more from a dentist?

Amy: Oh goodness. What I would love to see more from a dentist is, Look at your team members, be appreciative of your team members, and know that they are there every day, day in and day out to make you better and to support you. I think a lot of times as dentists, we overlook that.

They are so worried about, um, overhead, right? Getting more new patients. How do I market myself better? There's so many things that they're thinking of, and a lot of times we really don't look inside and we really don't appreciate the team that is supporting us and helping us grow. So what I mean by that is I always tell my doctors once a quarter, do an activity with your team.

Show them how much you appreciate them. My goodness. Um, order, coffee, things of that nature. It's the small things that really mean a lot. one workshop that we do, it's really great, we talk about value, um, morals and values, and I learn while the doctors there, what their team member values. And some of the times the doctors sit back and they're like, I never knew that that's what they needed.

That's what them going in the day. So I, I feel as though that type is, um, really gonna make it better for, for the, for the dentist all the way around.

Michael: Mm. Okay. I like that. Like doing activities with them, letting them know you appreciate them. Yeah. Um, understanding that it is true. You need them to, you know what I mean?

You need

Amy: them. Yeah. You need them.

Michael: They're important. Okay. All right. So next question is right now. What do you dislike or hate about dentistry?

Amy: Oh, goodness. That's a tough question. I would have to say, uh, what I dislike with dentistry right now is, um, everybody is looking for new patients, right? The, the dentist believe that more new patients I have is the bigger and better that I'm gonna grow, and they miss that.

They miss what's most important. What's most important is the current patients that you're serving. So what do I mean by that? Well, when your patients walk, the first question that your administrator needs to ask is, how is your visit today? That's such an important question because that one question, if they had a great visit and the patient responds, oh, it was awesome.

It was great. That is so wonderful. We are accepting new patients. Do you know of anybody who's looking for a new dental home? And then again, active listeners don't say anything. Mm-hmm. Don't say anything. And if they say, well, you know, I don't know. Here's some of our cards. We love patients just like you.

So if you do, please send them our way. What a beautiful compliment you just gave somebody. Right? And positivity. They're gonna go and they're probably gonna tell other people. And by organic growth, we're getting new patients. And I think that if dentists would take a moment and take a step back and really listen to what I have to say in regards to that, you would be amazed what you would get.

Mm,

Michael: doing that with every single patient, right? Every single patient.

Amy: And it flows, it really does flow. Uh, at first when you tell administrators to do this, they look at you and they say, I don't have enough. That's what they say. I don't enough time. You actually do have enough time. It really just rolls off so easily because you know Mrs.

Jones, you know she's amazing and you want more people like her. So give her that beautiful compliment and let her know you guys are looking for new patients and when you want people just like her. Mm-hmm.

Michael: Beautiful. I like that. I like that a lot. Okay, so focus on the internal marketing kind of thing.

Yeah. Yeah. Awesome. Okay. And then right now, what do you absolutely love about dentistry?

Amy: What I love about dentistry is, um, all the beautiful team members that I get to work with and the wonderful clients that I have. It's super important. With our agency, we focus on the quality of our clients, not the quantity.

The quantity doesn't define us. What definitely defines us as the quality. I love the fact that, um, my clients know they can call me whatever time, day or night, and I'm gonna be there for them even on the weekend. I cherish them. I cherish our relationship. I love the fact that they were like a, they opened their kimona for me to come into their practice and to help them succeed.

So, being an open dentist, it really does open you up to so many capabilities and possibilities. It's pretty awesome. That's what I really love about dentistry now. Nice. How

Michael: does, let me ask you side note, how does that affect your, I guess, like personal life? If they're always like, you can call me no matter what, whenever.

All the time. Yeah. What does that look like?

Amy: Oh, it's great. It really is. Uh, a lot of times they don't always take me up on that. However, if it's a nine one emergency, they know that I'm gonna be there. You know, Chris, Marissa, myself, we do like to spend time with our families and outta town. The beauty about our working relationship is that we will cover for one another as well.

Mm-hmm. So we communicate if somebody's gonna be non-available, that person, the other coach will be responsible to take those calls. So I try to kinda balance it the best as possible. But again, it comes down to the quality of my clients and not the quantity. I, I love them all dearly and I wanna take the very best care of them.

So whatever it takes.

Michael: Yeah, that's nice. That's wonderful. And then to you thinking of the general population, what needs to change for people to be more open to dentistry?

Amy: Well, you know, unfortunately we live in a populace where we have a lot of patients who are very fearful of the dentist. And so they won't go, and I'd like to think that, you know, unfortunately, fortunately, COVID actually brought a lot of attention to this because it's the oral cavity, right?

Oral cavity is the gateway to your systemic health. And so what I'm really, really hoping is, is that people will take their oral health very seriously. So where does that come from? It actually comes from, um, you know, children being in school and they have a hygienist.

embrace your child to take them. Find a great dentist that suits you. as a patient, when you call a dental office, ask specific questions. Ask how long have they been in dentistry? What do they special? Do they do history? Uh, let let the administrator know. If you're high fear, you know, gosh, I just don't like coming to the dentist.

Right? And find that right practice. That's going to love you and support you and help you in your dental journey. Okay.

Michael: I like that a lot. And then, what's one of the best advice you've ever received that you can share with our listeners? Oh,

Amy: in general. In general? Mm-hmm. In general, um, you know, One of our, uh, Chris Oval, this one is the best for me.

I've gotten better. I've gotten better. I was not the person who was always on time, right? Mm-hmm. And I love philosophy. If you're on time, you're late, so you need to be early. And that's considered on time. I think that that was actually the best piece of advice she has ever given to me and has shown me.

Because for me, when you're early to something, it shows that person that you're meeting, Hey, I'm here undivided attention. I'm waiting for you. I'm excited to meet you. So I always like to live with that, that theory of if I'm early, I'm one time. Yeah. And I'm winning. And it shows that person that they're very important.

Nice.

Michael: Wonderful. Awesome. Amy, thank you so much for being with us. It's been a pleasure. But before we say goodbye, can you tell our listeners where they can find you?

Amy: Oh, yes, you can. You can go to www.dentalpracticemanagementagency.com and you will find myself, Marissa Nicholson and Chris Hamal. Awesome.

Michael: So guys, that's gonna be in the show notes below.

And Amy, thank you so much for being with us. It's been a pleasure, and we'll hear from you soon.

Amy: Thank you so much. It was a pleasure.