Here are ideas #25-31

Here we go again with more from my "40 Ideas In 40 Days",
which if you remember was my gift to you in celebration of
my 40th birthday back on April 19th. I've already shared
Ideas #1-24 with you.

Ideas #25-31...BIGGER IDEAS! I'm going to shift gears and
focus this time on broader concepts that will help to guide
you through our current times. Keep in mind that each idea
I share today requires much more discussion than I have room
for here. But by merely stimulating your thoughts, you'll be
better prepared.

Idea #25 (May 13): Don't relinquish "power" to external forces!
If you remember nothing else from anything I share with you,
remember this, and you'll be better off forever. If you "take
the bait" and blame external factors for negative outcomes in
your practice, then you lose the perceived control you need to
turn things around.

Yes, the U.S. economy has slowed down a bit from the breakneck
pace we've enjoyed for the past 5 years. Recession? No way.
Can you make adjustments in your practice and sustain growth?
Absolutely!

Listen, it'll probably get a little worse before it gets better.
However, YOU control the direction of your practice! Not any
economy or other external forces...YOU. Yes, you'll have to
work a little harder and be a lot savvier to succeed in a more
difficult climate, but you can definitely do so...despite what
others may say.

Idea #26 (May 14): Build a TALL fence around your patients...
FAST! In all honesty, this task should always be a focus,
yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Problem is, most dentists are
too busy trying to get patients in the front door that they lose
sight of the wide open BACK door.

I'm talking about RETENTION, or keeping your patients for life.
This doesn't just happen...it takes purposeful effort. You must
do everything you can to make sure your patients know that you
love them and appreciate them, and that you are thinking about
them. Otherwise they'll rarely if ever think about you.

Let's think about this for a minute. Your patients are only in
your office a few times per year. And it's just not enough to
rely solely on their visits as the source of their loyalty.
In today's transient world, there are simply too many other
entities vying for their attention, including other dentists.
And if you're not careful, your patients will get "too busy" to
keep coming in on a regular basis. They'll just fade away.

So what do you do? How can you stay on "top of mind", making
it more difficult for your patients to break away from you?

Idea #27 (May 15): Stay IN TOUCH. This concept is perhaps the
most underutilized, yet most powerful, loyalty building strategy
in existence. I've written about it before, and I frequently
"dig deep" into this topic with my Dental Insiders Alliance members.
I can promise you that I'll continue to bug you about it forever,
in multiple ways, because it's that important.

When your patients hear from you, get something in the mail, or
attend an event that you throw for them, they become that much
more attached to your practice, your team, and you. It's that
simple.

I often get the question: "How often should I stay in touch?"
The answer depends on how often you can contact them without
being boring! That's one of just two sins you can commit when
reaching out to your patients. The other is "selling" to them
more than 50% of the time. It's OK to make frequent offers,
but at least half of your contact needs to be without a pitch,
and "just because".

Once monthly should be your MINIMUM standard. It's not that
hard to at least send a postcard, newsletter, or even a voice
blast to mix it up. And with email, it's even easier...BUT...
you've got to include physical mail and voice for the most
personal effect.

[NOTE: If you'd like more information on how to AUTOMATE
regular contact with your patients, reply to
DrChrisBowman@DentalInsiders.com and I'll get you
preliminary information on some upcoming developments
that are going to be HOT.]

Idea #28 (may 16): Start a LOYALTY program. I'm sure that if
you looked through your wallet, you'd find at least one "loyalty"
card. Could be from a local restaurant, hotel, airline, whatever.
Why not create a loyalty vehicle for your practice?

You can really take this in whatever direction you want, as long
as you tie future visits and/or achievement of your patients'
dental goals to specific rewards. The rewards don't have to
be huge, but the higher the perceived value, the more effective
the program.

Be creative. You can offer gift cards from area businesses,
savings off future visits in your office, either or both. You
can buy various gifts wholesale for pennies on the dollar and
give or send them to your best patients on their "anniversary"
in your practice. Either way, recognizing your patients' loyalty
will go a long way in building it further.

[NOTE: Be on the lookout in the near future for a loyalty program
that I'm currently testing in my own practice. If it passes muster,
then I'm going to launch it for your use in your own practice. It's
a little early now, but if you want to be among the first to know
about it (assuming it works out well), let me know.]

Idea #29 (May 17): Add NEW services/procedures. The more you can keep "in house", the better...as long as you don't despise doing it! If there are some services you'd like to do more of, but you don't feel as comfortable with your current skill level, then set aside time to aquire the skill it takes to become proficient.

I just returned from the Oral Sedation Dentistry course given by the Dental Organization for Conscious Sedation (DOCS). I've actually been providing sedation dentistry for 7 years, as I took the DOCS course in 2001. I had to go to this course because the NC State Board now requires a more recent course to maintain a permit for sedation dentistry. Don't ya just love new state regs? Grrrrrr!

I was amazed at how many dentists were there for the first time,
and a good number of them were still unsure about whether they
should offer sedation dentistry. It got me thinking about the fact
that there are SO many dental services that many of us could be
offering our patients that we're not...we're leaving TONS of
moolah on the table...or should I say someone else's table?!

Regarding adding procedures, don't do it if you don't like it.
Life's too short. But you can likely find new procedures that
you can add to your repetoire for major increases in revenue.

Idea #30 (May 18): Beware the "turtle"! This one goes back to the
prevailing perception of the economy, and not falling victim to it.

What I call the "turtle response" is the act of withdrawing deep
into your shell when faced with challenging times. You pull back
on marketing, spending, and other potential contributors to growth. The result...less growth. Not good.

Now, I'm not saying you should be reckless with spending in your
practice. Being sensible is certainly important, especially in
an economic crunch. But when people are flowing less freely into
your practice, the LAST thing you want to do is shut off your
marketing!

It IS a natural reaction to want to pull back, but you must stay
active in marketing and building your practice. Be sure you
TRACK your marketing to make sure what you're doing is working.
And keep it going, because it's what is keeping you going.

Idea #31 (May 19): HAPPY BIRTHDAY! No, not mine again. I know it's not likely your birthday either. But today is in fact my own father's birthday...and it's the BIG 65 for him!

What's that got to do with you? Well, today my dad's going to
not only get a call (and a special celebration dinner) from me.
He's also going to get a birthday card AND a special call from
my office! We do this for ALL of our patients, and I think it's
one of the most impactful things you can do for your patients.

You MUST add a birthday celebration to your list of ways to
stay in touch with your patients. In this case I'd focus
purely on their special day, and not worry about trying to promote anything. For some your card and/or call could be the highlight of their day, and they'll never forget it.

BONUS Idea #31.5: The 1/2 Birthday. Wanna do something really
cool? Send your patients a HALF-Birthday card! Send either
six months before or six months after their actual birthday (I
know, I'm a smart-a**). The mere fact that you were creative
enough to think of that will cause your patients to remember you
forever...and tell their friends about you. Can you say
"REFERRAL"?! See, it was worth reading all the way down to here,
wasn't it?

OK...that wraps it up for today. Remember to FORWARD this message to other dentists if you found it helpful. Help me get the word out about Dental Insiders Alliance. And, share your success stories with me...let me know when you've put my ideas to work, and what returns you've garnered from your efforts.

Have an AMAZING week.

All my best,
Chris

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