Nov 23, 2007

The Best View On Marketing EVER!

If you're here in the U.S., I hope you're having
a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday week. If you're in Canada,
the UK, Australia, Belgium, South Africa, New Zealand,
and any other countries represented by members of
this list of savvy dentists...I hope you're having
a spectacular week as well.

The other day I came across an outstanding quote by
one of the 20th century's top management experts,
Peter Drucker. Originally from Austria, Mr. Drucker
studied many of the world's top corporations of the
post-WWII era. His writings on business and management
are brilliant.

Here's the quote:
"Marketing is not a function. It is the whole business
seen from the customer's point of view."

That's the BEST perspective on marketing I've ever seen!

Think about that one good and hard for a minute or two.
Drucker's saying that marketing isn't just something
that you "do" for your practice...it's the way people
SEE your practice. That's BIG.

Your IDENTITY to your patients, and those who are not
yet your patients,is what they see (or don't see) in
your marketing. OK, now let me define "marketing" from a
slightly different, yet parallel, angle:

"Marketing is ANY communication with your customers and/or
prospects that influences them to do more OR less business
with you."
- Me

Hopefully that makes you VERY conscious of the decisions you
make in your practice on a daily basis...the things you and
your team say to your patients...how phone calls are handled...
how your patients are treated...etc.

Also, you should be VERY careful considering whom you allow
to design ANY of your ads or marketing materials! Whether
they know it or not--and most don't--they are DEFINING
who you are to the world.

So...look around your practice. Look at your current marketing.
Listen to what you and your team are saying to your patients.
Observe how you and your team are acting toward your patients.

Be OBJECTIVE. Ask your team to do the same. Then meet with
them and discuss your findings. Don't focus on the negative.
When you uncover a problem, focus on POSITIVE solutions that
will get you better results. There's your opportunity.

All my best,
Chris

PS: This may be one of THE most important messages I ever
send to you. Be sure to keep this one in a safe place. Read
it to your team...get them involved!

PPS: The solution is NOT "pretty", image based marketing! It's
not about how your marketing looks...it's how it communicates
that matters! More on that in the future.

PPPS: If you liked this and other messages, please forward it
to dentist colleagues whom you think might enjoy them too.
They can join my Dental Insiders E-Alert List for free at:
www.DentalInsiders.com

This E-Alert subscription is separate from Preferred or Elite
Membership in Dental Insiders Alliance. It's a great way
for an interested colleague to "dip a toe in the water" and
get a taste of what DIA is all about.

Nov 20, 2007

Don’t Please The Turkeys, Part 2

Last time in Part 1 of "Don't Please The Turkeys", I
outlined what you should NOT do when your systems, policies,
and philosophy are challenged by a "turkey" dental patient.
By "turkey", of course I mean those that SUCK the lifeblood
right out of you and your team and your practice.

Clearly, they're not ALL that bad. In fact, many turkeys...
if you intervene quickly enough...can be transformed into
some of your best patients. Here in Part 2 I'll reveal
my 3-step process you can use to handle the turkeys in YOUR
practice.

-->Step 1 - Give them the benefit of the doubt...BEND a little.
Okay, I'm not that much of a Nazi with our protocols. There is
a time when it's good practice to be flexible with a challenging
patient, and the ONLY time to do so is at the START of the
relationship.

As long as we don't violate our principles, we actually do go
quite far to please every patient in the beginning...even if
it means bending a policy a little to meet them in the MIDDLE.
However, we do gently explain our protocols, and that we're
making an exception at this time. The implied message is that
next time we expect them to reciprocate by fitting into OUR
systems.

Many times "dental turkeys" act the way they do because of
prior negative dental experiences. I want to give ALL patients
the OPPORTUNITY to become a great patient...and many of them
do if given that chance. Being generous with courtesy is
the best front-end strategy.

-->Step 2- The next time...HOLD YOUR GROUND with CALM CONFIDENCE!
Only a turkey will try a second time to overcome your systems
and policies to get what they want. If their requests are
unreasonable, don't give in. Use my favorite verbal skill
for this situation instead:

"I wish I could do that for you, but what I can offer is..."

That's our way of saying NO! Again, only the true turkeys
will try to continuously buck your system. If you hold your
ground, the better patients will comply, while most of the
turkeys will "self select" themselves OUT of your practice.

Many times the right thing is NOT done because the team FEARS
that the doctor will be angry at them for "losing" a patient.
If you articulate to your team that you're OK with losing a
TURKEY patient (you MUST be clear to define that), then they'll
feel more confident in letting them go by sticking to their guns!

-->Step 3- FIRE the stubborn turkeys! Eliminate them EARLY!
Dan Kennedy refers to "time and energy vampires" as those who
continuously try to SUCK everything they can from you. His
solution: "Drive a STAKE through their heart"! Similar here.

You don't have to endure the headaches that turkeys generate.
You can't afford to let the turkeys in your practice dominate
your attention and energy. Given the chance they'll do just
that. So cut it off at the pass...get rid of your turkeys.

NOTE: You know I'm not an attorney, so I'm not giving official
legal advice. Confirm your state laws regarding patient
dismissal, and abide fully by those laws. Once clear, cut the
cord.

There you have it. I hope this helps you in dealing with
your most difficult, unreasonable patients. Once, given
the chance to be good patients, they PROVE to you that they
won't, then they don't deserve to be a part of your practice.

Remember, "Turkeys are for EATING, not for TREATING"!

All my best,
Chris

PS: If you're not a Dental Insiders Alliance member, you're
missing out. I'm going to leave my expired "Too Good To Be True"
Bonus Package offer (worth over $2173.00) up for a few more days,
then I'm taking it down. You'll get that plus 2 months of
Preferred Membership in DIA for no monthly fee...you'll only pay
the tiny $5.97 shipping fee. All the info is here:
www.DentalInsiders.com/testdrive

Nov 18, 2007

Don’t Please The Turkeys, Part 1

As my family and I are preparing to host 19
relatives for another busy but wonderful
Thanksgiving dinner, my thoughts turn to
turkeys.

But being the "dentaholic" that I am, I can't
resist the urge to discuss a different kind of
"turkey"...the dental kind...and what to do
about them.

I'm speaking of course about those patients
in your practice who are your most troublesome
patients. The ones who cancel, no show, whine,
complain, are overly demanding, or for some other
reason just a big pain in the you-know-what.

You know who I'm talking about. If you're like me,
about 4 or 5 names come to mind almost immediately!

This is Part 1 of 2 about the turkeys in your practice,
and what to do about them. Actually, this message
is about what NOT to do FOR them.

Don't PLEASE them IF it involves altering your
policies or systems in any way! In other words,
don't allow them to influence you to "bend the rules"
for them over and over again.

The turkeys seem to be unusually good at stretching
the limits of your "laws". They take advantage of
your intentions to make your patients happy. And in their
efforts to be made happy, they make you and your team
MISERABLE.

For your sanity, don't let it happen. Be sure that your
protocols are appropriate for 80-90% of your patients, but
not so "loosy-goosy" that they placate everyone...including
the turkeys.

You're gonna get complaints from some of your patients, no
matter what your policies are. Better for the complaints to
come from your WORST patients instead of your BEST patients!

So you might as well have the systems in place that are most
suitable for MASSIVE practice growth. Keep in mind that
this implies EXTREME satisfaction of the vast majority of
your patients!

In Part 2, coming very soon, I'll outline exactly what you
need to do with those TURKEYS!

All my best,
Chris

PS: If you're not a member of Dental Insiders Alliance yet,
you're missing out. You can get 2 months of Preferred
Membership with the monthly fees waived...all you'll pay is
the paltry $5.97 shipping fee. Plus "Dentistry's Too Good To
Be True" Bonus Package, worth over $2173.00. I've extended the
expiration date beyond the date posted, but I plan on pulling
the offer down sometime soon...so you may want to go there now:
www.DentalInsiders.com/testdrive

Nov 12, 2007

Greetings From…Baltimore??

Greetings from Baltimore! No, I haven't moved my
family away from beautiful Charlotte, NC. I'm here
for just 2 days, but it's a VERY important 2 days.

I'm meeting with an ultra-high level mastermind
group of millionaire business builders and marketers,
led by master marketer Bill Glazer. Bill is Dan
Kennedy's right hand man, and he actually owns and
runs the Glazer-Kennedy Inner Circle (formerly
the Dan Kennedy Inner Circle).

Bill has "TEN-TIMESED" Dan's previous business over
the last 5 years! It's truly amazing to be in a room
with him and 19 other heavyweights to share our best
profit producing strategies.

Please note that I'm the ONLY dentist in this group.
Only 20 members are invited into this mastermind
group from thousends of members, and they come from
all sorts of different businesses and industries.

There are a couple of real estate experts, an internet
marketing KINGPIN, a martial arts SENSEI, even a
cosmetics EMPIRE owner from Spain! Plus more. This
group is phenomenal...and I've learned more from them
than from ANY other source EVER (and still learning).

During these meetings we have BIG BREAKTHROUGHS...
revolutionary ideas that quickly result in
MASSIVE increases in business.

Why am I telling you all this? Simple. The BEST
ideas and strategies for building and growing an
ultra-successful dental practice actually come
from OUTSIDE of dentistry! When applied to our
profession, the concepts can literally CATAPULT
your practice to its next level of success.

My commitment to you...and to dentistry...is to
bring all the best information about creating your
"Shortcut To Success" straight into your hot little hands.
I'm converting it into applicable ideas for dentistry
FOR you, so you can use it for your practice, and watch
your numbers grow!

Stay tuned...there's more coming later this week.
Gotta go for now.

All my best,
Chris

Nov 9, 2007

It’s Already Christmas at Starbucks!

"Fa la la la laah, la la, la, LATTE!"
(And what this means for YOU)

Yes, it's official...the holiday season HAS started.
I walked into my neighborhood Starbucks yesterday,
November 8th no less, and the whole place was "decked"
out for the holidays. Not just holly, by the way.
Christmas blends of coffee, holiday cookies, CD's,
you name it. Even the menus are switched out to RED!

This is VERY important to you and your practice. It
signifies the beginning of the massive American mental
shift that is the holidays...earlier each year.

Translated, it's even MORE difficult now to get your
patients thinking about YOU, their dentist, and all
the dental work they should be getting done before
the end of the year. To be quite blunt, they ain't
usually thinking about you anyway. Between now and
January 10th or so, it's worse.

So...what can you do about it? Reach out to them,
that's what. Literally PREVENT them from forgetting
that you're there. Granted, it's a little late in
the pre-holiday marketing cycle, but it's not TOO late.

Although it's best to set up for a great November and
December in September and October, you can still have a
positive impact on your holiday numbers this year.

There's still time to send out your End Of Year Insurance
Letter, which reminds your patients that they'll leave
a bunch of THEIR insurance money on the table if they
don't use it up by your last working day in December.
Dental Insiders Alliance members have access to my version
of this killer internal marketing tool.

If you hurry you can send out Thanksgiving cards to your
patient base. Online services such as Amazing Mail
(www.amazingmail.com) can upload your patient list and
send out the card you select within 2 business days!
Include a special offer for the holidays, like $97
Whitening, or $100 Savings Certificate, expiring
December 20th...as a gesture of THANKS.

Similarly, a "White Christmas" promotion can allow your
patients to purchase a "Smile Certificate", which they can
use themselves or gift to someone else.

My Dental Insiders Alliance members recently received
perhaps my best seasonal marketing CD ever: "3 Magical
Marketing Strategies To End 2007 With A BANG!" It contains
EVERY detail involved in the above 3 campaigns, plus
more.

If you're not a member yet, you need to jump in NOW
if you still want to benefit from the information.
I only have 18 CD's left from my original allotment,
and I'm not going to produce any more.

By the way, the same strategies will work just as well
NEXT year too...and you'll already have the CD! The best
part is that I'm virtually giving it away, along with over
$2173.00 worth of other bonuses, including 2 months of
Preferred Membership in Dental Insiders Alliance.

All the details can be found here:
www.DentalInsiders.com/testdrive

What will you be doing on December 31? Scratching your head,
wondering why December was slow AGAIN? Or CELEBRATING a
RECORD MONTH, because you grabbed the bull by the horns
and MADE your dental practice a part of your patients'
holiday plans? I hope the latter!

All my best,
Chris

PS: This is NOT the time of year to start marketing "cold"
to non-patients! External marketing projects are typically
not as productive until January/February. Stick with internal
projects.

PS2: The above-mentioned CD also includes details about
VOICE-BLASTING, EMAIL-BLASTING, multi-stepped campaigns,
and how to coordinate them. Either "blasting" technique can
be accomplished with LIGHTNING SPEED...it's not too late!

Nov 6, 2007

Was I Abducted By Aliens?

Hi...I hope all is well with you and your practice.

You may have wondered why you haven't heard from me
in a while. Well, that's a good question. After all,
this is the "Weekly E-Alert Letter", right?

Well, I wish I could give you a dramatic story like:

"I was ABDUCTED by ALIENS! They took me to a galaxy far
far away, where all the dentistry is ideal, and all of
the aliens LOVE their dentist! I spent 14 years with
them while not aging one "Earth day". Then I returned to
Earth unharmed."

But I can't. Fact is, I've been buried deep in a dental
practice that's busier than it's ever been. Plus, my family
has kept me ultra-busy as well, and rightly so! But that's
really no excuse. Instead, I can offer you this "damaging
admission":

I simply haven't kept up with this E'Letter like I should've.
I let other distractions get in my way, and for that I take
complete responsibility.

So...now that that's out of the way, I have an announcement
to make. Not only will I be getting back on track with the
Dental Insiders Alliance E-Alert Update; I'm going to DOUBLE
the frequency!

That's right...your Weekly E-Alert Update will now be delivered
TWICE weekly! Once on or about Monday morning, and once on or
about Friday morning. I'm doubling my output for you, so you
can look forward to more great stuff from me.

Granted, it's not the level of access to me that my Preferred and
Elite Dental Insiders Alliance members have. But it does give
you a great "glimpse behind the curtain", so you can get to know me
better.

If you're already a member, you'll get these E-Alerts too as an
added membership benefit. It's your icing on the cake.

I'm excited about this renewed commitment to you, as I have
so much to share. And I invite your feedback at:
DrChrisBowman@DentalInsiders.com

Have an AMAZING week!

All my best,
Chris