Let's talk about that patient list for a minute...

Last time I shared with you the vital importance of developing
and maintaining a strong relationship with your own patient list.
As I said then, this list is BY FAR your most valuable asset...
and it needs to be nurtured as if it were.

To clarify, your "patient list" consists of the names and ALL
contact information of your existing patients. The names alone
are worthless without the means to contact them routinely via
several different avenues. Home, work and cell phone numbers,
email address, and snail mail address are the minimum you'll
need. If you're missing any of these, get them now.

I was going to discuss how best to "mix your messages" for maximum
effectiveness, but I'm going to save that for Monday. In its
place today I want to bust a BIG MYTH that many doctors buy into,
and how it can wreck the results you COULD get from the concept
of Continuous Consistent Contact. That myth is the belief that:

"ONLY patients who have been in your office within the last 2
years or so" should be considered as your 'existing' patients."

I want to emphasize that I said "existing" patients. To me
that means ALL patients that have NOT specifically left your
practice, or have NOT asked to no longer receive messages from you.
I need to discuss this for a moment, because it's very important.

Don't listen to any so-called experts who tell you to "deactivate"
patients that haven't been in for 24 months or whatever they say.
Bluntly, that's a bunch of C-R-A-P. Keep them ON your list until
they "opt out", period. If you haven't been staying in touch,
why do you think they ain't comin' in?!?!

Most of these patients have NOT gone to another dentist...they
just haven't been back to see you. It's easy to sit and wonder,
"what did we do wrong?" But it's usually something in the
patient's life that has kept them away, whether it be a legitimate
reason or their own procrastination.

As Walter Hailey used to say: "It's not that they don't think very
much of you...it's just that they don't think of you very much!"

Problem is, since you never contacted them, they FORGOT about you,
or they thought YOU didn't want them to come back! Many even think
that you're MAD at them, and they're embarrassed that they've been
away for so long. So they go somewhere else, because it's easier
for them to start over than to face you. Twisted, but true.

Imagine if you had kept in touch with mailed newsletters, timely
emailed messages, and more. These patients would feel CONNECTED
to you and your practice, even if they haven't been in a dental
chair for a few years.

What if, in your communications, you reached out to overdue
patients with a "no guilt zone" message, welcoming them back with
open arms? You'd still be their "obvious choice"...and when
they're finally ready to return to a dentist, they'll return to
YOU!

More importantly, many of these overdue patients would never have
gone overdue. When you stay in touch, you stay "top of mind",
and you develop a sense of reciprocity in your patients that
compels many of them to be better patients and stick to their
recall schedules.

Want the BEST part? Here it is. Your good patients will become
GREAT patients for the same reasons. They'll DO MORE DENTISTRY!
They'll REFER more, especially if they are invited frequently to
refer. And your greatest patients...well, there will just be
more of them. Would that be OK with you?

Please don't worry about the perceived costs of maintaining
your relationships with your patients by staying in touch.
If done properly, any money invested in Continuous, Consistent
Communication with them will come back many times over!

So...keep your list stocked with your more regular patients AND
all those patients that haven't been so regular. Give them ALL
the opportunity to remain in your family of patients. If you've
neglected your patient list, get started today at cultivating
them.

All my best,
Chris

Dr. Chris Bowman
www.DentalInsiders.com/patientattraction

PS: Next time...my recipe for the best "message mix"!

Your absolute most valuable asset...and....

OK, it's Monday..."time to make the donuts!"

Your Absolute Most Valuable Asset...and...
What To Do With It!

Lately I've gotten an increasing number of messages from dentists
around the US and Canada, asking me what THE most effective thing
is that they can do to close out 2009 strong. No doubt, many
dentists are suffering poor growth, or even a decline in business
this year. They want answers...they NEED answers. How about you?

Well, first I'll answer the above question by emphasizing that
there is NO ONE THING that will catapult your practice to new
levels this year...or any year. Sustained, consistent growth comes
from implementation of a MULTITUDE of actions and initiatives.
That's the only way to build true momentum. The last thing you
want is only one way to acquire new patients, for example. If that
source ever goes dry, to put it bluntly you're hosed.

Nevertheless, you may want to know where to START. OK, I'll give
you my best recommendation, right now. Start with your most
valuable asset:

- your own PATIENT LIST.

Without question, your most valuable asset in your practice is
your patient list, and the relationship you have with that list
will largely determine how successful you'll be, and how much
you can expect to grow your practice in ANY economic climate.

Sure, new patients are critical to practice growth. You always
need a flow of new patients, and I always advocate constant
marketing for new patients. However, while most dentists tend
to focus solely on acquiring new patients, they neglect the
massive opportunity that exists within their own patient family.
They already know you, and they'll typically be more receptive
to your messages...IF you send them!

Just like a farmer tends to the crops, you must care for and
cultivate your patient list for best results. If you do this
your "harvest" will always be strong!

There is NO group that you have more influence over than your
list of patients...that is, IF you are STAYING IN TOUCH with them
consistently over time. Every month you do not contact your
patients you LOSE 10% of your influence with them...and they
begin to forget who you are!

I recommend keeping in touch with your patients a MINIMUM of
twice per month, through various methods. Yes, that's 24 times
per year. And recall cards and statements don't count!

How, you ask? I've found the best way to stay connected with your
patients is with a combination of mailed monthly newsletters and
emailed newsletters. You need BOTH...don't rely only on email
to get your message across. In fact, the physical, mailed
newsletter should be the cornerstone of your communications
with your patients!

One BIG point: Any promotions or offers you make to your patients
will be MUCH more effective if you've been keeping in touch with
them over time! They must be "trained" to receive your messages,
and the only way to do that is to SEND them messages consistently.

In a couple of days I'll continue this thread with advice about
the best MIX of communications to use...that it, how to weave
your non-promotional messages with any offers you make. Stay tuned!

All my best,
Chris

Dr. Chris Bowman
Dental Insiders Alliance
www/DentalInsiders.com/patientattraction

How the $1 Consultation increases your show rate!

It's getting a little chilly down here in Charlotte (or "up" here
if you're south of us)...this is perhaps my favorite time of year.
No more stifling 90+ degree days with raging humidity, just shirt
sleeves days and cool crisp nights.

Speaking of "chilly", that can be the mood in your office when
your promising "Free Consultation" patient no shows for his or
her first visit in your office. You attract interested prospects
with your marketing, they call and schedule their free consultation,
and you're all excited to discuss their interests and be THE
solution for them. They even sound excited and "ready to go" on
the phone!

Then they don't show up.

No call, no notice...no patient.

You double check the schedule...walk up to the front...ask the
team what happened, and of course they're dumbfounded and frustrated
too. Yes, they called to confirm. Yes, the new patient even
called back and said "yes I'll be there." But still no patient.

There aren't many things that grate on me more than missed
appointments with little or no notice. It's the biggest disrespect
of someone else's time I can think of, and in this case that
"someone else" is US.

Well, I'll start by saying that there is most certainly NO one
way to eliminate all missed appointments...not even close. But
there are things we can do to help minimize the number of no shows
that we experience from new patients. Recently I've tapped into
a KILLER strategy for reducing missed consultation appointments
from new patients, and I'm going to share it with you right here,
right now.

Charge $1 when they schedule.

Yep, simply ask the caller for their credit card number so you
can schedule their $1 Consultation. Then charge the $1 fee right
then, while on the phone. This does two things:

1- You get their credit card number, which is an extra level of
commitment that you didn't have before. This is critically
important, because you can mention that your normal consultation
fee is $120 (or whatever you wish), and this amount will not
be charged unless they miss their appointment without prior
notice...in our office that's at least one of OUR business days.

2- You train them to prepay for your services. Even though it's
just $1, the concept is more powerful than the dollar value.

While I call this the "$1 Consultation", you could still advertise
"Free" as well. Here's how.

Charge the $1 to secure their appointment time, then REFUND that
amount when they arrive. This strategy works in many businesses,
so why not dentistry? In fact, you can charge whatever amount
you want and refund it upon arrival, and it's still "free"! But
you'll get the least resistance with $1.00.

Market research has shown that the word "FREE" is one of the most
powerful words in marketing. The "$1" offer is strong too, and
worth testing vs. "free" in your market. Whichever you choose,
you'll feel more confident scheduling your new patient consults
when they are secured with a credit card.

All my best,
Chris

PS: If you're worried about resistance to this protocol, think
about how many patients scheduled consultations in your office,
then they just didn't show up. If a patient's not willing to
commit $1 to be at your office, chances are they're not serious
about the appointment. Do everything you can to build value
in the appointment, but if they refuse to share their credit
card info, let them go. I've always said:

"If they schedule for free, they can cancel for free!"

Dr. Chris Bowman
Dental Insiders Alliance